The UMW University Faculty Council held its first regular meeting of the 2013-14 academic year on Monday, September 16. Highlights of the meeting included:
- Discussion of last June’s Summer Orientation events and problematic issues with Doug Searcy, Meg Higgenbotham and Keith Mellinger. Many suggestions were offered and it was a fruitful discussion, especially with regard to planning for next summer.
- Review of the existing Faculty Handbook language and discussion of the role to be played by the UFC regarding any Discontinuance of a Program that may occur as a result of the Strategic Resource Allocation (“Restructuring Initiative”);
- A decision to remain constituted as the UFC through August 2013 in order to accommodate review of the SRA decisions;
- Announcement of the upcoming October 11 forum to discuss the recent faculty governance survey (with Jim Lollar, President of the Faculty Senate of Virginia), from 3-5pm in Lee 411;
- Discussions with the provost about final elements of the SACS report (regarding the QEP and development of a metric of faculty and student research); summer teaching salaries; course evaluation response rates; the staffing of Career and Academic Services, and Admissions.
- Discussion of the need to create a QEP Advisory Committee. The QEP director to be announced shortly.
- A motion by the Speaking Intensive Committee to recommend SI designation for HIST 471E5, PSCI 471, and RELG304 was passed.
For more details, feel free to consult the meeting minutes, which will be posted (when approved) on the UFC website at http://ufc.umw.edu/archives/2013-2014-ufc-approved-minutes/ .