Senate OKs intellectual property policy for WSU

By Amy Geiszler-Jones

During its April 12 meeting, Faculty Senate approved WSU’s intellectual property policy, which is based heavily on the Board of Regents policy. The policy applies to the entire university community, including students. The policy has been forwarded to President Beggs for his approval. Following his endorsement, it is to be included in the faculty, staff and student handbooks.

The Board of Regents approved a new intellectual property policy in November. As part of that policy, it instructed state universities to develop their own policy “consistent” with the regent’s policy. The BOR policy came a long way from its initial, restrictive draft which basically declared anything created by a university employee to be property of the university.

WSU’s policy closely mirrors the regent’s policy. Whenever possible, the faculty affairs committee, tried to ensure developers or creators retained rights to their work. If something is created under “works-for-hire,” which refers to work supported by university funds or contractual obligations, the university can lay claim to those works. Patents on inventions or copyrightable software with actual or projected market values of more than $10,000 also remain with the university, unless WSU and the creator have negotiated some other arrangement.

Both policies may be found online. WSU’s policy is at www.twsu.edu/~senate; the BOR policy is at www.ukans.edu/~kbor/intelrev.html

Also during the April 12 meeting, the senate heard from Clay Blair III, the newest member of the Board of Regents appointed earlier this year by Gov. Graves. Blair talked about the proposed legislation that would reshape the way higher education is overseen in the state, and the lack of support in the Legislature for increasing faculty pay at the level requested by the Board of Regents.

A bill before the Legislature, if approved, would replace the current nine-member Board of Regents which oversees the six state universities with a nine-member board that would also govern community colleges. The new board would be split equally into three three-member commissions with one overseeing the six state universities, another overseeing the 19 community colleges and 11 vocational technical schools, and the remaining commission coordinating activities among all post-secondary schools in Kansas, including Washburn University and 17 private colleges.

In regards to faculty pay increases, Blair reiterated the same message two other regents — Harry Craig and chair Bill Docking — have delivered during WSU visits since October: that it will take a grass-roots effort to get legislators to see the importance of increasing salaries so that Kansas can recruit and retain good faculty. The BOR has been asking for a 7.6 percent pay raise annually for three years to help Kansas salaries catch up to those at peer institutions and to keep up with peer salary growth.

“We all need to be great advocates of the impact of higher education to the citizens of Kansas,” said Blair, calling for a “team effort” from students, faculty, staff, alumni and regents.

He advised that people call the legislators, based on an experience he had while visiting a state representative. The legislator had just received a letter from Koch Industries supporting faculty pay increases, and he told Blair that no one really reads letters.

In other business, senate president Elmer Hoyer said WSU President Beggs will address Faculty Senate during its April 26 meeting in 208 Hubbard Hall on gender equity and pay issues.  Beggs also wants the senate to look at the issue of using the term “assigned time” instead of “release time” when talking about changes in a faculty member’s workload. Beggs has told the senate executive committee that the change would help the public better understand what a faculty member’s duties are when they’re given what’s now known as “release time” to do grant or other work for the university.