MUNCIE, Ind. -- A polite but firm, "Thanks for the suggestion, but no thanks," was the message Friday from the Ball State University Board of Trustees to the University Senate.

The Senate presented a 14-point proposal to create separate evaluation committees to review the job performance of all vice presidents, deans, two executive assistants to the president, and an associate provost. Another committee made up of faculty, professional personnel and students and headed by the president of the Board of Trustees would evaluate the president.

"We already have a very effective, efficient annual evaluation procedure for all employees," said trustees President Thomas DeWeese. "We don't need to create unnecessary additional bureaucracy to perform a task that works well now."

On a related issue, Senate Chair Bruce Hozeski, an English professor, also presented a list of suggestions for improving collaboration between the trustees and administration, and the University Senate. Among other things, the recommendation called for the chair of the Senate to sit as a non-voting member of the Board of Trustees and for Senate officers to participate in the trustees annual retreat.

The board rejected those proposals but took no action on several suggestions for sharing more information about the governance system and for meetings between various Senate, student and staff councils.

The 55-member University Senate is made up of representatives elected by the faculty and professional staff, and elected student leaders. It serves as an advisory body to the administration.

In other action the trustees will allow a special retirement option to expire June 30, 1998. The plan, approved for the years 1996-97 and 1997-98, gave faculty and professional personnel who are at least 66 years old and have 10 years of continuous service the opportunity to receive a severance payment and an option to receive additional cash in lieu of life insurance. Those who wish to exercise the option must notify the university not later than March 1.

Officials emphasized that the Early Retirement program adopted in 1982 is still in effect through the year 2000.

Finally, trustees received the financial report for the year ending June 30, 1997. It showed total revenues of $268.1 million, up from $255.9 the previous year. Total expenditures and transfers amounted to $268 million.