College of Liberal and Applied Arts
Chair Council Minutes
September 10, 2012
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)
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)
Dr. Jerry Williams (Psychology)
Dean Brian Murphy opened the meeting with a reminder that a new workload policy is under consideration by the Provost.
When a draft is available, it will be posted and open for comment. In the meantime, the 2005 workload policy will be in
effect.
Dean Murphy announced that budgets for the current academic year have just been received. The HEAF allocation is
down from last year but may be enhanced later in the academic year. For now, chairs were requested to submit proposals
by September 25, with classroom improvements the priority item for funding. Professional development funds, on the
other hand, have been increased. The chairs agreed to abide by the traditional formula whereby tenured and tenure-track
faculty alone are eligible for funding. Chairs are to forward their list of such faculty to the Dean Murphy by Friday
(September 14). Finally, O&M budgets should be accessible via Banner; it seems that no formal budget sheets will be
distributed separately this year.
The undergraduate bulletin will be updated in a different fashion for the upcoming year. Instead of sending corrections by
flashdrive, a red-lined hard copy will be used instead. The College has developed a template to ensure that all sections of
the bulletin have the same appearance. Associate Dean Marc Guidry has already forwarded departmental sections to
chairs and bulletin changes should be made through “track changes” in MS Word. To accommodate the new updating
process, the deadline for submitting bulletin text to Associate Dean Guidry has been moved up to October 18.
Chairs were reminded that the writing enhanced policy was eliminated last Spring. In its place, each unit has developed a
statement that ensures majors receive adequate writing instruction; these policies were approved by Dean Murphy and
will be inserted into the new undergraduate bulletin. Accordingly, chairs were requested to insert the approved writing
policy into their departmental section of the bulletin.
Academic program reviews, both undergraduate and graduate, will occur for four departments: English, History,
Government, and Psychology. Additionally, a new admissions process and bulletin revision will take place for graduate
programs. Associate Provost Mary Nelle Brunson has requested a meeting with chairs and graduate program
coordinators to discuss the program review process and proposed changes to graduate studies. A meeting will be set up
this week.
Chairs were requested to nominate a representative to serve on the College’s strategic planning committee by September
17; chairs are eligible to serve.
Dean Murphy solicited input on the recent convocation. The consensus was that too much was happening at once and
less distraction would enable departments to concentrate on meeting students.
Dean Murphy noted that the Provost would soon appoint a Core Curriculum Advisory Committee. This group will develop
how SFA will comply with the revised core curriculum mandated by the Coordinating Board.
Dean Murphy reminded the chairs that the College’s internship policy requires an academic component and not merely
work experience. This approach mirrors how other universities in the state operate their internship programs.
Last Spring, each department formulated a policy on what constitutes a peer review publication for purposes of tenure and
promotion. Dean Murphy approved these policies and forwarded them to the Provost. Since the policies have not yet been
approved at the Provost’s level, they will not take effect until next academic year when they become a formal part of
departmental tenure and promotion policies.
Donut Friday resumes on September 14 at 8:30am, with special recognition to Mark Barringer for his service as Associate
Dean.
Parents Day is scheduled for September 29 and departments are encouraged to participate with display tables. To
reserve a spot, call extension 2700. Separate discussions will be arranged with chairs on a monthly basis with the Dean to
keep lines of communication open.
The Alumni Networking event is scheduled for November 8. Chairs are requested to submit the name of a departmental
representative by September 14. Drs. Freddie Avant and Kwame Antwi-Boasiako will develop a proposal for standardized
reassignment duties for graduate coordinators and assessment coordinators. The proposal will be submitted at the next
Chair Council.
Provost Richard Berry asked deans to remind chairs to be forthright in annual faculty evaluations, pointing out any
concerns. Such documentation is critical in tenure and promotion decisions.
Dean Murphy announced that the Coordinating Board is likely to impose peer evaluation as part of the annual review of
faculty members. He requested chairs and the College Council to begin discussing the issue since a uniformed format is
preferred for the entire College.
The meeting adjourned at 4:12pm.
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