Minutes of the November 13, 2008 Faculty Meeting
I. Call to Order
Jim May, Provost and Dean of the College, called the October Meeting to order at 11.38.
II. Opening Prayer
Pastor Benson remembered Don Spitzack and prayed for the entire community.
III. Approval of the Minutes of the October 2008 Faculty Meeting
The minutes were approved.
IV. Remarks by the President
Jim May reported on behalf of the President. He addressed the current financial situation of the College and explained that St. Olaf's operating budget does not depend on the endowment income to the same degree that many other colleges' budgets. May described our situation as cautiously optimistic. The two major factors in how we deal with economic challenges will be the retention of good, solid classes and the enrollment of next year's class. When the Board of Regents meets in February (on-campus, not in Arizona as previously discussed), one thing they will decide on is the comprehensive fee.
A question was posed about what can be done for a student who says he/she needs to leave in December due to financial problems. May encouraged faculty hearing of any such cases to make sure the student is in contact with the Financial Aid Office. On a final note, he reported that he has heard nothing but positive comments from students so far this semester.
V. Consent Agenda
There were two items on the agenda:
1. Curriculum Committee 0809-02, revisions to the Religion major (David Booth)
2. Faculty Governance 0809-01, change in the language of the Faculty Manual (Jonathan Hill)
The faculty voted to approve the agenda.
VI. Committee Reports
Eric Cole announced that the new Faculty Life Committee has found a good organizational structure. There is a group of five that is busy reviewing release-time grants and is looking forward to reading sabbatical proposals (due Dec. 1). The second group of five is identifying and grappling with larger issues, the first being redesigning faculty development opportunities.
VII. New Business
David Booth, Chair of the Curriculum Committee, put forward motion 0809-03 for the Science Conversation. He explained that he was deeply impressed with the proposal and the effort put forward by the faculty involved. Faculty members brought up concerns about how decisions are made in terms of faculty resources, expansion of programs, how student enrollment would be handled, the logistics of team-teaching, where the FTE comes from to staff this program.
Booth explained that the Curriculum Committee does not endorse any staff model. The Curriculum Committee endorses a three-course interdisciplinary sequence with a specific content and gives recommendations and cautions to the Dean's Council. Because the Science Conversation is an interdisciplinary program, there is a need for team-teaching to allow faculty to collaborate and learn from one another. He further explained that adding this program does not mean that FTE is taken out of departments, but rather deployed in a way still consistent with the intentions of departments. Jim May also commented about staffing over the last couple of years, specifically the increased number of classes with an enrollment of 19 or fewer.
Booth further explained that the Curriculum Committee recognizes that over time there are things offered more or less frequently. He further explained that the motion is a way to endorse a way of approaching one part of how science at the College is instructed, not to determine what things the College should do without. He also pointed out that departments determine teaching loads differently and that the proposal for the Science Conversation does not seek to change this.
A faculty member observed faculty reservations over the distribution of resources. She encouraged us not to vote down a proposal that is closely linked with the heart of the College. She further encouraged Dean's Council to continue conversations with the faculty about resources.
Lynn Steen encouraged anyone who would like to examine historical data about the distribution of FTEs per department to do so on the College's website. He noted that every department and program fluctuates in response to a number of different issues.
The motion passed.
David Booth brought up the question of how interdisciplinary programs should end. He suggested that a new understanding of the life cycle of interdisciplinary programs be revisited in the future.
David Booth then put forward motion 0809-04, revisions to the English major. In discussion of this motion, one faculty member explained that she believed these revisions to a bad choice for a liberal arts college, specifically that the balance is not struck properly with the loss of pre-1800 literature. A second faculty member from the English department noted the differences of opinion within the department in creating this proposal. She presented two concerns of the revisions of the major: first, that there is only one course in literary history and second, that there will be no single text that every English major has read. In response to this, a faculty member from the English department explained the process of involved in the revision process went through and noted that all members of the department had been invited to participate in the process. And after this process, the department had voted on this proposal and everyone but one person supported it.
Booth noted difficulty in voting for a motion where there is opposition from within the department. He reminded us that the Curriculum Committee presents the consensus judgment, not the unanimous judgment. He noted that there were reservations, and May asked whether the faculty would like to table the discussion or call the question. The faculty put forward the motion to call the question and it was passed. The original motion then passed with opposition.
VIII. Remarks for the Good of the Order
There is a Mellby lecture this evening at 7pm.
I. Call to Order
Jim May, Provost and Dean of the College, called the October Meeting to order at 11.38.
II. Opening Prayer
Pastor Benson remembered Don Spitzack and prayed for the entire community.
III. Approval of the Minutes of the October 2008 Faculty Meeting
The minutes were approved.
IV. Remarks by the President
Jim May reported on behalf of the President. He addressed the current financial situation of the College and explained that St. Olaf's operating budget does not depend on the endowment income to the same degree that many other colleges' budgets. May described our situation as cautiously optimistic. The two major factors in how we deal with economic challenges will be the retention of good, solid classes and the enrollment of next year's class. When the Board of Regents meets in February (on-campus, not in Arizona as previously discussed), one thing they will decide on is the comprehensive fee.
A question was posed about what can be done for a student who says he/she needs to leave in December due to financial problems. May encouraged faculty hearing of any such cases to make sure the student is in contact with the Financial Aid Office. On a final note, he reported that he has heard nothing but positive comments from students so far this semester.
V. Consent Agenda
There were two items on the agenda:
1. Curriculum Committee 0809-02, revisions to the Religion major (David Booth)
2. Faculty Governance 0809-01, change in the language of the Faculty Manual (Jonathan Hill)
The faculty voted to approve the agenda.
VI. Committee Reports
Eric Cole announced that the new Faculty Life Committee has found a good organizational structure. There is a group of five that is busy reviewing release-time grants and is looking forward to reading sabbatical proposals (due Dec. 1). The second group of five is identifying and grappling with larger issues, the first being redesigning faculty development opportunities.
VII. New Business
David Booth, Chair of the Curriculum Committee, put forward motion 0809-03 for the Science Conversation. He explained that he was deeply impressed with the proposal and the effort put forward by the faculty involved. Faculty members brought up concerns about how decisions are made in terms of faculty resources, expansion of programs, how student enrollment would be handled, the logistics of team-teaching, where the FTE comes from to staff this program.
Booth explained that the Curriculum Committee does not endorse any staff model. The Curriculum Committee endorses a three-course interdisciplinary sequence with a specific content and gives recommendations and cautions to the Dean's Council. Because the Science Conversation is an interdisciplinary program, there is a need for team-teaching to allow faculty to collaborate and learn from one another. He further explained that adding this program does not mean that FTE is taken out of departments, but rather deployed in a way still consistent with the intentions of departments. Jim May also commented about staffing over the last couple of years, specifically the increased number of classes with an enrollment of 19 or fewer.
Booth further explained that the Curriculum Committee recognizes that over time there are things offered more or less frequently. He further explained that the motion is a way to endorse a way of approaching one part of how science at the College is instructed, not to determine what things the College should do without. He also pointed out that departments determine teaching loads differently and that the proposal for the Science Conversation does not seek to change this.
A faculty member observed faculty reservations over the distribution of resources. She encouraged us not to vote down a proposal that is closely linked with the heart of the College. She further encouraged Dean's Council to continue conversations with the faculty about resources.
Lynn Steen encouraged anyone who would like to examine historical data about the distribution of FTEs per department to do so on the College's website. He noted that every department and program fluctuates in response to a number of different issues.
The motion passed.
David Booth brought up the question of how interdisciplinary programs should end. He suggested that a new understanding of the life cycle of interdisciplinary programs be revisited in the future.
David Booth then put forward motion 0809-04, revisions to the English major. In discussion of this motion, one faculty member explained that she believed these revisions to a bad choice for a liberal arts college, specifically that the balance is not struck properly with the loss of pre-1800 literature. A second faculty member from the English department noted the differences of opinion within the department in creating this proposal. She presented two concerns of the revisions of the major: first, that there is only one course in literary history and second, that there will be no single text that every English major has read. In response to this, a faculty member from the English department explained the process of involved in the revision process went through and noted that all members of the department had been invited to participate in the process. And after this process, the department had voted on this proposal and everyone but one person supported it.
Booth noted difficulty in voting for a motion where there is opposition from within the department. He reminded us that the Curriculum Committee presents the consensus judgment, not the unanimous judgment. He noted that there were reservations, and May asked whether the faculty would like to table the discussion or call the question. The faculty put forward the motion to call the question and it was passed. The original motion then passed with opposition.
VIII. Remarks for the Good of the Order
There is a Mellby lecture this evening at 7pm.
The meeting adjourned at 12.33.
Minutes prepared by Kari Lie, Secretary to the Faculty
Faculty Meeting Agenda, November 13, 2008
Call to Order
Opening Prayer
Approval of the Minutes of the October 2008 Faculty Meeting
Remarks by the President, David Anderson
Consent Agenda
Curriculum Committee 0809-02, revisions to the Religion major, David Booth
Faculty Governance 0809-01,change to language in Faculty Manual, Jonathan Hill
Committee Reports
- Curriculum Committee, David Booth
- Faculty Life Committee, Eric Cole
New Business
Curriculum Committee 0809-03, the Science Conversation, David Booth
Curriculum Committee 0809-04, revisions to the English major, David Booth
Remarks for the Good of the Order
Adjourn
