December 4, 2000
Attendees: Bill Blass (chair), Gayle Baker (Co-Vice-Chair), Andrew Kramer (Co-Vice-Chair), Doug Birdwell (Co-Vice-Chair), Chris Cox, Arlene Garrison, Nathan Hammer, Marion Hansen, Thomas Handler, Zoe Hoyle, George Kabalka, Lee Magid, Anne Mayhew, Lillian Mashburn, T. Dwayne McCay, Faye Muly, Ken Walker, Karen Welch
The meeting began at 4:00 PM in order to allow Council members to attend the open meeting for one of the candidates for the Associate Vice President for Research.
- Introductory Remarks:
- Bill Blass provided an update on the search for the Provost.
- Ken Walker provided a spreadsheet on the 20 finalists for the large Centers of Excellence. He reported that the annual report will be held up due to problems with the data from Memphis. The full report will only be available on the web and a brochure will printed with summary information.
- Updates
- George Kabalka, chair of the search committee for the Associate Vice President for Research, provided an update on the search process. Two candidates have been invited for an interview, Dr. Thomas Saba and Dr. Peter Alfonso.
- Lillian Mashburn stated that there were several outstanding bills, affecting research funding, which need to be resolved before Congress adjourns.
- Reorganization of the Graduate School
- Anne Mayhew, Associate Provost, Academic Affairs, went over the Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Graduate School. The report contains several recommendations, among them, that The Graduate School be headed by a Dean of Graduate Studies, who will be an advocate for graduate studies and graduate students. The Dean will oversee a new Office of Graduate Students Services and will be advised by the Graduate Council.
- Old business:
- Faculty development leave (sabbatical) — Andrew Kramer reported that proposal for a faculty development program was sent back to the committee by the Faculty Senate to cover issues about the clock for eligibility and the absence of language about funding. Concern was raised about the ability of some departments to cover this program with no additional funds
- Ken Walker has reviewed the new draft document for faculty titles. He stated that the new documents cover most of the objections voiced about the previous draft.
Meeting adjourned at 5:10 p.m.