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The Arts and Sciences Council and Faculty of Arts and Sciences Meeting, January 23, 2018, 3:30-5:00

Meeting Minutes

 Representatives present: Julio Baena, SPAN; Christine Brennan, SLHS; PHIL; Barbara Buttenfield, GEOG; Brian Cadena, ECON; Cathy Comstock, RAPS; James Cowell, LING; Kim Dickey, AAH; David Ferris, HUMN; John Gibert, CLAS; David Grant, MATH; Kwame Holmes, ETHN; Janet Jacobs, WGST; Berit Jany, GSLL; Daniel Jones, HNRS; William Kleiber, APPM; Carl Koval, CHEM; Joanna Lambert, ANTH; Julie Lundquist, ATOC; Ramesh Mallipeddi, ENGL; Matt McQueen, IPHY; Stephen Mojzsis, GEOL; Yuko Munakata, PSYC; David Paradis, HIST; Lonni Pearce, PWR; Jason Potter, PHIL(for David Boonin); Patricia Rankin, PHYS; Kelly Sears, FILM; ; Ted Stark, THDN; Carol Wessman, ENVS; Ding Xue, MCDB

Representatives not present: Erica Ellingson, APS; Holly Gayley, RLST; Leslie Irvine, SOCY; David Stock, EBIO

Also in attendance: Robert Ferry, ex officio; Kristy Tiampo, Jim White

Stephen Mojzsis called the meeting to order at 3:30PM.

 Chair’s remarks, Stephen Mojzsis

Professor Mojzsis welcomed the representatives back for the first meeting of the semester and year. Introductions were made.

The graduate student taxation issue discussed at the December meeting by Ann Schmiesing was resolved in Congress.

The Strategic Planning Committee had completed its vision, creed and strategic imperatives document.

Strategic Imperative 1:  Teach to inspire intellectual curiosity, the courage to think independently, and the compassion to understand others.

Strategic Imperative 2:  Recruit, engage, and develop the best students, faculty, and staff dedicated to a research enterprise that defines the frontiers of knowledge and solves important problems.

Strategic Imperative 3:  Create a culture that welcomes all, inspires community, develops the individual, and engages the world.

The SPC is meeting weekly and will have a strategic plan ready to discuss in 2 months with a final version due in June. The SPC is also working with Academic Futures.

Professor Mojzsis is disappointed that Congress made no resolution on our DACA students. He will remain in contact with Violeta Chapin and Fred Anderson who are working on campus to support the University’s DACA students and are also training people throughout the campus to be DACA student allies.

Dean’s remarks, Jim White

David Brown (PSCI), has been selected as the new Divisional Dean for the Social Sciences to replace Ann Carlos who is stepping down. Dean White thanked all those who sent their thoughts on the candidates to the Dean’s Office.

The job description has been finalized for a new position, the Associate Dean for Inclusive Practice, and it will be advertised soon. This will be an internal search and the Dean’s Office will be proactive in contacting candidates. Associate and well as full professors will be considered.

Concern was expressed that there was not a large enough pool of qualified candidates on campus.

The position will be responsible for development and implementation of diversity plans and will also be available to students.

A number of budget issues are ongoing: There is a request into the Provost for a $1 million for advising and $.5 million for personnel. This is to help with the new budget model which provides A&S with less money than the old budget model.

A working committee has been formed to discuss course and program fees; A&S is well represented on this committee. The university is now paying those costs rather than being added to tuition. The college is working to insure other areas do not lose funds as a result of this change.

The campus inadvertently changed the charging of benefits paid by DAICR. The College has an agreement that we will continue with the of method of payment.

There is a problem with start-up costs; historically the College has allocated half a million dollars a year, this past year we required 6 million. Dean White is working on a tuition increase for the Natural Sciences; if approved no changes will be seen for at least 5 years.

The hiring process will be finalized by next week. Dean White is asking the departments to have a broader discussing on their hiring needs; if they need more staff, instructor or graduate student support, that should be discussed rather than only considering hiring more faculty.

Dean White has started a discussion on centers and center support. Historically, centers in the Natural Sciences have become institutes but that has not held true for centers in the Arts and Humanities and some Social Sciences. If the college is to have strong centers, permanent money needs to be invested. Dean White would like faculty’s opinions on what type of centers the College should be supporting.

The assembled representatives discussed differential tuition and possible ramifications.

 New Business

Results of the ASC survey

Professor Mojzsis thanked the ASC representatives for their participation in the survey and for the constructive suggestions including fewer agenda items and providing more time for discussion.

Vote on the by-laws of the ASC, Patricia Rankin

The Executive Committee would like to propose a change to the ASC by-laws, changing the maximum number of 1-year terms an ASC chair can serve from 2 to 3. There would still be a yearly election. The Executive Committee feels that the ASC chair is an increasingly complex position and would like to allow more time to build relationships, make connections and have a longer time to work on projects. Nothing compels a chair to stay over one year.

It was suggested that the Executive Committee take a bigger role in finding and encouraging good candidates. The assembled representatives voted to approve or not the following change:

The Chair will serve a one-year term commencing with the start of the next academic year following election. The Chair may not serve more than three consecutive terms. In the absence of the Chair, the Executive Committee will designate one of its members to act as presiding officer.

The results were 24-approve 4-dissaprove. The motion carries.

Outcomes of the ASC Executive Committee meeting with Provost Moore

Professor Mojzsis and members of the Executive Committee met with Russel Moore on December 22, 2017 to ask that he immediately begin the process of searching for a permanent dean for the College of Arts and Sciences. The proposal was rejected by the Provost.

A notice was sent out today that on Friday, February 16, a meeting will be held to get input on the interim Dean and the Academic Futures process.

Comments and discussion on the position of Interim Dean were held in Executive Session.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:04 PM.

Minutes submitted by Janice Jeffryes