LFA Exec - Minutes - September 21, 2016

MINUTES: 2016-2017 Library Faculty Assembly Executive Committee

Wednesday, September 21st, 2016 2-3pm

Watson 440B

ACTION ITEMS

  1. All LFA Executive Board members should come to the October executive meeting with ideas for an Unclassified Academic Staff (UAS) Working Group.
  2. LFA Executive Board members interested in sitting on the UAS Working Group should come to the October executive meeting with a charge draft and a draft call for UAS Working Group members.

MINUTES

  1. Attendance
    • Chair: Sara Morris, Vice Chair/Chair Elect: Karna Younger, Secretary: Rebecca Orozco, Member 1: Ada Emmett, Member 2: Sherri Brown, Member 3: Josh Bolick, Member at Large: Andi Back, General Assembly Member/Faculty Senate President-Elect: Amalia Monroe-Gulick, General Assembly Member: Angie Rathmel, General Assembly Member/Library Committee on Promotion and Tenure Member: Fran Devlin, Dean of Libraries: Kevin Smith
  2. Minute Approval
    • July 11 approved with corrections
    • August 21 approved with corrections
  3. Update from Promotion & Tenure Documents (PTD) Working Group (Andi)
    • The PTD Working Group has completed transferring relevant information from the following documents into the University Faculty Senate, Standards & Procedures for Promotion and Tenure Committee (SPPT) template: Criteria for Academic Ranks of Librarians, Discipline Expectations for Library Faculty at KU, and Promotion & Tenure Overview.
    • The PTD Working Group anticipates finishing cleaning and formatting of the information in the SPPT template by early October. This should allow them to have a finished SPPT template to LFA Executive Board by mid-October and to SPPT in November.
    • The PTD Working Group will keep Criteria for Academic Ranks of Librarians separate from the SPPT template.
    • The PTD Working Group is revising the Criteria for Academic Ranks of Librarians at KU to include appropriate language for the Unclassified Academic Specialist classification.
  4. Review of Policies on Unclassified Academic Staff
    • Amalia Monroe-Gulick, Faculty Senate President-Elect, General Library Faculty Assembly Member helped to facilitate a discussion on the KU Libraries, University of Kansas (KU), and Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) policies for Unclassified Academic Staff. The discussion centered around how LFA, as a KU Libraries governance body, could help clarifying the policies for this faculty classification within KU Libraries and KU.
    • Overview of the discussion was as follows:
      1. Earlier in the year at the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) meeting members discussed the faculty ranks of unclassified academic staff and tenure track faculty.
      2. KBOR policy
        • The KBOR policy does not really have a distinct classification for the unclassified academic staff. Please refer to minutes from the January 14, 2015 KBOR Governance Committee.
        • In the current KBOR policy, which was amended in February of 2015, Kansas State University requested a generic multiple year appoints for unclassified academic staff. Within the multiple year appoint section pertaining to full-time UAS faculty, they may apply to transfer from non- tenure to tenure track one time. Professional work, research, and service done before the transfer would not count toward the new tenure track. The clock would rest with the new classification.
      3. KU Libraries Policy/Endorsements
        • In 2014 LFPA endorsed a UAS-faculty policy, but did not vote on and it was never approved by the Faculty Senate, SPPT Committee.
        • The KU Libraries endorsement for the UAS-faculty policy is not in the KU Policy Library.
        • It is the understanding of KU Libraries administration, that on a university level the non-tenure track is for contract staff positions.
        • In the current KU Libraries endorsement of UAS, it states that KU UAS cannot have tenure, but instead have job security (they can be let go for cause, budgetary constraints, and financial exigency).
        • If an individual decided to transfer from UAS to tenure track faculty, going through the KBOR down to the university and then Libraries level, there may be allowance for departments to negotiate previous professional work, research, and service toward the new tenure classification.
        • The option to transfer from UAS to tenure track faculty classification is a new possibility and will be the subject of the next meeting between the KU Libraries Dean and the Provost.
          1. If transferring from the UAS classification to tenure track faculty is possible, than the KU Libraries administration will speak individually with each UAS.
          2. The UAS individuals will have the option to negotiate credit in professional performance, research, and service for the tenure track classification.
        • Currently UAS individuals have between a 5-20% criteria for research and tenure track faculty have a 20% requirement. If individuals transfer they will be the expected to do 20% research.
        • The Libraries administration see the UAS classification as appropriate for particular positions, for example heavy admin responsibilities or special expertise.
          1. KU Libraries know that the research has to be flexible
          2. What would the research responsibility be able to negotiate when hired and change for lower research responsibility
          3. Have categories work as well as they can depending on the position
        • The current Libraries policies will work to review tenure and promotional packages for this fall (2016) even though LFA is still getting the documents to SPPT to review and put into the KU Policy Library.
      4. University Policy
        • In 2010, an Unclassified Academic Staff (UAS) Task Force proposed new policy and recommended policy changes for the classification to the Provost Office.
        • In the cover letter of the UAS Task Force report, the task force members called attention to the possibility of tenure for UAS; however this was never acted on at the university level.
        • Tenure track faculty in other departments at the University are hired at 40% professional performance, 40% research, and 20% service. If the individual takes on administrative responsibilities, then research can be flexed to 20%.
    • How can LFA as a governing body of KU Libraries help the current UAS situation?
      1. LFA endorsed the current document under misinformation. So, can KU Libraries unendorsed the document, especially because it was not officially voted on for acceptance?
      2. LFA Executive Board will discuss the possibility of writing a letter of support for UAS to transfer to tenure track positions if they so chose at the Oct. 5 meeting.
      3. The KBOR and KU (University and Libraries) policies need to align, this may be an opportunity for the Libraries to be a leader in clarifying the situations with UAS on campus and within KBOR.
        • The KU Libraries is a unique situation compared to other UAS at the KU.
        • Can LFA help to change the KU Libraries policy/endorsements and help push for change on university level at the same time?
        • Can LFA put this forward to Faculty Senate to align with KBOR policy?
        • The new faculty code does not address this issue of UAS, so should LFA take this issue to the assembly?
        • KU Libraries makes an endorsement for UAS people to transfer and make sure that KU Libraries have documentation and policies that support the transfer
        • The KU Libraries dean could help set a precedent for the University and KBOR.
        • This is a solution for people here now, but what about for new hires? If we continue with UAS then we will have to change KU policies to accommodate both.
        • Libraries need to have written and accepted policies and not just verbal or traditional standings.
      4. Recommendations on updating and creating policies for UAS is beyond the scope of the LFA, however, LFA could push for clarification on University policies around UAS.
      5. LFA voted to create the Unclassified Academic Staff Working Group to do research for best course of action and investigate options around transitioning from UAS to tenure track and the best use of the UAS classification within KU Libraries.
        • Those on LFA Executive Board interested in being a part of the working group will bring a draft charge to the meeting in 2 week (Oct. 5).
        • Once the charge is finalized a call for members will be sent out to the general assembly.
        • The UAS Working Group will remain in close contact with the dean of KU Libraries.
  5. Adjournment