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NB: For full details, check the complete senate meeting minutes sent to all faculty members. Highlights of the first University Senate meeting of the 2005-06 academic year held on September 30: New Guidelines for Salaries. The report of the all-important Ad Hoc Committee on Salary Compensation was postponed for discussion at future senate meetings. New Mission Statement. The much-discussed revision of the University’s Mission Statement, concluded during this meeting, will be sent to the Board of Trustees for final approval, and should be available after the next regularly scheduled senate meeting in November. Who Votes on Appointments, Reappointments, and Promotions? Conflicts in the wording of the senate’s Unified Bylaws and the Policy on Appointment, Reappointment, and Promotion concerning who is eligible to vote were resolved. President to Step Down as Chair of the Senate? The president suggested revision of the senate bylaws to make the university president an ex-officio member of the senate, but not its chair. A lively discussion followed a senator’s suggestion that removal of deans from the senate would make senate discussions more open and free. Since revisions of the bylaws cannot be voted upon during the meeting in which they are suggested, no action was taken at this meeting. HIP Reform. The senate was told in a report that reform of HIP is ongoing. Outsourcing of HIP management is still under consideration, with hopes that such a change of management would bring decreased costs through the offer of multiple products and a larger pool of the insured, more efficient collection of outstanding receivables, and additional provisions (such as dental coverage). Patriot Act Might End TIAA-CREF Investments. TIAA-CREF may be forced, by provisions of the Patriot Act, to terminate investments from participants living outside the United States. Pending the final decision of TIAA-CREF, the administration is looking into other sources to handle retirement funds. Hope for Reinstatement of Tenure? A trustee committee is being set up to examine the issue of long-term contracts and tenure. The committee will be in contact with faculty members, and Charles Vest, former president of MIT, will act as consultant to the University on the issue. President Waterbury recommended Richard Chait’s book, The Questions of Tenure, to interested faculty members.
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