SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1Report to Senate Steering Committee on Ad Hoc Faculty Senate Committee on Overseas Programs

John Leavey, Chair

19 September 2002

In April 2002, the Ad Hoc Faculty Senate Committee on Overseas Programs was appointed “to follow up on faculty concerns about recent administrative decisions regarding the overseas programs.” In addition, Richard Briggs, the then Chair of the Faculty Senate, asked in his charge that the “committee come up with ideas and discuss with the administration ways to achieve and optimize the good things in the proposed changes, and to ferret out suggested changes with possible unintended bad consequences and work to remove or undo them.”

The Committee met first to receive its charge and elect a chair (John Leavey). On 1 May 2002 the Committee met with Dean Dennis Jett and Lynn Frazier to learn about the University of Florida International Center and the operations of our study abroad programs. On 22 May 2002, we met again to discuss and review the financial policies for study abroad programs at other universities that UFIC had gathered. During the summer, John Leavey met with David Colburn to discuss the proposed changes and additional modifications possible after the discussions of the Ad Hoc Committee. On 11 September 2002, the committee met and discussed the results of the consultations with the Provost regarding the importance and significance of the study abroad programs.

In all of the meetings and discussions, two items were of importance to the members of the Committee: the academic quality of the programs and the budgetary limitations regarding those programs. In the consultations with the Provost, the same two items were brought forward. The resulting policies were unanimously approved by the Ad Hoc Committee and by the Provost.

The basic assumption of the Ad Hoc Committee, of the International Center, and the Provost was that the academic quality and integrity of the programs were guaranteed by the faculty through the various program supervisory boards, program directors, chairs of relevant departments, and deans of relevant colleges. The policy statement on Summer Study Abroad Program attempts to optimize the development and support of these programs.

Agreed-to Policies Regarding Summer Study Abroad Programs

(1) All Summer Study Abroad Programs are budgeted from non-state dollars through the International Center, in cooperation with the Office of Distance and Continuing Education.

(2) Because each program has an individual mission and serves a particular group of students, the International Center, in consultation with the program directors, will tailor each program budget to meet the academic requirements of that particular program.

(3) All funds generated by these programs remain with the International Center for the support and development of new and continuing programs.

(4) Salary, housing, travel, and per diem expenses are negotiated individually for each program. Because the programs vary widely in scope and mission, these expenses are without predetermined limits, but should reflect the different mission of each program and consider the costs for participants. The International Center and program directors will take into account all parties concerned when negotiating these budgets: students, faculty, and graduate teaching assistants, as well as the funding and academic history of each program.

Revised Minutes

1 May 2002

Ad Hoc Senate Committee on Overseas Study

Secretary: Susan Read Baker

Members present:

Baker, Brenner, Chennault, Cunningham, Frazier, Natzke, Nichols, Perrone, Van Blokland, Zachmann, Leavey

The goal of this meeting was to gather information from the UF International Center (UFIC), represented by Dean Jett and Lynn Frazier.

Dean Jett explained that his charge was to have 20% of the UF student body have an international "experience," either by study on campus or abroad. He outlined a number of initiatives to involve international students and faculty in the life of the university, to aid minority students to have an international experience, to garner corporate support, and to aid faculty to travel to international conferences. Dean Jett and Ms. Frazier indicated that monies generated by UF studies abroad programs go to fund all activities of the UFIC, and not just study abroad programs (whether operating in the red or the black).

Concerns discussed by the committee included:

(1) $6000 faculty salary cap,

(2) the differential fee structure for students,

(3) diversity of program structures and the difficulty of comparisons among programs,

(4) relation of remuneration and entrepreneurship for quality programs, and

(5) budget principles for study abroad programs.

Minutes

22 May 2002

Ad Hoc Senate Committee on Overseas Study

Secretary: Mark Brenner

Members present:

Baker, Brenner, Chennault, Cunningham, Leavey, Natzke, Nichols, Perrone, Van Blokland, Zachmann

This meeting was called to briefly review financial policies for Study Abroad Programs at other universities and make comparisons with UF policies. Information was provided by Lynn Frazier (UFIC) for seven universities: Florida State, Michigan State, University of Texas, Texas A&M, University of North Carolina, University of New Orleans, University of Illinois

(1) We briefly discussed the minutes from the 1 May 2002 meeting. Leavey will condense the notes from that meeting.

(2) Brief discussion of faculty remuneration at “peer” institutions. Consensus is that UF-OSS lags behind the better schools in faculty pay, travel allowance, and per diem.

(3) Discussion of the rationale for lowering UF-OSS faculty salaries, travel allowance, and per diem in summer 2002. Those included:

a. Budget crisis

b. UF salaries are “out of line” compared with other universities

c. There is an attempt at UF to “standardize” program budgets

There was a sense that the UFIC budget details may help the committee understand why the new rules were instituted.

(4) Discussion of the committee’s next step

a. Request budgets for UF-OSS programs

b. Analyze cost breakdowns for UF-OSS programs

(5) Decision to meet next in August. In the interim, we will receive information, particularly relating to program budgets, via e-mail.

(6) Leavey will meet with the Provost this summer

Minutes

September 11, 2002

Ad Hoc Senate Committee on Overseas Study

Chair, John Leavey

Secretary: Shifra Armon

Members Attending

Armon, Baker, Brenner, Chennault, Cunningham, Frazier, Leavey, Natzke, Nichols, Perrone, Rennert

Guests attending

Larson, Senate Chair; Brennan

The purpose of this meeting was to evaluate and discuss Leavey’s. draft to reconcile administration and faculty concerns regarding proposed policies for summer study abroad. Following discussion, the committee voted unanimously to endorse the document as presented. Next, Leavey will ask the Senate Steering committee to place the document on the agenda for discussion at the next Senate meeting.

Summer Study Abroad Program

(1) All Summer Study Abroad Programs are budgeted from non-state dollars through the International Center, in cooperation with the Office of Distance and Continuing Education.

(2) Because each program has an individual mission and serves a particular group of students, the International Center, in consultation with the program directors, will tailor each program budget to meet the academic requirements of that particular program.

(3) All funds generated by these programs remain with the International Center for the support and development of new and continuing [study abroad] programs.

(4) Salary, housing, travel, and per diem expenses are negotiated individually for each program. Because the programs vary widely in scope and mission, these expenses are without predetermined limits, but should reflect the different mission of each program and consider the cost for participants. The International Center and program directors will take into account all parties concerned when negotiating these budgets: students, faculty, and graduate teaching assistants, as well as the funding and academic history of each program.