The meeting was called to order at 4:30pm, by Dr. Bruce Leonard, Faculty Senate Chair

Update on the University’s financials and explains how they are decided upon – Ms. Cheryl Sadro, Executive Vice President & Chief Business/ Financial Officer

Ms. Sadro presented the following:

Our UTMB budget is based on our organizational strategic plan and goals.  Those plans are developed based on many factors including community need, market data, our capacity to deliver services, margin targets to meet our UTS fiscal responsibility and many others.  The result is a budget that is designed to be compatible across all missions.

Functionally, we began an organization wide budget redesign process with input from all UTMB missions.

The process was implemented in FY19, and the primary constructs are now:

• UTMB’s budget is based on an enterprise level service line structure
• We begin with a baseline budget that is the actual previous twelve month “run rate” and review against current year forecast
• Weekly budget committee meetings to discuss status, reforecasting and to revise previous decisions
• There is a combined AE and HS group responsible for estimating volumes for the upcoming year
• Reimbursement is based on payor contracts and Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates. Grant revenue is based on input from the research group. Expenses are based on volume, contractual commitments and standard inflationary changes 
• We use a constraint-based budgeting process where unutilized funds are swept/reallocated
• New initiatives are vetted via a proforma process and measured against available strategic funds
• We use standardize templates, roles, and processes for department budget review with entity leadership
• The Academic Enterprise/Health System contract is evaluated and negotiated by those entity leaders.

A copy of Ms. Sandro’s presentation will be sent to all member for reference.

Updates from the Committees:

Clinical Committee had nothing to report

Education Committee wanted clarification on the following items:

• Merit increases and incentives
• Intellectual properties, if develop a course or create a process is that something you can take with you when you leave UTMB or does it to UTMB.
  

Research Committee

Once the Senators have read the email with Senator Hilton’s notes sent Tuesday morning, if you have any feedback or concerns, please send them to Dr. Leonard and Laurie Fentanes for them to gather to ask Mr. Shaffer at the January meeting.

 Announcements – Dr. Leonard

Dr. Leonard stated that the Faculty Lounge will hopefully be opened once COVID has passed and he will send out some guidelines on how the faculty need to maintain it and keep it clean.

Dr. Leonard stated that he and Dr. Vasilakis attended the UT System Faculty meeting recently and heard from Archie Holmes, Vice Chancellor for Education. Dr. Leonard also talked about junior faculty and service and that other UT schools are looking at this as well as Junior faculty assembly.

Dr. Vasilakis stated that the Faculty Advisory Council and its executive committee have been discussing with UTS leadership about NTT faculty having three-year contracts. UTS leadership is receptive in developing guidance on the issue and ultimately each institution will have to develop its own guidelines.

Dr. Leonard stated that workload and Wellness are a couple of things being worked on.

Also, a reminder that the Clinical Committee (Drs. Aly, Glaser, Heard, Kelly, Khalife, Masel, Olson and Pacheco) needs to appoint their chair and co-chair.

Senator Stephens brought up the IHOP 11.01.08, Foreign Influence in Research Policy and asked if the Senate could invite Carrie Lee King and/or Toby Boenig to discuss this at an upcoming Senate meeting.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:58 pm.

 Next meeting: 04/12/21