Academic Affairs Committee
March 15, 2007 – 9:00-10:30 a.m.
Newcomb Hall, Room 389

Meeting Notes

Present:  Reginald Garrett, Erika James, Martha Snell, Linda Phillips-Madson, Robert Kemp, Daniel Bluestone, Teresa Culver, Peter Beling, Blaine Norum, Milton Adams, Gene Block

• The Academic Affairs Committee is addressing the issue of faculty titles at the request of the Provost, Gene Block.  He said the Academic Affairs Committee will make suggestions of titles that might be appropriate to replace some of the existing titles.  The Committee will then prepare and interim report, and forward it to the Faculty Senate Policy Committee.
• Gene Block gave an overview of some of the issues regarding existing titles and the need to change them.  Mr. Block said the concern is that some groups, such as the AAUP, may look at some of the existing titles and perceive that the University is doing away with tenure, which is not the case.
• Daniel Bluestone stated that additional data is needed on existing faculty titles to make the best recommendations for changes. 
• It was suggested that George Stovall, and also the Faculty Senate Policy Committee, chaired by Teresa Culver, should be invited to attend an upcoming Academic Affairs Committee meeting to look at some of the existing titles and determine how to better title them, based on the actual work of the person(s) holding the title.
• Reginald Garrett will make revisions to the Academic Affairs Committee’s Interim Report on Titling Issues, as suggested by Committee members. The Interim report will then be resent to the Committee for review.

The meeting adjourned at 10:05 a.m.