College of Liberal & Applied Arts
Chair Council Minutes
February 2, 2009
The meeting began at 2:32pm in room 273D of the Ferguson Building. The people in attendance included the following:
Dr. Rick Abel (Government)
Dr. Freddie Avant (Social Work)
Dr. Ray Darville (Communication)
Dr. Troy Davis (History)
Ms. Dixie Groll (Dean’s Assistant)
Mr. Perry Moon (College Council)
Dr. Brian Murphy (Dean)
LTC Todd Reichert (Military Science)
Dr. Mark Sanders (English and Philosophy)
Dr. Kandy Stahl (Psychology)
Dr. Jerry Williams (Sociology)
Dean Brian Murphy opened the meeting by reviewing the prerequisites for Mathematics courses in the core curriculum.
The prerequisites determine placement for students in the appropriate Mathematic course. The key is establishing a
student’s TSI status and Math score on an accepted placement exam: ACT, SAT, THEA, ASSET, COMPASS, or ACCUPLACER. A student must take a remedial Math course if not TSI complete or if TSI complete but not earning the minimum
score on one of the placement exams. As a general rule, the core requirement for students in the College is MATH 110.
Dean Murphy discussed the process by which the College will conduct its strategic planning. He circulated the processes
used by the Colleges of Science and Mathematics, Fine Arts, and Education as examples. Since no model is prescribed
for the university as a whole, it was decided that chairs will ask their faculty for their preferred template in light of the
options. Dean Murphy will also ask the Institutional Effectiveness Office for a template. A decision will be made the
following week as to the model that will be used in the College.
Dean Murphy reminded the chairs about the agreement reached at the last meeting to conduct curriculum proposal review
during the entire academic year rather than in Fall Semester alone. The goal is to reduce congestion and pressure. Dean
Murphy also reminded the chairs that the College will be developing a space for a research center in rooms 135 and 137
of the Education Building. A separate meeting will be held to assess the space and decide upon equipment needs. In
preparation, chairs were requested to identify departmental needs and projected cost estimates for discussion at the next
Chair Council. This approach should facilitate the development of a shared resource that enables interdisciplinary
collaboration among faculty and students. Equipment will be purchased in stages based on available funding.
Dan Murphy invited comments on the proposed name change for the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and
Gerontology to the Department of Social and Cultural Analysis. The chairs expressed unanimous support for the proposal.
Dean Murphy will forward the request to the Provost for presentation to the Board of Regents for approval.
Dean Murphy revived discussion from the previous meeting about faculty retention strategies based on the results of a
faculty survey. Three recommendations were deemed appropriate for consideration at the University rather than College
level: a fund for start-up loans, a continued focus on higher salaries, and quicker set up of e-mail accounts. Dean Murphy
will bring these issues to the Deans Council. The recommendation of competitive incentives to recruit new faculty, such as
moving expenses and start-up packages, was accepted in principle. The Dean expressed hope that moving expenses
could be provided on a consistent basis once the College’s Excellence Fund is replenished. Chairs were requested to
provide a list of the types of start-up packages that might be needed by new faculty in their departments. These lists
should be available for the next meeting. Much discussion ensued over the recommendation to sponsor a College-wide
social gathering. In light of the high cost of the event and its limited impact, consensus seemed to support the idea of a
creating a faculty club. Chairs and the College Council were requested to explore potential sites. The chairs unanimously
accepted the recommendation to launch a mentorship program for new faculty. Input from the College Council and
department faculty will be solicited to identify the type of program most suitable to the College. Since the recommendation
for a reduced teaching load for new faculty is already in University policy, Dean Murphy reminded chairs that such
releases cannot be awarded unless included in the employment contract. Also, chairs were reminded that College policy
mandates all releases must specify the deliverable to be produced.
Perry Moon reported on the College Council’s consideration of the proposed new instrument for annual faculty
evaluations. Concern exists over two issues: the low return rate and the inclusion of the course GPA. The first issue is
under review at the University level and a solution is anticipated soon. The use of course GPA was thoroughly discussed
without resolution. Dean Murphy will circulate research on the correlation between course GPAs and faculty evaluations.
Dean Murphy announced that two initiatives involving graduate programs are underway. First, the College was requested
to submit all graduate-level curriculum proposals to a faculty committee to remain in compliance with SACS. To
accommodate the request, graduate program coordinators will be assembled to conduct the review for the current year
and a long-term strategy for handling the process will be discussed at the next Chair Council. Second, chairs were asked
to remind graduate program coordinators in their departments to complete program reviews by February 16, 2009. The
reviews should be forwarded directly to the dean.
The meeting concluded with a series of announcements:
 Faculty requesting upgraded graphic cards to access Second Life will need chair approval. Cost for the upgrade
is a departmental expense;
 Several departments are lacking faculty publications for display in the College’s showcase;
 As summer budgets are upcoming, chairs should remind faculty that online courses experienced massive
enrollment increases last year;
 The College recently submitted a grant to develop a collaborative program with the University of Johannesburg in
South Africa (thanks to Professor Emmerentie Oliphant) and a grant will soon be submitted to develop a dual
degree in Political Science with universities in Slovakia and Romania.
The meeting adjourned at 4:29.
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