Dean's Council Meeting

College of Arts and Sciences

September 13, 2006

 

 

Present:  M. Coleman, R. Crabtree, J. Escobar, J. Garvey, M. Gogol, F. Hannafey,

D. Keenan, Matthew Kubasik, P. Lane, J. Leatherman, D. McFadden, L. O'Connor,

S. Peterson, Ray Poincelot, S. Rakowitz, G. Sauer, K. Schlichting, and D. Winn

 

Not Present:  J. Goldfield, D. Greenberg

 

The meeting convened at 3:30 p.m.

 

Dean's Introductory Remarks

 

Welcome New Chairs & Program Director—The Dean welcomed two newly assigned department chairs, Dr. Dennis Keenan (Chair of Philosophy Department) and Dr. Matthew Kubasik (Chair of Chemistry Department), along with our new faculty and Program Director

of International Studies, Dr. Janie Leatherman.   

 

Departmental Minutes—The chairs were reminded that the College Governance Document requires a minimum of three departmental meetings a year.  The Dean recommended that departments convene bi-monthly or monthly.  Submission of departmental minutes should take place directly after the minutes are approved.  Some department chairs send collated minutes from several meetings, many of which are not timely.  Departmental minutes are helpful to the Dean, and depending on the association of topics, this information is shared with appropriate staff.  In no way should the minutes be filtered, especially in the presence of controversies; in the past, problems that might have been avoided have been kept within departments and opportunities for early resolution were not utilized.

 

FTFTEC—By September 15, 2006, applications for course releases and stipends for the spring semester are due to the Dean.  If the applications are not submitted, regardless of who approved the course release and/or stipend, faculty will not be granted the release or compensation.  The Dean will review these applications with the FTFTEC and Mrs. Susan Peterson.  In the future, applications will be submitted by December 20 and reviewed in early January so that decisions can be made for the following academic year.  This cycle will be an annual process.

 

Public Relations—The Dean mentioned that faculty, over recent months, had concerns about University marketing materials and messages. When working with Public Relations on issues such as new programs and grants, there are requirements that the University must follow.  Branding decisions were determined in consultation with the Public Relations Department, faculty, administration, and marketing experts, and these templates cannot be redesigned on a personal basis.   The Dean asked the chairs to remind faculty about this issue. 

 

Indemnity and Hold Harmless Agreements—Internship providers are requesting a signature in agreement to accept responsibilities for actions of our students.  Many faculty and administrators are concerned with personal liabilities that may be bound upon signing the Indemnity and Hold Harmless Agreement.  Dr. Mary Frances Malone has informed the Dean that the University would be held responsible—no personal responsibility will be attached.  The Dean will provide information associated with this for those who seek a copy for their records. 

 

Advising Process—Mrs. Susan Peterson informed the Council that the social science core requirement no longer needs to be a course outside a student's social science major.  This policy was approved by the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee and is recorded in the Journal of Record.  The 38 minimum course requirement must consist of three-or four-credit courses—one- and two-credit courses are no longer coupled together to count towards the number of courses required.  These credits can, however, be used towards the 120 credit minimum. 

 

The core audits and degree evaluations were recently forwarded to all advisors.  Mrs. Peterson asked department chairs to inform faculty to evaluate student audits closely to assure that Banner specifications are correctly classified—working towards eliminating glitches in the system.  Any changes should be communicated to Fran Potocky in SCT, and a copy should be forwarded to both Mrs. Judy Ariel in the Registrar's Office and Mrs. Peterson.

 

Chairs Retreat—Mrs. Benedetta Maguire proposed dates for the Chairs' Retreat scheduled for May 2007.  Traditionally the Retreat is scheduled for the Monday after Commencement.  Mrs. Maguire proposed the following:

 

á        The traditional format of the Monday (half day) and Tuesday following Commencement.

á        Wednesday (half day) and Thursday of senior week preceding Commencement.

 

Dr. Jesœs Escobar requested that a final decision be made at the next Dean's Council meeting, because the Visual and Performing Arts Department will have an acting chair for the spring semester.  Escobar will consult with Dr. Brian Torff, Acting Chair, for the spring semester. 

Ms. Maguire will approach the Council again during the next meeting scheduled for Wednesday, October 11, 2006.

 

General Faculty Meeting—The Dean asked department chairs to introduce their new tenure track colleagues and new first time one-year visiting faculty at the upcoming General Faculty meeting.  He asked all department chairs to submit these names, along with a brief statement about each of their colleagues, to Dr. Robbin Crabtree.  Crabtree will consolidate this information to handout at the first College of Arts and Sciences Faculty meeting, which is scheduled for Wednesday, September 18, 2006.  

 

College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Meetings—The Dean expressed the importance of faculty attendance at the College faculty meetings.  He urged department chairs to communicate this importance to their colleagues, and mentioned that he too will forward an electronic message expressing this need.  He asked for suggestions to increase faculty participation.  The Steering Committee recommended that the focus on the agenda be less presentational and more issue-oriented meetings.  If the issues are not substantial enough, the meeting should be cancelled.

 

 

Escobar mentioned that circulating a list of the dates for the College meetings would be beneficial.  Dr. Glenn Sauer expressed that in his department the late afternoons are typically difficult for colleagues with young children—an earlier meeting would draw a greater attendance within his department.  Crabtree mentioned an effort was made in rotating the days when the faculty meetings were held to accommodate faculty teaching schedules.  She mentioned that an emphasis should not only be placed on the business at hand, but creating a collegial community is important as well.   McFadden agreed adding that the best attendance is at the start and finish of the academic year due to the social component of these meetings.  Dr. Kurt Schlichting noted that the Merit issue discouraged faculty participation for the past four to five years.  

 

Pass-around Information—The Dean shared the following opportunities with the department chairs:

 

Approval of the Minutes

Dr. Philip Lane moved to approve the minutes.  It was requested that the reallocation of the Canisuis Room 200 office space that was noted in the May 3, 2006 minutes be changed to reflect the following: The Center for Faith and Public Life, The Office of Service Learning, and The Program in Catholic Studies.  Dr. Johanna Garvey seconded the motion to approve the minutes upon this amendment.  Eleven were in favor of approving the minutes as amended with three abstentions.

 

Lane asked the Council to vote on the length and detail of the minutes.  He felt there was no need to record such detail.  The Dean reminded the Council they voted on this issue previously and the majority vote was for detailed minutes.  He asked the Council to vote again; the majority vote favored a detailed record.

 

College Steering Committee Vote

The Council voted on the Steering/Planning Committee members for the academic year 2006-07.  The Committee consists of a member from each of the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences—along with the Secretary and Chair of the College of Arts and Sciences Faculty, and a member representing the interdisciplinary programs. The outcome for the fall semester was Dr. Robbin Crabtree, representing the social sciences, Dr. Dennis Keenan, representing the humanities, and Dr. Glenn Sauer, representing the natural sciences.  During the spring semester, Crabtree will remain a standing committee member, while Dr. Leo O'Connor will represent the humanities and Dr. Matthew Coleman the natural sciences.  Presently, Dr. Ellen Umansky represents the interdisciplinary programs. An interdisciplinary program representative for the 2006-07 academic year will be voted on during the first Program Directors meeting scheduled for Wednesday, October 25, 2006. 

 

Classroom Subcommittee Appointments

During the May 3, 2006 Dean's Council meeting, members expressed concern over the upkeep of classrooms.  The Council voted on a subcommittee to be charged with working with the Registrar's Office to assure that our classroom cosmetic needs are sufficient; avoiding deterioration of the aesthetics of the classrooms; and so on.   The subcommittee should conduct a survey listing classroom needs and ask the Registrar's Office for an appropriate timeline to assure consistent maintenance.  Crabtree nominated Lane to chair the subcommittee, resulting in a unanimous vote.  O'Connor, Schlichting, and Sauer were elected to work with Lane on this subcommittee.  Escobar volunteered to ask Dr. Kathy Schwab to join the subcommittee.  The Dean suggested that a formal charge be implemented.  The subcommittee will meet first followed by consultation with the Council to finalize a charge. 

 

Dr. Edna Wilson—Coordination of Scheduling with University College

The Dean welcomed Dr. Edna Wilson, the Dean of University College.  Dean Wilson spoke to the Council concerning the scheduling of courses.  She would like to avoid the image of University College as an evening division running parallel to the daytime division.  University College's goal is to arrange their evening courses to coincide with the submission of the 2007 daytime spring schedule.  The involvement of full-time faculty was encouraged.  Their expertise and talent can help assist the University's reputation for non-traditional students.  A form was distributed to the Council for circulation to their faculty.  Dean Wilson asked department chairs to communicate to their faculty that if they are interested in teaching an evening course, they should discuss their intention with their chair and fill out the form forwarding it to Dr. Aaron Perkus, Associate Dean of University College by September 27.  This collected data will be shared with department chairs for a final review. 

 

Dean Wilson also shared the educational leave brochures.  She mentioned that University College is seeking to add additional summer programs.  The first round of planning was discussed with McFadden for Russian Studies programs for next summer.  They will try to cycle some courses previously offered—such as Irish Studies.  Wilson is interested in working with College faculty on a presently-informal program, "The Faculty Global Citizen Program."  She will attempt to formalize this program this year by reserving funds to support faculty through teaching abroad, opportunities to explore collaborative research aboard, or participating in guest lecturing.  As University College seeks the integration of the liberal arts, she felt that study abroad was an important piece of the puzzle; therefore, University College is seeking other ways to integrate the liberal arts component.  She would like to get a sense of faculty interest in this program and suggested that faculty think three years into the future.

 

Dr. Wilson informed the Council that University College is working along with Iris Bork-Goldfield to develop study abroad advising sheets by major.  Research was conducted to determine which disciplines hold the highest number of majors interested in study abroad.  They are focusing on what courses students should reserve if they are considering studying abroad.  There goal is to have guidelines available by the end of this semester.  Dr. Susan Rakowitz asked if an effort was made to balance the number of students studying abroad across fall and spring semesters.  Dr. Wilson explained that the new declaration of interest form is addressing this issue.  The deadline for students to file their intent is February 1 of the previous academic year.  These submissions are reviewed and students are awarded approval for a given semester.  The popular semester is spring semester, but University College is working toward balancing the semesters—there are approximately 134 students abroad this fall semester and an estimated 200 for spring 2007.

 

Keenan asked Dean Wilson how he should be evaluating adjunct faculty within his department.  There are some faculty members within his department he is not familiar with.  Crabtree mentioned that she collected resumes and meets with her adjunct faculty to review and discuss their student evaluations, their syllabi, discuss the philosophy of their courses.  McFadden mentioned that he reviews and approves all adjuncts and does participate in classroom evaluations.  Sauer mentioned that the Biology Department has few "University College" adjunct faculty and has little contact with them, but he is moving towards requiring submission of course syllabi and implementing the same procedures set forth for full-time faculty.  The Dean reminded the chairs that adjuncts are hired on a semester to semester basis. 

 

Previously, a formal proposal was made giving department chairs the ability to review adjunct faculty's student teaching evaluation results.  The Educational Planning Committee recommended that this become practice, but the Academic Council did not support the proposal.  The Academic Vice President's has indicated that the chair should have the ability to review adjunct evaluations at any time.  The Dean noted that chairs are welcome to do this but should be aware they are working against the wishes of the Academic Council when doing so.  He leaves the issue up to the chair. 

 

Topics for Next Meeting

Internships—There is no universal sense on how internships should be handled, brokered, and housed.  Internships are handled department by department.  The Steering Committee recommended that a subcommittee look into this issue.

 

Strategic Plan—The Dean mentioned that when the new Senior Academic Vice President arrives he will be responsible for implementing the Strategic Plan and working closely with the Budget Committee and the Faculty Salary Committee.  The Dean recommended that all coming College initiatives be related closely to the Strategic Plan.  He reiterated that in order to integrate the core curriculum effectively, we need additional full-time faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences.  This is the year that the College should explore opportunities to expand our full-time faculty; this is an essential component towards integration of the core.  The Dean has asked the Departments of English and Modern Languages & Literature to create documents requesting full-time faculty and hopes that the Dean's Council might support these and other requests.  The Dean plans to route requests through the appropriate channels.

 

Interdisciplinary Programs—Dr. Miriam Gogol and Dr. Raymond Poincelot recently co-directed the Advisory Committee of Interdisciplinary Program Committee.  This summer the Committee was given a specific list of charges by the Dean for review of the College's interdisciplinary programs.  Their report will come out soon.  Interesting recommendations for program configurations and structures have emerged from the Committee faculty.  These recommendations will require significant faculty conversation—through the Dean's Council, within the wider faculty, and within the departments.  The Committee will also suggest that there be a rotation of program directorship.  Focus should not be placed on program ownership, but more importantly on opportunity for all faculty.   Drs. Gogol and Poincelot will complete revision of a report within the week; and upon distribution to the committee for a final review, they will share the report with all College faculty.

 

The Selection and Remuneration of Chairs—The Dean indicated that effective chairs have the support of their departmental colleagues, the support of their dean, and appropriate compensation, including appropriate course releases for their service.  The Dean believes that the College could work together to come up with an appropriate compromise on issues related to the selection and compensation of chairs.  McFadden emphasized the urgency of this issue.  The Dean reiterated the potential plans that have been discussed so far:  The plan drafted by DeWitt, last year, which engages a committee of chairs when the Dean does not favor a departmental selection; Goldfield's plan, recommending that the departments select a pair or trio of possible chairs, from which the Dean selects; and Dr. John Thiel's plan, which suggests that the Dean select a chair following a meeting with every member of the department to gather appropriate information before their selection.  Fr. Frank Hannafey expressed concern that this issue needs to be resolved soon, citing inequities between schools and the need for a College compromise.  A subcommittee was agreed upon, with members consisting of the Crabtree, DeWitt, Escobar, Hannafey, and the Dean.

 

Information packet for Faculty-position Candidates—DeWitt reminded the chairs of the need for a nicely constructed informational packet to distribute to the College's perspective search candidates, along with customized departmental pieces.

 

Master Calendar—McFadden will implement a memo communicating the importance of maintenance of a University master calendar.  As discussed in our May 2006 Dean's Council meeting, the master calendar needs a constant updating option in order for it to assist the University efficiently for event planning.   The idea is to have a calendar that would help select event dates, bringing about greater event attendance.

 

Meeting was adjourned at 5:00 p.m.