Iowa State University

Inside Iowa State
June 9, 2000

Senate leadership helped reinforce career choice

by Linda Charles
"It was a real education," Dean Ulrichson said of his recently completed year as Faculty Senate president.

"It was very enlightening to learn how the university works. I enjoyed almost every minute of it."

Over the year, Ulrichson said the senate made some significant accomplishments.

Ulrichson had a baptism by fire when he took office last May. The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, was to decide at its May meeting whether to continue a trial program that allowed faculty to convert their TIAA-CREF funds to other uses upon retirement. The regents were considering whether to allow faculty to convert 50 percent of those funds. Ulrichson, along with representatives from the University of Iowa, had approximately two weeks to act, during which they launched a successful campaign urging 100 percent convertibility.

"I had the most positive feedback on that issue," he said. "I received a number of e-mail messages thanking me for that effort."

A second major accomplishment was revamping the senate's constitution to streamline it, and both clarify the senate's role and make it more flexible. For example, the revised constitution stipulates that when the senate and the university president disagree on an issue, the senate is to send its own representative to the regents. The previous constitution called for the president to present both views.

The new constitution also establishes a Council on Resource Policies and Allocation, intended to increase the senate's voice during the university's budget planning.

"A council gives the budget more visibility in the senate and gives the senate more authority with the administration," Ulrichson noted.

Information technology was both the topic for the spring faculty conference this year and a task force that Ulrichson appointed. While the spring conference focused on the university's infrastructure -- what equipment is needed and how to fund it -- the task force has examined how comfortable faculty are using new technology.

"Faculty are eager to use more of the technology to enhance education," Ulrichson said, "but they are pressed for time in trying to learn how."

The task force is expected to release its findings in the next year.

Another topic of continuing concern for the senate has been university staffing, and the current budget shortfall is likely to exacerbate the situation, Ulrichson said.

During the past 10 years, the number of P&S staff has increased 20 percent, while faculty numbers have held constant. Add a 10 percent increase in students and the workload either must increase or some faculty duties must be assigned to P&S staff, Ulrichson said. Some reassignment of duties may be appropriate, he added.

Budget reversions and reallocations have added to the problem, the former senate president said. When departments and colleges must turn money back, often the only place to find the funds is from open faculty positions. Once some of the money has been taken, there isn't enough left to hire a faculty member so the position is converted to a P&S position, he said.

While Ulrichson understands the necessity of reallocating to better fund the university's priorities, he said it should be done strategically by evaluating programs, rather than on a block budget basis.

Much of the work this year took place in committees and task forces, setting the stage for senate action next year. It included:

Ulrichson will head to Australia June 28 to spend six months at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, working with its chemical engineering faculty on design projects. He is looking forward to his faculty development leave, noting that the last year as senate president showed him that he chose his career well.

"I am well suited to be an engineer," he said with a smile. He left a business position early in his career because "I didn't think I fit well in the management structure. I think this was the right decision, and it was reinforced by being the Faculty Senate president."

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