Office of the Dean
College of Liberal and Applied Arts
Department Chair Minutes
May 6, 2013
The meeting began at 2:30pm in room 273D of the Ferguson Building. People in attendance included the following:
Dr. Kwame Antwi-Boasiako (Government)
Dr. Freddie Avant (Social Work)
Dr. Mark Barringer (History)
Dr. Ray Darville (College Council)
Ms. Dixie Groll (Dean’s Office)
Dr. Marc Guidry (Associate Dean)
Dr. John Hendricks (Media Communication)
Dr. Mike Martin (Multidisciplinary Programs)
LTC David Miller (Military Science)
Dr. Brian Murphy (Dean)
Dr. Mark Sanders (English)
Dr. Robert Szafran (Social Analysis)
Dr. Jeana Paul-Ureña (Languages & Communication)
Dean Brian Murphy introduced Dr. Bob Szafran to provide an update on the new core curriculum. Dr. Szafran indicated that
the committee would soon provide feedback on required revisions to applications/syllabi for courses submitted for
consideration into the new core curriculum. Dr. Mark Sanders delivered a status report on the preliminary issues under
discussion by the core curriculum assessment committee.
Dr. Ray Darville conveyed feedback from the College Council on several topics. First, the Council believed that candidates
for promotion should have the option of selecting between either the current departmental standard or the standard in place
five years earlier. The chairs concurred with this recommendation. The chairs, however, could not support the Council’s
position that a time gap in scholarship was an irrelevant factor in making promotion decisions. The chairs preferred a criterion
whereby a candidate must demonstrate a “regular and sustained” record of scholarship to qualify for a positive promotion
decision. Second, the Council proposed establishing a policy that any publication produced elsewhere could only be applied
toward fulfilling a departmental tenure criterion if produced five years prior to arrival at SFA. The chairs were confused by the
proposal since a tenure decision is made in the sixth year of employment at the university, making the policy irrelevant in
almost all tenure cases. Finally, the Council accepted the statement of duties for an assessment coordinator as previously
developed by the chairs.
Dean Murphy asked for input on the draft template for departmental unit goals. The chairs had no objection to the template
and it accordingly will be implemented during the 2013-2014 assessment cycle. It is important to note that departments
remain free to supplement these goals with additional ones that relate to their specific unit needs. Dean Murphy called
attention to the college’s strategic plan that makes the launch of dual degree programs a priority. He noted that this topic
would be considered at the chairs retreat during the summer.
Dr. Jeana Paul-Urena reported that the university’s curriculum committee rejected the inclusion of modern language
proficiency as a graduation requirement. She inquired whether the chairs would support such a step in the “college
requirement” section of degree plans. It was unanimously agreed that all BA degrees should have a modern language
proficiency standard at the 200-level. The departments currently out of alignment with this new standard will be asked to
come into compliance. However, disagreement existed on whether a modern language requirement should be adopted for
BS degrees. A committee composed of Drs. Paul-Urena, Mark Barringer, Jerry Williams, and John Hendricks would
formulate a proposal for consideration at the next Chair Council.
Dean Murphy reminded the chairs that next Fall Semester’s Freshman Convocation, set for September 5, would involve a
short video followed by an introduction of the chairs. Individual departmental meetings would be scheduled within the next
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Office of the Dean
College of Liberal and Applied Arts
two-week window. Dean Murphy informed the chairs that planning for a summer pre-law camp remains on target and four
donations have already been secured to support the activity.
In preparing for next year’s capital improvement allocations, Dean Murphy inquired whether some funds should be set aside
for building improvements. The chairs generally agreed that some facility renovation is warranted. Dean Murphy announced a
writing workshop that would be conducted by the college to demonstrate ways in which writing could be introduced into
courses without becoming an onerous grading task. The workshop would likely be an element of the Fall Semester faculty
meeting. Dean Murphy concluded the meeting by cautioning the chairs to check their calendars because a summer retreat
would most likely be held in mid-August.
The meeting adjourned at 4:20 pm.
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