CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 10:33 a.m. by Gordon Bradley, College of Forest Resources Faculty
Chair.
ATTENDANCE
PRESENT
Allan, G. Graham
Bakker, Jonathan
Bare, Bruce
Bradley, Gordon
Briggs, David
Bura, Renata
Doty, Sharon
Edmonds, Robert
Ettl, Gregory
Ford, E. David
Fridley, James
ABSENT
Agee, James
Bolton, Susan
Brown, Sally
ALSO IN ATTENDANCE
Boyle, Brian
Davis, Amanda
Fink, Lois
Eastin, Ivan
Ewing, Kern
Franklin, Jerry
Gara, Robert
Glawe, Dean
Greulich, Frank
Hanley, Donald
Harrison, Robert
Harrington, Stephanie
Smith, Nevada
Trudeau, Michelle
Wagar, Al
Wise, Phyllis
Gustafson, Richard Johnson, Jay
Halpern, Charles Lee, Robert
Hinckley, Thomas Lippke, Bruce
Hodgson, Kevin
Kim, Soo-Hyung
Lawler, Joshua
Manuwal, David
Moskal, Monika
Mabberley, David
Marzluff, John
McKean, William
Peterson, David
Reichard, Sarah
Paun, Dorothy Schreuder, Gerard
Perez-Garcia, John Strand, Stuart
Rabotyagov, Sergey Wott, John
Ryan, Clare
Schiess, Peter
Sprugel, Douglas
Torgersen, Christian
Toth, Sandor
Turnblom, Eric
Vogt, Dan
Vogt, Kristiina
West, Stephen
Zabowski, Darlene
The names that are grayed out are not eligible to vote.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Today’s agenda is devoted to a conversation with Provost Phyllis Wise regarding the College of the
Environment.
The next faculty Research Form is Monday March 3, 2008. The presenters are Rob Harrison,
“Conserving and improving soil for long-term forest productivity and carbon sequestration” and Stuart
Strand, “Efficient use of crop residues to combat global warming.”
The questions that were brought forward by College of Forest Resources faculty via a Catalyst Survey which were compiled by Vice Chair Ryan were forwarded to Provost Wise. The questions made clear some of the impacts and benefits of the College of the Environment and its impact on finances and
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College of Forest Resources
Faculty Meeting Minutes
February 25, 2008
Page 2 of 4 facilities. These questions will be used to frame the comments today. Initially feedback from faculty about joining the new College was requested by March 1 st
. The receipt of feedback has been delayed to
April so the College of Forest Resources vote can happen later. The next Faculty Meeting can be used to continue the discussion. We hope to have direction from the Provost regarding voting language.
Provost Wise was introduced.
PRESENTATIONS
No presentations were scheduled.
FACULTY ACTIONS
No actions were considered.
DISCUSSION
Provost Wise thanked Chair Bradley for the invitation. She stated she would be working with notes today to cover all the points. She and President Emmert take very seriously the establishment of a new college. Anything big and bold is risky. She summarized the response to the new College into two categories: those who want more information and those willing to take a leap of faith. She is not able to answer every detail. She is willing to come back to us if we need more information. She provided an overview of the process so far:
•
June Charette
•
Meeting with lots of faculty groups throughout summer until now
•
Presentation to the Board of Regents in November 2007 which received an enthusiastic response from them.
•
Committees made up of faculty who continue to meet to work on various aspects including vision, financial plan, curriculum, and organizational structure.
She plans to bring another report to the Board of Regents May meeting. She hopes to have a better understanding of “who is in and who is out” of the Core group. The Board would have to take action and approve a plan in order for an interim dean to be appointed. She hopes this will happen by July
2008. Then a search for a permanent dean will take place.
She offered that many people have been involved in the College of the Environment conversation:
President, Provost, 300 faculty, Board of Deans, Chancellors, Faculty Senate and Leadership, Colleges and Centers, ASUW, and other student groups.
She supports the model that has Core units within the college with some intertwined joint appointments.
Some of the units will come in completely. Her feeling is that a virtual model already exists on campus with the Earth Initiative.
She believes that these are unique times and UW has a unique set of strengths that have breadth and depth. Concern for the environment is intense right now. She believes there has to be incredible faculty support but that there also needs to be strong administrative support to provide resources. She has been working with external stakeholders, businesses, and NGOs. The Core of the new College must be fundamental science. Yet science is only part of developing solutions and applications.
She said it is critical that College of Forest Resources participate in the College of the Environment.
She said CFR brings great strength and that we would jumpstart the whole thing. If CFR did not join the
College of the Environment the new College would still be pursued.
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She believes the Core model has serious support. Faculty were concerned that CFR would lose its identity. She said we would bring our curriculum into the new College intact. She firmly believes CFR would not lose its identity.
Faculty brought up the issues of RCR, return of positions from retirement and resignations, promotion and tenure. She stated that issues such as these would be negotiated with the new Dean. If identified units join (CFR, POE, Ocean, Fish) the approximately 100 FTE would make COE the 4 th
largest college on campus.
She said many names have been proposed, but the name College of the Environment has resonance with a lot of people. The more complicated the name, the harder it is to sell. It can’t be esoteric.
They want to recruit a Dean who really understands interdisciplinary interaction and work. She understands that the facilities need to be upgraded. She mentioned the new life sciences building of which COE could be a component. She talked about how long it takes to build a new building on campus. She said if a donor paid for most of a building it would get built faster.
A faculty member asked where would she look for an interim dean? Internally.
Another faculty asked if faculty can change affiliation. She said yes, this can be done now.
She hopes the curriculum of the new College does not replicate what is currently in place.
A faculty member wondered how others have failed when establishing units focusing on the environment. Dr. Wise said that universities are great at building things but not at sunsetting. Another mistake is to be everything to everybody (diffuse) or too narrow. She believes we should be focused on a broad organization that is not diffuse.
Another faculty stated he hoped attention would be paid to the “geometry of collaboration.” He hoped that any new building would have common spaces where people could gather and the real collaborative interactions would naturally take place.
What about the “Virtual” vs. the “Core” model? Dr. Wise acknowledged that some units have expressed a preference for a “virtual” model. If a virtual model is established then it would be called an institute.
She said we cannot expect a Dean who has to negotiate with instructors each year to work in a virtual model.
She said that the first UW Tower moves are happening now and will be complete in six months. She believes some of the released spaces can be filled with College of the Environment.
Faculty wanted to know how Social Sciences would be encouraged in the new college. Dr. Wise said that the Divisional Dean of Social Sciences in Arts and Sciences is talking with faculty who want to join. Right now she is focusing on whole units.
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Her suggested language for the vote and what she really wants to know is this:
¾ I am very interested in joining the College of the Environment or
¾
I am very uninterested in joining the College of the Environment
She summarized by saying this is a bold, brave, and transformational move. We are in a crisis of the environment that requires different and many kinds of collaborations that have never been done before to solve the problems. Our intent is to make the solution as effective as possible.
UPCOMING EVENTS
•
Next Faculty Meeting: Monday, March 10, 2008, 10:30 to 12:30 a.m. in Anderson Room 22.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 11:43 a.m.
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