UTMB Faculty Senate
April 9, 2007
Caduceus Room
4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

MINUTES

Members Present: T. Albrecht, G. Anderson, C. Baker, C. Cooper, T. Cuellar, D. Freeman, P. Gallagher, J. Gonzalez, L. Grumbles, D. Hudnall, R. Johnson, S. Lewis, H. Li, M. Moore, K. Mossberg, D. Munsell, M. Olson, C. Phillips, R. Rahr, R. Saavedra, K. Sandor, J. Stobo, S. Weaver, M. Winter, and C. Wisnewski. Guest: Mike Shriner.

I. Approval of Agenda of 4/9/07 – The April 9, 2007 agenda was approved.

II. Approval of Minutes of 3/12/07 was done electronically.

III. President’s Comments – Dr. Stobo gave a legislative update and an update on finances: the 10% overall cut from the budget was restored, the tuition revenue bond of $57 million for the Galveston National laboratory were both approved. Dr. Stobo informed the Senate that UTMB will receive $12 million for the indigent health care fund and that he hopes to get more. An amendment by Craig Eiland and Larry Taylor may restore $13 million in Hurricane Rita losses. UTMB is not going to get the $10 million requested for hospital inflation. The bulk of the excess base new money in the amount of $115-$120 million will go to correctional managed care. Dr. Stobo informed the Senate that UTMB’s operational budget is close to breaking even.

Dr. Stobo informed the Senate that UTMB may get disproportionate share money directly. The funds had previously gone right to the State. He also informed the Senate that he would be meeting with Speaker Craddick when he returns to Austin on April 17 and 18 and that he and Dr. Barbara Breier had recently visited his hometown in Midland. Dr. Stobo also mentioned that Medicaid enrollment is back to once a year.

UTMB received an overall $10 million increase in formula funding. The biomedical science current weight is 1.018; House raised it to 1.252. Senate has not made a change in biomedical science weight. Graduate nursing weight is raised to 1.252 in both House and Senate versions. Current nursing weight is 1.138 for all nursing (no differentiation for graduate). All other weights remain the same in House and Senate versions of the bill: Allied Health – 1.00, Undergraduate nursing – 1.138, Pharmacy – 1.670, Public Health – 1.721, Dental – 4.601 and Medical – 4.753.

IV. Deans’ Corner
• Dr. Anderson provided a report on a clinical leadership conference he attended in Boston. A report from The Studor Group which helps hospitals improve their patient satisfaction rates has raised patient satisfaction rates to 99% as shown from results from participating hospitals. The School of Medicine had a great match day, with 92% of medical students matching with their first, second, or third choices. The SOM Strategic Plan for the clinical and basic science areas is nearing completion.
• Dr. Protas informed the Senate that the SAHS Physician Assistant program is ranked 11th in the nation and an Austin clinical honors program was put together by the Chairs. The Doctorate in Physical Therapy program will have a site visit on May 14, 2007. Alumni from the classes of 1957, 67, 77, 87 and 97 will gather on May 18.
• Dr. Cooper announced that Dr. Dan Freeman was awarded the Graduate Student Organization Distinguished Teaching Award. Dr. Cooper informed the Senate that he’s been working with Dr. Shine on a Task Force addressing the future of doctoral and post-doctoral education at all UT Health Institutions. The final report is coming soon. Dr. Cooper informed the Senate that there are two requests before the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, including expansion of a master’s in Public Health and a clinical science MS & PhD for which a site visit will be scheduled, having been delayed for three years due to staff turnover.

IV. Mr. Mike Shriner provided the Senate with a PowerPoint presentation on the Campus Master Plan which shows the multitude of changes in the plan over the campuses’ 85 acres. Future plans for an overhead pedestrian walkway, three new parking garages, and a pedestrian roadway on the west end of the campus were shown.

V. Changes to Faculty Benefits Calculations

The Senate discussed this document which was produced by Kathy Shingleton in response to questions regarding the Faculty Compensation Plans. Many Senators after reading the document several times still didn’t understand the document. Kathy Shingleton will be invited to a meeting to address questions regarding the document. Dr. Lieberman will disseminate the document to the School of Medicine at the next all faculty meeting.

VI. Chair’s Comments—Dr. Baker

• Dr. Baker reported that she had forwarded to all senators the daily ‘news clips’ from the UTMB Public Relations office. It is hoped that senators will share these with their constituents, helping to address the need to facilitate more positive communications about UTMB. Dr. Baker also thanked Dr. Lieberman for plugging the Faculty Lounge to the School of Medicine at their last faculty meeting. Dr. Baker informed the Senate that she had asked the Council of Deans to consider having Faculty Senate input in the Faculty Compensation Plans and also informed the Senate that as Chair she received copies of UTMB’s financial monthly reports if any Senators were interested in reviewing them.

VII. Past Chair’ Comments – Dr. Winter had no report.

VIII. Chair-Elect Comments – Dr. Albrecht

• Dr. Albrecht reported that the presidential search finalists were now public except for a few misquotes in the local paper. He informed the Senate that time is being allotted for Senate leadership to meet with the four candidates. Conversations with Bill New and Wayne Patterson on Research Services improvements are making slow progress.

IX. Senate Business

Committee Reports

o Governance – The Chair of the Governance Committee will appoint a member of the committee to the IHOP Committee. The Senate is having difficulty in contacting Austin faculty to see if there is interest in participating in UTMB’s Faculty Senate. The Governance Committee will check to see if the Austin campus can be included in our By-Laws. A member of the Governance Committee will email Dr. Shomaker to see if they could present information on the UTMB Faculty Senate at their SOM Faculty Meeting.

Meeting adjourned at 6:02 p.m.

Committee meetings followed.

Next Faculty Senate Meeting: May 14, 2007 at 4:30 p.m. in the Caduceus Room.