Approval of Minutes
The minutes from the November 4, 2002 meeting were approved as submitted.
Election of faculty to the Senior Faculty Status Committee - Brad Bateman, Chair Faculty Organization Committee
Brad discussed the procedures that take place for the election of faculty to the different faculty committees. Brad presented a slate of candidates for the Senior Faculty Status Committee: Luther Erickson, currently on SFS; Jerry Lalonde, Humanities Division; Arnold Adelberg, Science Division; Wayne Moyer, Social Studies Division. The Senior Faculty Status Committee considers the applications of faculty for senior status. A motion was made to accept the slate of candidates. Motion was seconded. A voice count was taken and passed.
Discussion of proposed election schedule change for Personnel Committee - Brad Bateman Chair Faculty Organization Committee
Brad spoke on behalf of the FOC to change the current asymmetric pattern of turnover in the Personnel Committee. In one year, two (2) people are replaced, and in the next year four (4) people are replaced on the committee. Many former members of this committee, as well as the Dean, have asked the FOC to address this problem. As the FOC outlined in the note attached with the agenda, there is a problem with having a 2/4 turnover. The committee is highly dependent on institutional knowledge to guarantee continuity and fairness in its deliberations. Several faculty have approached the FOC and asked that the pattern be changed to a 3/3 turnover cycle. The floor was open for comments.
Approval of candidates for Bachelor of Arts degree in course - Jim Swartz, Dean
Dean Swartz asked for a motion to award the Bachelor of Arts Degree to the candidates that have fulfilled all requirements for mid-year graduation. Motion was made and passed by voice vote.
Approval
of spring sports' schedules - Tom Moore, Athletic Committee Representative
A motion to
approve the Spring Sports schedule was made and seconded. Passed by voice
vote.
Update on planning for improvements in classrooms - Jim Swartz and Marci Sortor
Dean Swartz and Associate Dean Sortor gave an overview of classrooms on campus. An ad hoc classroom committee (the ARH and Carnegie Classroom Committee) has been working on addressing such issues in ARH and Carnegie, which has the most problematic teaching spaces. This committee has made a number of recommendations and the Dean's Office has been working to act on these recommendations. Members are: Dennis Perri, Steve Andrews, Chris Hunter, Barb Trish, Jack Mutti and Marci Sortor. Dean Swartz commented that additional classroom space would be available in Mears Cottage, the new Campus Center and Science Project Phase II. There are also other committees on campus assisting in the process to make classrooms more accessible for teaching. These committees are: Campus Center Committee, Science Building Committee, ARH-Carnegie Committee, Registrar and ITS/CTS Staff. Faculty are encouraged to contact members of these committees as well as Dean Swartz, or Associate Dean Sortor, with particular needs or requests to try to improve classroom situations. To find out available classrooms on campus please go to the Registrar's website at http://www.grinnell.edu/offices/registrar/additionalinfo/clssr/.
Remarks - Jim Swartz
Dean Swartz announced that Elizabeth Dobbs, Kathy Kamp and John Whittaker will be teaching in the Grinnell-in-London program for Fall 2004, and Gene Gaub will be teaching in the Grinnell- in-Washington program for Fall 2004. Associate Dean Helen Scott commented that the Grinnell-in-London board has not received any applications for Spring 2005. The committee is looking for available faculty. The committee will be calling faculty that attended the seminar in London as well as faculty who will be on sabbatical that year.
Dean Swartz commented that Grinnell College is one of eight institutions that have received an award from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in the faculty career enhancement program. Of the pool of applicants Scott Cook was selected to receive the semester leave program to support scholarly work and Jin Feng and Charles Cunningham were selected to receive the summer stipend to support scholarly work.
In addition, Grinnell College has a semester study leave program, which is a competitive leave program for associate professors and professors. Members of the Committee for the Support of Faculty Scholarship were among the authors of those proposals, so the Faculty Organization Committee created an ad hoc committee to review those proposals. The FOC ultimately recommended Brad Bateman, David Campbell, Jon Chenette, Charles Cunningham and Tom Moore for leaves in 2003-2004.
Remarks - Mark Montgomery, Chair of the Faculty
Mark Montgomery stated there would be another meeting of the Planning Steering Committee on December 14, 2002. The committee hopes to come back to the faculty with a range of strategies.
Mark also discussed the faculty salary straw poll. Each faculty member was sent a compilation of comments submitted at the Nov. 4 faculty meeting. The Executive Committee will work on a proposal as to how the salary process might be reformed. The Executive Committee hopes to bring a proposal to the faculty in Spring 2003.
Announcements
and new business
Ralph Russell
announced the deadline for submitting proposals for the Africana Studies
Conference is December 13, 2002. In addition to submitting paper proposals,
students will be asked to submit poetry readings, and performances. Ralph
asked that students submit their proposals to him in the Music Department
or to Raquel Greene by Dec. 13, 2002.
Meeting was adjourned at 5:13 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Mary Wells