College of Humanities and Fine Arts
Deans and Chairs Meeting
September 25, 2013
PRESENT:
Maria Bachman, Steven Bleicher, Dan Ennis, James Everett, Preston McKever-Floyd,
Kenneth Martin, Brian Nance, Carol Osborne, Philip Powell, Holley Tankersley
GUEST:
Nils Rauhut, Director of the Jackson Family Center for Ethics and Values
Approval of Minutes
A motion was made by Holley Tankersley to approve the September 11, 2013 minutes and seconded by Preston
McKever-Floyd. The motion passed unanimously.
Jackson Center
Dan explained that COHFA currently does not have a leadership program, and that between one to three of our
gifted majors end up in the Wall Fellows Program each year. Our College pays $5,000/student each year to sponsor
these students. The Wall Fellows have a very explicit and well-developed alumni program. The QEP project for
this year is the Institute for Leadership and Public Policy. The Department of Politics/Geography, the Department
of Communication, Languages, and Cultures, and the Jackson Family Center for Ethics and Values will work
together in this initiative. The Dean sees the Institute as a vehicle for building a premier leadership training program
in COHFA through the Jackson Center Scholar Program. Creating a Jackson Fellows Program and increasing the
stipend for the students, along with other incentives, would appeal to our best students. Dan has had preliminary
talks with the Jackson Family with the hope of increasing the endowment to make our program competitive with the
Wall Fellows Program. The Swain Scholars Program has also just launched. Nils Rauhut updated the Chairs on
what has been going on in the Jackson Center. The current stipend for a Jackson Scholar is set at $500/semester.
They enroll in a series of ethics classes exclusive to them in order to provide a unique educational experience. With
the establishment of the Institute, Nils hopes to add faculty and classes to strengthen and raise the profile of the
program. The next round of Scholars are being recruited for next year, and he asked the Chairs to encourage their
better students to apply. The deadline is October 31. He would welcome the opportunity to talk with faculty at
department meetings to explain and to promote the program. The development of an elite program representative of
all of our College majors would be of significant benefit to our students, financially and professionally.
Dean’s Update

PEG - The deadline for the Professional Enhancement Grant applications has been extended to
October 4. The Chairs were requested to complete their part of the process by Wednesday, October 2,
to allow the Dean to review them before October 4.

Slots –Unofficially, we will be awarded eight (8) new slots for next year. In the meantime,
departments should move forward and prepare for replacement searches.

Time-Slotted Positions – Three full-time, 12-month, time-slotted positions are expected to be awarded
to COFHA next year. The appointments are on a year-to-year basis, with benefits, and will be
dependent on the budget. One slot will be designated for an individual to develop and manage digital
content and will include teaching responsibilities. The remaining two will assume advising duties for
the College. The draft proposal for the Advising Center will be discussed at a future meeting.

External Reviewers – There is some confusion over the interpretation in the Faculty Manual
pertaining to external reviewers relative to faculty applying for Full Professor. Beginning on page 47
of the Faculty Manual, the Promotion and Tenure procedures are outlined. External Review is
explained under #8, but it does not specify “when” in the timeline. However, #10 suggests that the
external review letters are secured before the College Peer Review Committee reviews the files. There
appears to be two separate processes; therefore, the Deans concluded that this year they would meet
with the full professor applicant(s) and their respective Chair, and ask them to identify their external
reviewers. When the Dean receives the letters, they will be placed in the applicant file and the College
Peer Review Committee will not see them before files are submitted to the Provost Office. Dr.
Byington will ask the Faculty Senate to fix the wording in the Faculty Manual so the procedure is
clearly stated going forward.

Campus and Community Research Collaborative – Information was distributed. Chairs were asked
to encourage their research faculty interested in partnering with community organizations to attend.
The event will be held in the Kline Hospitality Suite on Friday, October 4, from 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Graduate Faculty – A draft (not for circulation to faculty) for appointment to the university Graduate
Faculty was reviewed. The initial proposal calls for faculty members to submit to the Dean of their

College a vita and cover letter. Faculty must demonstrate outstanding and sustained contributions
through research, scholarship/creative activity, or professional accomplishments, and which areas on
the CV are pertinent to the graduate courses offered in their college. The Dean approves all graduate
faculty and a $1,000 stipend is awarded for a three-year appointment. Faculty may reapply at the end
of their appointment. All slotted faculty are eligible, including first year assistant professors. The
number of graduate faculty needed will depend on the number of graduate courses offered in a
program in given semesters. The Dean indicated he will develop a process to ensure that faculty
applying for Graduate Faculty status are vetted appropriately.
Credit Banking – A draft of the Credit Banking proposal was discussed. The Deans signed off on the
draft, which included significant revisions to the initial proposal. Credit must appear in Datatel for
supervising independent study, directed research, internships, low-enrolled sections that otherwise
would be cancelled, etc. Credit banking applies only to activities that are not part of the faculty
member’s “customary course load.” Credit banking will accumulate within a three-year window, and
should be noted in the faculty member’s annual report. It is anticipated that the Registrar’s Office will
develop and generate a report with the data. When faculty reach the threshold, which is based on
points, they will either receive a stipend and/or release time. One point is awarded per contact
hour/credit hour.
Examples included: one student enrolled in an independent study, internship, senior thesis, etc. earns
three credits equal to three points; and, one student enrolled in a one credit lab, but it is three contact
hours per week , equals three points. In the case of an under-enrolled course the instructor will receive
one point per student enrolled, or one point per credit/contact hour, whichever is greater. A three
credit class with six students enrolled equals six points; a three credit class with two students enrolled
equals three points. When 12, 24, or 36 points are accumulated, the faculty member may cash-in or
opt for release time or a combination thereof. Only release time for one three credit course may be
taken at one time. When and how stipends and course reassignments are awarded is at the sole
discretion of the Department Chair/Dean. The policy will be effective with the Spring 2014 Semester
and will not be retroactive. It is designed for slotted faculty (tenure, tenure-track, lecturers) and does
not apply to teaching associates.
Associate Dean Reports
Steven Bleicher

Voting currently is taking place to determine if the faculty wish to use the new set versus the old set of
questions on the student evaluations. It is open to all faculty and ends at 5:00 p.m. on Friday,
September 27.

Plans are underway for the first Student Networking Dinner scheduled for Wednesday, October 16, at
6:30 p.m. Steven assured the Chairs they will be copied, along with their admin, when invitations are
sent.

Graduation applications for May are due November 15 to the Dean’s Office; August applications are
due February 7. The Associate Deans will determine the deadline for the Dean’s Office in the next
week so the departments can set their deadline accordingly.
Carol Osborne

Assessment feedback has been provided to all departments. Carol expressed her appreciation to the
Chairs for their hard work and asked that they make the changes, as needed. The deadline for
submission of this year’s plan is October 15, with the final phase scheduled for November 1.

Carol announced that she has been elected Co-Chair of the University Assessment Committee.

To date, COHFA did not get the 12 faculty needed to participate in the Grants Dinner. Carol asked the
Chairs to encourage faculty to attend.
As May Arise

It has been suggested that the lyrics to the CCU fight song are currently too gender/football specific.
As a possible student/special project, Dan asked the English Department to consider rewriting the
lyrics.
Submitted by: Judy Davis