College of Liberal and Applied Arts
Chair Council Minutes
February 6, 2012
The meeting began at 2:30pm in room 273D of the Ferguson Building. People in attendance included the following:
Dr. Ron Anderson, Psychology
Dr. Kwami Antwi-Boasiako, Government
Dr. Freddie Avant, Social Work
Dr. Mark Barringer, History
Ms. Dixie Groll, Dean’s Office
Dr. John Hendricks, Media Studies
Dr. Mike Martin, Multidisciplinary Programs
Dr. Brian Murphy, Dean
Dr. Mark Sanders, English
Dr. Owen Smith, College Council
Dr. Jeana Paul-Ureña, Modern Languages
Dr. Jerry Williams, Sociology
Dean Brian Murphy introduced two new members of the Chair Council, Dr. Kwame Antwi-Boasiako (interim-Chair,
Department of Government) and Dr. Mike Martin (Director, Division of Multidisciplinary Programs). Dean Murphy
reminded the chairs about the upcoming Undergraduate Research Conference and requested each department to
nominate a representative—by week’s end—to serve on a committee making college-level selections to the Bright Ideas
Conference.
Dean Murphy reviewed upcoming deadlines for assessment: (1) March 1 for the assessment of rubrics and (2)
departmental assessment reports for the 2010-2011 academic year. Drs. Jerry Williams and Mark Sanders agreed to
meet with Dean Murphy to develop a template for departmental use in writing the annual reports. The preliminary deadline
for these reports will be in late April. Dean Murphy announced that the university would no longer host a convocation for
entering freshmen in the Fall. Instead, each college will be allocated funds to sponsor its own event. The goals of the
college meetings will be to facilitate retention and to build community among new students. Dean Murphy will meet
separately with a few chairs to develop a proposal for the next meeting of the chairs.
Dean Murphy reminded chairs that faculty evaluations are due on February 14. He requested chairs to be consistent in
making their evaluations, especially in terms of teaching effectiveness. Dean Murphy asked for feedback on the College’s
strategic plan; the only comments involved the plan’s high ambitions and the number of initiatives contemplated. The
chairs reviewed several formats for biennial schedules and agreed to a format from a Chemistry Department. The chairs
further agreed to include only Fall and Spring Semesters and to delay development of the schedule until March. When
completed, the schedules will be posted in PDF format on the website of the Advising Center.
Dean Murphy inquired if the chairs had any questions about the summer budget. He noted that a sliding scale was
established for the upcoming summer and that, hopefully, this will accommodate the 27% budget cut experienced by the
college. However, faculty members need to be made aware that the schedules currently being built may have to be
adjusted if requests for teaching exceed the college’s budgetary allotment. The chairs agreed to adjust adjunct
compensation at a standard $2,500 to align with the sliding scale.
Dean Murphy distributed the format used in last year’s Honors Banquet and asked for feedback on whether any changes
should be made. The chairs agreed to keep the format the same, with an April 14 deadline for submitting the names of
honorees. The college will once again pay the dinner costs of award recipients.
A tenure committee requested greater clarification on what constitutes a “peer reviewed” publication. After discussion, it
was decided to submit the question to departments and the College Council for input. Dean Murphy updated the chairs on
the Kilgore project and noted that almost every department is involved in the initiative. Dean Murphy informed the chairs
that the college’s Middle East conference remains on track for next Fall and that the study abroad consortium has gained
momentum and is inviting faculty applications.
The meeting adjourned at 4:05 pm.