SENATE OF THE FACULTY, January 9, 1998
The Senate lacked a quorum for the regular 2d Friday meeting.
SENATE OF THE FACULTY, Special Meeting, January 16, 1998
The Senate of the Faculty met in Room 106 of the Law School.
Present: K. Beason (P), A. Bomba, G. Buskes, Coles (P), C. Cunningham, A. Elsherbeni, A. Fisher-Wirth (1), R. Gordon (1), D. Graves, K. Green, F. Gu (1), L. Hanshaw, L. Harper, R. Haws (P), F. Laurenzo, T. Marshall (P), J. Mizenko (P), C. Mullen, L. Pittman, R. Pulliam (P), T. J. Ray, D. Schlenk (1), S. Schreiber, M. Slattery (P), L. Smith (P), K. Sufka (P), P. Temple (1), M. Tew, M. Van Boening, J. Winkle (1), C. Wyandt
Absent: D. Adler (2), N. Bercaw (3), L. Blenman (PPP), F. C. Dale* (1,PP), R. Dorsey (1), W. Gardner (1), F. Gilbert(1), F. Love (2), D. Nichols (4), H. Owens* (P), T. Ownby (2), J. F. Payne (2), J. S. Payne (1,PP), S. Prasad* (1,P), W. Rayburn (3), J. Reidy (2,P), S. Rodgers (2,P), N. Schroeder (4), W. Scott* (3,P), E. Sisson (3), S. Skemp* (1,P), M. Vinson* (P), K. Wakefield* (1,P), Jay Watson (1), John Watson (2,P), R. Westmoreland (1,P), M. Wilder (2), J. Williamson* (PP), E. Young-Minor (4)
* = Prior Notification of Absence Given, (x) = number of absences this session
Chair Karen Green called the meeting to order at 2:10.
A policy and procedures committee is being formed to update university policies and procedures that affect faculty, including faculty reduction-in-force procedures (and, for example, grievance procedures). Faculty interested on this committee please contact
Karen Green.The Senate proposal regarding the Office of Research and Graduate School was considered by the Academic Council. Most of the concerns expressed were with respect to how and to whom Institutes would report, decision making, and budgeting. Dr. Walton has requested that a budget proposal be submitted that would support the Senate's recommendations. Dr. Dingerson will continue in the Office of Research until June 1. Dr. Eftink has assumed the role of Acting Dean of the Graduate School and Dr. Bourne will become Acting Director of Research on February 1.
Tonya Flesher, David Graves, Joan Harland, and Ahmed Kishk were elected to the Promotion and Tenure Appeals Committee.
Nancy Fuller, Sheila Skemp, and Christy Wyandt were elected to the Promotion and Tenure Review Committee.
Senator Harper reported on developments concerning the Faculty Center. The Yerby Center will not support a 2d story. Current suggestions are renovation of the Johnson Commons Ballroom. If this plan is followed, the one-and-one-half year project would begin next fall with a budget of about one million dollars. The staff of the Croft Institute will occupy the University House beginning in March, but two conference areas will be reserved for use by faculty. Discussion in the Senate included the suggestion that instead, the interest on the one million dollars be used to operate the University House after the Croft Institute moves into the Y-building.
The minutes of the November meeting were accepted (moved, Graves; seconded Winkle).
The resolution commending the work of the Phi Beta Kappa was passed (moved, Haws; seconded, Laurenzo).
Senator Ray reported for the Faculty Governance Committee regarding the proposed policy on extraordinary teaching assignments. The committee intends to survey faculty regarding their experiences with off-campus and continuing education courses. The committee recommended that the proposed policy be judged unacceptable, because, in the end, a faculty member's only outlet is a resort to the grievance procedure. The recommendation was accepted unanimously by the Senate.
Chair Green led a discussion about the proposed university policy on Copyright. Concerns were expressed about the phrase "substantial use of University resources", uncertainty about material created while a faculty member is on sabbatical leave, use of the phrase "sole intent or partial intent to have commercial value", the application to student-created work, how consistency would be maintained in cases where the university waives its rights, the effective date of the policy, its retroactivity, and whether contract modifications would be required.
Marc Slattery is the new chair of the University Services Committee of the Senate. They will continue the work on committee restructuring begun by the Senate in the '96-'97 academic session. While the proposal is expected to solve some problems, there is skepticism that it will have much effect on the widespread use of ad-hoc committees.
Senators expressed concern over the search for the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. Development of the Croft Institute and Honors College should attract outstanding candidates, but the timing of the current search may not allow as good a pool as would be available if the search followed a more conventional timetable.
The meeting was adjourned at 2:50. The next meeting of the Senate is Friday, February 13, at 2 PM.