The Arts and Sciences Council and Faculty of Arts and Sciences Meeting, December 6, 2016, 3:30-5:00, UMC 247

Meeting Minutes

Representatives present: Sabahat Adil, ALC; Julio Baena, SPAN; Paul Beale, PHYS; Christine Brennan, SLHS; ; Andrew Cain, CLAS; Cathy Comstock, RAPS; James Cowell, LING; Charles de Bartolomé, ECON; Kim Dickey, AAH; Anne Dougherty (for Vanja Dukic), APPM; Erica Ellingson, APS; David Grant, MATH; Ruth Heisler, IPHY; Saskia Hintz, GSLL; Janet Jacobs, WGST; E. Christian Kopff, HNRS; Carl Koval, CHEM; Julie Lundquist, ATOC; Ramesh Mallipeddi, ENGL; Stephen Mojzsis, GEOL; David Paradis, HIST Lonni Pearce, PWR; Fernando Riosmena, GEOG; Rob Rupert, PHIL; Kelly Sears, FILM; Ted Stark, THDN; David Stock, EBIO; Ding Xue, MCDB; Masano Yamashita, FRIT

Representatives not present: Scott Adler, PSCI; Daniel Barth, PSYC; David Ferris, HUMN; ; Holly Gayley, RLST; Kwame Holmes, ETHN; Leslie Irvine, SOCY; Joanna Lambert, ANTH;

Also in attendance: Tyler Alpern, RAPs; Lisa Barlow, RAPs; Lorraine Bayard de Volo. WGST; Carol Conzelman, RAPs; Darna Dufour, ANTH & RAPs; Oliver Gerland, RAPs; Todd Gleeson, IPHY & RAPs; Jessica Gorski, RAPs; Andrew Hamilton, APS; Carol Kearns, RAPs; Mark Leiderman, GSLL; Steven Leigh, A&S; Donna Louie, RAPs; Diana Oliveras, RAPs; Doug Snyder, RAPs; Emily Yeh, GEOG

The meeting was called to order at 3:31.

Dean’s remarks, Steven Leigh

Dean Leigh thanked the faculty of Arts and Sciences for their attendance and the members of the Arts and Sciences Council for their work over the semester.

Summer Instruction is adding 1.9 million dollars to the budget of A&S this year. Dean Leigh is working with the Budget Committee to make the best use of that budget increase.

Chair’s remarks, Robert Rupert

The Core Curriculum Implementation Committee has been formed and is meeting. ASC members on the committee include Leslie Irvine, Lonnie Pearce, Fernando Riosmena, David Stock and Professor Rupert.

A college level committee to look at the first year experience has also been formed. This is a Dean’s advisory committee (rather than an ASC ad hoc committee) and is tasked to think broadly on the future of the student’s first year experience. Paul Beale, Joanna Lambert, Tarek Sammakia (chair), Artemi Romanov and Professor Rupert constitute this committee. The ASC members were encouraged to give feedback to the members of this committee. The college was caught off-guard with the recent decisions on the RAP’s and Dean Leigh formed this committee to develop a college level perspective on the first year experience and how the college will be effected by any changes.

Professor Rupert’s second and final year as the ASC chair ends in the spring. He encouraged ASC members to considering running for chair for the 2017-2018 academic year.

The ASC bylaws were recently changed but Professor Rupert has seen a few more areas that could use revision. He asked the ASC representatives to look over the bylaws and see if there are more suggestions for change.

At the last meeting, it was voted to send the proposal for the new B.A. in statistics and data science to a campus level review. Mary Kraus reviewed the proposal, consulted with the Academic Affairs Advisory Committee and sent the proposal back for revision. The degree needs to be brought in closer alignment with the new core; also, there is concern about the lack of an endorsement from MATH. APPM has been asked to find concrete changes that will gain MATH’s support. It will go back to the Curriculum Committee and then return to the ASC.

Reports from committee chairs

Budget Committee, Paul Beale

The new undergraduate enrollment growth budget model that the campus established last year sends money to colleges that have students from other colleges taking classes; A&S’s budget went up by 2.7 million dollars; last year it was 2.1 million increase. The dean’s office will be consulting with the Budget Committee on utilizing those funds along with the additional funds generated by summer school.

Curriculum Committee, Cathy Comstock

The Curriculum Committee works on behalf of the faculty on many undergraduate curricular matters, including proposals for new courses nominated for the core, revisions of systems courses, changes in numbering of course courses, new major and minor degree programs, changes to existing majors and minors, certificate programs and all courses in small academic programs, Honors and RAPs. The committee looks forward to doing its part to implement the new core. Professor Rupert gave special thanks to the committee for its heroic effort in reviewing, at the last minute, the first year seminars.

Diversity Committee, Erica Ellingson

There is currently a campus-wide initiative to promote “Inclusive Excellence” and the Diversity Committee has been working to insure faculty participation and advocacy. Last spring the committee prepared a report based on the Inclusive Excellence narrative, synopsizing the responses. Subsequently, the Inclusive Excellence Steering Committee asked members of the ASC and the BFA Diversity Committees to join. Most of the issues raised in the report have made it to the IE Steering Committee’s “Aspirations and Goals” including support for inclusive pedagogy, more opportunities for community and collaboration within and between disciplines. There is also a strong voice requesting more resources for hiring a more diverse cohort of graduate students, faculty and staff. The committee is also working to have more student input. In the future, the Diversity Committee is looking forward to working with the Curriculum Committee and the Core Implementation Committee to develop the new core diversity requirement.

Grievance Committee, Chris Kopff

The Grievance Committee acts in an advisory capacity to the dean in matters of salary and career grievances. The committee looks at each grievance with attention to loyalty to written criteria, due process and general fairness. This semester the committee has reviewed two grievances.

Online Education and Information Technology Committee, Rob Rupert

Aisha Jackson (OIT) and Mary Kraus (Academic Affairs) met with committee as are reviewing the campus new learning system. A short survey has gone out to faculty concerning D2L and there has not been a good response; Professor Rupert asked the assembled faculty to contact Mary Kraus’ office if they need a link to the survey. Saskia Hintz and Ruth Heisler joined the faculty advisory committee for the LMS selection process; please contact them with any questions or feedback. In the spring semester the committee will be looking at ALTEC’s use of online tools and CU Connect; researching construction and vetting of online courses; identification of successful online courses. Tom Zeiler is working on a survey for students and online courses. Professor Rupert has been speaking to universities that are heavily online to see what changes that transition has brought.

Personnel Committee

The Personnel Committee reviews all cases for reappointment, promotion, tenure and instructor non-reappointments.

Planning Committee, David Stock

The Planning Committee invites suggestions from faculty for areas of study. This semester the committee has been looking into the availability of resources for faculty to be compliant with ADA and the availability of resources for the increasing number of international students.

Core Curriculum Implementation Committee, Cora Randall

This ad hoc committee was formed this semester and met for the first time in December. The committee is charged with implementing the new core curriculum as it was voted in by the faculty. The goal of the committee is to make the process transparent and open and invites all faculty to contact the committee with any questions, concerns or suggestions. Professor Randall will be contacting all chairs to make sure the committee is aware of all concerns and the committee will issue periodic reports. The committee will make decisions on some details, issues and non-controversial parts of implementing the new core but the faculty can will always have the opportunity to weigh in.

  • The old core is currently in effect. The committee wants a moratorium on core class proposals for the old core.
  • The committee is expecting the new core will be in place for students enrolling in classes fall 2018.
  • The committee is following the list of recommendations from the CCRC and will likely start with a survey identifying the distribution of divisions for existing courses and what core requirements they satisfy. The associate deans will be drafting descriptions of their divisions. It will be up to department chairs as to who will complete the survey.
  • As soon as the new core is implemented, students can chose to graduate in the new or old core.
  • Any courses not currently in the core will have to be nominated; CCIC is drafting a nomination form consistent with the new core.
  • First year seminars will be handled and reviewed like all other courses.
  • It is the faculty’s job to decide what belongs on the core.
  • It was suggested that a press release for the new core be developed.

Late Drop Policy

The Academic Advising Center wants feedback on the late drop policy; they are developing a new form and the ASC will discuss it in the spring.

Role of Wardenburg clinicians in providing student medical excuses

The existing practice for clinicians at Wardenburg is to provide notes for students saying a student came to the clinic on a particular day; this note can be given to an instructor. The clinicians are being pressured to issue more robust excuses. If you have thoughts on this, send them to Mary Kraus, Kyle McJunkin or Professor Rupert.

Formation of A&S Strategic Planning Committee

Dean Leigh initiated a request to form an ad hoc Strategic Planning Committee; the motion comes from the Executive Committee. Dean Leigh feels the Flagship 2030 Initiative is getting less relevant; many issues have changed such as the core and the budget system. It would be good for A&S to address its unique issues rather than wait for the campus. Dean Leigh would like a committee of about 18 with even divisional distribution. He would also like students and junior faculty to have a strong voice.  Hope to start spring 2017 and finish by end of spring 2018. Nominations for the committee are welcomed.

Should the ASC form a Strategic Planning Committee?

28-yes, 0-No, 1-Abstain

New Business

The ASC has been dealing with issues of faculty governance on a case-by-case basis but welcomes a broader discussion. Article 5E5 of Regent Laws delineates the duties of faculty and administration such as faculty will take the lead and initiate policy on curricular matters and academic policies. The Regents Laws are being reviewed and Professor Rupert encourages the faculty to be aware of the process.

Mike Breed (EBIO & Baker RAP Director) asked to be recognized. Recent decisions on the RAPs have started conversations on faculty governance. Changes were made in violation of Regent Law 5E5; curricular decisions, eliminating a RAP, came from Regent without appropriate involvement by faculty. RAP personnel feel these decisions were made stealthily and without concern for the staff and students effected.

Other questions and concerns from the assembled faculty:

  • What can faculty do to stop administration from making decisions without faculty input? (The BFA and the Dean’s Advisory Committee will be taking on these issues.)
  • Instructors have much experience with first year students; their voice needs to be heard.
  • RPAP communities are in a unique position to help students and interact in a personal way that other places on campus can’t.
  • The RPAC report was relied on for some decisions; it was been alleged that the financial information was inaccurate. The Budget Committee is looking at those figures.
  • Williams Village students feel marginalized and excluded by their location; they RAPs can help lessen those feeling.
  • The Provost called the RAPs a “one trick pony”; the wrong way to characterize the huge diversity of RAP programs.

Professor Rupert thanked the Faculty of Arts and Sciences for attending.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:08.

Minutes submitted by Janice Jeffryes