January 2009 Board Notes

EXECUTIVE SESSION

The UHPA Board of Directors met in Executive Session for about two hours.  UHPA Executive Director and Chief Negotiator J. N. Musto reported on his meetings with employer representatives and the Governor as well as his meeting with public sector union leaders.  The Board of Directors provided the negotiating team and the Chief Negotiator with instructions covering the minimum terms that should be included in a two–year contract commencing on July 1, 2009.

RADCLIFFE & ASSOCIATES

 John Radcliffe, President of Radcliffe and Associates, presented to the Board of Directors a written report on the importance of having a lobbyist and how his firm operates to benefit UHPA.  The report highlighted both the technical and personnel capacity his company uses to review, track, monitor, and influence matters of legislative priority to UHPA and impacting the University.  Radcliffe and Associates is also in partnership with Capitol Consultants, one of the oldest, continuing lobbying firms in Hawaii.

The contract with Radcliffe and Associates expires on July 1, 2009, and the Board of Directors will review and act upon renewing the yearly contract during the spring semester.

LEGISLATION & MEMBER COMMUNICATION

Associate Executive Director Kristeen Hanselman reported on UHPA’s public policy agenda for 2009, an update on affordable workforce housing development, proposed legislation relating to civil unions, and member communications planned for January–February 2009.

FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE APPOINTMENTS

Directors passed a motion confirming the appointments of Kevin Dooley, Professor of Business Education at Kapiolani CC, as the Faculty Representative for PAU 017 and Philippe Binder, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at UH-Hilo, as the Faculty Representative for PAU 035.  Their appointments are effective immediately and they serve until May 31, 2009.  Professor Dooley replaces Dennis Vanairsdale, who now serves on the UHPA Board of Directors.

FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE COMMITTEE (FRC) APPOINTMENTS

At its November meeting, Directors passed a motion to continue the present Faculty Representative system and Faculty Forum meetings but to establish a Faculty Representative Advisory Committee to assess the effectiveness of the current Faculty Representative system and make recommendations to the Board of Directors by its April 2009 meeting. The Committee Chair has requested that this issue be on the February Faculty Forum agenda to gather input from Faculty Reps.  

At its December 6, 2008 meeting, the Executive Committee approved the FRC Charter and confirmed the appointment of Richard Nettell, Assistant Professor of English at UH-Manoa and member of the Executive Committee, as Chair of the Faculty Representative Committee (FRC).  Directors passed a motion confirming the appointments of Michael Cooney (UH-Manoa), Joel Fischer (UH-Manoa), Peter Rappa (UH-Manoa), and Sharon Rowe (Kapiolani CC) as members of the Faculty Representative Committee (FRC).  Their appointment takes effect immediately and will end on August 31, 2009 (last day of the UHPA fiscal year).  To view the FRC Charter, go to http://www.uhpa.org/members-only/committees/committee-charters/081206-frc-charter.pdf/view.

IFAC APPOINTMENTS

Directors passed a motion confirming the appointments of Robert Paull, L. Thomas Ramsey, Duane Stevens, and Lynne Wilkens, all from UH-Manoa, as members of the Investment, Finance, & Audit Committee (IFAC).  Their appointment takes effect immediately and will end on August 31, 2009 (last day of the UHPA fiscal year).

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. PARADE

Directors were reminded that UHPA will be marching with the Hawaii AFL-CIO in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade on Monday, January 19.  Directors who intend to participate should inform Kris Hanselman, UHPA Associate Executive Director.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (SLO)

Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) have been discussed for quite some time.  The main concern for many faculty members is that the assessment data should not be used to evaluate faculty for promotion, tenure, or contract renewal.  UHPA’s Faculty Representatives discussed this issue at their February 2007 Forum and emphasized that SLOs are to be used solely to assess student learning in courses and programs and not to evaluate faculty.  The execution and management of program and course assessment should not impede the academic freedom of faculty members in their construction of courses, assignments, and student evaluation.  Directors were informed that while there can be aggregate course data collected regarding SLOs, the data cannot be used for individual faculty evaluations.  If this happens, it would be a procedural violation of the UHPA contract and the individual faculty member needs to contact the union.

Since the implementation and use of SLOs is an academic issue, it needs to be addressed by the Faculty Senates.  The Senates at UH-Manoa, Leeward CC, Maui CC, Kapiolani CC, and others have adopted resolutions on this matter.

PRESIDENTIAL “SEARCH” COMMITTEE

Directors were made aware that at Hawaii CC a campus meeting was held about the upcoming search for the next UH President, but it was not widely advertised.  The big issue discussed was whether the President for UH has to be an academic?  The Board of Regents feels that the individual should be more like a Corporate Executive Officer (CEO).  Faculty are encouraged to attend these meetings and raise issues that the new UH President ought to address. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The National Education Association’s (NEA) Pacific Regional Conference is scheduled for February 13-15, 2009 in Seattle, Washington.  Information can be viewed at http://www.nea.org/grants/20873.htm.

The NEA Higher Education Conference is scheduled for March 27-29, 2009 in Portland, Oregon.  Information can be viewed at http://www2.nea.org/he/conf.html. *