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 of the Rosenfield Student Center.

The minutes and excerpts from October 31, 2007 were approved.

President’s Remarks

The President noted that he would not be at the next Council meeting because he would be attending the meeting of the Annapolis Group of Presidents.

Dean’s Remarks

The Dean reported that the administration is on-track to begin the switch to contracts becoming effective as of August 1 and ending July 31 each year. Faculty Handbook language regarding the contracting period will need to be changed. E. Willis thanked the President and Dean for following through on this.

The Dean noted that Council had earlier approved by email a position description for a term position in Anthropology.

The Dean had previously distributed a job description for a one-year replacement position in Classics. E. Willis moved, S. Rebelsky seconded, pre-approval of the job description pending minor wording revision by the Department. The motion was approved.

The Dean reported that the Curriculum Committee is continuing their discussions with regard to rules governing course numbering, in particular with respect to special topics courses. He noted that this issue has become a subject that seems to be revisited every year.

Council Remarks

E. Willis noted that at the last Personnel Committee meeting Mark Montgomery had reminded the Committee that the three-year review process was approved during his time as Chair of the Faculty as a way to acknowledge and compensate faculty who have been productive within the period but that this was not working according to design.

Willis also discussed her concerns regarding discussion of the Off-Campus Study Board regarding the foreign language study requirement for study abroad students.

The President left the meeting at 2:00 p.m.

Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Peace/Conflict Studies

This is a revised proposal indicating the participation of the Departments of Anthropology, History, Political Science, and Sociology. B. Ferguson moved, S. Rebelsky seconded, approval of this interdisciplinary/interdepartmental request for a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Peace and Conflict Studies subject to subsequent submission and Council approval of a mentoring plan once a departmental home is identified. The motion was approved.

Reviews of Interdisciplinary Appointments

The Dean distributed revised language explaining the alternative models for conducting performance reviews of faculty in interdisciplinary appointments with teaching responsibilities in more than one department or concentration. He asked for Council approval. There was discussion. J. Cummins asked if this issue would not also concern voting rights. S. Rebelsky responded that voting rights are accorded in the department of appointment.

J. Meehan left the meeting at 2:30 p.m.

Leaves for Assistant Professors

The President was asked prior to leaving the meeting for his position regarding the Harris Leave Program. His response is recorded here for organizational purposes.

The President stated that, after reviewing the letter from Jack Harris to then President George Drake which established the Harris Leave Program, there appears to be nothing that would prohibit the College from changing the way the endowment is administered as long as the original intent were preserved. He is in favor of changing it as long as it remains pre-tenure and competitive. He reflected on a palpable change in faculty attitudes (for the better) once the College went to a program of guaranteed semester leaves for assistant professors to pursue their scholarship during the pre-tenure review period.

E. Willis picked up this conversation by noting that we must honor our commitment to those hired before this date because we offered the opportunity for competing for a full year leave when they were appointed. The Dean suggested that the College could set up an account for the general purposes of the Program without specifying uses or amounts of funding available which could be administered by the CSFS. He reminded Council that their most important job now was to decide what priorities would govern such decisions and leave the details of administering the funds to the Dean and the CSFS. There was discussion of acceptable uses of the fund, requirements for proposal submission, semester vs. year long leaves, value of external review, internal vs. external submission and the use of the fund as incentive for proposal preparation, guaranteed floors and set ceilings on fund available for award to each faculty member, and ability to use the funds awarded in the fourth and/or fifth year of the pre-tenure period.

Council was in general agreement that we should move forward with redefining the program. Willis will schedule a time to meet with the Committee for Support of Faculty Scholarship to discuss issues surrounding such a change. It is anticipated that she would then approach the Early Career Faculty group for a discussion.

The meeting was adjourned at 3:15 p.m.

Secretary
Karen Wiese