Minutes 1-27-17
Faculty Assembly, School of Liberal Arts 2:00–4:00pm, Friday, January 27, 2017, Lecture Hall 105
Aponte, R.; Banerjee, A.; Beckman, E.; Bein, F.; Bell, D.; Bell, L.; Bivin, D.; Bjork, U.; Blomquist, W.; Bomke, A.; Brant, H.; Buchenot, A.; Carstensen, T.; Chakrabarti, S.; Conner, U.; Cramer, K.; De Waal, C.; Dicamilla, F.; Foote, C.; Freeman, J.; Friesen, A.; Gibau, G.; Goff, P.; Gondola, C. D.; Grossmann, C.; Guiliano, J.; Haberski, R.; Jain, A.; Jettpace, L.; Karnick, K.; Kaufman-McKivigan, J.; Kryder-Reid, E.; Lamb, C.; Latham, K.; Laucella, P.; Lindseth, E.; Lovejoy, K.; Lulla, V.; Morgan, A.; Pegg, S.; Robertson, N.; Russell, S.; Sandwina, R.; Scarpino, P.; Schall, C.; Schneider, W.; Sheeler, K.; Shrum, R.; Snodgrass, M.; Strong, D.; Thill, E.; Thuesen, P.; Towfighi, S.; Tucker Edmonds, J.; Upton, T.; Vincent, J.; Weeden, S.; Wheeler, R.; White, R.; Wilhelm, M.; Wilson, J. S.; Wokeck, M.; Wood, E.
Visiting Faculty: Conway, J.; Hartsock, J.; Tennekoon, V.
Guests: Hammock, T.; Heavrin, K.; Illg, M.; Schumerth, C.; Smith, C.; Walters, S.
1. Call to order at 2:00 p.m. —John Parrish-Sprowl
2. Approval of the minutes from November 11, 2016 A motion to approve the minutes was offered and seconded. The minutes were approved unanimously.
3. President's remarks — John Parrish-Sprowl President Parrish-Sprowl spent time encouraging the faculty to look for ways to help to promote the School of Liberal Arts so that growth can occur.
4. Dean's remarks —Tom Davis The dean reviewed accomplishments: a) Museum Studies (Elee Wood, director) held a successful opening event, "New Women of the Harrison Era," at the Benjamin Harrison Home on January 26, 2017, a student-produced exhibit that continues until October 31, 2017 b) John Parrish-Sprowl, Communication Studies, won the Susan Buck Sutton Award for Study Abroad c) Wendy Vogt, Anthropology, won the University of California Press Public Anthropology Book International Competition Award for her book manuscript d) Cassandra Williams, Office of Student Affairs/Africana Studies, won the Black Student Union Advocate of the Dream Award, presented at the recent Martin Luther King, Jr., dinner (three of four student awards went to Liberal Arts students) e) Audrey Ricke won a Program Review and Assessment Committee grant to carry out research f) Rachel Wheeler, Religious Studies, won an American Council of Learned Societies grant (success rate this cycle was only 6% among applicants).
Credit hours: a) SLA was down just over a tenth of one percent for spring, which may be a sign that things are beginning to straighten out, as the fall numbers were down but only by 3 to 4 tenths of one percent b) Summer 2 session was down 5 % c) for the fiscal year to date credit hours are down one-half of one percent (548 credit hours out of 11700+) d) the dean expressed gratitude to those who allowed waitlisted students into their courses.
5. Old business
6. New business New Program Proposals — Steve Russell, Undergraduate Curriculum and Standards Committee a) New BS in Medical Humanities — no discussion; a vote was taken and it passed unanimously b) Intergroup Dialogue Certificate — Discussion: A concern was raised about the circulation of the proposal and about whether it reflects best practice. The answer is the certificate reflects the four-part Intergroup Dialogue (or IGD) model developed at the University of Michigan. A concern was also raised about whether the courses for the certificate are appropriate, especially given that some courses are old. In response to this concern it was pointed out that the courses are meant to get the conversation going. Comments about the courses from departments should be forwarded to Associate Dean Kristy Sheeler by Feb. 15. Chairs in particular were invited to provide feedback on the liberal arts courses by February 6. All feedback received would be incorporated. The proposal indicates that course lists are illustrative, not exhaustive and the certificate directors will be able to approve additional courses as appropriate. A third concern focused on the structure of the certificate itself. Dialogue focuses on face-to-face discussions, yet some courses are online courses. Sheeler indicates she will look into this concern. Online courses are included in the area of the curriculum designed to provide additional context in social identity and diversity. These courses are not skills or dialogue-intensive and online courses are appropriate here. A comment was made that the proposal indicates that courses will be offered each semester, which is not realistic. The response was that offering courses for the certificate each semester is realistic because the certificate is a collaborative effort among four schools. No one school has the burden of offering pertinent courses every semester. A final question concerned who will oversee the certificate. The response was that a committee representing the involved schools and programs would be formed to oversee the certificate.
The proposal was tabled but it will be presented at the next Faculty Assembly.
Ad Hoc Committee on Civility — Andrea Jain, Chair a) Faculty Resolution on Civility and Tolerance — Discussion: It was recommended that the resolution be approved. A question was asked: What will happen with the resolution once it is approved? Jain recommended taking more noticeable action. A language change was recommended and was accepted. A question was asked whether the university asked for this resolution. The answer is yes. As a result, it makes sense to move the statement to Indianapolis Faculty Council and to the upper administration. A comment was made that IU trustees voted to split ahead of the Purdue trustees vote. Another point was made that a trustees meeting occurs in February and the resolution should be sent to the trustees. b) Resolution in Support of IPFW Faculty — this second resolution was read and discussed. c) A vote to endorse both resolutions occurred. Both resolutions passed unanimously.
The reorganization plan for the staff — Steve Russell a) Steve Russell read a resolution that recommends that the recent staff reorganization plan be suspended. Discussion: The resolution acknowledges that the school’s budgetary needs point to operating with fewer people, but the reorganization plan may not be the best way to reorganize the staff. Concerns were expressed that the reorganization plan would destroy the relationships between staff and departments, that the present arrangement is more efficient, and that staff may find their new jobs less interesting and even tedious. It was pointed out that it is important for faculty to have a say and to have a discussion on issues like this. It was recommended that similar plans tried at other institutions be studied. It was offered that some departments look forward to the new plan because of the number of staff who have left and who have not been replaced. Staff may in fact appreciate the new roles. b) A vote was called and seconded. The vote was taken by a show of hands. The results: 18 yes, 28 no, 3 abstentions. The resolution was not approved.
7. Announcements— Resolution Honoring John C. "Jack" Buhner — Scott Pegg Pegg read a resolution honoring Professor Buhner. (See the related document on the Faculty Assembly web site.)
8. Adjournment A motion to adjourn was offered and seconded. Adjournment at 3:50 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by Scott Weeden
