The Feb. 21 Faculty Senate meeting saw Faculty Trustee Chad Middleton’s Proposal for Recognition-Based Merit Pay Structure defeated by a margin of nine votes. Senators voting against the bill argued that competition between faculty members could hurt departments.
At the previous Faculty Senate meeting, Middleton detailed his proposed changes to the new merit pay system recently implemented by Colorado Mesa University administration. During discussion, Middleton said he knew the proposal wasn’t perfect, but wanted to present something that might be approved by CMU President Tim Foster.
Senators spoke to faculty members of their departments and came back ready to vote on the proposal. Middleton was absent from the meeting, but Faculty Senate President Kristen Hague said he suggested voting either yes or no on the recommendation rather than playing with the numbers.
Engineering Senator Kelly Bevill said her department was against the proposal. “There’s no incentive for us to help our department out,” Bevill said. She argued the proposal could create competition between faculty members that would reduce their willingness to help each other.
“We want to propose we come back with something different,” Bevill said. “We really want to make it about being collaborative and helping each other out.” Bevill said the amount of merit-pay was a small amount and members of her department would rather see money go to professional development than merit pay.
Physical and Environmental Sciences Senator Jared Workman disagree with the notion that faculty members would refuse to help each other over competition for merit pay. “I’m still going to help my coworkers,” Workman said.
EMS senator Pam Holder said members of her department thought the $1,000 bonus was huge, but also recommended alternatives. One suggestion was offering parking passes to faculty. Other senators agreed with Holder that faculty would respond favorably to having parking pass fees eliminated.
Biological Sciences Senator Tom Walla recognized the complaint made by faculty members about parking and pointed out it could be worse. “We’re really cheap in comparison to other universities,” Walla said.
Workman reminded senators that the change in pay structure was already being implemented and Middleton’s proposal was an attempt to have faculty influence on how money was distributed. “All of this is going to happen if we don’t have any input,” Workman said. “Foster wants a system where we are differentiated.”
The senate voted on the proposal as written. Rick Ott, representing Computer Science, Mathematics and Statistics, voted in favor. The proposal failed with 11 ‘nay’ votes.
Hague asked for volunteers for an ad hoc committee to create a new proposal to present to Foster; one that would demonstrate appreciation for faculty. Walla and Colorado Faculty Advisory Council member Brian Perry volunteered.
In other action:
CMU President Tim Foster spoke to the senate about his recommendation to appoint Kurt Haas as the new Academic Affairs vice president. Haas has been acting in the position since the previous vice president, Cynthia Pemberton, left CMU. Foster said Haas’ demonstrated adaptability at new positions and comfortability with presenting opposing viewpoints make him a good fit.
“He’s very comfortable saying ‘I don’t agree; here’s why,’” Foster said. Foster told the senate he was willing to listen to opposition to Haas’ appointment, or reasons why a formal search needs to be conducted. He welcomed emails or visits during his office hours.
Hague asked senators for feedback from their departments on the Campus Safety and Emergency Response Guide. “What I’m hearing from my department is not a lot of people are familiar with it,” Hague said. Walla referenced an issue with technology for locking classroom doors and suggested a low-tech solution: deadbolts.
Associated Student Government Vice President Jeff Vela told the senate there will likely be a freeze on in-state tuition. Vela also told the senate about an issue he said directly impacted student retention: the search for a new director of Student Life. He said structural changes that have been implemented during the inconsistent presence of a director this academic year will make it easier for a new director to step into the position.
During the executive report, Music Senator Darin Kamstra said that elections for a new trustee are coming up as Middleton’s time in the position nears an end. Walla asked about special requirements for the position. Having tenure was the only requirement mentioned.
