Present: R. Osgood, J. Swartz, B. Grey, D. Kaiser, K. Kamp, J. Mohan, J. Mutti, B.Voyles, H. Scott.

The minutes and excerpts of April 10 were approved.

President's Remarks

The President distributed a 4/2/02 memorandum written by J. Brand on "Institution-wide Planning, Structure, and Timing."

He noted that over the last four years Council has been considering proposals for faculty positions from the departmental viewpoint but not from an institutional view. B. Grey responded that this larger viewpoint would be provocative given the departmentally based character of the Council, especially when the Dean keeps stressing that in the faculty arena this is a zero sum game. K. Kamp noted that some of these things do not directly compete with existing departmental interests and that departments could be encouraged to emphasize certain areas or incorporate them in staffing proposals, if there is a clear institutional interest in them. B. Voyles agreed that Council should discuss these types of issues. He also noted that the President did not include elimination of positions in his list. D. Kaiser asked by which process one would begin to look at this list. The President stated that the first step would be to look to the areas where we are particularly strong. He thought that this should be accompanied by a consideration of what other colleges are doing. Finally, he noted that external funding comes into play by giving the institution a chance to experiment with a curricular innovation without making a commitment. Kamp argued that external funding decisions sometimes structure curricular agendas. The current process for deciding which grants to pursue does not involve broad faculty participation. Nevertheless, some recent additions to the curriculum have been funded by grants, and the once an addition has been made, it becomes increasingly difficult to abandon it in favor of more generally supported alternatives. Given the fact that the budget is a zero sum game and curricular grants may have long term implications, the faculty should be widely consulted about external funding initiatives and faculty needs should drive the grant process, not the reverse.

Dean's Remarks

He distributed a list of the tenure-track proposals and their disposition from the 2000-01 round of Council deliberations.

He noted that this year, at a time when enrollment is flat, the enrollments in four-credit courses has increased and that there is a reduction of enrollment in courses of less than four-credits and independent study. He could not explain this phenomenon, but thought it interesting to note.

Council Remarks

J. Mohan noted that there are a lot of hidden ways that faculty give of their time, such as offering the plus 2 option and guided readings. He wanted this to be explicitly considered in further discussion of the Mentored Advanced Projects. K. Kamp noted that she has heard that Grinnell had contracted someone to design a new logo and expressed her concern regarding the financial ramifications of such a redesign. The President responded that this is an unfounded rumor, but that Jim Powers has been asked to look at both the current and previous logo designs and prepare a proposal to various constituencies of the College, including the faculty at a future faculty meeting. D. Kaiser stated that the campus grounds look excellent and that he would appreciate the President complimenting those responsible on their work. J. Mutti inquired whether the construction of the new dorms would likely put parking pressure on the area. The President responded that this is an issue, but there is no firm plan for additional parking at this time beyond what has originally been added.

The President noted that the Board of Trustees Executive Committee will be meeting prior to the May meetings and that the necessity of his presence at this meeting may mean that he will be unable to attend the next Council meeting.

B. Voyles asked if there were any new decisions made in relation to the issue of spousal employment. The President stated that there had not been any decisions made.

Staffing Proposals

There was discussion of departmental proposals for faculty positions from the Departments of Education, Mathematics (3), Philosophy, Physics, Psychology (2), and Theatre.

The meeting was adjourned at 6:10 p.m.

Secretary
Karen Wiese