National-Louis University
Faculty Senate

REPORT TO THE NLU BOARD OF TRUSTEES
(February 20, 2002)

The members of the Faculty Senate are pleased to offer our fifth semi-annual report of our recent achievements, our current work-in-progress, and our concerns. Last year was a very difficult one that we do not want to relive. We are however, encouraged by the growth and composition of our Board of Trustees, more open communication as exemplified in the monthly publication of the University's Income Statement, a renewed commitment to planning evidenced by the University Planning Group, and the collaborative spirit of our administrators. The faculty is steadfast in its commitment to this university, to the students, and to assuring the academic integrity upon which NLU depends.

Achievements:

• Academic Planning and Program Review. In September, the Senate approved the revisions to the academic planning process as recommended by the Senate Academic Planning Committee and encoded in the Academic Planning Handbook. The most significant revision specifies a process for ad hoc program reviews to be completed at the request of either the faculty or the administration whenever questions of program viability emerge. These reviews, to be completed by the SAPC and in accordance with the regular program review procedures as outlined in the Handbook, enable the faculty and the administration to be more proactive and resourceful when monitoring program viability. This will enable decisions about program viability to have faculty input and be data-driven.
  
  Adjunct Council. The need to develop a process of including adjunct faculty in governance activities at National-Louis University was underscored in 1999-2000, when a Senate-appointed task force on adjunct affairs made this recommendation. In May 2001, the Senate approved the formation of an Adjunct Council to be developed through a two-year pilot program. This Fall, the three colleges and the library selected representatives to this Council; in January the appointments were made; and in February the first meeting of the new Adjunct Council will convene. Adjunct faculty from this Council will become members of seven different Senate committees, make recommendations to Senate, and develop the processes through which the Council will further develop and recommend the increased inclusion of our adjunct faculty at NLU. Two faculty liaison members will meet regularly with the Council for advisory and support purposes, and the Faculty Association Standards, Evaluation and Appeals Committee will have oversight responsibility.
  
  

Work in Progress:

• Policies in Development. We currently have no policies guiding the due-process rights and procedures for tenured faculty when programs are closed or when "termination for cause" is raised. Therefore, a task force has been appointed to develop such policies and bring recommendations to the Senate this spring.
  
  
• Task Force on Intellectual Property and Copyright Policy Development. In December the Senate passed the following motion:
  
  Because of our concern about the continuing lack of approved policy, the Senate will appoint a six-person joint administration and Senate task force to develop (1) an intellectual property policy and (2) a copyright use policy, and accomplish that task within sixty (60) days.
  
  In collaboration with senior administrators, this task force was appointed and they are beginning their work. The goal of this task force is to identify and protect the interests and rights of both faculty and administration with regard to intellectual property and copyright issues. In conjunction with this project, an outside expert/consultant has been commissioned and will be addressing the whole university community and will be available to the task force on an as-needed basis.
  
  
• Faculty Input into Administrative Review. The faculty has had no regular means of providing input into appraisals of administrative performance. Our Academic Support Committee is studying appropriate review purposes, audiences, and instruments, and will be recommending a rating form through which the faculty can provide annual input into administrative review.
  
  
• Faculty Forum on Teaching with Technology. On Feb. 27, the Senate will sponsor the first of seven "focused discussions" in which faculty members will discuss what they have been learning, exploring, experiencing, and experimenting with as they infuse more technology into their teaching. These sessions, broadcast live through our interactive video classrooms, will be supported by a web page of resources and follow-up asynchronous discussion boards.
  
  

Concerns:

• Timely Access to Accurate Data. Reviewing the viability of our academic programs is the responsibility of the Senate Academic Planning Committee. Academic policy requires that we submit all existing programs to a schedule of regular reviews, and conduct immediate reviews of any program in question. However, we lack a system for producing and obtaining timely and accurate data in a coherent format. Consequently, we have limited ability to conduct thorough reviews and make informed recommendations based on data.
  
  
• The College of Arts & Sciences. We believe that a well-functioning university requires investment and commitment to all of its academic units on an equitable basis. Furthermore, a broadly based and reliably funded College of Arts and Sciences is essential to the integrity of a balanced academic institution. We are concerned that our College of Arts & Sciences is inadequately funded, is experiencing enrollment erosion as a domino effect of last year's questionable forced program closings, and is in immediate need of university commitment, resources, and leadership.
  
  
• Salaries. For the last two years, NLU faculty members have had no salary raises. According to an Arthur Andersen Faculty Study, our faculty is 8.9% below the mean of faculty salaries at comparable institutions. Last year, the Senate Welfare and Compensation Committee recommended a 3-year "salary adjustment" (versus a raise) plan in order to bring NLU faculty salaries within 60% of those faculties at comparable institutions. However, the plan was funded for only 33% of what the first year required, therefore we will fail to reach even this modest goal within three years. Consequently, NLU faculty members are falling farther behind our peers at comparable institutions.
  
  
• Forecasting Enrollment, Revenue & Budgets. In spite of heightened awareness to our problems in the recruitment, enrollment, budgeting, and data-producing systems, as of mid-year, the projected enrollments and revenue have not materialized. As a result, there have been drastic cuts in the academic budget, 2/3 of the staff vacancies are not being filled, campus site security systems have been compromised, and faculty are concerned about the ultimate effects on academic services and quality.
  
  
• Management Model for Out-of-State Academic Centers. We believe that the model proposed by the administration does not address the root causes of revenue decline at the centers. We believe that structural changes in academic reporting are far less important than are realistic enrollment assumptions, local niche marketing efforts, and delegating authority and providing technical resource support to local initiatives to increase growth and revenue opportunities at the centers.
  
  

While the financial situation of the University is serious and our concerns are many, the faculty continues to be proactive in addressing our problems. We continue to identify new markets, develop timely and cost-effective programs, protect academic quality, and create novel 'delivery' systems. The faculty is ready to join in any collaborative efforts to navigate the University through these difficult times.