Minutes of Faculty Steering Committee
Meeting #6
October 2, 2006
9-10 a.m. SCC 201
Present: Baechle, Brautigam, Buchman, Graham, Karns, Martin, and Whistler.
1. Chair Daryl Karns convened the meeting and minutes by Jeff Brautigam from meeting #5 were approved with revision.
2. The agenda for the upcoming Faculty Meeting on October 12 was discussed. Daryl volunteered to be Faculty Meeting Secretary Shelley Arvin’s “name identifier” at that meeting. With regards to the agenda, the words “Class Day Discussion” were added under item #5: “Report of the Curriculum Committee.” FSC members felt that the class day discussion, led by Paul Austin, will likely require the most time during the faculty meeting. Dean Graham offered to assist Paul if it proves necessary in order to keep track of raised hands during the discussion. In relation to other Faculty Meeting agenda items, Dean Graham will ask Bill Preble if he wants to remain on the October agenda, or wait until his upcoming Faculty Forum session to address issues regarding college admissions. In addition Daryl will contact Larry Thornton and Dave Cassel to see if they desire to be on the Faculty meeting agenda as well as the Forum the following week.
3. Concerning upcoming Faculty Fora, Jeff Conner has been confirmed for October 5 to lead a discussion on NSSE, Early Alert Team analysis, and First Year Survey. Bill Preble has still to confirm with Daryl a date for his Admissions Fora. When that event transpires, committee members have requested that Bill be asked to send a brief summary of the meeting out to those who cannot be in attendance.
4. The recurrent problem of disruptive noise from maintenance equipment was raised in a letter to the Chair from a faculty member. Dean Graham offered to relay this continual concern to Mike Hutchinson, and Daryl agreed to pass on the committee’s comments to the faculty member in a letter. However, our Chair seemed unmoved by the special brilliance of Jeff Brautigam’s proposal that grass cutting be restricted to a period between
8 and 9 a.m.
5. The committee discussed Keith Roberts document on revision of Post-Tenure Review. Keith had asked the Chair how discussion on this concern might move forward given that the FEC has stated that it does not have time to consider it. In ruminating on the matter, FSC members fully agree with Keith that such a discussion needs to happen and needs to encompass issues such as Merit Pay. However, since we are in a transition year, FSC recommends that this important concern be addressed once the new college president is in place. Deb Whistler requested that the Presidential Search Committee be asked to add the question of merit pay to their interviews with candidates this year.
6. FSC continued working towards finalizing its yearly agenda. The four items that topped the list are (a) The question of “signature programs,” such as CBP and CFI, and their role in the life and mission of the College; (b) A follow-up to last year’s “state of the
vision” assessment, including analysis of how the current state of the vision came to be; (c) The future of Hanover College’s independent status with respect to receipt of government funds; and (d) The faculty election process and “e-voting.” With regard to
the final item, the FSC election sub-committee of Whister, Buchman, and Baechle without missing a beat flew to the task and agreed to confer this week. Chair Karns then set “elections” as the major agenda item for FSC meeting #7 on October 9.
Submitted by
John F. Martin