Meeting Minutes, December 12, 2017

The Arts and Sciences Council and Faculty of Arts and Sciences Meeting, December 12, 2017, 3:30-5:00

Meeting Minutes

Representatives present: Christine Brennan, SLHS; David Boonin, PHIL; Barbara Buttenfield, GEOG; Brian Cadena, ECON; Cathy Comstock, RAPS; Kim Dickey, AAH; Erica Ellingson, APS;  David Ferris, HUMN; John Gibert, CLAS; David Grant, MATH; Saskia Hintz, GSLL; Leslie Irvine, SOCY; Janet Jacobs, WGST; Daniel Jones, HNRS; Keller Kimbrough, ALC; William Kleiber, APPM; Carl Koval, CHEM; Ramesh Mallipeddi, ENGL; Stephen Mojzsis, GEOL; Yuko Munakata, PSYC; David Paradis, HIST; Lonni Pearce, PWR; Patricia Rankin, PHYS; David Stock, EBIO; Ding Xue, MCDB; Masano Yamashita, FRIT

Representatives not present: Scott Adler, PSCI; Julio Baena, SPAN; James Cowell, LING; Holly Gayley, RLST; Kwame Holmes, ETHN; Joanna Lambert, ANTH; Jill Litt, ENVS; Julie Lundquist, ATOC; Matt McQueen, IPHY; Fernando Riosmena, GEOG; Kelly Sears, FILM; Ted Stark, THDN

Also in attendance: Fred Anderson, Violeta Chapin, Elspeth Dusinberre, Robert Ferry, Cora Randall, Ann Schmiesing, Patrick Tally, Jim White

Stephen Mojzsis called the meeting to order at 3:30PM.

Chair’s remarks, Stephen Mojzsis

Professor Mojzsis welcomed the representatives and guests to the last ASC meeting of the semester and asked them to take the committee info they received back to the departments.

A survey will go out to the representatives soon to get feedback on the ASC, what is working this year and what isn’t.

Dean’s remarks, Jim White

Three budget issues have recently come up:

  • A new method of paying DAICR (Department’s Allocation of Indirect Cost Returns); Dean White recommends not paying while the campus looks into it.
  • Course and Program Fees-Campus is putting together a committee to study how to make sure the departments get the funds needed now that course and program fees are being discontinued. Dean White has given his opinion to administration to keep from having a uniform lump sum given every year that doesn’t change. Dana Takeuchi, Kirk Ambrose, Keith Julien and Gail Ramsberger are the A&S representatives on that committee.
  • The campus has a mechanism where there is money tied to growth enrollment. The distribution among the colleges is an ongoing discussion. Currently we are in the middle of an experiment where the money is tied to the number of majors in a college and an estimate as to where students are taking classes. Recently the estimate of where students are taking classes has changed to tying to actual student hours; it has taken A&S’s allocation from about 5 million dollars to 2.8. To make up for this approximately 2 million dollar shortfall, Dean White has asked to have ongoing structural issues fixed: A&S is short 14 advisors, asked to have them added in 3 years; A&S has about half a million worth of critical staffing needs Dean White has asked to be addressed; Dean White has asked that the 4.3 million debt for A&S’s piece of the Jenny Smoly Caruthers building be forgiven. In addition, due to the cost of teaching the sciences, the college is asking for a tuition increase in the Natural Sciences.

Committee Reports

Strategic Planning Committee, David Brown

The SPC has developed a vision statement: The College of Arts and Sciences cultivates critical, creative and compassionate thinkers. The committee is now divided into subcommittees, teaching, research and culture. Each group was asked to come up with the "big, revolutionary idea" and begin to talk about how to implement it. Professor Brown distributed a report outlining each subcommittee’s work. All three groups came to the conclusion that a shared space that brings people together is needed. In the next month the subcommittee leads, along with the facilitator Michael Murray and Professor Brown will look at the reports and put together a mission statement and some strategic imperatives that clearly define what we want to accomplish in the next 3 to 5 years. At that time those plans will be put in front of the campus for feedback.

General Education Implementation Committee (GEIC), Cora Randall

The GEIC has been reviewing courses from A&S during the fall semester and putting them in the appropriate Gen Ed categories.

  • Courses reviewed are from 48 A&S units.
  • The GEIC has looked at approximately 2500 courses.
  • Skills courses and single category diversity courses have been grandfathered in.
  • Units returned spreadsheets putting each of the department’s classes in divisions; most suggested assignments were approved by the GEIC.
  • There are about 1400 courses in Arts & Humanities, 500 in the Social Sciences and 500 in the Natural Sciences.
  • Any single division course assigned to a division outside the home division is being reviewed by that chair; 30 courses in A&H, 14 in NS and 68 in SS; almost all were approved.
  • The GEIC will develop a procedure to challenge course assignments.
  • The GEIC received 73 courses that were requested to be double division; they approved 61, declined 10, 2 are still under review.
  • Detailed explanations of decisions were sent out.
  • Interdisciplinary courses create the most contentious discussions; they are a small fraction of courses reviewed.
  • The GEIC is reviewing the 77 courses submitted during the moratorium.
  • Transitioning to the ASC Core Curriculum Committee; most processes will be similar.
  • Course nominations will be on a website that is being developed.
  • Everything will be online by February 15.

Online Education and Technology Committee, Saskia Hintz (interim chair)

The committee met the previous week to orient new members and discuss areas of expertise and focus for each member. Work will continue in the spring.

Budget Committee, Patricia Rankin

The committee is anticipating potential changes in the tax code that may affect graduate students.

Curriculum Committee, Leslie Irvine

The CC’s role has changed because of the moratorium on nominating new courses so they were able to focus on policies relating to certificates and majors:

  • The committee reviewed and approved a new late drop policy submitted by the Academic Advising Committee; this is still pending because of pushback from university administration.
  • Reviewed and revised Gen Ed nomination forms.
  • Revised cross listing policies.
  • Approved revisions to a major.
  • Approved a 1st year seminar certificate program.
  • Voted in favor or a proposal to remove a requirement that students must earn 30 credits after matriculation to the college.
  • Developed criteria for submitting courses for A&S credit from outside the college.

Grievance Committee, John Gibert

The Grievance Committee has not received any grievances this semester. The committee’s purview is almost exclusively salary grievances relating to the merit process.

Personnel Committee

Professor Mojzsis reported for the Personnel Committee: They have completed 12 comprehensive reviews, 11 promotions to associate with tenure, 1 promotion to clinical associate professor, 3 hires with tenure, 1 teaching professor, 4 professors of distinction.

This year the committee has instituted a process to lessen the paper involved in the process; now the departments only submit 1 paper dossier (still a requirement of Faculty Affairs) and all information is also transmitted electronically to the committee.

Planning Committee, David Stock

The committee has been meeting monthly; the current topic of discussion is the state of Academic Advising and have received feedback from 12 units. Two major areas of concern are the loss of discipline-specific knowledge as well as flow of information between advisors and faculty. The committee has been looking at possible solutions but feels that perhaps this "one size fits all" model doesn’t work for all departments. Some departments are hiring instructors to provide advising.

New Business

Developments with DACA that affect students in the College, Violeta Chapin and Fred Anderson

Why Professors Chapin and Anderson are here: They are members of the DACA Network, an informal group of about 25 faculty and staff members who have been meeting since last year. Last spring, a survey, sponsored by José Ortiz in Education, went to DACA students. The survey showed that the students feel well-served by the university when it comes to social, financial and curricular concerns but that the faculty doesn’t understand or care about their situation. The DACA program will expire in March unless Congress acts.

Professor Chapin teaches a criminal defense and immigration clinic that has become more focused on immigration issues. CU has about 90 undocumented students, most are in the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program which, enacted in 2012, allowed a 2 year deferral of removal, a Social Security number and a work permit. Approximately 110 of these students lose their status every day (nationally) and are facing a myriad of legal, social and financial problems. Professors Anderson and Chapin are, with David Aragon, trying to build trust and show they are willing to talk. They are also trying to build a supportive community on campus; faculty and staff that will be willing to take an “undocumented-ally” training on campus. Want people who are genially concerned about these students and that have the time; email Professor Anderson if you are interested. The representatives were asked to take this information back to the departments; it is important to these students to know people on campus care. Professor Anderson thanked AAH, ALC, CLAS, GEOG, PSYC, HIST and HNRS for their quick response to the situation.

Impacts and responses to Congress’ new tax bill, Ann Schmiesing, Dean Graduate School

The tax bill is in reconciliation currently; a vote is expected before the end on the year (NB: This occurred, but did not resolve DACA even if it resolved graduate student taxation). The Graduate School is advocating for the students and graduate education. They are currently making contingency plans in the event that tuition remission and waivers become a taxable benefit. Without specifics decided, it is difficult to make plans but the Graduate School, in partnership with the AAU and other stakeholders are exploring options so any changes won’t catch the campus unaware.

Associate Dean for Social Sciences Search

Dean White extended an invitation to faculty and staff to submit feedback on the two candidates, Scott Adler and David Brown; send to James.White@colorado.edu or Anna.Jensen@colorado.edu. A decision will be made by the end of January. (NB: David Brown, Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee, was chosen as AD SS).

Suggested Change to By-Laws of the ASC

Earlier in the semester, a motion was presented to add the chair of the BFA as an ex-officio member of the ASC. Professor Mojzsis asked the members to consider an additional motion, to invite other faculty governance chairs to our FAS meetings. The goal is to increase information exchange between faculty governance organizations. Not all colleges have formal faculty governance bodies.

Suggested Change to By-Laws of the ASC, Patricia Rankin

Currently the ASC bylaws specify the chair’s term is limited to 2 consecutive 1-year terms. Rob Rupert, the previous ASC chair, suggested a change to three 1-year terms, to better give the chair more time after what can be a long "learning curve." The feeling is that it is an increasingly difficult job and the ability to serve up to 3 years is similar to other administrative roles on campus. The ability to vote yearly will still be retained. There would be no change in the contractual service agreement which involves a course release, a stipend and change in service percentage to 40. Professor Mojzsis proposed that the Executive Committee will bring several proposals to the January meeting.

On the RADAR

Chair Mojzsis will report on the progress with the Provost in ASC’s Resolution to proceed with a new permanent A&S Dean search. Chair Mojzsis and ASC ExCom will meet with Provost Moore on December 22 at 9am; ASC representation and information sharing with departments and programs is proceeding, Chair Mojzsis has prepared a short list of departments and programs with historically low participation in ASC. The Chair will request time to meet with faculty in those departments to explain the role of the ASC and solicit feedback and participation; Professor Mojzsis congratulated the BFA as they have moved forward with recommendation of a new campus information source to replace the defunct Silver & Gold newspaper; that will be a valuable resource for decision making. Deadline for white papers to the Academic Futures has been extended to mid-January 2018. The Executive Committee will also ask Amy Lavens, Assistant Dean Finance & Operations, at the next possible opportunity for a specific, line-item campus budget that is explicable to our membership. There is a lot of confusion on line-items.

There have been language changes in academic probation; Professor Mojzsis has discussed these with Kyle McJunkin and Cindy Justice who would like to attend an ASC meeting to explain.

Professor Mojzsis thanked the ASC representatives for their service and wished everyone a good break.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:47PM.

Minutes submitted by Janice Jeffryes