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Brief Items

• The Engineering Recognition Ceremony is Friday, 19 December in Macky, starting at 9 am
• TOEFL waiver for Balsells graduate students – There was consensus that Rob could sign a waiver on behalf of the departments, based on in-person or Skype interviews that he or a staff member performed
• Defense Sciences Study Group nominations – Our college should nominate 1-2 mid-career faculty for this group, which is a 2-year commitment of about 20 days per year to study national defense issues, sponsored by DARPA; Rob will send out a notice
• Faculty recruiting and Chancellor’s postdoc program – Let Rob know if additional recruiting funds are needed to increase the diversity of interview pools or if we have a PhD student whom we’d like to hire for a faculty position following a postdoc experience; applications for the Chancellor’s postdoc program (aimed at increasing diversity among faculty candidates) should be provided to Sarah by Jan 15.

Faculty Ombuds Program

Emily Calhoun and Jerry Hauser described this program, which provides confidential, informal conflict resolution. Chairs are encouraged to let their faculty know about this program and its services.

Service Centers and External Sales of Services

For non-research, non-educational services (such as sample analysis, use of analytical equipment, document translation), the Office of Industry Collaboration is developing standardized processes for approvals and for inclusion of indirect costs in the charge structure for external users. It is proposed that the indirect cost recovery be split 40% to the campus and 60% to the college/department/program, though by mutual agreement the majority can go to support the service center or activity. Administrative Council members urged that small dollar amounts be exempted or at least there be a very simple/rapid approval process. Faculty should not sign agreements, as there are responsibility and liability issues. Rob/Scott will issue a new call for shared research facilities requesting a college cost share, but with an open-ended response date.

Faculty and Staff Evaluations

Evaluations of faculty by departments and programs will take place in the March timeframe, while those for exempt staff will be in the February time frame. Feedback from outside the unit for staff is encouraged, and will be expected for top evaluations. Rob asked if a simplified form could be considered for self-evaluations and chair feedback of faculty. It was recommended that the FRPA be used, but Faculty Affairs is resistant to making tailored versions for the different schools and colleges. Instead, it was proposed that faculty be asked to provide their self-evaluation for the prior year as well as goals for the current year on the FRPA under item 201 Annual Activity Summary. This summary could then be copied onto an internal CEAS form, which also provides space for chair/supervisor feedback.

Construction Updates

Rob gave updates on the Idea Forge in Fleming, classroom finish and 5th wing of the Biotech Building, a wind tunnel on East Campus, and college space in SEEC. These projects combined are expected to require a college investment of about $10 million over a few years, though the total will be reduced by fundraising for these projects. This amount is similar to the college investment in the Biotech Building, which is now nearly paid off. Rob then gave an update on the proposed Aerospace Building for East Campus. It is 10th on the state list of higher education capital projects, with about $300 million in requests above it. We’ll have a better picture this coming May on the outlook for state funding toward this $75 million project. Fortunately, the campus CFO has offered a creative opportunity for the building to be financed with campus funds, with or without state funds, and with the private fundraising component to be for support of the people and programs in the building instead of “bricks-and-mortar” capital construction. The private fundraising goal would be $35 million, which would spin off about $1.5 million per year from an endowment, and the college would need to cover the difference in the annual distribution until the full $35 million was reached. Consensus support for this plan was expressed.

Next Semester

Administrative council meetings next semester will again be on typically the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month, at 4 pm in the Clark Conference Room. Rob will send out a schedule.

In Attendance

Rob Davis, JoAnn Zelasko, Doug Smith, Sarah Miller, Scott Palo, Diane Sieber, Jessica Wright, Dan Schwartz, Balaji Rajagopalan, Jim Martin, Bob Erickson, Todd Murray (and Jerry Hauser and Emily Calhoun for the second item only).