Minutes
Faculty Senate Meeting
October 6, 2004
David Rosenbloom called the meeting to order at 1:45 p.m.
Present: Professors Ahrens, Arneson, Bennett, Burke, Cochran, Douglass, Durant, Fantie, Flug,
Heintze, Jacoby, Karch, King, La Salle, Leap, Loesberg, Mardirosian, Richardson, Riley,
Rosenbloom, Streitmatter, Vogelsong,Weaver. Provost Kerwin, and Dean of Academic Affairs
Broder.
Absent: Professor Schaeff.
The revised minutes of the September 8, 2004 meeting were approved. Regarding one item in the
report of the president in those minutes, Barlow Burke, Washington College of Law, noted that
the law school was no longer ranked in the top 50 in the country. He said WCL had fallen from
that ranking, due to a large incoming class that changed the faculty-student ratio.
Report of the Provost
Neil Kerwin reported that the faculty of Kogod School of Business had elected a search
committee to choose a new dean. The members of the committee are Edward Wasil, Information
Technology; Robert Thompson, Accounting; Ronald Anderson, Finance and Real Estate; and
Richard Linowes, Management. Ivy Broder, Dean of Academic Affairs, will also serve on the
committee, along with two student representatives—one undergraduate and one graduate—and
an alumni representative.
Dr. Kerwin said the committee’s schedule was fairly ambitious. Their objective is to develop the
largest and strongest pool of candidates possible and then to present to the campus community,
particularly the Kogod community, an exceptional group of finalists from which to make a
decision. The schedule calls for finalists to be on campus early in February. A final decision will
be made in late March or early April.
Dr. Kerwin reported second that the Methodist Church site team had arrived and conducted its
accreditation visit. By all accounts, he said, the visit was very successful. The team reacted
positively to the condition of the institution, in all relevant aspects. As they have in the past, they
encouraged the university and the Methodist Church leadership to continue a close relationship.
Dr. Kerwin said a new bishop in the Washington region would soon assume his seat on the
university’s Board of Trustees.
Dr. Kerwin then presented updates on the enrollments for the fall semester; on the final budget
figures for Summer 2004; on plans for Summer 2005; on enrollment planning for 2005-2006;
and on the results of the National Survey of Student Engagement. A summary of his comments
follows:
Enrollments—Fall 2004 and Summer 2004
Dr. Kerwin said that based on the final census for fall, he was pleased to report that the
university was essentially on target with its projections for every enrollment category. The one
area that did have a dramatic increase was the participation in AU Abroad. The retention rate
was also better than expected, up to 88 percent, the highest rate in nearly a decade.
He told the Senate that he could also confirm at that time that Summer 2004 had a budget
shortfall of approximately $1.7 million. He said he hoped that a solid spring semester will offset
some of the deficit.
Approach to Summer 2005
Dr. Kerwin reported that in order to avoid what occurred with the past summer, the approach to
summer 2005 will be distinct in a number of ways. As the next two-year budget is planned, he
said, the target for summer will be set close to the actual enrollment performance for the last two
years. The budgets for the major teaching units may also be adjusted, with regard to salaries for
adjunct faculty, in order to fund a fully developed set of offerings. As just one of several special
initiatives, the Washington Semester Program will launch a series of high school programs. An
effort will also be made to expand the distance education component to incorporate some
offerings from existing graduate degree programs.
The tuition strategy for next summer will not change, Dr. Kerwin emphasized. The university
has noted that the gap with regard to AU’s summer tuition level relative to those of its local
competitors, GW and Georgetown, has essentially closed.
Enrollment Planning for 2005-2006
Provost Kerwin reported that the university will not reduce the size of the freshman class in the
next two-year budget cycle, based on his and President Ladner’s confidence that the quality
goals can be reached without downsizing the program or reducing the teaching capacity of the
institution. The enrollment goals for AY 2005-2006 are therefore as follows:
• Freshmen – 1275 Fall, 75 Spring
• Transfers – 375
• Graduate Students - 1200
• Washington Semester – 375 credit and 90 non-credit.
National Survey of Student Engagement
The Provost distributed raw data on American’s participation in NSSE, the National Survey of
Student Engagement. That data is appended to the record copy of the minutes. Dr. Kerwin
reminded the Senate that the NSSE is a Pew Charitable Trusts effort explicitly designed to
provide a meaningful measure of the university’s performance as perceived by its students. He
said if the agenda allows, the Senate will discuss the university’s performance at the November
meeting. Karen Froslid-Jones, director of Institutional Research and Assessment, will be
available to discuss the methodology and the findings of the survey.
The provost then responded to questions and comments from members of the Senate.
John Richardson, School of International Service, asked three questions that he said came up in
the SIS Council meeting.
• Has there been any follow up on a proposal to shorten the 8:10 evening class by eliminating the
break?
• Are students prohibited from taking online courses through the consortium?
• How will the concern about the first payday for new faculty be addressed? Namely, the fact
that new faculty members begin work in late August but don’t receive a paycheck until the end
of September.
Dr. Kerwin indicated first that he had no comment on the online issue. He said he was unaware
of any prohibition, but his office will check with the Registrar’s office regarding that question.
With regard to the 8:10 evening class, he said he would need more analysis about the
competitive impact, and also about the educational effect, of shortening the sessions. Third, he
said he was aware of the concerns about the first payday for new faculty. He will also review that
issue and report back to the Senate.
Diana Vogelsong, University Library, inquired about the effect on enrollments of the opening of
the new Katzen Arts Center. She also asked whether the university would continue to rely on
Black Board for distance education courses. Dr. Kerwin said he expected that any initial increase
in the enrollments will be modest. He added, however, that he did foresee an increase in the
qualifications of incoming arts students, once prospective students become aware of the new
center. Responding to the question about technology, he said at present AU does not have
enough volume to necessitate movement away from Black Board.
Philip Jacoby, Kogod School of Business, asked how permits to study at other institutions may
be affecting the Summer Session enrollments. Dr. Kerwin replied that Linda Bolden-Pitcher, the
Registrar, was working on a study that would answer that question. It appeared, he added, that
thanks to counseling by the academic advisors, the number of permits is down significantly.
Bryan Fantie, CAS-Psychology, expressed his appreciation to Provost Kerwin for taking the lead
in improving technological support for faculty. Professor Fantie also acknowledged John
Richardson, Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence, and the CTE staff for their
impressive work. Moreover, he praised the staff of the Audio Visual Department, calling them
unsung heroes, who unfailingly provide excellent support.
Report on International Programs
Robert Pastor, vice president of International Affairs, brought the Senate up to date on the
university’s international programs. He focused, for the most part, on the transformation of AU
Abroad in the past year, emphasizing the importance of the faculty’s involvement in the
expansion and modification of that program. As background information, he noted that a project
team had decided in 2003 to focus explicitly on the study abroad experience, as perhaps the
single most important experience that gives AU undergraduates a sense of the world. The project
team did an intensive analysis of the program and drew two conclusions:
• One, while American University was at the cutting edge two decades ago in establishing the
World Capitals programs, those programs developed as enclave programs. The enclave concept
may be essential in places like Beijing or Moscow, but in other places, enclaves tend to insulate
students from the local culture, insulate them from a different national perspective, and
undermine the very point of what study abroad should be.
• Two, an increasing number of the university’s students were turning toward programs outside
of AU. Not only did AU lose tuition for those students, but unlike many other institutions, it did
not charge an administrative fee for the services it provided in helping students to take non-AU
programs.
Dr. Pastor said the team decided to address both issues by dramatically expanding the number of
sites. That took place at an accelerated pace last year, when the number of sites tripled. Students
now have the opportunity to attend not just the existing enclave programs, but a number of new
AU Partner programs at some of the best universities in the world.
The results, Dr. Pastor said, were quite startling:
• In fall 2004, the number of students studying abroad increased by 22 percent above that of the
previous fall.
• The number of permits to study with other programs declined by 38 percent from last year.
• Thus far for Spring 2005, only 10 permits to study elsewhere have been issued, compared to 69
that were issued in Spring 2004.
Dr. Pastor said if the permits stay down to this lower level, the university will recoup tuition for
AU of roughly $764,000. The university is also instituting an administrative fee of $2000 for
students who wish to study in non-AU programs.
Another element that the project team hoped to accomplish was language immersion. As a result,
language immersion programs of three to six weeks have been set up in Mexico, Spain, Canada,
France, China, and Germany. Students may also study language at the University of Cairo and at
the American University of Sharjah. The intent is to offer students language immersion programs
just prior to their study abroad experience.
Yet a third element was a recommendation to change the character of the study abroad
experience, by connecting it more to the university’s faculty and aligning it with the students’
major fields of study. Dr. Pastor said students are now asked to identify on their study abroad
application a faculty member with whom they would like to work. The idea is that a student will
meet with the faculty member before he or she leaves, stay in contact throughout the study
abroad experience, and have the opportunity to reflect on the experience upon return. Dr Pastor
said he hoped that the faculty will give students ideas about how to use their time abroad
effectively to connect with their majors at AU.
Dr. Pastor then described the concept for a new program, Abroad at AU. The idea, he said, is to
introduce a junior year abroad experience for students around the world to come to American,
with the hope of bringing the best students from the most prestigious universities to study at AU
for a year or a semester. The students will be fully integrated on campus. They will live in the
residence halls. Those who stay for a year will be offered certificates. The program will offer two
special courses, as a recruiting device: “What is America?” and “How Washington Works.” The
program will go into effect in Fall 2005, with a goal of 50 students a year, 25 each semester.
Dr. Pastor responded to questions and comments from the senators. He emphasized, in response
to one question, that when a faculty member needs to sign off on a course for a student who is
going abroad, AU Abroad staff will make sure that the faculty member receives a course
description, a syllabus, and any other information needed to make a determination.
The packet of information that Dr. Pastor distributed to the Senate is appended to the record copy
of the minutes.
Report on Institutional Budget and Benefits and Summer Initiatives
Janice Flug, chair of the Committee on Institutional Budget and Benefits, addressed three issues:
(1) the proposed budget priorities for fiscal years 2006 and 2007; (2) an update from the benefits
area; and (3) summer initiatives.
Budget Priorities
The proposed budget priorities for FY06 and FY07, as determined by the Budget and Benefits
Committee, are as follows:
• Faculty salaries—AAUP Level 1
• New faculty lines (at least 9 additional tenure-track faculty lines)
• Graduate financial aid
• Library—base increase
• Technology
• Adjunct salaries
• Funding over two year period—summer initiatives, cash, incentives for innovative new
programs
• Faculty amenities—travel, faculty development
• Wellness program
• Classrooms—classroom improvements, renovation of classrooms, and increase number of
classrooms
Janice Flug noted that the committee had not ordered the list in terms of priorities. Nor had the
committee begun to estimate dollar amounts, except for graduate financial aid, where the
expected the increase is to be between $200,000 and $250,000. Provost Kerwin was asked about
his priorities, and he responded that from his perspective, faculty salaries and new faculty lines
would be at the top of the list.
Action: The Senate voted unanimously to endorse the priorities for FY06 and FY07.
Benefits Update
Janice Flug then reported that the Benefits Advisory Team had recommended that the university
not accept any of the options that Mercer put forth to decrease the premiums for next year’s
health plans. She said that determination was based on the realization that the out-of-pocket
expenses for individuals would outweigh any amounts saved on a monthly basis. That means,
she continued, that there will be double-digit increases for both Blue Cross and Kaiser next year.
It also means that the university’s contributions to health benefits will be a significant budget
issue.
A separate benefits issue, she noted, involved the possibility of offering long-term-care insurance
to faculty and staff. She asked that the senators talk with their colleagues to determine whether
there is an interest in pursuing long-term-care insurance on behalf of faculty and staff.
Summer Initiatives
Janice Flug and Bob Karch, chair of the Committee on Faculty Development, indicated that they
had received minimal response from the faculty about the summer initiatives. They said they still
welcomed comments about creative ideas or insights for Summer 2005.
For the Good of the Order
Provost Kerwin presented a proposal to make a major change in the Academic Calendar; that
change would become effective 2005-2006. He said the proposal would eliminate the October
Fall Break, and instead add two days on the Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving week, which
would allow students to celebrate a full week at the Thanksgiving holiday.
Action: Phil Jacoby, Kogod School of Business, introduced a sense of the Senate resolution to
approve the proposed calendar, and that Senate voted unanimously in favor of that motion. The
Provost expressed appreciation for the Senate’s support. He added, however, that Gail Hanson,
vice president of Campus Life, was taking the lead in reviewing the proposal with the students.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:10 p.m.