Faculty Council Meeting Minutes 1-18-13
Dean’s Conference Room, Pafford
In attendance: Pam Hunt, Tom Hunter, Mike Johnson, Kay Marden, Soo Moon, Brad Yates
1. Call to order: 10:35 a.m.
2. Motion to approve minutes of 11-16-12 meeting; seconded; approved unanimously
3. ANNOUNCEMENTS
a. Update on the COSS strategic planning process
i. B. Yates reminded FC he has assumed position on COSS Strategic Planning
Committee with Dr. David Jenks and Dean Jane McCandless while Chris
Aanstoos is on leave for spring semester
ii. B. Yates shared that the COSS Strategic Planning Committee has met twice this
semester and drafted the strategies to meet the action steps for Goals 1, 2 & 3
as well as identifying person(s) responsible, timeline, and assessment measures.
iii. Strategies for action steps for Goals 4 & 5 are expected to be drafted next week.
Assistant Dean Amber Smallwood has been invited to the drafting session to
help inform Goal 5, which focuses on community relationships and fund raising.
iv. B. Yates noted that some of the action steps may need to be reconsidered given
the recent recommendations contained in the Higher Education Funding
Commission report submitted to the Governor’s office.
v. FC will review the full draft of the Strategic Planning Committee and submit
feedback; FC will share the draft with the COSS faculty for feedback and inform
the committee.
b. Higher Education Funding Commission report
i. B. Yates suggested FC members review the report’s recommendations because
they impact funding for COSS
ii. B. Yates noted that the recommendations emphasize Complete College Georgia,
and certificate programs; graduate education is not mentioned in the
recommendations.
iii. B. Yates noted future funding will be directly tied to the recommendations in
the report.
4. Faculty Council will seek an alternative meeting day/meeting time to accommodate members’
teaching schedules. B. Yates will send a Doodle poll to identify a potential option. If no
agreement is reached, meeting dates will continue to be scheduled the same days as Faculty
Senate (Feb. 15; Mar. 8; Apr. 19). Members who are unable to attend any meetings are asked to
identify a substitute.
5. P. Hunt volunteered to serve as Acting Past Chair of FC for remainder of spring semester given
that Stan Caress is on leave.
6. B. Yates agreed to continue to serve as Chair-Elect and keep minutes while also serving as Acting
Chair of FC given that C. Aanstoos is on leave.
7. ACADEMIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE (Dillon, Hunt, Marden)
a. Motion to approve all PSYC course modifications
i. PSYC 7810a: Tutorial
ii. PSYC 7810b: Tutorial
iii. PSYC 7810c: Tutorial
iv. PSYC 7810d: Tutorial
v. PSYC 7810e: Tutorial
vi. PSYC 7810f: Tutorial
vii. PSYC 7810g: Tutorial
b. All PSYC course modifications approved unanimously with friendly editorial suggestions
c. Motion to approve SOCI 4999 modification was tabled
i. Friendly request for originator of modification proposal to query the Registrar to
determine the language to include in the description to suggest that the course
is repeatable without setting limits on how many times a student may take the
course
ii. Friendly request for originator to correct minor typos
d. Proposal to amend the current grading scale from A, B, C, D, F to a plus/minus system
(e.g., A, A-, B+, B, B-, etc.)
i. Discussion ensued
ii. FC suggested its members query departmental colleagues for input and return
with feedback for additional discussion to inform a formal recommendation
e. Proposal to support the development of certificate programs (within department, within
COSS, across colleges)
i. Note made that the Higher Education Funding Commission report is stressing
development of such programs
ii. FC sees value in interdisciplinary certificate programs
iii. FC suggests that combination of graduate/undergraduate courses be an option
for select certificate programs (i.e., those departments offering accelerated
programs where students may earn their BS/MS in 5 years)
iv. Certificate programs have potential to promote retention
v. Employers may be willing to pay for employees to enroll in such programs
vi. Suggestion made to link certificates back to post credits in select professions
(e.g., police officers)
vii. Suggestion for a certificate in research methods (proposed by Dr. N. Noori of
Sociology a few years ago).
viii. Recommendation: FC supports the development of certificate programs
(whether in department, within COSS, or across colleges) but strongly suggests
that a feasibility study should be conducted to determine utility and
marketability of such programs
8. FACULTY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE (Hunter, Moon)
a. Proposal to establish procedures for awarding of Faculty Research Grants was tabled
until next meeting pending confirmation of funding
i. Inquiry will be made as to how soon the next round of funding will be available
in order to determine if FRGs may be awarded this spring to allow faculty a full
fiscal year to spend monies.
ii. Noted that model applications should be uploaded to the COSS web site to help
faculty prepare more complete applications (e.g., itemized spending details,
etc.)
iii. Noted that applicants should be encouraged to apply for Student Research
Assistant Grants where applicable and utilize COSS FRGs for other expenses
related to professional growth and development, although hiring RAs is an
acceptable use of the FRG funds.
b. Proposal to establish policies for COSS’ Studies in the Social Sciences was tabled until the
journal’s editorial board notifies FC it is moving forward
c. Proposal to codify changes in the Policies and Procedures regarding Promotion & Tenure
Committee, workload for supersized courses, periodic evaluation of department chairs,
and periodic evaluation of dean were tabled until next meeting.
i. FC members charged with reviewing COSS Policies and Procedures before next
meeting.
ii. FC members charged to identify language from previous minutes to help write
codifying statements for inclusion in the policies and procedures.
d. Proposal to formulate policy regarding non-tenure track faculty’s role in department
chair evaluations was tabled until next meeting. (Note: FC members charged with
obtaining feedback from departmental colleagues regarding non-tenure track faculty’s
role in department chair evaluations.)
e. Proposal to formulate standards for online instruction training was tabled until the
Administrative Council discusses the issue, which is slated for the next AC meeting.
9. PLANNING COMMITTEE (Johnson, Yates)
a. Recommendation: Dean’s office investigate the possibility of hiring a college-wide
webmaster to streamline visual identity of COSS and its various entities in accordance
with UCM guidelines and to improve efficiency of online updates
i. FC members noted the difficulty of finding funding for hiring someone with the
requisite skills to serve as webmaster.
ii. FC members noted undergraduate and graduate students may be hired (and
have been in the past) on a temporary basis to design and maintain sites, but
these students typically graduate or find other opportunities that are more
lucrative.
iii. FC members noted it is important for departments and other units within the
College to maintain their own visual identity within the framework of the
College’s and UCM’s guidelines.
b. An ad hoc elections committee will be appointed next meeting to oversee spring COSS
elections.
i. Noted that FC should begin the process early and not be delayed like last year.
ii. Planning committee will determine which departments will have vacancies on
the FC and which Faculty Senate subcommittees need to a representative from
the COSS faculty.
10. Meeting adjourned at 12:07 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Brad Yates