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Minutes
Faculty Council Meeting
January 25, 2008
Faculty Council Members Present: Greg Bassham (Chair), Derrick Boucher (Chair-elect), Joan Coffin (A&P Chair-elect), Kristi Concannon (C&T Chair-elect), Howard Fedrick (Div. B Rep.), Brian Pavlac (C&T Chair), Regan Lance Reitsma (Div. C Rep.), Jeremy Simington (Div. A Rep), Sheileen Corbett (At-large Rep)
1. The meeting was called to order at 2:07 PM in the Lipo Room of the Sheehy-Farmer Campus Center.
The Minutes of the November 30, 2007 Faculty Council meeting were approved.
2. Chair's Report (Greg Bassham)
-February Board Meeting, 2/02/08: Greg indicated his optimism regarding the proposal for extended contracts for Professional Specialists. Although the Board has been resistant in the past, the proposal has strong Administrative backing and amendments to the proposal requested by the Board have been put in place.
-Meeting with College attorney, Richard Goldberg: A recent meeting was held with Attorney Goldberg regarding revisions to the Faculty Handbook. Also in attendance at the meeting were Dan Ghezzi and Marc Marchese. Some concerns voiced by Goldberg included determining which portions of the handbook were contractual, the relationship of the Faculty Handbook to the Employee Handbook, and areas that can be changed by Administration without faculty input. It was determined that Part One of the Handbook is clearly contractual, whereas areas of Part Two and Three have more problematic issues involving vague language and governance issues requiring further review.
-Elections: Greg made a recommendation that elections in February not only elect committee chairs and chair-elects, as provided in the Constitution, but also include at-large positions. The issue was raised that two elections provide for the opportunity for faculty interested in serving to run for the at-large positions if not elected in the first election. Two elections also provide the opportunity for faculty to take a second look at committee service. A decision was made to let the two elections stand.
-Meeting with Fr. O’Hara: Greg recently met with Fr. O’Hara regarding faculty/staff participation in the Capital Campaign. A concern raised was that the figures of participation are lower than in the previous campaign (although the monetary figures are higher). A discussion ensued regarding effective analysis of the figures as reported in an effort to determine any trends in donations. Furthermore, it was pointed out among Council that all contributions can be designated to the area of the donor’s choice.
-Greg advised that he was scheduled to meet with Dr. Holodick and Fr. Grasso on Monday, January 28, 2008, to discuss faculty leadership team compensation.
-Dinner with Friends, 2/07/08: On February 7, 2008 a dinner is scheduled for students wherein faculty, administration, and staff act as the wait staff. A request for faculty participation in this upcoming event was strongly encouraged as it offers an opportunity for faculty to engage with the students. Howard Fedrick, who together with his wife has previously served at this annual event, indicated that the opportunity is invaluable and that all participants are provided with an excellent meal.
3. C & T Committee Report (Brian Pavlac)
Brian indicated that his team is attempting to meet every week this semester in order to iron out various issues dealing with the implementation of the new Core. Additionally, C & T is reviewing the new Core and its adaptation to real-world circumstances. Concerning the CARTS, Brian indicated that C&T has already adopted most of the suggestions, while others require further review. He is optimistic that things will be decided in a timely matter. Discussion did ensue regarding the course submission deadline as imposed by the Registrar, and Brian indicated that he has already requested an extension for those areas requiring further review. Additionally, Brian has been in discussion with Dan Cebrick concerning the number of sections for each CART and the necessary caps for each section.
A new web site is being developed, which will be dedicated specifically to the Core and each CART coordinator will have responsibility for information on his or her area of the new Core. Brian was hopeful that the site (www.kings.edu/core) will be up and running by the end of the Spring semester.
One member of Council recommended that CART coordinators and C&T meet to discuss areas of concern, such as faculty scheduling, staffing, specific course proposals, and number of sections. Lastly, Brian indicated that C&T was reviewing issues regarding Academic Advisement, particularly among transfer students, with the implementation of the new Core.
4. A & P Committee Report (Joan Coffin, Chair-elect)
A & P is scheduled to meet next week and is expecting to review progress reports from its various subcommittees. The subcommittee regarding discipline-specific standards for tenure and promotion is still awaiting responses from various department chairs, and a decision was made to extend the deadline until February 29, 2008. The Senior Faculty Review subcommittee is awaiting additional input from Dr. Holodick.
With regard to revisions to the Faculty Handbook, Joan reported that the committee is reviewing submitted comments from faculty. The majority of the comments deal with language and whether or not A&P is clarifying or making changes to the handbook. As it stands, there has been a mandate to clarify, not change language, although A&P can propose changes which would require approval by Faculty Council. Although revisions to the Faculty Handbook have already been approved by Council, comments on the revisions were invited from faculty. A&P expects to resubmit any further revisions for Council approval.
Joan also reported on the expectations of the Academic Integrity Policy subcommittee. They are clarifying the policy to simplify the steps, and expect to complete the task in the near future.
The ETS subcommittee has received 65 surveys from faculty. A suggestion was made and adopted to also solicit student input. Discussion ensued regarding the future implementation of the ETS and whether or not other evaluation systems have been investigated.
5. Social Activities Report
Sheileen reported that approximately 50 faculty members attended the Decompression Session held at the Pierce Street Deli Atrium in December. Although pleased with the turnout, there was some concern voiced regarding the fact that the same faculty seem to attend these functions. Some discussion was held regarding the cost of the event and the busy holiday season.
It was further reported that at least three different departments/programs are interested in hosting Roving Socials this semester and these should be scheduled shortly. Some suggestions regarding different types of events (some of a more academic nature) might be more appealing to some faculty members.
The committee, which intends to meet shortly, will also begin planning for the May Faculty Celebration.
6. New Business
A motion was approved to extend the request for interested faculty to fill the C&T vacancies for spring 2008 created by the sabbaticals of Jim Wallace and Joe Evan.
A motion was approved to extend an invitation to an interested faculty member to sit on the Campus Safety Committee.
Lastly, Greg proposed that the Faculty Governance Constitution be amended so that the Faculty Benefits Chair-elect may be included in the February elections along with all the other chairs-elect. Motion was approved by a unanimous vote. A proposed amendment to that effect will be included on the February election ballot. Ratification requires approval by a majority of faculty casting ballots.
The meeting adjourned at 3:15 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
M. Sheileen Corbett