2019-2823 SR149 SD1 SMA

WHEREAS, the University of Hawai‘i is established as the state university of Hawai‘i by the Constitution and laws of the State of Hawai‘i; and

WHEREAS, article X, section 6 of the Constitution of the State of Hawai‘i, adopted by the public in 2000, specifically enables the Board of Regents to have exclusive jurisdiction over the internal structure, management, and operation of the university, which includes governance over academic and business matters of the university, subject to laws of statewide concern enacted by the Legislature; and

WHEREAS, section 304A-102, Hawai‘i Revised Statutes, states that the purposes of the University of Hawai‘i are to give thorough instruction and conduct research in, and disseminate knowledge of, agriculture, mechanic arts, mathematical, physical, natural, economic, political, and social sciences, languages, literature, history, philosophy, and such other branches of advanced learning as the Board of Regents may prescribe and that the federal government requires; and

WHEREAS, section 304A-1002, Hawai‘i Revised Statutes, requires the Board of Regents to classify all members of the faculty of the university, including research workers, extension agents, and all personnel engaged in instructional work, and adopt a classification schedule; and

WHEREAS, the Board of Regents, in Regents Policy 9.202, has identified several classifications for faculty, including "I" for instruction, "R" for research, "S" for specialist, and permitted other classifications for librarians, graduate teaching assistants, lecturers, visiting and other faculty and non-compensated faculty; and

WHEREAS, the President of the University of Hawai‘i has implemented the Board of Regents' classification scheme through Executive Policy 5.211 and attachments; and

WHEREAS, the University of Hawai‘i administration consults and works closely with University of Hawai‘i Professional Assembly, the exclusive bargaining agent for all university faculty members; and

WHEREAS, the instructional faculty of the University of Hawai‘i has duties and responsibilities that encompass a number of professional activities in addition to teaching; and

WHEREAS, the nature and scope of these additional duties depend on the particular mission of the unit and program and the relationship of that mission to the faculty member's professional qualifications; and

WHEREAS, although the University of Hawai‘i is a research institution, in accordance with Regent Policy 9.214, instruction is the University of Hawai‘i's highest priority and teaching remains the most important duty of its faculty; and

WHEREAS, the Board of Regents Policy RP 9.214 (Teaching Assignments for Instructional Faculty) sets standards for the assignment of the instructional component of faculty responsibilities, including standard teaching assignments for full-time instructional faculty; and

WHEREAS, teaching equivalents should be standardized across the entire University of Hawai‘i System to prevent discrepancies and inconsistencies amongst its departments and campuses; and

WHEREAS, the Board of Regents should ensure that the university's policies and procedures and the administrative infrastructure, including the classification system for its faculty, align and support its fundamental mission; and

WHEREAS, given the rapidly evolving environment of higher education nationally and internationally, it is essential that the Board of Regents and President of the University of Hawai‘i, in consultation with its faculty, periodically review the faculty classification schedule and, as necessary, revise and update the classification and several implementing documents to ensure that the university sustains its research and scholarship excellence, remains competitive with its peer institutions, and provides quality higher educational instruction; and

WHEREAS, the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, the flagship campus of the only public university in the State, serves a diverse community of students and public and private stakeholders, provides a world-class education, and performs scholarly work and service in areas of critical importance to Hawai‘i, the United States, and the entire Asia Pacific region; and

WHEREAS, the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa is a major research university, one of one hundred fifteen universities in the United States categorized as "Highest Research Universities", often referred to as Research 1 or R1 universities; and

WHEREAS, the Association of American Universities (AAU) is an association of leading comprehensive research universities distinguished by the breadth and quality of their research programs and graduate education; and

WHEREAS, federal agencies rely on universities to perform critical research in the national interest AAU universities perform the majority of that research; and

WHEREAS, $23,300,000,000 in federally funded basic research, or sixty percent of the total amount funded, is performed by faculty at AAU universities; and

WHEREAS, agencies such as the Department of Health, Department of Human Services, National Science Foundation, and Department of Defense alone funded $19,200,000,000 in university research; and

WHEREAS, in its evaluation of institutions, the AAU is guided by a set of Membership Principles and Membership Indicators comprised of quantitative measures assessing the breadth and quality of university research programs and graduate educations; and

WHEREAS, those quantitative measures include:

(1) Competitively funded federal research support;

(2) Membership in the national academies;

(3) Distinction of faculty such as awards, fellowships, and memberships;

(4) Volume, quantity, and quality of published academic research materials;

(5) United States Department of Agriculture, state, and industrial research funding;

(6) Number of research scholarship Doctor of Philosophy degrees granted annually, using United States Department of Education Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System data; and

(7) Number of postdoctoral appointees; and

WHEREAS, these Membership Indicators will provide general goals and metrics that would place the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa amongst the highest ranked universities in the nation; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2019, that the University of Hawai‘i Board of Regents is requested to review and, as needed, conform the classification of its faculty to ensure greater alignment with the mission and purpose of the university and incorporate the Association of American Universities' Membership Indicators into its strategic plan for the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Regents' review is requested to include a comparison of other comparable or like universities to determine what revisions, if any, to Board of Regents' policies are necessary to maintain the University of Hawai‘i as a contemporary institution for academic instruction, research, strong undergraduate programs, and service, as well as institute oversight to ensure that students receive the benefit of tenured instructors; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Regents is requested to further review teaching equivalents, pursuant to Regent Policy 9.214, to determine what is proper, reasonable, and fair and that such equivalents are consistent with and in furtherance of the mission of the university unit and program; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Regents is requested to review the teaching equivalents every three years and submit a report of its findings to the Legislature prior to the subsequent Regular Session; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the faculty of the University of Hawai‘i, through the University of Hawai‘i Professional Assembly, its exclusive bargaining agent, be consulted during this review and examination; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the President of the University of Hawai‘i and other university executives engage with the Board of Regents' review; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa is urged to incorporate the Association of American Universities Membership Phase I and II indicators as part of its 2015-25 University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Strategic Plan, as appropriate, as a means to establish goals and metrics for the university's continued pursuit to be amongst the most prestigious research institutions in the nation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the University of Hawai‘i is requested to submit a report of its review to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2020, and a follow-up report on the implementation of any necessary changes identified in its review no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2021; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, President of the University of Hawai‘i System, Chair of the Board of Regents of the University of Hawai‘i, and Executive Director of the University of Hawai‘i Professional Assembly.

Report Title:

University of Hawaii; Strategic Plan; Association of American Universities; Classification; Faculty

THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	149
THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII		Proposed