Brief Items

  • Proposals for renovated space due 1/29/2016: Rob noted that current occupants do not automatically get renovated space, and he encouraged applicants to discuss their ideas with Doug or JoAnn before the proposals are due
  • College support for prospective graduate student visits: The Dean’s Office will again provide $250 per visiting student, up to the same limits as last year
  • College support for increasing diversity of faculty interview pools: Rob will add additional funds for interviews when candidate pools have more diversity than our current faculty (about 25%, between women and underrepresented minorities); all pools of finalists proposed for interviews are expected to be diverse
  • Initial success of Flatirons Funds: Rob noted 11 Flatirons Funds have been generated for our college, requiring at least a $10K endowment and receiving 1:4 matching from the college; 7 are from current or former faculty/staff and 4 from alumni and friends; 7 are for AES, 2 for ECEE and 2 for the college – kudos and thanks to Penny and Anne for promoting this opportunity
  • Deadlines for sabbatical applications: Faculty Affairs has asked for better adherence to deadlines for sabbatical requests so that they can be approved on time by the Regents – applications for sabbaticals to start in fall should be submitted to the college by Jan 15, and those to start in spring should be submitted by May 15
  • University exempt staff evaluations due to Alisha Bennett Feb 8
  • Quiet area is now ready – it is located alongside the elevator on the 2nd floor of the South Tower
  • New travel approval requirements: Prior approval for international travel is now required before booking a flight, via Concur

Hiring Opportunity for NAE Member

An NAE member who has had a successful career in high-temperature materials is interested in moving to CU as a Research Professor, split between AES and ME. There was general support for this opportunity, with Rob able to provide some partial salary support

Undergraduate Advising Model

Mary proposed a new model for undergraduate student advising with the goals of improved support of students and reduced administrative burden on departments. In this model, advisors would be employed at the college level but deployed in the departments and programs. She provided a handout and noted that the intent was to go from good to great in advising, provide better career satisfaction and opportunities for advisors, and be more responsive to advising caseloads and needs, while preserving departmental relationships with advisors. Several department chairs expressed a desire to continue the primary affiliation of advisors with departments and retain flexibility for them to help with other departmental needs. Further discussion will take place before a decision is made.

In Attendance

Rob Davis, Scott Palo, Ken Anderson, JoAnn Zelasko, Doug Smith, Mary Steiner, Sarah Miller, Anne Shoup, Mark Gross, Penny Axelrad, Charles Musgrave, Balaji Rajagopalan, Jim Martin, Bob McLeod, Mike Hannigan