Report of the Chair: ad hoc committee on “Faculty Excellence”

1. Report of the Chair: ad hoc committee on “Faculty Excellence” • Nominations for membership • FC members currently submitting nominations • nominees can be members of the FC or the University at large • final selection of members will be made by the FCEC • Initial charge: • to explain to the public what faculty productivity and accountability mean, how they are currently assured, and whether the University is determining this productivity in the best and most appropriate ways • to suggest ways to facilitate faculty efforts to further improve the productivity of both the faculty and the university • to suggest ways to further improve data-collection and other methods for assessing the productivity of the faculty and the university

2. Report of the Chair: survey to promote discussion of budget and faculty involvement in budget planning and setting of budget priorities • Survey is closed • 440 responses [2,570 e-mails sent] • consulted by dean on budget planning and prioritization: ~80% NO • discussion at college / school faculty meetings: ~60% NO • discussion at departmental level: ~50% YES • involvement in budget planning and prioritization : ~80% NONE to LITTLE • should faculty be more involved: 77% YES • 185 comments • fairly typical observation has been roughly: faculty are informed of budget concerns and decisions, but we are not consulted about what the budget should prioritize

3. State budget as of 2/14/2011 • House: $21.1 billion in All Funds and $13.6 in General Revenue Funds and General Revenue– Dedicated Funds. Included in this amount is a reduction of $411.9 million in formula funding • Senate: $21.6 billion in All Funds and $14.1 in General Revenue Funds and General Revenue– Dedicated Funds. Included in this amount is a reduction of $238.8 million in formula funding • other cuts in retirement contributions and health care premium sharing in both House and Senate bills • UT Austin House bill 1 and Senate bill 1

4. Governor's budget • from p. 2 of the 2012-13 Governor’s Budget (Feb. 8 2011) [http://bit.ly/gZdMSg ] • Higher Education starting point appears to be HB 1 • Further reductions in Higher Education • Eliminate Tuition Waivers $ 118,000,000 • Increase Faculty Productivity $ 383,000,000 • Reduce Special Items Funding $ 816,700,000 • Total Reductions in Higher Education Base $1,317,700,000 • Additions in Higher Education Base Amount • Increase/Combine TEXAS Grant & Tuition Equalization Grant Funding $ 360,300,000 • System Discretionary Funding (Equal to 10% of each System’s Instruction & Operations Formula) $ 479,200,000 • Restore Formula Funding for General Academic, Health Related, & Two-year Institutions $ 478,200,000 • Total Additions in Higher Education Base $1,317,700,000 • Total Net Change to Higher Education Base $0

5. Governor's State of the State address • proposed four-year tuition freeze • develop bachelor’s degrees that cost no more than $10,000, including textbooks • leverage web-based instruction, innovative teaching techniques and aggressive efficiency measures to reach that goal • For comparison, from the “for-profit” higher ed world: • for-profit colleges: $25,000 per year • for-profit: 22 % six year graduation rate • private non-profits: $16,600 per year • private non-profits: 65 % • state universities: $8,588 per year • public universities: 55 % • from “Subprime Opportunity: the Unfulfilled Promise of For-Profit Colleges and Universities” [Education Trust report] • information from http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/report%3A-only-22%25-of-students-at-for-profit-schools-get-bachelor%27s-degree-within-6-years