University of Virginia Faculty Senate
Meeting of 3 May 2005 - 3:00-5:00 p.m.
Commonwealth Room, Newcomb Hall
Meeting Minutes
Marcia Childress, Chair of the Faculty Senate, called the meeting to order. Ms. Childress welcomed newly elected Senators to the meeting.
President's Report - John T. Casteen III
President Casteen reported on the planning activities that will take up much of the upcoming summer. As a requirement of the restructuring legislation, Board of Visitors must pass a resolution declaring that the University will meet the state's conditions, and the University must then draft and submit six-year financial, enrollment, and academic plans for SCHEV review and the Governor's approval by mid-November. President Casteen expects the University's plans to be completed over the summer and submitted to the state by early October. Plans must be updated every two years thereafter.
In conjunction with the state-required planning, academic planning will also be underway this summer in relation both to SACS reaccreditation process and to the public kickoff of the 2006-2011 capital campaign. All of these plans, while they will serve very different purposes, will need to complement one another. The Senate has three representatives on the planning team based in the Provost's office - Michael Levenson and Rob Grainger, co-chairs of the Senate's Development Committee, and Ms. Childress.
President Casteen urged faculty to take part in Final Exercises on 22 May.
In closing, President Casteen thanked the Senate for its work this year.
On behalf of the Faculty Senate, Ms. Childress thanked President Casteen for his informative reports and consultation throughout the year.
Developing a New Student Information System - Charles Grisham, Director
Charles Grisham reported on the Student System Project, the goals of which are to replace the outdated ISIS with a state-of-the-art student information system and to redesign, streamline, and make more student-centered many of the University's administrative processes affecting students and academic life. This project has obvious and significant implications for faculty.
Outlining the project, Mr. Grisham explained that the one-year pre-implementation phase will be followed by a three- to four-year implementation phase. The project team is working to identify and redesign key processes in advance of the University selecting a vendor to provide a customized software package that will be the basis for the new student system. Mr. Grisham talked about his project team and discussed the work that will begin this summer. One challenge to the project is the need to dovetail any new system with the University's Oracle-based integrated system for fiscal operations and human resources. Another challenge is the considerable instability in the industry that develops and markets student systems; two of the largest vendors, Oracle and PeopleSoft, have merged, and all vendors change their products quite frequently.
Mr. Grisham will report regularly to the Senate on the project. Questions about or suggestions for the Student System Project can be emailed to StuSys@virginia.edu, and the project can be followed at http://www.virginia.edu/integratedsystem/studentSysProj/index.html
Provost's Report - Gene D. Block, Vice President and Provost
Provost Block reported on several developments in his office.
The program review process is underway, using guidelines different from those of previous years. The first two reviews, which occurred this spring, involved interdisciplinary programs in the College - Bioethics and Studies in Women and Gender. Some upcoming reviews may look not simply at single departments but at multiple, related units, such as a cluster of science departments.
The University is preparing for the newest round of graduate program assessments by the National Research Council. The NRC ratings are issued once a decade and are watched closely as indicators of institutional strength in graduate programs across the academic spectrum.
In an update on the University's efforts to grow the sciences and engineering by hiring senior scientists of national prominence, Mr. Block said the goal is to hire ten faculty and their teams in the next five years. The first such appointment is being made this year.
Searches continue for new deans of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Darden School of Business Administration.
On-line course evaluations are being carried out through spring semester. Despite faculty concerns about the evaluations and the posting of students' ratings on the Course Offering Directory, the plan is to gather information for two semesters (fall 2004, spring 2005) then review the project and adjust it as necessary.
The University's ten-year enrollment plan calls for an increase of 1,500 students over the next ten years, 1100 undergraduates (including transfers) and 400 graduate students. Undergraduate enrollment growth will likely be in targeted areas, including nursing, engineering, education, and the arts.
The University's outreach initiatives are growing and will continue to expand. Faculty involvement is key in such endeavors as the highly successful "Engaging the Mind" lecture series and in academically oriented programming that will be developed for alumni, either at regional sites or when alumni visit the Grounds.
Ms. Childress thanked Mr. Block for his support of the Faculty Senate this year and his use of the Senate and its committees as sounding boards on policy matters.
Report from the University Libraries - Karin Wittenborg, University Librarian, and Diane Parr Walker, Deputy University Librarian
Karin Wittenborg and Diane Walker provided an update on library operations and activities.
New facilities that became available this year - the renovated Science and Engineering Library and the new Harrison-Small Special Collections Library - are enjoying substantial use. The McGregor Room in Alderman Library, which formerly housed special collections, is being refurbished as a reading room.
Faculty priorities for libraries continue to be acquisitions/availability of books and periodicals and efficient interlibrary loan services. Student priorities include extended hours of library operation, physical comfort in library facilities, and availability of computer workstations.
The library has ambitious goals for its part of the capital campaign. Substantial funding will be needed if the University is to become one of the nation's top twenty research libraries. The library continues to be involved in digitization projects, in national/international discussions about availability of scholarly communications; legal, ethical, and financial issues related to information technology, copyright, and intellectual property; and the challenges posed by visionary projects such as "Google at the Gate."
Committee Reports:
Academic Affairs - Kenneth A. Schwartz, Chair
Ken Schwartz reviewed the year's work of the Academic Affairs Committee.
The committee reviewed and endorsed degree-program closings in the School of Engineering and Applied Science and approved creation of a new Executive MBA program for the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration.
The committee named seven Dissertation-Year Fellows from among 70 applicants in a keen competition. Mr. Schwartz thanked those who served on the selection committee and those who funded the fellowships - the Office of the Provost (3 fellowships), College of Arts and Sciences (1), Curry School of Education (1), and the Department of Athletics (2). A banquet honoring recipients and donors was held on 12 April 2005. Later this spring, there will be discussions about aligning the Senate's fellowship program more appropriately with fellowship competitions in the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and with the new office of the Associate Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies.
Through much of the year, a subcommittee of Academic Affairs explored faculty perspectives on honor. This work synchronized well with students' discussions this year within and beyond the Honor Committee about the single sanction and potential changes in the honor system. One outcome of the Academic Affairs subcommittee's meetings was a suggestion that there be a survey of faculty perspectives undertaken by the Center for Survey Research.While such a survey will not be undertaken by the Senate, the Honor Committee has been apprised of this opportunity and is considering sponsoring a survey.
In closing, Mr. Schwartz thanked Ms. Childress and other colleagues for their support this past year.
Research and Scholarship - Larry D. Bouchard, Chair
Larry Bouchard reported on the Harrison Awards for Undergraduate Research. These awards, a brainchild of the Faculty Senate five years ago, are extremely popular among undergraduates. The Senate now shares responsibility for these awards, the Research and Scholarship Committee being involved in proposal review/selection and the Center for Undergraduate Excellence, under the Provost's office, responsible for award administration, including disbursement of award monies to students and their faculty mentors. This year, 42 awards of up to $3000 each were given. Mr. Bouchard noted that the Research and Scholarship Committee wishes to continue its active involvement with the Harrison Awards.
The Research and Scholarship Committee also worked throughout the year with David Hudson in the Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies, to review and discuss policies that affect faculty research and other scholarly activities, including policies on patents and on faculty conflicts of interest and commitment. The meetings and discussions with Mr. Hudson were candid exchanges of information and ideas and, as such, were enormously useful to all involved. Mr. Bouchard gave public thanks to Mr. Hudson for consulting with the Research and Scholarship Committee.
Faculty Senate Development Committee - Robert Grainger and Michael Levenson, Co-Chairs
Ms. Childress reported that the Development Committee co-chairs have had preliminary meetings with Provost Block, Senior Vice President Bob Sweeney, and University Outreach director Megan Raymond to frame the committee's work. The committee will concern itself with academic planning as this relates both to the restructuring of the University's relationship with the state and to certain pan-university fundraising priorities for the capital campaign. Mssrs. Grainger and Levenson and Ms. Childress will represent the Senate on the Provost's academic planning group this summer and fall. The committee will also address faculty participation in U.Va.'s growing program of outreach activities to alumni and in institutional fundraising.
Faculty Grievance Committee - Malcolm Bell, Chair
Mr. Bell reported that there were no faculty grievances brought to the committee this year. Mr. Bell is working with others to address the fact that at present there are no grievance procedures in place for administrative general faculty.
ROTC Affairs Committee - William Kehoe, Chair
Mr. Kehoe reported on the activities of the ROTC Affairs Committee. He introduced two commanding officers, Colonel John C. Vrba, United States Air Force, and LTC Hampton E. Hite, U.S. Army. Captain John R. Warnecke, US Navy, was unable to attend the meeting. The full report of the ROTC Affairs Committee can be found at http://www.virginia.edu/facultysenate/rotc2005rpt.html
Faculty Senate Nominating Committee - Robert E. Davis, Chair
Elections for Faculty Senate officers and Executive Council members will be conducted by ballot in the coming weeks. Administrative Assistant Frances Peyton will send ballots to all Senators.
Mr. Davis presented a slate of candidates:
Kenneth Schwartz, School of Architecture, was nominated for Chair-Elect of the Faculty Senate; he will become Chair for 2006-2007.
Teresa Culver, School of Engineering and Applied Science, was nominated for Secretary of the Faculty Senate.
Candidates for the four open slots on the Executive Council (the Senate's Constitution and By-Laws stipulate that there must be twice as many nominations as there are slots to fill): Alison Booth (Arts and Sciences), Stephen Gladis (Continuing and Professional Studies), Ann Hamric (School of Nursing), Erika James (Darden School), Deborah Johnson (Engineering and Applied Science), Edmund Kitch (Law School), Jon Mikalson (Arts and Sciences), and Steven Nock (Arts and Sciences).
Election results will be announced on Tuesday, 17 May 2005.
Chair's Report - Marcia Day Childress
Ms. Childress offered remarks that summed up the year just ending and looked to the new year ahead. Her remarks are available in their entirety at http://www.virginia.edu/facultysenate/fschairsrpt.html. In particular, Ms. Childress discussed the Senate's service as a sounding board for the administration; the Senate's participation in policy review; the Senate's work on "charter" and on academic planning activities related to the restructuring of the University's relationship with the state; Senate advocacy for mentoring and faculty advancement; the importance to the University and the Senate of the Senate's Harrison Awards and Dissertation-Year Fellowships and the need to develop management plans for these programs; and faculty relations with the Board of Visitors, including prospects for and institutional benefits of faculty representation on the Board.
Alison Booth, Professor of English, and a Senator, extended thanks to Ms. Childress for a wonderful job as Chair of the Faculty Senate. Ms. Childress received a standing ovation.
Ms. Childress presented the ceremonial gavel to Houston Wood, incoming Chair of the Faculty Senate, effective 1 June 2005.
In brief remarks, Mr. Wood named the chairs of the standing committees for 2005-2006:
Academic Affairs Committee - Reginald Garrett
Research and Scholarship Committee - Susan Kirk, M.D.
Faculty Grievance Committee - Malcolm Bell
ROTC Affairs Committee - William Kehoe
Development Committee - Rob Grainger and Michael Levenson Mr.
Wood added that he and the committee chairs will be filling vacancies on the committees this spring and summer, and he urged Senators to serve when called.
In closing, Mr. Wood said he looked forward to working with the Senators next year.
The meeting was adjourned at 5:00 p.m.
Submitted by Deborah Johnson, Secretary of the Faculty Senate