MINUTES OF THE FACULTY MEETING -- JANUARY 6, 2006

ATTENDEES: C. Barfield, V. Blaeske, D. Boucias, E. Buss, J. Capinera, B. Crow, J. Cuda, D. Dickson, T. Emmel, J. Foltz, H. Frank, P. Goldstein, D. Hall, G. Hall, M. Hoy, P. Koehler, N. Leppla, O. Liburd, J. Maruniak, J. Nation, M. Scharf, J. Stimac, S. Webb, S. Yu, P. Howell, and C. Pickles.

Meeting convened at 10:30

Dr. Capinera introduced Dr. Janie Fouke, Provost, who discussed her vision for UF and the Gator Nation. She mentioned that she grew up on a farm and knows the importance of agriculture and land grant institutions. She mentioned that she was Dean of the College of Engineering at Michigan State University before coming to UF, and she talked about her background.

Dr. Fouke said that Florida is an interesting state. She talked about the constraints between the legislature and educators. She said that we need to have a relationship with the community and the legislature, and she mentioned that she feels degree-seeking students will increase over the coming years.

Dr. Fouke talked about the campus approach to the computing infrastructure and said she feels it is troubling because so many parts of campus are not centralized with their computing. Some departments have as many as 10-15 servers in use. She also stated that vulnerability on campus is very high. She said that it should be announced within the next week that a chief officer for computing on campus will be appointed.

Dr. Fouke talked about admissions and how that department needs work. She said that three searches have failed because the job description is written in such a manner that they have not attracted the best candidates. They have now rewritten the description and hope to have better applicants in the next round. She also stated that there is going to be a reorganization of her office in the coming weeks and months.

Dr. Fouke next discussed National Merit Scholars. She said that last year Harvard attracted the most NMS and UF attracted the second most. The difference is that Harvard does not pay for their scholars while UF pays for over 3/4 of their scholars. She said that the scholars we "buy" are only as good as the top 10% of the students we admit anyway, so we're not really getting what we pay for. Her comment was, "If we're going to achieve the goals President Machen has set forth, we're not going to do it on the backs of undergraduate students."

Dr. Fouke also said we need to change the use of alumni fellowships.

Dr. Leppla asked if Florida is the same as other schools or are we unique? Dr. Fouke said we need to worry about national colleagues. She said we are less underfunded than most of the other Top 10 schools. She was surprised when she came here at how well we are doing financially in comparison to other schools.

Dr. Cuda asked why everyone uses the student/faculty ratio? Dr. Fouke said that it was a common perception that students learn better in small classes, though in many cases large classes are quite acceptable. We likely lack the state support to attain a more favorable student/faculty ratio because of lack of support for UF by the public.

Dr. Stimac noted that with regard to challenges in agriculture, it is better to compare us to University of California than to Michigan State. Dr. Fouke said that is a valid point.

Dr. Dickson said some MSU people told him that they are not allowed to drive vehicles as old and rusty as the vehicles our people drive. Dr. Fouke said that is true but that UF is a very well-maintained facility.

Dr. Barfield asked why National Merit Scholars don't come to UF. Dr. Fouke said she doesn't know the answer, but that she and her colleagues are studying the problem. She did note that we do not have as robust a recruiting program as some schools. Dr. Barfield noted that there was once legislative talk about not admitting out-of-state students.

Dr. Emmel noted that there is legislative perception that what goes on at UF is muddled. He noted that there used to be more agricultural legislators who understood the workings of an ag school.

Dr. Fouke noted that in the coming months, a journalism faculty member will be placed in the PR office to help get stories out and have them go out correctly.

Dr. Capinera took over again and noted that PeopleSoft is a problem all over campus.

Dr. Capinera then brought up the question of the suitability of Jaret Daniels for the Lepidoptera position at the McGuire Center. He noted that Dr. McAuslane wasn't able to be at the meeting to summarize Dr. Daniels' qualifications, so he asked Dr. Emmel to do so.

Dr. Emmel noted that the committee reviewed the packages very carefully, deciding that Dr. Daniels was the most qualified. Dr. Daniels gave two seminars, one extension (20%) and one research (60%). Dr. Daniels will also have a 20% teaching assignment. The committee recommends that Dr. Daniels be hired as an assistant professor in Entomology at the McGuire Center. It was noted that Dr. Cheek's office will pay for the faculty line salary.

Dr. D. Hall spoke and said he seconds Dr. Emmel's comments. He is very impressed by Dr. Daniels and has done field work with him. He strongly recommends we hire him. Dr. G. Hall said Dr. Daniels is very highly qualified. Dr. Cuda said he attended both seminars. The extension seminar was very good but the research seminar left him with some questions. He thinks he would be a good fit. Dr. Barfield said Dr. Daniels is highly qualified. A vote to hire Dr. Daniels was taken and the vote carried with one dissension. Dr. Capinera said that even though this is a 12-month appointment, Dr. Daniels will have to generate one month of his salary. Dr. Capinera expects this to become more common in the future.

Dr. Capinera next brought up the subject of the Florida Reach-Ins. The 48 units are now 15 years old and to date have only been maintained. The computers used to control the incubators in the units are DOS-based. Dr. Capinera said that, after consultation with the designing engineer, Gerry Gaffney, he has been told that for about $20,000, we can move to the next generation of computer. He said we could phase it in one room at a time in case it takes longer or more money to do the project. Dr. Stimac asked about his units, which are separate from the departmental units. Dr. Capinera said that they can benefit from the re-engineering, but will not be done as part of the same project.

Dr. Crow asked if you can upgrade a unit to have better light. Dr. Capinera said that they are not really designed for plant growth, but that some additional lighting could be added with more lights. Dr. Cuda noted that he has added lights and has done okay with his units.

Dr. Boucias asked if we could control them centrally rather than having to visit individual controlling units? Dr. Capinera said he would look into this, and also at obtaining better automatic shut-off switches to prevent overheating.

The next subject Dr. Capinera brought up was the projectors and laptops in the front office. He noted that we have a continual need to have equipment available to take out of the office for presentations, so he suggested that we relax the rules so all equipment is available to take out. Everyone was in agreement with this suggestion. Dr. G. Hall noted that everyone needs to be careful to return the equipment for those who will need the equipment the following morning. Dr. Capinera said that everyone must try to be courteous of others.

Dr. Capinera brought up the subject of the Apiculture/Youth Programs position. He noted that the committee has met and has selected a list of the top six applicants. He noted that the pool has several senior people, usually not suitable for an entry-level assistant professor position. He said that he will have to make sure that those short listed realize that this is an entry position and that we cannot hire at a higher level. There is no negotiation on this point.

Dr. Capinera noted that although one of the candidates was ranked low on the short list, Dr. G. Hall wants him to be considered more strongly. Dr. Capinera said he's concerned about ignoring the recommendation of the search committee, that he doesn't want to set a precedent of ignoring the search committee's informed recommendations. He said, however, that if the faculty wished to include another candidate in the evaluation process, it was possible to do this.

Dr. Capinera gave the floor to the Dr. G. Hall. Dr. Hall listed a number of faults with the search committee, and explained why he didn't agree with the candidate assessments. The faculty voted to include the additional candidate in the evaluation process.

Meeting adjourned at 12:15