Staff Advisory Committee to the President
November 8, 2001, 2:00 p.m.
Members Present: Davis, Dillon, Harris (Chairperson), Hooper, Jared, Klein, McMillan, and Zimmerman
Others Present:
Election of Vice-Chairperson
Newly appointed members of the SAC attending today’s meeting were Nancy Jared and Sandy Zimmerman. These new appointments were made due to the recent resignation from Tennessee Tech of committee members Mr. Rusty Boles and Mr. Mark Reagan. Vice-Chairperson Colleen Harris moved to the position of committee chair upon the resignation of Mr. Reagan. Chairperson Harris opened the floor for nominations for a vice-chairperson. Ms. Nancy Jared was the sole nominee. The motion to approve the nomination of Ms. Jared was made and duly seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
Ideas/Suggestions
A concern that food service employees may not have been allowed to attend the campus service for the National Day of Prayer had been placed in an idea/suggestion box. Ms. Pogue responded that no requests to attend the service were made, and that if any had been received everything possible would have been done to accommodate the request.
A suggestion to place pen and paper by the idea boxes was also received. Following a brief discussion, the committee concluded that a temporary solution would be to place a folder containing writing materials beside each idea/suggestion box to accommodate those desiring to submit suggestions.
Remarks by President Bell
Salary Increase Update
President Bell reported that at the October 22-23 meeting of the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) all proposals pertaining to salary increases were tabled. Further discussion and action pertaining to supplemental compensation plans submitted by TBR universities will be held during the TBR’s December quarterly meeting, December 6-7. If compensation plans are approved at the quarterly meeting, the requested salary increases will be retroactive to July and will be included in December paychecks. President Bell stated that the delay is disappointing; however, he hopes that the formulated plan to reward faculty, staff and administrators will be approved in December.
Designing our Future
The "Designing Our Future" proposal is in draft form at present. President Bell stated that the proposal outlines several categories that will have an effect on universities across the state; included are:
· Mission distinctiveness
-Channel enrollment growth to the community colleges
-Increase university admissions standards· Program reviews
-Ensure focus on core missions and eliminate unwarranted duplication in future academic programs
· Delaware Cost Study implementation
-Provide comparative cost data as a basis for making decisions about academic programs
-Reduction of some degree programs to 120 credit hours (60 credit hours for community colleges)
He also noted that the state is trying to increase job satisfaction and morale across the state after the September 11 tragedies.
Tennessee Tech excelled on TBR’s annual report card by placing first in four areas while providing the second least expensive education in the state. The four areas in which Tech placed first were student satisfaction, graduation rates, external peer reviews, and number of students receiving financial aid. The annual TBR report card compares several accountability measures among TBR institutions. Among TBR’s six universities, Tech’s in-state tuition and fees per semester rank second to the lowest at $2,667. The average cost to attend a TBR university is around $2,795 compared to about $3,500 nationwide.
Security
A total of five instances of finding white powdery substances on campus have been reported by University Police. The powdery substances have tested negative for biological hazards in all cases. In other matters concerning campus security, there may be more police presence at basketball games.
Rumor Hotline
A rumor line has been created to help suppress rumors and check on the validity of potential life threatening situations. To check for accuracy of any rumor, call the hotline at 372-6274.
Debit Card System
Tech is currently in the process of evaluating bids from various vendors for the debit card system. University administrators anticipate that the initial phase of the system will be in place by the beginning of the fall semester, 2002.
Southern Association of Schools and Colleges (SACS)
The results of the recent SACS evaluation visit were very positive
concerning the Ph.D. program in Exceptional Learning in the
CPR Classes
The
Tech Ambassadors
President Bell congratulated employees recently honored as "Tech
Ambassadors:"
Katie Bachman, secretary in the Honors Program, October 2001 Ambassador
Carol Farris, secretary in Information Technology Services, November 2001
Ambassador
Outstanding Staff Awards
Congratulations to the following 2001 Outstanding Staff Award recipients:
Betty Fine, secretary in the Chemistry Department
Betty Harris, secretary in the Tennessee Cooperative Fishery Research Unit
Dennis Goodwin, technician in Telecommunications
David Walker, engineering laboratory technician in the Mechanical Engineering
Department
Christmas Celebrations
President Bell and first lady Gloria Bell will host the clerical and support
staff Christmas luncheon on Tuesday, December 4, from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00
p.m. in the Multipurpose Room of the
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 2:45 p.m.
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Last Updated: September 16, 2003
For more information, contact TWatson@tntech.edu
