College of Liberal and Applied Arts
Chair Council Minutes
March 7, 2011
The meeting began at 2:30pm in room 273D of the Ferguson Building. The people in attendance included the following:
Dr. Rick Abel (Government)
Dr. Ron Anderson (Psychology)
Dr. Freddie Avant (Social Work)
Dr. John Dahmus (College Council)
Dr. Troy Davis (History)
Dr. John Hendricks (Communication)
Dr. Brian Murphy (Dean)
Jeana Paul-Urena (Modern Languages)
LTC Todd Reichert (Military Science)
Dr. Mark Sanders (English)
Dr. Jerry Williams (Sociology)
Dean Brian Murphy opened the meeting by introducing Dr. Jeana Paul-Urena who presented a new set of course
offerings in the Portuguese language, including a study abroad program during May-mester, 2012. Dr. John Dahmus
announced that the College Council had completed its work on the College’s “strategic directions” plan. The document will
be considered at the next meeting of the Chair Council and a committee will be appointed afterwards to begin
implementation.
Dean Murphy indicated that the Office of International Programs requested access to a bulletin board on the ground floor
of the Liberal Arts building. No chair expressed any opposition to supporting the request. Dean Murphy announced that
three names had been submitted for the Teaching Excellence Award. Drs. Troy Davis and Paul-Urena volunteered to
serve on the selection committee.
Dean Murphy thanked the chairs for their support of the upcoming honors banquet. A committee is drafting a proposed
format that will be circulated for comment. The event is scheduled for May 3 at 6:00pm in the Twilight Ballroom. Dean
Murphy alerted the chairs that the university’s tenure policy is being revised. Once the new policy is in place, each
department will be required to revise its own tenure criteria to align with any changes. Dean Murphy urged the chairs to
launch departmental discussions now about their policies to be in position to act quickly.
Dean Murphy noted that the College’s website has switched to the new “red dot” system supported by the university. The
advantage of the new system is that it enables websites to be updated easily without relying upon an external company.
He encouraged the chairs to review the new site and submit any ideas for improvement.
Dean Murphy circulated the draft of an internship policy for the College. The proposal was read and amended in a line-byline reading. With a revised policy agreed upon, Dean Murphy asked the College Council to review the draft and submit its
recommendations. The next Chair Council should be in position to adopt the final version of the policy.
Dean Murphy closed the meeting by reminding the chairs to encourage faculty and student attendance at the upcoming
presentation by Alan Bean on April 14.
The meeting adjourned at 4:05 pm.