Members Present: G. Avent, P. Bagley, R. Barton, S. Bentley, T. Crum, F. Daniels, K. Dannehl, X. Du, S. Ehrmann, D. Ellefsen, J. Emerson, P. Fisher, C. Ford, P. Fox, L. Frazier, G. Heberer, B. Hofland, M. Howell, C. Hyslop, L. Hyslop, P. Jones, R. Kampf, J. Kempster, J. King, P. Klem, M. Kuhl, J. Larson, J. Licht, L. Macfarlan, K. Martin, R. McNally, K. Miller, D. Moore, B. Murphy, M. Myrhow, S. Negrete, E. Nickel, P. O'Hanahan, M. Ports, M. Puccinelli, C. Pyatt, J. Rice, B. Robertson, S. Rombough, J. Rosenthal, S. Sanders, K. Schwandt, E. Seastedt, R. Siler, G. Skivington, P. Smith, Ja. Smith, Ju. Smith, G. Tenney, L. Uhlenkott, B. Wallace, P. Warren, J. Williams

Others Present: President Paul Killpatrick, Vice President for Academic Affairs Mike McFarlane

1. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 1:15 p.m. Chair Schwandt declared a quorum present.
2. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS: Chair Schwandt welcomed everyone to the first Senate meeting of the academic year. David Ellefsen, Mary Teresa Howell, Kara Miller, Sarah Negrete, Erik Seastedt, and Bea Wallace were introduced as new members to Senate. Jan Kempster was introduced as the Director of the Academic Success Center. Margaret Puccinelli has returned to the college as Lead Faculty for the BSN program. Jeanmarie Simpson was introduced as the Artist in Residence with the Theatre Department for the fall semester. Cindy Hyslop, Dorothy Moore and Peter Klem were congratulated on their permanent positions with the institution. Dr. Stephen Baker was announced as the new Criminal Justice faculty member beginning his contract on October 1.
3. GUEST SPEAKERS:
   1. President Paul Killpatrick: President Killpatrick thanked faculty for inviting him to speak at the first Senate meeting of the academic year.
      1. College Council Restructuring – It was announced that the Faculty Senate Chair now sits permanently on President's Council. Classified Council and SGA are invited to attend President's Council once a month. College Council is on a one-year hiatus with its continuation under discussion as a productive body for college business. All members of President's Council will be required to attend department meetings. The restructuring is an effort to facilitate communication between departments and employees.
      2. Killpatrick iterated his desire to attend Senate on a regular basis; however, he understands that this may stifle the open communication process of the group and will therefore rely on invitation. His actions are an attempt at achieving the gathering of information which benefits his representative position with the college, the community and the state.
      3. Killpatrick still envisions Elko as a college town. Entrepreneurial training programs are a new initiative which is being considered for grades 3-16 in the community to capitalize on students' interests and skills.
      4. Killpatrick welcomes full-time Human Resources Officer Erik Seastedt to the campus who will provide uniformity and equity within the college and the system.
      5. Full-time Public Information Officer John Rice will benefit recruitment and target new markets.
      6. Killpatrick reminded Senate that the legislature begins in February which will take him away from the campus. The new electrical building is fourth on the list of new development projects and the college should see the groundbreaking within the next two years.
      7. Killpatrick is positive about the future with a continued growth in FTE which produces increased faculty positions.
   2. Vice President for Academic Affairs Mike McFarlane: Vice President McFarlane insists that he is the same individual who held a long-time instructional position with the institution. He hopes he is supporting the faculty appropriately and hopes to continue in this manner. He maintains an open door policy and encourages discussion.
      1. There will be difficulty in continuing the balance between the programs encompassing students, the faculty encompassing workload, and the FTE encompassing funding. The programs will continue to drive the other two portions.
      2. VP McFarlane will lead the initiative toward completion of the workload policy in conjunction with the Compensation and Benefits Committee by the end of the semester. Policies dealing with such items as overload compensation are neither structured nor documented.
      3. The Vice President hopes that the shortened faculty return time prior to semester start will continue to facilitate the Saturday INT 100 – Student Orientation session. Faculty is encouraged to attend and be available for student advisement.
      4. The organizational structure of the institution is under consideration with the addition of a Dean layer a possibility. Faculty must be involved at the ground level.
      5. Vice President McFarlane will continue to promote shared governance which is an element of a successful institution.
      6. The evaluation processes (student, faculty, etc.) for the institution continue to need refinement and the processes documented.
      7. Long-term course scheduling will be initiated in order to adequately support the programs and the students.
      8. The BSN program is planned to go to the Regents by December through the efforts of Lead Faculty Margaret Puccinelli.
      9. The framework for the Secondary Education program should be available by December to be heard at the Regents by the spring.
   3. SGA President Michelle Hammond-Urain: Michelle Hammond-Urain was unable to attend. A written address was provided to Senate. Feedback is welcomed. Events for the upcoming week, as well as projects of collaboration were outlined which promote a stronger team between students, faculty, staff and administration. Faculty Senate was asked to co-sponsor a forum for the candidates for Regent in October. Faculty favored this collaboration.
4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The minutes of the May 14, 2004 meeting were unanimously approved with the following clarifications:
   1. Kathy Schwandt was installed as Faculty Senate Chair, not interred.
   2. The Co-Directors of the Great Basin Festival are Danny Gonzales, John Patrick Rice and Pat Warren.
5. SENATE CHAIR REPORT:
   1. Chair Schwandt provided a synopsis of the college business which occurred during the summer. The report was for information and discussion only which outlined the acquisition of the Big Horn sculpture by Richard “Bo” Bovee for the campus, the possible addition of a dean structure to the college, the new key control policy, a draft of the portable electronic equipment liability policy, the changes in the restructuring of campus representative councils, travel claim form revision, upper-division workload policy revision/construction, and Stan Popeck's installation at emeritus status. Comments should be forwarded to Chair Schwandt.
      1. The proposed Dean of Occupational Education draft which was provided noted that any kind of permanent administrative position, reassignment or appointment will not be made until faculty have returned to campus.
   2. Board of Regents –
      1. GBC's strategic plan and Master Facilities were approved.
      2. The Arts and Humanities Administration program emphasis for the BAIPS program was approved.
      3. The status of the Millennium Scholarship Program was outlined and a copy will be provided upon request. The continuation of the program funding is in jeopardy.
      4. Faculty Workload Task Force outlined the USSCN code changes pertaining to faculty workload. The changes were a production of the work undertaken during the last two academic years. A draft of the Faculty Workload Study documents with glossary relating to out-of-classroom faculty activities was also provided. Faculty is reminded that their primary mission is in the classroom.
      5. The cost of textbooks is a concern of students and faculty are asked to keep this in mind when requiring texts for their courses. Buy back from the bookstores is usually at a fraction of the full-purchase price by the student; however, if a book is to be used the following semester this percentage increases. Faculty are asked to get their book orders into the bookstore as soon as possible and to question the necessity of bundle purchases (text + study guide + CD, etc.).
   3. Committee Approval – The FS committees for the 2004-2005 academic year were unanimously approved with the following amendments:
      1. Pauline Fisher and DJ Smith have switched committees. DJ Smith will serve on Distance Education and Pauline Fisher will serve on Student Relations.
      2. The Student Relations Committee Chair or Co-Chairs will be designated by the committee at a later date.
      3. Senate is reminded that the four-year program committees are appointed/volunteer committees constructed outside the approval of Senate. The committee membership lists are provided for information only.
   4. Adjunct Faculty Representatives to Senate – Cheryl Pyatt and Susie Sanders were unanimously elected as Adjunct Faculty representatives to Senate.
   5. FS Representative Roll List – Due to recent changes regarding faculty personnel, Chair Schwandt proposed the following changes to the Representative Roll list. The containers for the roll do not directly reflect the departments of the campus in order to limit the amount of containers for a more efficient Senate but are grouped in the most logical manner to facilitate business and provide adequate representation. The changes were unanimously approved.
      1. Under Fine Arts/Humanities the eligible faculty for representative vote are Patty Fox representing Fine Arts, and Gretchen Skivington representing Humanities. This follows John Rice's movement to Administration as the new GBC Public Information Officer and Sarah Sweetwater's sabbatical which exempts her from holding a representative vote. Representative votes are given at a 2:1 ratio. Allowing only one vote for two distinct departments demonstrates a clear conflict of interest. Therefore, for this academic year, Fine Arts and Humanities will be separated into two separate containers allowing both faculty to hold a representative vote.
      2. Charlene Mitchel was hired in a full-time capacity as Director of the Battle Mountain Center. This allows the center representation on Faculty Senate. Because both Ely and Winnemucca are each given their own container, Battle Mountain is to be treated in the same manner. Therefore an additional container will be added to the Representative Roll list for the Battle Mountain Center giving Charlene Mitchel the one representative vote.
   6. Academic Calendar – The following items pertaining to the academic calendar through Spring 2008 will be brought forward for vote at the next full Senate Meeting. A corrected spreadsheet will be provided to faculty.
      1. The academic calendars for Fall 2004-Spring 2005 have been previously approved; however, there are proposed changes to the calendar for Spring 2005 and Spring 2006 in relation to spring break. The proposed dates are the third full week in March of each year which should coordinate with the Elko County School District. Senate is reminded that the Elko County School District calendar does not coincide with the calendars for Lander and White Pine counties, both of which lie in our service area. Changes must be brought to the students' attention through course syllabi as the dates have already been published in the catalogue.
      2. The draft academic calendar for Fall 2006 – Spring 2008 was presented for review. It was noted that MTC instruction ends June 6 not January 6 as indicated.
6. COMMITTEE REPORTS:
   1. Academic Standards – Verbal report; information only. The committee will be working on the final exam schedule as a priority which does not coordinate with the revised class block schedule. The revisions will need to be brought to the attention of students through course instruction in order to avoid any confusion.
   2. Adjunct Faculty – Verbal report; information only. Susie Sanders as the Adjunct Faculty Committee Chair was acknowledged for her efforts over the summer months.
      1. Gary Heberer and Anna Kincaid have been providing data which was a component of the adjunct faculty handbook. Adjunct faculty currently serve the institution at a 3:1 ratio in relation to full-time faculty. The Adjunct Faculty Handbook and the Faculty Quick Reference Guide are available in both in hard copy at the Office of the Deputy to the President and online. These are made available through the efforts of Dorinda Friez, Laura Gallegos, Joyce Shaw and Sean Thompson.
      2. Faculty and Administration were thanked for approving the $15/credit salary raise for adjunct faculty. In addition, a stipend of $25/hr was approved for Faculty Senate Adjunct Faculty representatives.
      3. The new workroom/breakroom in McMullen Hall will be open for operation next week through the efforts of Vice President for Administrative Services Carl Diekhans, Campus Security and Safety Officer Pat Anderson, and the Buildings and Grounds staff. The room will be available Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
      4. Danny Gonzales has been acting as Adjunct Faculty representative to President's Council and has spearheaded a survey whose results will focus future adjunct faculty efforts.
7. FOUR YEAR COMMITTEE REPORTS:
   1. BAIPS – Verbal report; information only. The committee met Friday, August 27, at noon under the direction of new Program Lead Faculty Frank Daniels and addressed the following:
      1. The committee is now tracking students through their education with use of a spreadsheet which will assist in advisement and course planning. Dr. Daniels will be on campus regularly for advisement sessions and students are encouraged to use GBC facilities to contact Dr. Daniels by telephone or seek advisement by any committee member.
      2. Fine Arts course options for the AHA emphasis will be forwarded to Patty Fox for confirmation. A call for a Fine Arts/Humanities faculty representative to the program committee was made.
      3. Three student applications to the program were approved.
      4. HIST 401 is an available social science option for the Resource Management concentration. This was an omission in the catalogue.
      5. The first program newsletter of the year was distributed to program students and associate-level graduates. The newsletter dealt specifically with portfolios and the new AHA concentration. The next issue will deal with internships.
      6. The Student Handbook is nearly complete.
      7. The committee established that long-term course scheduling is a priority for the program.
8. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: No unfinished business was brought forward.
9. NEW BUSINESS: No new business was brought forward.
10. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS:
    1. National Endowment for the Arts Shakespeare in America Project – A packet of information outlining the project and budget was submitted for review. The project is still in the planning process for the Elko area to be realized in mid-November. Various theatrical groups are touring the country as part of this initiative. In November, a professional theatrical group from Oregon teamed with a professional theatrical group from Vietnam will be in Elko providing the community with various educational outreach activities and one bi-lingual presentation of “A Midsummer Nights Dream.” Individuals interested in assisting in the planning are encouraged to contact Chris Mitchell.
    2. Great Basin Festival – Pat Warren provided information on the curriculum enhancement and enrichment opportunities which are available through the upcoming Great Basin Festival which is featuring the Chinese heritage of the area. Dr. Chung from UNLV will be hosting a talk on the Chinese in Nevada on September 20. The Northeastern Nevada Museum will be hosting an exhibit on the Chinese and Asian influence in Nevada and hosting the presentation of a film entitled “A Thousand Pieces of Gold.” The college will be showing “The Island Mountain Archaeology History of the Chinese in Gold Creek Nevada” which highlights the influence of the people on mining and the railroad. A free performance by Katy Moffatt will be held September 25 at 2 p.m. in the Reynolds Ampitheatre. The festival is being held in conjunction with the Ruby Mountain Balloon Festival and the Ruby Mountain Symphony Oktoberfest.
    3. Scholarships – The 2004 Millennium Scholars will be having a BBQ and Welcome to GBC on September 9 beginning at 4 p.m. in the Reynolds Ampitheatre. Faculty is welcome.
    4. Student Handbook – The handbook distributed to students for the orientation sessions was complimented.
    5. College Career and Awareness Day – Restructuring will divide the event into four, half-day sessions throughout the school year (two each semester). Travel time for the school districts will be taken into consideration.
    6. Campus Visits – Visits to the campus will be set up for two Fridays each month. It is requested that department/program/college event dates be made available to Recruiter Shane Ridley-Stevens so as to make the most impact for the visiting students.
    7. Call for Goodies – President Killpatrick offered to bring the food for the September meeting.
11. PUBLIC COMMENT:
    1. Distance Education Report – The minutes of the May 14 Senate meeting indicate a draft distance education plan was submitted by the Distance Education Committee. The committee indicated that faculty input to the policy would be sought through a faculty senate workshop before the final is brought to vote and was unanimously agreed upon. A request was made to initiate faculty input concerning the policy through a faculty forum or other medium.
    2. Overtime Pay – GBC has seven non-teaching administrative professionals who are now eligible for overtime pay per the new federal regulations.
    3. IAV Coordinator – Pablo Cortez has submitted his resignation. Garry Heberer will assume the responsibility until the position is filled.
12. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 2:34 p.m. Senate will convene on Friday, September 24, at 1:15 p.m. in GTA 130.