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2499 DOCUMENTS OF THE GENERAL FACULTY Following are the minutes of the regular Faculty Council meeting of January 27, 2003. <signed> John R. Durbin, Secretary The General Faculty MINUTES OF THE REGULAR FACULTY COUNCIL MEETING OF January 27, 2003 The fourth regular meeting of the Faculty Council for the academic year 2002-2003 was held in Room 212 of the Main Building on Monday, January 27, 2003, at 2:15 P.M. ATTENDANCE. Present:Kamran S. Aghaie, Urton L. Anderson, Brigitte L. Bauer, Glen S. Baum, Gerard H. Béhague, Daniela Bini, Teresa Graham Brett, Joanna M. Brooks, Neal M. Burns, Michael J. Churgin, Melba M. Crawford, Ann Cvetkovich, John R. Durbin, Linda Ferreira-Buckley, Kenneth Flamm, Alan W. Friedman, Charles N. Friedman, James D. Garrison, John C. (Jack) Gilbert, Michael H. Granof, Sue A. Greninger, Marvin L. Hackert, Donald A. Hale, Julie Hallmark, Barbara J. Harlow, Archie L. Holmes, Katherine Ann King, Anastasia "Stacey" Kounelias, Elliott W. Kruppa, Steven W. Leslie, Arthur B. Markman, Dean P. Neikirk, Melvin E. L. Oakes, Edward W. (Ted) Odell, Patricia C. Ohlendorf, Melissa L. Olive, Bruce P. Palka, Theodore E. Pfeifer, Anna Coons Pyeatt, Linda E. Reichl, Charles R. Rossman, M. Michael Sharlot, David B. Spence, Janet Staiger, Salomon A. Stavchansky, Sharon L. Strover, Sarah Elizabeth Tierney, James R. Yates. Absent: Lawrence D. Abraham, Phyllis R. Akmal, Harold W. Billings, David G. Bogard, Daniel A. Bonevac, Jennifer S. Brodbelt (excused), Johnny S. Butler, Alan K. Cline (excused), Patricia L. Clubb, Donald G. Davis (excused), Joshua Dever (excused), Andrew P. Dillon, Edwin Dorn, John D. Downing, Sheldon Ekland-Olson (excused), Larry R. Faulkner (excused), Robert Freeman, George W. Gau, Lita A. Guerra (excused), Carl T. Haas (excused), Michael P. Harney (excused), Thomas M. Hatfield, Kevin P. Hegarty, Kurt O. Heinzelman, James L. Hill (excused), Joseph M. Horn (excused), Sharon D. Horner (excused), Raymond Bert "Rusty" Ince III, Julie R. Irwin (excused), Judith A. Jellison (excused), Manuel J. Justiz (excused), Martin W. Kevorkian, Richard W. Lariviere, William S. Livingston, Amarante L. Lucero, Eric C. Opiela, Elmira Popova, William C. Powers, Esther L. Raizen (excused), Mary Ann R. Rankin, Johnnie D. Ray, Victoria Rodriguez, David J. Saltman (excused), Juan M. Sanchez, Dolores Sands, Diane L. Schallert (excused), Mark R. V. Southern (excused), David W. Springer (excused), Frederick R. Steiner, Ben G. Streetman, Janice S. Todd, Daniel A. Updegrove, James W. Vick, N. Bruce Walker, Ellen A. Wartella, John M. Weinstock, Mary F. Wheeler, Barbara W. White, Darlene C. Wiley, Michael P. Young. Voting Members: 42 present, 32 absent, 74 total. Non-Voting Members: 6 present, 28 absent, 34 total. Total Members: 48 present, 60 absent, 108 total. 2500 I. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. There were no questions about the written report (D 2387-2389). II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES. A. Minutes of the regular Faculty Council meeting of November 18, 2002, (D 2390-2393) were approved by voice vote. III. COMMUNICATION WITH THE PRESIDENT — None. IV. REPORT OF THE CHAIR — None. V. REPORT OF THE CHAIR ELECT. Professor Marvin Hackert (chemistry and biochemistry) informed members about plans for the February 24 meeting of the Council and the Faculty Senate of Texas A&M University. This annual meeting, which alternates between College Station and Austin, was held this year on the UT Austin campus. Professor Hackert said there would be two concurrent sessions. One, “Serving Texas: Exploring ways flagship institutions can improve community outreach to the state of Texas,” would be moderated by Johnnie Ray, vice president for resource development at UT Austin. The other, “In Pursuit of Excellence under Fiscal Restraints: How can UT and TAMU make progress on their goals for excellence in higher education in these frugal times?” would be moderated by Stephen Monti, executive vice provost at UT Austin. [Secretary’s remark: At the February 24 meeting, the group was also addressed by President Larry R. Faulkner of UT Austin, President Robert M. Gates of TAMU, Executive Vice President and Provost Sheldon Ekland-Olson of UT Austin, Interim Executive Vice President and Provost David Prior of TAMU, Mr. John Opperman, special advisor on budget policy, Office of the Lieutenant Governor, and State Senator Royce West.] VI. UNFINISHED BUSINESS — None. VII. REPORTS OF THE GENERAL FACULTY, COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS, AND COMMITTEES — None. VIII. NEW BUSINESS. A. A. Proposed changes to the Faculty Council Rules and Regulations (D 2384-2385). This item was introduced by Professor Kenneth Flamm (LBJ School of Public Affairs), chair of the General Faculty Rules Committee. There were no questions, and the item was approved, without dissent, by voice vote. B. Faculty Council Resolution Endorsing the Recommendations from the Task Force on Assembly and Expression (D 2386). The resolution was put before the Council by Chair Granof (accounting). Law Professor Douglas Laycock, chair of the Task Force on Assembly and Expression had made a detailed presentation at the November meeting of the Council. At that time, members of the Council and others were invited to convey their comments and concerns to Professor Laycock. These had led to several revisions of the report, and there was no further discussion on January 17. The resolution was approved, without dissent, by voice vote. 2501   C. Update on the 2003-2004 Budget. Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Kevin Hegarty said that it was too early to predict the outcome of the legislative budget process. He summarized the current projected budget shortfall and the possible impact of a state budget reduction. In questions, Professor Flamm asked if thought had been given to scaling back the entering freshman class. Vice President Hegarty said this might be looked at eventually, but was not a high priority now. Executive Vice Provost Stephen Monti said a decision had been made earlier to reduce the freshman class by one thousand students, but that determining the budget impact of such a cut was complicated. Professor Béhauge (music) asked if the upcoming summer session was likely to be affected, and the answer was that this was uncertain. Points stressed by Vice President Hegarty: A guiding principle would be to reduce the scale of what we do, not the quality. There could be a possible budget shortfall of $35 million for the fiscal year 2003-2004; this would preserve a modest salary and benefit adjustment program. Strategies for managing any possible shortfall could include program reductions, process changes, and other possible actions involving such things as purchasing policies and selective hiring freezes. An important trend in the University’sfinances is reflected by these figures: State funding of the University as a percentage of the total University budget was 48.3% in 1972-73, 46.8% in 1982-83, 28.3% in 1992-93, and 20.1% in 2002-2003. [Update on budget planning presented by President Larry Faulkner on February 27, 2003.] IX. ANNOUNCEMENTS AND COMMENTS — None. X. QUESTIONS TO THE CHAIR — None. XI. ADJOURNMENT. The meeting adjourned at 2:48 P.M.