Minutes of the April 7, 2005 Faculty Meeting

President Thomforde called the meeting to order at 11:32 a.m. After sharing an e-mail from a St. Olaf graduate reporting on the reaction in Poland to the death of Pope John Paul II, Pastor Benson led the opening devotions, praying that God’s spirit might be strong with all those who are facing the unknown.

Approval of the March 3, 2005 Minutes

Moved and approved.

President’s Remarks

President Thomforde began his brief remarks by thanking Cynthia Book and others who helped to organize the successful NCAA wrestling tournament held here in March. We benefit from the “intellectual vigor and muscular rigor” that conferences and athletic events bring to the campus. Although Alan Norton could not be present at this faculty meeting, Thomforde announced that there would be an opportunity to talk to him later about the long-term financial implications of the campaign for the new science complex. In closing, he mentioned that he and the Cabinet had just spent two days at a retreat working on communication skills--pertinent skills for those responsible for the implementation of the strategic plan.

Report of the Faculty Observer to the Board of Regents

Dolores Peters’ remarks focused on how the Board is thinking about the College. She also reported on presentations by the Regents-Faculty Conference Committee (RFCC), and announced an upcoming lecture by Alan Guskin. In summarizing how the Board is thinking about the College, she noted four major themes or areas of concern: the fiscal health of the College, faculty resources, how the College is perceived and how we perceive ourselves, and “turning a corner” with respect to going national with recruitment for the College. With respect to the fiscal health of the College, she mentioned efforts to increase the endowment and to restructure assets. She also reported that, looking through the lens of fiscal health, regents were concerned about the focus of the curriculum. They are interested in the review process of the general education curriculum, and concerned about the cost per student of each program. They are cognizant of the U.S. News andWorld Report rankings of colleges, and are considering faculty resources in relation to that, as well as to fiscal health and sustainability. With respect to how the College is perceived by others and by ourselves, she noted a report by Susan Canon identifying new peer groups for comparison to St. Olaf, and the new marketing plan, first introduced last June, and reflected in this year’s tour of the St. Olaf Choir. She reported a consensus that, in going national with recruitment, we should stress what is distinctive about the College. Turning to the RFCC presentations to the Board, she said that the U.S. Newsand World Report rankings were addressed in October. It was noted that our high rankings are on the “output” side, the low ones on the “input” side, relating to funding. In their second presentation, the RFCC reported on faculty work for a sustainable future. Using three specific programs as examples (the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Grant, the Fulbright Program, and the Study Abroad Program), they identified representative features of faculty work in relation to three questions: What resources are available to faculty doing the work? How are these resources employed? What challenges do faculty face in trying to sustain their work? Finally, she announced the upcoming lecture on May 5 by Alan Guskin, Director and Senior Scholar of the Project on the Future of Higher Education. In closing, she recommended some ways to enhance concurrent discussions among faculty and regents, and endorsed a previous suggestion by Martha Wallace, that some version of administrative division reports presented to the Board also be presented to faculty. She thanked her colleagues for the opportunity to serve as Faculty Observer, and answered questions about her report.

Nominating Committee – Elections

After requesting and receiving a waiver of the 7-day rule, Deborah Anderson presented a ballot for various positions: Appeals Board, Athletic Committee, Board of Student Media, College Council, Faculty Observer-Elect to the Board of Regents, Faculty Review Committee, Parliamentarian, Secretary to the Faculty, and Tenure and Promotion Committee.

CEPC

David Booth moved CEPC 04/05-7, proposing revisions to the mathematics major. After a friendly amendment to the rationale (in the section under “Perspectives,” the phrase “from each of the following viewpoints” should read “from each of three viewpoints”), this was approved. Having requested and obtained a waiver of the 7-day rule, he then moved CEPC 04/05-8, for the approval of three new courses: Norwegian 130, Mathematics 242, and Music 267. This was approved. Finally, he announced that CEPC has been reviewing GE requirements, and will present a motion at the May meeting. We need to make a clear statement about what we expect students will learn. Draft statements of intended learning outcomes for GE requirements can be viewed at the Dean’s website, on the CEPC page.

Dean’s Remarks

Dean May commented briefly on possible drawbacks to the suggestion that a cost of programs report be made public. He then reminded faculty that everything we do in the classroom has an impact on students far beyond what we imagine. The manner in which a message is delivered, as well as its substance, matters.

Announcements

Mary Cisar announced that on Monday we went parallel with our computer systems, old and new. Dual entries are being made.

Bryn Geffert spoke about the implementation of The Bridge, the joint library catalogue for St. Olaf and Carleton. The next step is to make the default position for ordering new books the assumption that one copy in Northfield is enough. On a different note, he announced this year’s Quiz Bowl, and encouraged us to participate.

The meeting was adjourned at 12:31 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Vicki Lynn Harper