For each meeting, an agenda digest has been provided to save time since minutes are lengthy. The digest provides highlights and actions taken at each meeting. For the full minutes, please contact Frances Peyton (924-7643, ftp7e@virginia.edu).

Agenda Digest

September 24, 1998

Present: Edward Ayers, David Gies, Jahan Ramazani, Marva Barnett, Kathryn Neeley, Miles Townsend, Robert Grainger, Janet Horne, Patricia Werhane, Richard DeMong, Peter Low

Ed Ayers, Chair of the Faculty Senate, called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m., in the Alderman Library Conference Room, 423.

Mr. Ayers distributed a document titled "Coordinating Council of University-wide Groups." This document is the proposed charter for the Coordinating Council, which is a clearinghouse organization concerned with the culture and climate of the educational/workplace environment at the University. The Coordinating Council consists of representatives of all University-wide committees and organizations and several ex officio members. Mr. Ayers asked for comments. The Council members discussed the document and made comments and suggestions. The members of the Executive Council feel the Senate should be involved in this opportunity. There were several sentences in the proposed charter that the Council feels should be revised. The Executive Council agreed that the Senate should join the Coordinating Council of University-wide Groups, providing the Senate can agree with a revised charter. Mr. Ayers will contact Alex Johnson, who is leading this initiative, and inform him of the Executive Council's decision.

Richard DeMong, Chair of the Academic Affairs Committee, gave a report on the work of his Committee. He said the two major issues the Committee will address this year are follow-up work resulting from the Faculty Senate/student retreat, and the Honor Code. His Committee will develop a survey in an effort to identify the faculty's perception of the Honor Code. Peter Low suggested that Edmund Moomaw, Executive Director of Institutional Assessment and Studies, could help with sending out the survey. It was noted that the Senate's role in the Honor System should be of a facilitative and advisory nature.

There was a brief discussion regarding the Junior Faculty Initiative, which was part of the charge for the Academic Affairs Committee for the 1997-98 academic year. Mr. DeMong said his Committee will continue to work on this initiative in the spring. Council members made suggestions on activities concerning junior faculty that could be undertaken this year, including continued junior faculty lunches with members of the Executive Council, and input from junior faculty on the medical side of the University.

Louis Bloomfield, Chair of the Research and Scholarship Committee, was unable to attend the meeting, and Mr. Ayers reported on the work of that Committee. A poster, which lists the upcoming events of the Forum for Contemporary Thought, which is a Senate initiative, was shown to the group. The Committee discussed the forum, and Mr. Bloomfield will work with Rita Felski, Director of the forum, on issues related to the forum.

The Information Technology Initiative, another initiative of the Research and Scholarship Committee, was discussed. Mr. Ayers said he would ask each Senator to convene his/her constituents to gain thought on what information technology is doing to the culture at the University of Virginia and what directions we should pursue in the future. Mr. Ayers will develop and submit a draft survey to the Executive Council via e-mail before the upcoming Faculty Senate meeting, which is on October 8th. Information technology will be discussed at the October Senate meeting. The University Library and the Office of Information Technology have agreed to address faculty concerning information technology at the University.

The Faculty Senate of Virginia is actively involved in issues concerning faculty governance at institutions of higher education throughout the Commonwealth, Mr. Ayers noted. Mr. Ayers said the Faculty Senate at the University of Virginia needs to be an active participant in the activities of this organization.

The Executive Council then addressed faculty and/or organizations requests for the Senate to send e-mail messages to faculty members. It was decided that any messages directly related to Senate affairs can be sent without Executive Council approval, but the Executive Council needs to review and approve messages that might be something the Senate would want to send, even though the message may not be Senate-related.

Finally, the Executive Council decided to request Senate representation on each of the four commissions discussed at the President's Retreat.

The meeting adjourned at 10:30 a.m.

Submitted by Marva A. Barnett, Secretary of the Faculty Senate