Minutes
Faculty Senate Meeting
October 7, 2009
Professor Lyn Stallings called the meeting to order at 2:15 p.m.
Present: Professors Lyn Stallings, Stephen Silvia, Leigh Riddick, Naomi Baron, Barlow Burke,
John Douglass, Brian Forst, Carole Gallaher, Nadia Harris, Robert Karch, Ira Klein, Nanette
Levinson, Brett Williams, Mary Mintz, Tony Riley, Jerzy Sapieyevski, Joanne Savage, John
Smith, Lenny Steinhorn, Steve Taylor, Anthony Wanis-St.John, Michael Wilkerson, Dean
Mussell, and Provost Scott Bass.
Welcome and Introduction, Lyn Stallings
Professor Stallings welcomed everyone to the meeting.
The September Faculty Senate meeting minutes were not approved. There are three corrections
that will be made and there will be a vote of the revised minutes at the November meeting.
Report of the Chair, Lyn Stallings
Professor Stallings announced the following changes to Faculty Senate committee
memberships: Loubna Skalli-Hanna will replace Carole Gallaher on the General
Education Committee, and Al Cheh was chosen as the co-chair for the Joint Committee
on Curriculum and Academic Programs and will therefore be a member of the Faculty
Senate.
Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies, Phyllis Peres, has convened a task force for
2009-2010 that will review the structure and goals of the General Education program at
American University and propose enhancements. The task force will consist of
approximately ten faculty from all of the units and schools and will include
representation from the Faculty Senate. They will meet bi-weekly and should have a
working proposal by the spring.
Professor Stallings has been meeting with Campus Life, Human Resources, and other
offices to gather information on University committees that are not part of the Faculty
Senate. If these committees have charges that affect faculty, Professor Stallings would
like to provide liaisons who will report to the Faculty Senate. She reported that Human
Resources is working on getting Emeriti on the on-line faculty directory, and Campus
Life is working on room-scheduling procedures. There are about twenty to twenty-five
other campus committees that address a variety of topics including: climate action,
disability compliance, environmental issues, facilities planning, and sexual harassment
prevention. Professor Stallings will send out the full list of these committees so that the
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Faculty Senate can decide if they would like a liaison on any of the committees.
Professor Stallings pointed out that the Faculty Senate may be able to support Campus
Life in advancing student retention, Community-Based Learning and Research, 504
American Disabilities Act compliance, and Freedom of Expression policy.
Questions & Answers with Board of Trustees Member, Pam Deese
Ms. Deese has been a member of the Board of Trustees since 2001 and was Chair of the Board
Governance Committee when American University changed governance policies. She received a
Bachelor‟s degree from American University in Political Science in 1980, and a Juris Doctor
from American University‟s Washington College of Law in 1983. Ms. Deese is a partner at the
D.C. office of the Arent Fox law firm. Her practice focuses on intellectual property.
Ms. Deese reported the highlights of the September Board of Trustees:
The endowment is up 20 percent over the past twelve months and is at $336m as of the
end of August 2009.
The university‟s capital campaign now stands at $184.6m, with a goal of $200m. The
intension is to reach the goal within this academic year.
The Board is very interested in the emergency preparedness plan in terms of risk
management.
The marketing advisory committee made a presentation about the Brand Marketing
Project for AU. An agency was selected to begin work on the project in October.
The Board received information from the Office of the President about H1N1
preparedness.
Mary Mintz and other Library officials gave the Board a tour of the newly renovated
library.
Ms. Deese announced that American University has received an A+ bond rating from Standard
and Poors, which makes it only one out of two universities that has accomplished an upgrade in
its bond rating in the past six months. The Board will discuss the progress on the Strategic Plan
at their November meeting.
Questions & Answers
Professor Sapieyevski asked about the protection of intellectual property at American University.
Ms. Deese answered by saying that, in her view, intellectual property is an extremely valuable
part of any university and its stewardship. Provost Bass added that Vice Provost Wander
recently added to the website materials to protect and disclose intellectual property.
Professor Klein asked if there are any plans for additional on-campus recreational facilities for
students. Ms. Deese mentioned that when a new home for the School of Communication is
completed and the third floor of Mary Graydon becomes available, it could be a potential space
for students.
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Professor Karch asked whether there has been discussion in the Board about creating an
incubator for the development of intellectual property. Ms. Deese said that the Board has not
discussed the topic.
Professor Forst asked Ms. Deese if she had any thoughts about how American University should
be branded? Ms. Deese stressed that while the location of American University is a major asset,
there needed to be a quality that distinguished AU from other area universities. Professor
Steinhorn commented that among the strengths of American University are the connectedness of
the faculty and the potential to turn students into leaders. In addition, Jamie Harden, Staff
Council Representative and Marketing Manager for University Marketing, explained that a firm
has been selected and would be made public when contracts were finalized. She added that it
would be best if Terry Flannery makes a presentation to the Faculty Senate on the results of the
brand research.
Professor Silvia asked Ms. Deese what she feels are among the biggest challenges facing the
Board. Ms. Deese said finances, the changing nature of the delivery of American University‟s
services in the face of the growing area of on-line learning, and finally, emergency preparedness
(i.e.: swine flu, terrorism, failure of the power grid). Professor Steinhorn added that it may be
useful for the Board to look at the other universities who have recently set up satellite campuses
in Washington, D.C., because they may have an impact on some of American University‟s
programs, such as the Washington Semester Program.
Ms. Deese asked the Faculty Senate what they feel are the biggest challenges facing the Board.
Professor Karch said protecting the University is very important, both physically and vis-à-vis
global competition. Professor Klein added that the expansion of the University Library and
better campus-wide communication are also challenges. Professor Riddick said with the
increasing costs of higher education, there should be greater amounts of targeted financial
support.
Professor Forst wondered why there is more net money moving from the operating budget into
the quasi-endowment. He suggested that it should be reversed, because there should be more
concentration on academic investments.
Professor Baron pointed out the potential tension between faculty members‟ desire to maintain
their sense of identity while at the same time complying with university branding. Ms. Deese
addressed the issue of the disenfranchisement of faculty, and asked the members of the Faculty
Senate about the current climate. Professor Baron stressed that it is very important for the
faculty to feel that they have a direct voice in the Board‟s decision making.
Report of the Provost, Scott Bass
Financial Aid
The pool of money available for financial aid grew this year due to a tuition increase, additional
enrollment, and strong retention (90.5%). As a result, AU was able to substantially increase
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financial aid offers in a targeted and strategic way, and the Freshman class is more diverse. In
addition, students eligible for Federal Pell money grew by about 40%.
Strategic Plan
The Strategic Plan recommends more flexible programs. In response, the School of International
Service has offered to plan a pilot program for a three-year Bachelor of Arts degree.
General Education
The General Education Task Force was recently created, and will initially conduct a review of
the General Education program. Among the issues the committee will consider is whether a
foreign language requirement should be added. The first year will be devoted to reviewing and
planning, the second year will involve shared governance in proposing changes, and the third
year will involve implementing approved changes.
The Research and Grants Infrastructure Task Force was also recently created with the charge to
assist faculty in their research and with the procedures for external funding.
Frederick Douglass Scholarship Program
Charles Tesconi, chair of the Frederick Douglass Scholarship Program Committee, announced
the results of this past summer‟s planning for initiating the program. Their charge was to come
up with a set of principles and an outline for an enriched educational program for academically
gifted students who will attend American University with a full tuition scholarship, summer
support, and support for travel abroad.
Professor Tesconi introduced the new director of the program, Larry Thomas, who led a similar
program at Syracuse University.
Questions & Answers
Professor Riddick asked Provost Bass if there were any KSB representatives on the Research and
Grants Infrastructure Task Force. Prof. Silvia asked if there were any SIS representatives on the
same committee. Provost Bass said that there were not, but that KSB and SIS could have
representatives if the schools proposed individuals.
Professor Forst wanted to stress the importance of having a balance between the need to protect
the university from human research violations and path-breaking research.
Ms. Mintz asked about faculty representation on the Campus Master Plan Committee, and
whether Provost Bass will be a part of the committee. Provost Bass said that he is not a part of
the committee, but there is faculty representation. Professor Stallings said she would investigate
the possibility of asking one of the faculty representatives to be a liaison to the Senate.
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Professor Taylor asked for more details about the three-year bachelor‟s program. Provost Bass
said that generally this type of program is a year-round program, but it is not ready yet to be
launched.
Report on the Faculty Retreat, Kay Mussell
The retreat is on October 16th and 17th. There are over 300 faculty registered, with over 100
spouses and 40 children. There will be a discussion about the Strategic Plan with the President
and Provost, as well as several break-out sessions, time for socializing, and a key-note speaker.
Report on the Institutional Review Board (IRB), Rosemary Wander
Vice Provost Wander brought three guests to help answer questions regarding the IRB: Karen
Froslid-Jones (Director of Institutional Research and Assessment), David Haaga (Chair of
current IRB), Matt Zembrzuski (IRB coordinator). The previous IRB members resigned at the
end of July, and a new IRB started on August 1. In addition, Vice Provost Wander hired a
consultant who is considered a specialist in this area. With his help, the IRB put new forms on
line, which have more focused questions. Vice Provost Wander also put in place new procedures
to identify if an individual is conducting human subject research that requires approval, to
identify expedited and exempt protocols, and to add standard operating procedures. Every
protocol will be recorded and then the yearly number will be submitted to the Office for Human
Research Protection.
Professor Gallaher mentioned that while she finds the new forms streamlined, she thinks that
they are not relevant for certain fields such as international research. Vice Provost Wander
responded that the CITI test is now available and is geared more to the behavioral sciences.
Professor Wanis-St.John noted that faculty advise their students to minimize risks associated
with international research.
Professor Baron mentioned that it is important to educate faculty about the IRB website, because
many people may not think it applies to them. She added that a simple one page document that
departments could circulate would be useful. Professor Levinson said that it would be also
useful to include this information in graduate student orientations. Professor Stallings said that it
should also be included in CTRL‟s teacher training workshops.
Report on the Campus Bookstore, Kristi Cole and Ward Stevens
Ms. Cole and Mr. Stevens made a presentation to the Faculty Senate about the various ways that
the Campus Bookstore is trying to reduce the rising costs of textbooks to students. Ms. Cole said
increasing the number of used textbooks would significantly reduce costs. She noted that used
textbooks cost 25% less than new textbooks. Additionally, the Campus Bookstore has changed
the adoption deadline to October 15th so that there will be an opportunity to collect more used
textbooks. The Campus Bookstore has added an on line program called BookLook.com, which
enables students see the full costs of tuition and textbooks at the time of registration, and is in
compliance with the recent Higher Education Opportunity Act. Mr. Stevens added that on the
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Bookstore website there is a link to Cafescribe, which enables students to purchase less
expensive ebooks. Lastly, there is a Buyback Guarantee Program which allows students to
purchase a textbook from this program and have a guaranteed 50% rebate upon return of the
textbook.
Ms. Mintz mentioned that in an effort to help students save money from purchasing textbooks,
the Library has purchased a copy of every textbook in the General Education program and has
put them on reserve.
Action Item: Dean of Academic Affairs Search Committee Nominees
Professor Stallings thanked Dean Mussell for her work as interim Dean of Academic Affairs.
According to the Academic Regulations, the Faculty Senate nominates faculty to run in an
election to serve on the search committee for a new Dean of Academic Affairs. The Senate
Executive Committee proposed a list of faculty candidates. The list is comprised of nominations
by faculty and Prof. Stallings verified that those on the list are willing to run and to serve.
Professor Stallings asked for any additional nominations from the Senate floor and there were
none. She noted that faculty will elect three members of the committee; one shall be an
instructor, an assistant, or an associate professor, one shall be a full professor, and one shall be a
professor of any rank. Provost Bass said that, when the election was over, he would make sure
that the committee has representation from all of the schools and colleges, diversity in terms of
race and gender.
Professor Silvia noted that the academic regulations state that the Provost may add any additional
faculty or even non-faculty members to fill out the committee. Provost Bass stated that he
wanted a committee that had representation from each school and college and that was diverse.
He would make additional selections to achieve those objectives.
The Faculty Senate VOTED to approve this list of nominees and it passed by a vote of 22 to 0.
Professor Stallings announced that within the next two days there will be an electronic faculty
vote to select the three people from the list of nominees. At that point, the Provost may add any
additional members to the committee.
Student Learning and Academic Engagement Committee (SLAE), Ira Klein
The SLAE committee and Campus Life have been looking into advising at American University.
Committee on Information Services (CIS), John Smith
CAS has received a new proposal for a new academic technology steering committee, which
would include the Vice Provost for Academic Administration, Vice Provost for Graduate Studies
and Research, the University Librarian, the Chair of CIS, two other faculty members from CIS,
the Director of Center for Teaching, Research, Learning, the Chief Information Officer, and IT
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managers from schools not already represented. This committee hopes to guide and coordinate
the use of technology in a strategic manner to keep faculty on the cutting edge and support
teaching, research, and learning. The committee voted unanimously to accept this proposal.
Professor Smith also mentioned that they are working on changes to the Faculty Senate website.
Faculty Manual Committee
The committee is making progress, but there is nothing to present so far.
Joint Committee on Curriculum and Academic Programs (JCCAP), Joanne Savage
Professor Savage said that the JCCAP reviews proposals for new programs, any substantial
changes to programs, and any other proposed changes to the Academic Regulations. In addition
to their regular work, the Provost has asked JCCAP to look at Academic Regulations related to
the doctoral programs, such as credit hours, dissertation committees, and requirements of oral
defenses.
For Good of the Order
Faculty ID
Any faculty member can have their American University ID replaced “Faculty” written on the
front rather than “F/S” at no cost. They need to go to Housing and Dining Programs in
Anderson Hall.
Emeriti Luncheon
The Emeriti Luncheon will be held on October 21st at noon in Mary Graydon Rooms 5 & 6.
Athletic Department
Professor Stallings announced that Ira Klein expressed a desire to commend the Athletic
Department.
She read a resolution which states: The Faculty Senate wishes to express its appreciation to
Keith Gill, the Director of the Department of Athletics, and to Maureen Breslin, the Coordinator
of Academic Support Centers Program for Student Athletes, for their dedication to the academic
excellence of American University student athletes. The Senate commends the Department of
Athletics and the Academic Support Center for efforts that resulted in consistently high grades
attained by our student athletes. In the 2008-2009 academic year, AU student athletes held a 3.3
GPA and achieved a graduation rate of 89%. Two AU teams finished academically in Division
I, 155 AU students were named to the Patriot League Academic Honor, and 152 students were
on the University’s Deans List. The Faculty Senate applauds and congratulates Keith, Maureen,
their students, and American University student athletes.
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Ms. Mintz asked to change the wording from „high grade’ to „academic excellence’. Professor
Karch asked if there could be mention of the coaches as well.
The Faculty Senate VOTED to approve this list of resolution and it passed by a vote of 22 to 0.
The meeting adjourned at 4:45.
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