These minutes reflect
discussion and debate at a meeting of a committee of the
Minutes
Senate Committee on Finance and Planning
Tuesday, June 7, 2005
2:30 – 4:15
510 Morrill Hall
Present:
Charles Campbell (chair), Rose Blixt, Steve
Fitzgerald, Lincoln Kallsen, Thomas Klein, Joseph Konstan, Michael Korth,
Judith Martin, Ian McMillan, Terry Roe, Karen Seashore, Charles Speaks, Alfred
Sullivan, Warren Warwick
Absent:
none counted for a summer meeting
Guests:
Provost E. Thomas Sullivan
[In these minutes: (1) discussion with Provost Sullivan; (2)
issues for 2005-06; (3) resolution]
Professor
Campbell convened the meeting at 2:00 and began by welcoming two new members of
the Committee, Professors Judith Martin and Justin Revenaugh.
1. Discussion with Provost Sullivan
The
Committee held an hour-long discussion with Provost Sullivan that touched on a
number of issues, some of which have been of concern to the Committee for
several years. They included:
-- the funding of common goods,
especially libraries and the technology infrastructure, and the extent to which
funding should be centralized or decentralized
-- transparency
and accountability in budgets, particularly for common goods
-- the
budget model
-- the
need for comparative information from other top research universities
-- incentives
and rewards for individual faculty and for departments/programs
-- faculty
salary distribution
Professor
Campbell thanked Provost Sullivan for joining the meeting.
Following
Provost Sullivan's departure, Professor Morrison, the incoming chair of the
Committee, asked Dr. (Al) Sullivan about the role of the Committee in
appointing and then reviewing the work of any task forces that will deal with
the issues outlined in the administrative strategic planning report. Dr. Sullivan noted that the administrative
task forces will not have the same December deadlines as the academic task
forces because the work on administrative issues is expected to continue over a
period of several years. He also said
that there would be faculty members on the task forces.
Apropos
the discussion of centralization versus decentralization, Professor Seashore
raised questions about the implications of unchecked decanal power if a dean is
not doing a good job or does not have adequate staff to make significant
financial decisions based on accurate analysis.
The need for faculty participation in these decisions is critical, she
maintained. Mr. Klein suggested that
this was an example of the long cycle time the University community has in dealing with personnel, administrative and
management issues that have inherent conflicts and tradeoffs. The Committee expressed support for the
proposed new and more efficient system for reviewing deans.
2. Issues for 2005-06
Professor
Morrison distributed copies of a list of issues he foresaw for the Committee
for 2005-06.
Recurring issues:
Capital request
Six-year capital plan
Supplemental budget request
Debt review
Annual Financial Report
Review Budget Office work plan
Review Budget Instructions
Run-up for the 2008-09 biennial request
Stadium
Parking and other costs to employees and students
Tuition policy
Strategic Positioning Issues:
Review output of Administrative Task force and
follow-up groups
Impact of other strategic planning on the finances of
the University
Financial Issues:
Investment policy guidelines for Faculty Retirement
Plan (to the Retirement Subcommittee first)
Financial systems replacement
Special Issues:
Salary targets (requested by Provost Sullivan)
Budget model
Other
Food services and vending contracts (the RFP process will start in 2006; the
Committee will want to
review the parameters of the RFP)
AHC expansion plans
Land purchases
Professor
Morrison invited Committee members to make additional suggestions. Professor Konstan suggested a few other
issues:
-- how financial operations affect
individuals (certified approver program, restrictions on expenditures of funds,
support for reporting)
-- assessment of faculty workload (the
Federal Demonstration Partnership is doing a grant administration survey) and
the amount of time faculty spend on "overhead" versus mission
-- human capital development and
management training: is the University
investing what is needed?
And as procedural matters, he said, (1) visitors to
the Committee should be instructed that they are not to take all the time
allotted to them on the agenda but must leave time for Committee questions and
discussion, and (2) visitors should generally be asked to provide materials
ahead of time. Professor Morrison agreed
he would try to insist on these practices, noting that sometimes things change
the morning before a meeting so it may occasionally be necessary to receive
materials at the meeting rather than ahead of time.
3. Resolution
Professor
Konstan moved the following resolution:
Whereas, Professor Chuck Campbell
has served actively and faithfully on the Senate Committee on Finance and
Planning since 1998, and as our chair for the last two years, and
Whereas, the members of the
Committee have appreciated Professor Campbell's substantial work, good humor,
and devotion to the advancement of the best interests of the University of
Minnesota,
Therefore Be It Resolved that the members of the
Committee extend their warm thanks to Professor Campbell for his service as
chair of Finance and Planning for the last two years and express the hope that
Professor Campbell will continue to make himself available to serve the
University in the same splendid manner that he has in the last several years.
The
motion was adopted unanimously and Committee members gave Professor Campbell a
round of applause. Professor Campbell
said that dealing with the Committee had been a very rewarding experience.
He
adjourned the meeting at 3:30.
--
Gary Engstrand