Faculty Assembly Minutes 1-18-13

College of Arts and Sciences

Faculty Assembly 

January 18, 2013

Registering Attendance:

ANTHROPOLOGY:J. Burnet, J. Haws, J. Zhao

BIOLOGY:R. Fell, P. Himes, D. Yoder-Himes

CHEMISTRY:G. Pack

CLASSICAL & MODERN LANGUAGES:W. Cunningham, M. Dalle, B. Fonseca-Greber, J. Greene,M. Groenewold, G. Hutcheson, D. LaLonde, A. Leidner,A. Mastri, F. Nuessel, Jr., W. Pfeffer, R. Roebuck, C. Sullivan,L. Wagner, W. Yoder, L. Zeng

COMMUNICATION: M. Cunningham, M. D’Silva, J. Ferré, A. Futrell, J. Gregg, S. Smith, S. Willihnganz

ENGLISH:D. Anderson, B. Boehm, T. Byers, K. Chandler, G. Cross, J. Dietrich, K. Hadley, S. Henke, K. Kopelson, B. Leung, C. Petrosino, S. Ryan, D. Tanner, B. Willey

FINE ARTS: B. Hufbauer, S. Jarosi, G. Mayer

GEOGRAPHY/GEOSCIENCES: C. Day, C. Hanchette, K. Mountain, W. Song, M. Walker

HISTORY: G. Carlton, J. Cumbler, C. Ehrick, T. K’Meyer, M. Taylor,L.S. Weissbach

HUMANITIES: A. Allen, P. Beattie, T. Soldat-Jaffe, G. Sparks

MATHEMATICS: C. Biro, L. Larson, J. Li, T. Riedel, D. Wildstrom, S. Young

PAN-AFRICAN STUDIES: L. Best

PHILOSOPHY: J. Gibson, A. Kolers, T. Maloney, D. Owen, O. Wiggins

PHYSICS: D. Brown, T. Dowling, C. Jayanthi, M. Yu

POLITICAL SCIENCE: M. Merry, R. Payne, C. Ziegler

PSYCHOLOGY: P. DeMarco, S. Meeks

SOCIOLOGY: J. Beggan, R. Carini, C. Negrey

THEATRE ARTS: N. Burton, R. Vandenbroucke

WOMEN’S AND GENDER STUDIES: K. Christopher, C. Fosl, D. Heinecken, N. Theriot 

GUESTS: S. Nostaja (Excelcor), A. Williams (A & S Advising Center)

Professor Byers, Chair, opened the Assembly with a tribute to the late Dean Blaine Hudson.  The Assembly observed a moment of silence in his memory.

The minutes of the Assembly of November 30, 2012, were approved as distributed.

The Chair recognized  Professor Roebuck (Curriculum Committee) and Professor Dowling (Planning and Budget Committee) who moved, seconded by the committees, approval of the proposal for  a Graduate Certificate in Diversity Literacy.

Hearing no call for discussion of the proposal, the Chair put the question and the motion carried.

The Chair recognized Professor Leidner (Committee on Committees) who moved, seconded by the committee, changes to the function and structure of the Academic Discipline Committee, as described in the College’s Standing Rules.   

The proposed  changes were:  (1) to change  the name of the committee to the  “Student Grievance and Academic Discipline Committee” ;  (2)  to add to the description of the committee that its functions include “To receive, hear, and make recommendations on formal grievances, in accordance with the procedures outlined in The Redbook 6.8.”; (3) to delete the statement that a function of the committee is “To publish minutes of each meeting, maintaining the confidentiality of individual cases”; and  to change the structure of the committee to require that members have three years service on the faculty (rather than the current two)  and to stipulate that department or program chairpersons are not eligible to serve on this committee.

Discussion included Professors Leung, Roebuck, Kolers, Boehm, and Pfeffer and Mr. Andrew Williams, A&S Advising Center , who staffs  the Grievance and Discipline Committee.

Professor Pfeffer moved to amend the motion by adding that the committee should publish an annual report, in place of the requirement for minutes of individual meetings.  This report would provide a summary of the actions  of the committee.   The motion was seconded by Professor Kolers.

Hearing no call for further discussion, the Chair put the question and the motion to amend carried.   The Chair then put the question on the motion, as amended, and it carried. 

The Chair welcomed Provost Shirley Willihnganz and Mr. Scott Nostaja, the consultant to the University’s 21st Century Initiative, for a discussion of that initiative.  

Professor Meeks moved that the Assembly go into Committee of the Whole for the discussion.  The motion was seconded.  The Chair put the question and the motion carried.

Following  the discussion, the Assembly rose from  Committee of the Whole.  

At the invitation of the Chair, Acting Dean John Ferre’ commented on some of the concerns he saw before the College.  

Following  Dean Ferre’s remarks, the Assembly adjourned.