Jane Penner chaired the meeting

1. The May GFC minutes were approved with two corrections. Jan Redick was present for the May meeting but was not listed as being present in the May meeting minutes. A minor grammatical correction was made ("of" to "on") in item #6 of the May minutes.
   
   
2. Chair Report: Jane Penner, the new GFC Chair, expressed her appreciation for the mission, productivity, and longevity of the General Faculty Council. She is looking forward to the year ahead.
   
   
3. The timing of the July GFC meeting was discussed. The July meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 20 from 12:30-2:00 pm. The location will be the Music Library Seminar Room - #S008. Old Cabell Hall. Contact Jane Penner if you need directions to the Music Library Seminar Room.
   
   
4. Brad Holland, GFC representative to the Coordinating Committee for University Wide Groups (CCUWG), announced that there was a CCUWG meeting coming up soon but that there was no report to be made at this time.
   
   
5. GFC Appointments/Reappointments: Elizabeth Fortune was reappointed as Communications Chair. Jan Redick and Joe Gieck agreed to work with Donal Day on the By-Laws Committee. At the May GFC meeting, Donal Day and Dennis DeSilvey were appointed to serve one-year renewable terms as the first general faculty representatives to the Faculty Senate. Donal Day will sit on the Faculty Senate Research and Scholarship Committee and Dennis DeSilvey will sit on the Faculty Senate Academic Affairs Committee. At a future GFC meeting, the GFC Bylaws will be examined and may need to be revised to deal with the details of special appointments.
   
   
6. On August 19, 1999, there will be a New Faculty/Staff Welcome event from 2-5 pm in the Ballroom of Newcomb Hall. Joyce Pastors, Nancy Garlick, and Aaron Laushway will cover one-hour shifts at the General Faculty Council table. Joyce will coordinate the handouts and other trappings of the table.
   
   
7. It was announced that on July 1 the General Faculty Council will receive its $2500 annual allocation from the Provost’s Office.
   
   
8. Update on the proposed revisions to the Policy on the General Faculty: On May 25, 1999, Jane Penner and Abby Gillette met for two hours with Alex Johnson, Vice Provost for Faculty Recruitment, and Kathy Reed, Associate Provost for Management, about the proposed revisions. It was agreed that Joyce Pastors and Jane Penner would meet with Alex Johnson and Kathy Reed again in the near future to examine the revisions suggested by the Provost and the revisions suggested by the General Faculty Council to see how they compare. It will be important to have general faculty members from Health Sciences involved to insure that the interests of Health Sciences general faculty are represented. It will also be important to have the Provost involved in the revision discussions early on. Because of the serious nature of this process, it was suggested that the General Faculty Council engage legal representation to provide considered, independent review of suggested policy revisions and their implications.
   
   
9. Discussion of the issue of creating an "ex officio" member status for the General Faculty Council: In the spring call for nominations for the GFC election, a number of talented and qualified general faculty members expressed an interest in becoming elected or ex officio members of the GFC. Some of those people were not elected. The question before the GFC is whether an ex officio membership category should be created to harness the interest and talent of such people. A discussion about an ex officio category, including the selection criteria, term, and responsibilities, surfaced several concerns. What sort of precedent would the GFC be setting in creating this membership category? Why would one person be granted ex officio status and not another? Since GFC meetings are open to all general faculty members and since GFC minutes, meeting schedules, and agendas are available on the GFC Web site, what would stop a truly interested/concerned general faculty member from attending and contributing to any GFC meeting? A motion was made that at this time the GFC not establish ex officio membership. The motion was seconded and passed by the GFC. GFC members agreed that it was important to be proactive in inviting all interested parties to attend GFC meetings.
   
   
10. William C. Keene, Research Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences, has prepared, as requested at the May GFC meeting, a draft letter addressing problems with, and recommending solutions for, university policies and procedures impacting U.Va. research faculty. The letter was discussed and GFC Chair Jane Penner will sign the letter and send it to Gene Block, Vice President for Research and Public Service. Mr. Block will be invited to attend a future GFC meeting to discuss the problems caused by the vagaries in funding cycles for most Research Faculty that may cause temporary breaks in full-time support for salary, benefits, and associated overhead.
    
    
11. The By-Laws Committee will work on language addressing the issue of appointments of GFC members to serve on other University committees/bodies as needed.
    
    
12. At the next GFC meeting there will be a discussion of filling the two defunct Hospital seats on the GFC. There will also be a discussion of GFC priorities for 1999-2000 and the creation of task groups.
    
    
13. NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, July 20, 12:30-2:00 pm. Location Music Library Seminar Room - #S008. Old Cabell Hall.

Submitted July 1, 1999
Tom Dowd, Secretary
General Faculty Council