The Arts and Sciences Council, December 10, 2015, 3:30-5:00, UMC 247

Meeting Minutes

Representatives present: Sabahat Adil, ALC; Julio Baena, SPAN; Daniel Barth, PSYC; Paul Beale, PHYS; Cathy Comstock, RAPS; Kim Dickey, AAH; Erica Ellingson, APS; Rebecca Flowers, GEOL; Holly Gayley, RLST; Patrick Greaney, GSLL; Ruth Heisler, IPHY; Mans Hulden, LING; Leslie Irvine, SOCY; Najeeb Jan, GEOG; Daniel Kaffine, ECON; Moonhawk Kim, PSCI; E. Christian Kopff, HNRS; Carl Koval; Lonni Pearce, PWR; Rob Rupert, PHIL; Neeraja Sadagopan, SLHS; Kelly Sears, FILM; Ted Stark, THDN

Representatives not present: Michela Ardizzoni, FRIT; Giulia Bernardini, HUMN; Andrew Cain, CLAS; Vanja Dukic, APPM; Robert Ferry, HIST; Gerardo Gutierrez, ANTH; Weiqing Han, ATOC; Rolf Norgaard, PWR; ; David Stock, EBIO; Bianca Williams, ETHN; Ding Xue, MCDB; Paul Youngquist, ENGL

Also in attendance: Steven Leigh, Janice Jeffryes

Robert Rupert called the meeting to order at 3:35 PM.

Dean’s Remarks, Steven Leigh

Steven Leigh thanked the Arts and Sciences Council Representatives for their service.

Cora Randall and Michael King of ATOC recently were awarded the American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellowships. Steven Maier (PSYC) was awarded a University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award. Dimitri Nakassis, a MacArthur Fellow, has recently been hired in the Classics department.

The Colorado Commission on Higher Education, in the interest of developing state wide standards has proposed changes in the Advanced Placement rules that AP scores of 3 will count for college credit. The University of Colorado system and well as CU Boulder have objected to this change and it doesn’t appear it will affect the campus.

The searches for the two new associate deans are underway; the college is in the final stages of the search for the Associate Dean for Research and a committee has been formed for the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education. The ASC has provided valued input throughout this process.

Chair’s Remarks, Robert Rupert

The ASC held a special session to meet the candidates for AD for Research and had the opportunity to meet and ask questions of Theresa Hernández and Kent Hutchison.

Christian Kopff (CLAS) is a member of the committee that will be doing the early work selecting candidates for the AD for Undergraduate Research; the ASC will discuss ways to become involved later in the process.

Mike Grant, the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, will be retiring and there are 4 finalists for his position: Katherine Eggert (ENGL); Valerio Ferme (FRIT); Mary Kraus (GEOL) and Theresa Hernández (PSYC). Friday, December 11 10-12:30 and Thursday December 17 from 8:00-10:30, there will be “meet the Candidate” forums in Regent 302.

There have been two Town Halls to present possible revisions to the Core Curriculum scheduled for January 27 and 28, 11:30-1:00 in the Old Main Chapel. The proposed changes will be sent to the ASC representatives.

Professor Rupert is a member of the Vice Chancellor’s ad hoc Committee on Instructor Titles that recently issued a report with recommendations concerning the addition of a new title, Senior Instructor of Distinction. The report outlines salary recommendations as well as meaningful requirements for the title. The report is currently in the Office of Faculty Affairs.

Vice Provost Grant will attend the January ASC meeting to discuss initiatives coming out of his office and the Academic Affairs Advisory Committee.

Vote on the Minutes

It was moved and seconded to approve the minutes; the minutes were accepted unanimously.

Bylaw Changes

The motion from the Executive Committee:

Do you agree to the proposed changes of the ASC bylaws and recommend the Faculty of Arts and Sciences to vote to accept or reject them? Yes   No

Yes-22 No-1

The vote of the FAS will be held under the current ASC bylaws; voting members of the FAS are the faculty members who have voting rights in their departments. The bylaw changes with be sent to the representatives. Voting will be online.

Inclusive Excellence, Concept and Process

Erica Ellingson, chair of the ASC Diversity Committee, brought a proposed message to the Chancellor and to the Vice Chancellor of Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement from the Arts & Sciences Council and Boulder Faculty Assembly to the November meeting. The ASC voted to accept it. The BFA made minor changes and voted to accept it as well.

The Boulder Faculty Assembly and the Arts & Sciences Council strongly support the University’s goal of diversity and inclusive excellence. We encourage the campus administration’s efforts to address these issues, and we offer our faculty’s commitment to work with all members of our community to create a campus environment of inclusiveness, equity and respect, in which the contributions of all are valued.

The Emeritus Consulting Group has been on campus about three times to work on the issues of diversity and inclusiveness; the term they have been using when speaking to groups on campus is “Inclusive Excellence.” This term counters the concern often expressed during diversity discussions that the campus may be lowering standards to meet diversity goals.

The campus has asked each academic unit to select a committee that will develop a statement of inclusive excellence; limited guidelines are set. Professor Rupert outlined eight concerns faculty has expressed:

  • The timeline (February 16, 2016) comes at a time after winter break when departments are involved in other projects.
  • The rushed nature suggests the administration doesn’t take diversity seriously.
  • Initiative appears to be “window dressing for public consumption.”
  • The initiative pushes responsibility for diversity to the units without allocating resources.
  • Protocol for this initiative requires extra service duties from instructors and lecturers who have defined duties and roles, without providing additional funds.
  • The language, inclusive excellence, seems purposely vague, possibly in an attempt to redefine diversity.
  • Addressing issues of such complexity in a short document seems disrespectful.
  • Initiative lacks a practical component.
  • The idea of each department developing a statement rather than a broad campus-wide statement, needs justification.

The meeting was opened to discussion where lack of funding and the rushed nature of the charge were the main concerns. Dean Leigh let the representative know that the college sets hiring funding and the faculty can specify funding goals.

Professor Rupert asked the representatives to consider the faculty governance aspect of the initiative. The faculty wasn’t involved in the planning; the process feels very “top down.” The Rules of the Regents were read in part and discussed highlighting the statements which specify faculty should take the lead or have a principal role in such matters. Several options, were discussed, convening an ad hoc committee to deal with the diversity and inclusivity initiative, asking the Diversity Committee to look into it, asking Professor Rupert and Dean Leigh to talk to the Vice Provost or issuing a statement from the ASC. In the interest of time, this subject will be continued at the January 2016 meeting.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:00

Minutes submitted by Janice Jeffryes