Personnel Services Committee

March 20, 2003

Members Present: Ray Bailey, Janet Bush, Joe Horobetz, Kurk Lew, Ella Moore, Donna Principe, Ruth Schena, Melody Seeber, Larry Shapira, Eric Trumbull, Ellen Wertman, and Dave Williams

Members Absent: Kate Blackwell, Jean Braden, Connie Childress, Patti Hill, Barbara Howard, and Bill Schran

1. Call to Order: Ray Bailey called the meeting to order at 2:10 p.m.

2. Review and Approval of the Minutes: The minutes of the February meeting were approved as distributed.

3. Chair's Report:

Ray Bailey reported on the Chancellor's Faculty Advisory Council, known as CFAC. Ray has served on that body for six years, and has chaired the group for the past four years. This council gives the faculty an excellent opportunity to communicate directly with the Chancellor about issues of importance to employees, not just faculty. At the most recent meeting it became clear that the number one issue is salary increases. The Chancellor reported that the VCCS is developing a federal agenda and that the VCCS has been successful in bringing $3 million in grants to the VCCS. The Chancellor was not encouraging about the prospects for summer and overload pay being included in retirement calculations. Concerns about Blackboard and PeopleSoft have been mostly resolved at this time. The CFAC now has its own Blackboard site.

4. Vice President's Report: Alison Baker reported on recent Administrative Council decision-making regarding the budget for next year. The Council agreed to a budget-balancing approach that would reduce the number of funded teaching faculty positions by three, the number of administrative and professional faculty positions by two, and the number of funded classified positions by four. The Council will determine which currently vacant faculty positions will continue vacant soon. After that decision, it will review the lists of 12-month and classified vacancies so that recruiting can begin for them in April.

The other major topic for the administration has been the College's safety programs. There was a workshop on safety planning for the Administrative Council and for the Council members' top staff. At the meeting the various units got together to review the status of their planning and to make recommendations for local and central improvements that might enhance the safety and security of people while they are at the College. Major issues were the preparedness of the campuses for incidents that call for a response other than evacuation, preparedness for all kinds of emergencies in the evening when most administrative and technical staff are not present, and the problems of adequate police coverage.

5. Old Business:

A. President's Sabbatical Program: Dave Williams distributed a draft program review report. He suggested some changes himself and other committee members made comments as well.

Eric Trumbull suggested that the committee work toward making the sabbatical provisions of the College more in tune with those at four-year institutions. He would like a full-pay one-semester sabbatical to be much more broadly available. All agreed that this is a very positive program about which everyone seems to be pleased. It is the right thing to do at the right time. The Committee congratulated Dave for the work he has done to produce the program review.

B. Classified Emeritus Program: Janet Bush said that the Classified Subcommittee found all nominees meritorious and recommended them all for emeritus status. She will pass the list on to Ray Bailey who will draft a cover letter and send the recommended names to the President.

6. New Business:

A. Faculty salary increase policy: According to VCCS policy, all faculty salary increases must include a merit component. Also, traditionally, the PSC advises the College Senate on the process for distributing faculty salary increases. It appears that there will be a salary increase in 2003, and so the PSC should recommend a process as it has in the past.

Ray distributed a copy of the process that has been used for the past several years and proposed three points to be referred to the Senate for its consideration:

1. That the College continue to use the same process as it has in the recent past, as described in a 1999 memo from Len Palumbo, then PSC chair, to Linda Simmons, then Senate Chair.

2. That salary savings developed from making junior appointments to vacant faculty positions be used to enhance the salary increase pool.

3. That the President and the Administrative Council review the material developed for the self-study on faculty salaries and look at the salary increase process to address some of those issues.

The Committee agreed to these three points.

B. At our next meeting the members should come prepared to discuss issues that should be recommended to next year's committee for its agenda.

7. Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 3:20 p.m.