Lincoln Faculty Senate seeks pay raises, course changes

Lincoln University’s Faculty Senate did more last Thursday than discuss disagreements with the provost’s office over proposed operations changes.

The nearly 70 faculty members attending Thursday’s meeting approved one resolution requesting President Kevin Rome “develop an immediate plan to increase faculty and staff salaries, beginning July 1, 2016.”

The more than 10-minute discussion revolved around LU’s increases in the state budget Gov. Jay Nixon must sign by Friday.

Lawmakers appropriated $20,600,972 for Lincoln in the 2016-17 budget year that begins July 1 — up from $18.9 million this year.

LU’s new budget includes $2 million for the state’s match to Lincoln’s available federal land grant money — an improvement from previous years but still below the $7.6 million LU needs to access all of the available federal money.

Nixon signed the Higher Education budget last week.

Like other state employees, LU’s faculty and staff in recent years have had more years without raises than with them.

Also, several noted during Thursday’s meeting, getting more money from the Legislature for the land grant match means Lincoln could free up some money it’s been spending on land grant programs.

The resolution asked Rome to develop a pay plan “given the recent increases in state appropriations specifically targeted toward land grant matching fund.”

LU’s operating Rules and Regulations give the Faculty Senate authority to comment on, support or oppose changes in the way academic operations occur.

Thursday’s meeting saw the faculty endorse a half-hour reduction in some teacher’s workloads each spring so they could spend more time on research or other projects.

If the plan is approved by Lincoln’s administration, all academic departments could have one teacher with a slight caseload reduction each spring.

Faculty members approved adding two courses to “Area 3” of LU’s state-required general education classes.

Psychology 202 was an existing course, and the Faculty Senate recommended adding it to the available general education classes.

The faculty also endorsed modifying the 200-level “Introduction to physical education and wellness” class and making it a three-hour course instead of its current two credit hours.

Topics covered in the class “will include history, philosophy, scientific principles, goals, objectives, and ethics in leadership and related career opportunities in physical education and wellness,” the resolution said. “The course will emphasize the valuing of the importance, promotion, and principles of physical education and wellness in the schools and in the community.”

Also, the LU Faculty Senate approved some minor changes to the school’s online learning policies — although some still worry those courses undercut the benefits of face-to-face discussion.