Present: President Osgood, Dean Swartz, E. Dobbs, R. Grey, M. Pillado-Miller, L. Sinnett, D. Smith and B. Voyles

President Osgood called the Executive Council to order at 3:05 p.m. on Tuesday, August 25, 1998 in Windsor House.

The Council elected D. Smith to serve as secretary for this meeting.

The Dean spoke briefly about the value of having the Associate Deans attend meetings of the Council.

E. Dobbs moved and M. Pillado-Miller seconded that H. Scott, Associate Dean, and P. Smith, Associate Dean, be invited to attend meetings of the Executive Council this year to provide the Council with information and advice as needed, to hear the Council's discussions, and to assist the Executive Council with its work; further, that H. Scott act as the Council's secretary for this year.

The motion passed, 6-0.

The President spoke briefly about the value of having Jonathan Brand, Secretary of the College and Special Assistant to the President, attend meetings of the Council. Upon M. Pillado-Miller's request, he elaborated on his judgment that J. Brand needs to educate himself as fully as possible about the Council's activities in order to serve effectively in his office. L. Sinnett asked if such education might not equally efficiently and thoroughly take place by a careful reading of the Council's minutes. The President reflected on his own experience in trying to reconstruct the ebb and flow, the in's and out's, of last year's Council's discussions by reading its minutes. He thought that J. Brand and the College had much to gain by J. Brand's actual attendance.

E. Dobbs moved and D. Smith seconded that J. Brand, Secretary to the College and Special Assistant to the President, be invited to attend meetings of the Executive Council for the coming year at the President's and J. Brand's discretion.

The motion passed, 6-0.

D. Smith commented on how the balance of faculty and administration in attendance at meetings of the Executive Council had changed in the last twenty-five years. This change, he suggested, reflected how a once lightly administered college had become a more thoroughly administered one, and how members of the faculty had become increasingly loath to give over large amounts of their time to the governance of the College. He noted in recent years a tendency to recruit members of the Executive Council into doing essentially administrative work, and hoped that the greater administrative presence in Council meetings implied a diminution of this tendency.

The President remarked upon the pleasure he felt at this first meeting of the Executive Council and the keenness of his anticipation in learning even more about the life and work of the College from the perspective of the Council.

He remarked upon the progress of the Fund for Excellence. He is proposing a memorandum on this progress for the Council to discuss. One of his first impressions was that early proposals have only lightly addressed academic issues and issues of admissions. He noted that the Director of Admissions may be preparing a proposal addressing the latter. He observed that "lots of talking" still needs to be done. L. Sinnett thought that it would be helpful for all the faculty to know about progress on the Fund, and B. Voyles favored eventual distribution of the President's Memorandum to the entire faculty.

E. Dobbs and R. Grey asked about the procedures established to consider proposals submitted for grants from the Fund for Excellence. The President replied that the procedures established last Spring still obtained: proposals would be reviewed by the Executive Council and the Vice-President's of the College.

R. Grey asked about the timing of grants from the Fund: how much of the Fund will be spent this year? The President replied that the amount to be committed this year will be substantial, but that more will remain in reserve. He said that four grants will be announced soon.

As one of these grants deals with internships, a discussion opened up the issues of the relation of internships to the academic course of study at the College, and of the very wide range of activities labeled as internships, not to mention "experiential learning." It was agreed that such discussion should continue both within the Council and also in the Curriculum Committee.

The President remarked on initiatives to be undertaken by the College as a corporate citizen within the town of Grinnell: this is an important matter. R. Grey expressed some apprehension that the College might be perceived by its fellow citizens as patronizing and arrogant. The President remarked that he was equally apprehensive that the College might raise expectations too high to be fulfilled.

The Dean remarked that numbers of the Executive Council should send their ideas for the Council's future agenda to his office. It is important for the Council to set sound priorities for the use of its time: he encouraged members of the Council to deal directly with support-staff offices with such "nuts and bolts" problems as clocks that do not tell time properly.

The Dean commented on the manifold activities of many groups working on many things since last semester. He expressed particular thanks to P. Smith and D. Lopatto for their work in bringing the preliminary work on the NCA self-study and re accreditation visit to a successful conclusion.

The Dean noted that the College has engaged the services of a team of firms to prepare a comprehensive assessment of the College's long-term needs for facilities. A committee to collaborate with this team will be appointed; it will comprise members representative of the several elements of the College.

The Dean's reference to a "team of firms" reminded R. Grey of Kane and Krokowski's study of the College's "image" and its sense of self with respect to issues of admission. He observed that the one meeting of the faculty at which Kane and Krokowski's report was discussed was most valuable: would this discussion continue? The Dean replied that the discussion would certainly continue at biweekly meetings of the Faculty Committee on Admission and Financial Aid, and that this committee would probably expand the discussion to the faculty as a whole at an appropriate time. And the decision to engage a firm to assist in the preparation of a new series of admission view books, brochures, etc. was already involving some members of the faculty in the discussion that R. Grey hopes will continue.

The Dean noted the progress of several searches within his jurisdiction: that for a second institutional researcher is nearing conclusion; two for technology specialists have concluded in appointments; that for a third will begin anew. Appointments have been made to all vacant positions on the faculty, except for a temporary one in computer services. Inability to fill this vacancy has led to the cancellation of one course and the combining of two sections into one.

The Dean finally remarked on a widely-expressed desire, confirmed in a recommendation from the Committee on Faculty Organization, to find alternatives to the customary faculty-meeting time at 4:15 on first and third Mondays. D. Smith appeared to be in a decided minority in arguing for adherence to this time.

E. Dobbs asked the President and Dean about the expectation that the College would reconsider thoroughly its policies with respect to increases in the salaries of the faculty and the tuition fees for the students. They confirmed that such reconsideration was going to take place. As an illustration, the President suggested that the College might want to question pursuing a "best-buy" strategy with respect to admission. E. Dobbs hoped that the Budget Committee and the Committee on Admission and Financial Aid would be engaged in these discussions, and the President assured her that they would.

L. Sinnett, looking back on an agitated year in which members of the faculty and Trustees often encountered each other tensely, asked the President for his thinking on the relationship among these two groups and the President. The President replied that he would work to insure amicable relations between the faculty and the Board of Trustees. He believes that members of the faculty and Trustees should be free to speak with each other about the life and work of the College. He has no wish to impose a bar to such speaking. D. Smith thought that when members of the faculty exercised such freedom they ran the risk of derogating from the President's authority as "minister" of the faculty to the Trustees and of the Trustees to the faculty. He thought members of the faculty should exercise a great deal of self- restraint in directly approaching trustees on College issues and hoped that the Trustees would reciprocate.

The President observed that one of J. Brand's main responsibilities as Secretary of the College and to the Board of Trustees was to keep the Trustees well informed and well educated on the life of the College: we want a Board of Trustees whose knowledge of the College is commensurate with their engagement in its business.

M. Pillado-Miller asked the Dean for a clearer delineation of the responsibilities of the two Associate Deans. He replied that it is not yet possible to provide this, that at the moment the three Deans are still working as a unit. The President commented on H. Scott's unique value to the President and the Dean and P. Smith's as the three deans sort out their respective roles and responsibilities in the life of the College.

The President illustrated his comment by pointing out how academic, and particularly faculty, needs would come into view in the forthcoming assessment of the need for facilities: office space, office space for support staff, the maximally desirable interspersal of faculty and support staff office space, and library facilities.

R. Grey observed that the College owned a good deal of property in the town adjacent to the campus but not necessarily conceived as a part of it. How might such property figure in the needs assessment? The President replied that it would figure significantly, but that it is too soon to say how. The College may wish to acquire further such property.

The Dean, having previously distributed to members of the Council recommendations from last year's Executive Council for changes in the Faculty Handbook, invited the Council to take these up. They have to do with provisions "concerning associate professors" for promotion to professor and with the role of SEPCs as they contribute to the reappointment and promotion of members of the faculty.

The Executive Council informally dissolved into a committee of the whole for discussion of these recommendations. At the end of the discussion, the following motions were formally adopted, 6-0, for recommendation to the faculty as a whole:

That Part II: III.4.e of the Faculty Handbook (concerning Associate Professors, p. 26 of the current Handbook) be amended to read as follows:


That Associate Professors may remain in rank indefinitely: that promotion to the rank of Professor not be automatic by virtue of time of service; and that only those persons who have demonstrated continuing excellence in teaching and in scholarly productivity, and who have otherwise served the College well, be promoted to the rank of Professor.

(In the discussion on this motion the President noted the value of construing "service to the College" to include service to the wider academic community, e.g. holding office in professional associations.)


That Part II.D.1.a.4) (Students, p. 29 of the current Faculty Handbook) be amended to read as follows:


4) Students. (Student Educational Policy Committee Evaluations) The Student Educational Policy Committee shall submit to the chair a written evaluation of an instructor being considered for reappointment or promotion. The chair of the department shall instruct the committee on how to prepare its evaluation. This evaluation should be based on interviews with the majors in the department, since the members of the SEPC serve as their representatives. The committee's evaluation should not only report the results of these interviews, but also render a thoughtful judgment of the instructor's contribution as a teacher in a department of Grinnell College.

The Dean stated his intention to bring these changes to the faculty as a whole for its approval.

The President informed the Council that the Board of Trustees will shortly undertake a thorough revision of the Trustees' By-Laws. In so far as the Faculty Handbook derives from and is closely related to the provisions of the By-Laws, it is important that the revision of the By-Laws take place in consultation with the faculty. He and the Dean have asked J. Brand, P. Smith and D. Smith to serve as a committee to attend to the Faculty Handbook in so far as any revision in the Trustee By-Laws might affect the rights and responsibilities of the Faculty. The committee should advise, through him, the Trustees on any possible consequences for these rights and responsibilities of such revision. E. Dobbs called attention to the responsibilities of the Committee on Faculty Organization as the keepers of the Faculty Handbook.

The Dean asked for, and received, the Council's endorsement for his calling the next meeting of the faculty for 11 a.m. on Thursday, September 3, 1998.

This meeting of the Executive Council was adjourned at 5:35 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
D. A. Smith
Secretary