Present: J. Cummins, B. Ferguson, K. Jacobson, J. Meehan, R. Osgood, S. Rebelsky, J. Swartz, E. Willis

The meeting came to order at 1:15 p.m. in Room 203 in the Rosenfield Student Center.

Before the formal meeting began there was a discussion between the President and the Council members about the Dean’s Office to provide input to the President in making his decision appointing a new Academic Dean. The Dean and Secretary were not present during this discussion. The Dean and Secretary joined the meeting at 2:10 p.m. and the regular meeting began.

The minutes and excerpts from September 12, 2007 were approved.

President’s Remarks

The President remarked that the architectural firm Sisaki Associates and Pelli Clarke Pelli Associates presented information on the second phase of the athletic complex at two meetings yesterday.

He also remarked that the Catering Office has recently issued a new set of procedures which will make the operation of Grinnell House far more efficient and easier for our guests. He and members of Council thanked Dining Services for making these adjustments.

Dean’s Remarks

The Dean noted that the Search Committee for Vice President for Student Affairs has been formed and that he Chairs that Committee. They will launch a search soon and hope to have a candidate appointed by the end of the semester.

The Dean also noted that that a faculty committee is working on a proposal to the Howard Hughes Medical Institute which continues previous focus on interdisciplinary faculty and course development in the Science Division. S. Rebelsky added that there is a minority postdoctoral program envisioned as well.

Finally, the Dean noted that there is need for Council to discuss what needs to be done with promotion to professor this year.

Council Remarks

E. Willis noted that the Honorary Degree Committee met yesterday and candidates have been nominated. The Committee will pull together biosketches for Council by next meeting. She also noted that she will meet with the students who are on the Commencement Speaker Committee to review procedures for selection of a Commencement Speaker which are detailed in the Faculty Handbook and explain why she has decided to enforce those procedures in order to have nominees in hand a full year ahead of the time they would need to deliver a speech. She intends to have a nominee in hand during Spring of 2008 for Commencement 2009 this year.

K. Jacobson noted that she had received a copy of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) recently and asked why she had received the document at this time. There was a brief discussion of practices to protect the privacy of student educational records. There was discussion about whether there should be a discussion of FERPA at the next faculty meeting.

J. Meehan noted that she was approached by a faculty member with a desire to have Council discuss this year the possibility of making promotion to full professor an automatic process. There was not much reaction to this request.

Salary Process

At the September 17th Faculty Meeting E. Willis presented various deliberations and decisions of Council regarding the process of determining merit pay by the Faculty Budget Committee. In particular, she presented information and decisions regarding the issue of the Budget Committee having sufficient information on teaching. As straw poll concluded (overwhelmingly) that faculty were in favor of using limited information from end-of-course evaluations in this process. It was agreed that there were several issues relating to use of end-of-course evaluations and the process by which chairs and those under review would decide if classroom visitations would be undertaken in the review process. The Dean suggested that Council not over-prescribe, in writing, these processes.

Appointment at the Rank of Associate Professor

The Dean distributed a document which presents the results of legal review of the proposed language for change in the Faculty Handbook. He also distributed a draft memorandum to the Chair of the Faculty Organization Committee which discusses the proposed changes. He will also meet with the Chair to discuss it in person.

The meeting was adjourned at 2:55 p.m.

Secretary
Karen Wiese