UTMB Faculty Senate
October 10, 2022
Minutes

1. Faculty Senate Meeting - Call to Order

The Meeting was called to order by Dr. Chris Messenger at 4:30 PM

  • Attendance “Roll Call” & Establishing Quorum, confirming a senator is present to represent each school.
    • Diana Riddle – SHP
    • Lisa Farmer – JSSOM
    • Hoang T. Nguyen – GSBS
    • Connie Heard – SON
  • Agenda Adoption
    • No objections, the agenda is adopted.
  • Prior Meeting Minutes
    • Approved and uploaded to the website

2. Mrs. Michelle Moreno, Chief of Staff - Provost "Travel and Reimbursement Process

  • Q: How can I utilize my faculty discretionary funds to purchase textbooks?
    1.  A: Two options; 1. Use the Provost office Pro Card program that can be used to purchase books from Amazon, usually receive in 2-3 business days.
      1. Process:
        1. Your admin support personnel can reach out to UTMB Campus Store, CWPA, Hilton Publishing, Burgoon, or Complete Book and Media Supply (all approved UTMB vendors) for the prices as well as the cost as listed on Amazon (e.g., proving that Amazon is the lower price).
        2. Email Jennifer Anderson with the purchase description that includes a current copy of the information secured from on of the above vendors along with the Amazon Sku.
        3. Once submitted you will receive a confirmation email of order placed. Once order arrives, you will be contacted to pick up in Admin Building, 5th floor.
        4. A copy of receipt will be sent to the requestor and Jennifer Anderson for the Provost Office procurement card transaction log.
    2. 2nd option, purchase textbooks procured through a UTMB vendor.
      1. Your/your designee reaches out to one of these UTMB vendors. Once quote is received, submit to the AESC Procurement module for processing.
  • Q. Faculty Development Funds – May we expand leeway in spending our allocation/professional account funds to include research projects, support of student projects or office anatomy models for patient care. These venues for spending help make faculty better researchers, teachers, and clinicians.
    1. A. Funds are provided in support of faculty professional memberships, resources, and development opportunities to increase affiliation, collaboration, and services to the AE at UTM.
      1. CME courses (online and virtual)
      2. Travel expenses for conferences and registrations
      3. Society memberships
      4. Books/journals and computers & software
      5. Publication fees

IDCs and Endowments are often used to support research projects, students’ projects and other items not captured in the faulty prof fund category.

  • Q. Required receipts for meals.  Why not streamline the process and reimburse the published per diem amount? Requiring receipts and CC statements are time and resource consuming and somewhat intrusive. Not all venues, e.g. food carts, provide receipts for cash payments.
    1. A. More information coming this month to streamline this process. Possibly going back to the per diem model.
  • Anthony Travel designated UTMB numbers for afterhours emergencies.
    1. Please do not use these numbers to book new travel or for travel questions.
    2. Calls to the emergency number carry an additional service fee of $27.00 per call if the ticket is issued, that fee will also apply.

After Hours Emergency Travel Call – 800-362-3542 – USA ONLY
After Hours Emergency Travel Call – 817-484-4275 – OUTSIDE USA
Please provide VIT CODE (S 4RRG)

  • Rental Cars:
    • Please use UTMB vendors/vendor rate whenever possible. This includes liability.
    • If you rent a car outside of vendors and must purchase liability insurance, you will not get reimbursed from UTMB.

3. Officer, Board, and Standing Committee Reports:

  • Dr. Rossi was able to attend UT System Faculty Advisory Council
    1. Faculty Advisory Council – all leaderships from the individual Senates across all different UT schools get together a couple times a year and sit with the Vice Chancellors. One of the main focuses and priority of the chancellor is the wellness program. They want faculty members to come up with a UT system guidance on how we address burn out and wellness on all the different campuses. This is just not a UTMB system, but UT system wide, but they will have broad recommendations and then it will be up to us to be able to institute it. Dr. Rossi mentioned that when she spoke to other schools, it looks like UTMB is ahead of the game. Dr. Geary presented last month, and it dovetails nicely in terms of the wellness programs that we’re initiating here at UTMB.
  • Unfinished Business & General Orders: - No unfinished business from last meeting.
  • New Business:
    1. Q. From Dr. Torres: Presidents Search Committee. “A committee to search for the president was announced and Dr. Rossi represents Faculty Senate and Research, can you as faculty senate coordinate an effort to try and give ideas to Dr. Rossi about what we are looking for in a president at UTMB?
      1. Motion to approve by Connie Heard & Cristiana Rastellini
      2. Dr. Rossi (A): This is critically important because I represent all of you, I do not represent my own personal opinions or bias. Dr. Rossi mentioned Faculty Senate is the best conduit to make sure that our voices are heard when it comes to the people that are potentially be the next President. The committee does not doesn’t choose the president, we are serving as a body that will make recommendations to the Regents and the Regents themselves will choose. Dr. Rossi also mentioned she has not heard if they will come to campus an hear the community concerns. No further discussion, motion concluded.
    2. Q. From Dr. Villarreal: Faculty Development Funds “What are we allowed to spend faculty development funds on? Do the funds roll over or does back to zero? Does it affect their budget, etc.”
      1. Motion to approved by Diana Collins
      2. Annie mentioned Michelle Moreno is a good resource, Connie Heard said her problem is she “runs out of funds”. It was discussed it could be departmental issue with approval. No further discussion, motion concluded.
    3. Q. From Dr. Riddle: “Information Security” – “Concerned about UTMB spyware, phones are going to have to be registered, jump drives, etc.”
      1. Motion approved by Shannan Rossi
      2. Robert Shaefer is on the committee, very responsive. He is advocating for everything to be moved to the one drive. The issue is making changes to a personal computer without permission. No further discussion, motion concluded.

4. Committee Meetings - Closed Senate Meeting (Attendees: UTMB Faculty Senators Only)

Senators were sent an email with their assigned committee, senators were asked to join their committee and select a Chair and Co- Chair, open discussion and will send a report to Dr. Messenger and Annie. Once completed, free to log off.

  1. Clinical:
    1. Kelly Carmichael – Chair
    2. Nicholas Sreshta – Co-Chair  
  2. Education:
    1. Juliet McKee - Chair
    2. Dana Riddle – Co-Chair
  3. Research
    1. Huey-Ming Tzeng – Chair (take turns)
    2. Diana Collins – Co-Chair
  4. University:
    1.  Shannan Rossi – Chair
    2. Jacquelyn Svoboda – Co-Chair 

Meeting adjourned at 6:00PM.