Phuong Le
Contributing Writer
Tension increased between University of Houston President/UH-System Chancellor Arthur K. Smith and faculty as professors cried out for an increase in pay at Wednesday's faculty senate meeting.
With a budget that doesn't allow for pay increases, the university has to suffer by losing quality professors, said Smith.
Smith said that the present administration policy regarding retention does not allow counter-offers when other universities offer UH professors more money than UH pays them.
One faculty member said that in the last 10 years there has been a decline in quality professors at UH because of a lack of salary raises.
"Within the last 20 years, the issues behind budgeting for faculty salaries has had to bear weight with budgetary needs for students, assessments in core curriculum and keeping the best faculty members at UH," said Robert Palmer, president of the faculty senate.
In actions other than bickering over money, the senate passed an amendment to the post-tenure review plan.
"The issue today was whether there would be a mandatory faculty vote before a person would be required to go into development process," said Palmer.
If a professor is found "unsatisfactory" twice consecutively, he or she will be placed on a "development plan," which would be determined by the professor, the department chair, the dean of the college and the provost.
Under this amendment, the professor could choose whether or not the department faculty would vote on his or her development plan. This could save the professor embarrassment.
Randy Harris, vice chancellor for Administration and Finance, announced that a forum on the budget will be held at 1 p.m. on Feb. 26, in the UC Houston Room.
Harris said that it is important for the budget to be understood by the public. The forum will allow questions about the budgetary process and will help people to better understand the allocation of university funds.