Faculty Affairs Policy Committee (FAPC) Minutes 09-03-2010

Attendance

Present: Alex Blazer, Lee Digiovanni, Sandra Gangstead, Sandra Jordan, Fadhili Mshana, Bill Risch, Mike Rose, Susan Steele, Craig Turner, Charles Ubah

Regrets: Ben Davis, Sally Humphries, Mike Whitfield

Absent: None

Guests: None

Activity and Agreements

1.      Call to order:  The committee chair called the meeting to order at 12:30 p.m.

2.      Agenda:  A motion to approve the tentative agenda of the 3 September 2010 as circulated was made, seconded, and approved.

3.      Minutes:  A motion to approve the 10 April 2010 minutes as circulated was made, seconded, and approved.

4.      Committee Operating Procedures:  After review and discussion, a motion was made, seconded, and approved to adopt the draft committee operating procedures with three revisions (1) base voting thresholds on “number of voting members present at the time of the vote (assuming quorum)” rather than “number voting”, (2) amend calendar days to business days in the minute review timeline, and (3) include the proposed amendment process.

5.      FAPC Meeting Location:  The committee selected Arts & Sciences 1-16 for Spring 2011 meetings and confirmed Arts & Sciences 1-15 for Fall 2010 meetings.

6.      Academic Year Faculty Availability in the Summer:  This issue arose from a concern that academic year faculty were expected to engage in service functions (advising students, participate in summer orientations, serve on committees, etc.) during the summer when they are not compensated or under contract.  The work group surveyed a sample of fifty-four (twenty-five responding) members of the university faculty.  After discussion of the survey results, the committee unanimously agreed that these issues would best be handled at the department/unit level and that Alex Blazer should attend a meeting of the University Chairs Council to present the summary survey information (e.g., uneven or uncompensated summer job responsibilities) and encourage chairs to have conversations at the department/unit level as appropriate and necessary.

7.      Post-Tenure Review:  This issue arose from a concern about the post-tenure review appeal process and was discussed at the April 2010 meeting of the 2009-2010 FAPC and passed to this year’s committee for further deliberation.  The committee received an oral report providing a brief history of the emergence and development of post-tenure review within the University System of Georgia and this institution.  In addition, the presenter indicated that the university system level guidance calls for post-tenure review to focus on professional development of the faculty member under review and that post-tenure review is thus formative rather than summative.  The committee unanimously recommended that the post-tenure review work group be expanded to include at least one representative from each academic unit (colleges and library) and that the work group review the post-tenure review language in the GCSU Academic Affairs Handbook ensuring clarity and a careful review of the appeal process.

8.      Unfinished Business:  There was no unfinished business.

9.      New Business:  There was no new business.

10.  Tentative Agenda:  One item was added to the tentative agenda of the next meeting.

11.  Adjourn:  There being no further business, a motion to adjourn was made, seconded and approved. The meeting adjourned at 1:45 p.m.

Actions Some activities lead to actions to implement the committee agreements.

4:     Post updated operating procedures to the committee web presence. (Craig Turner)

4:     File committee operating procedures with the Executive Committee. (Craig Turner)

5:     Reserve Arts & Sciences 1-16 for Spring 2011 committee meetings. (Craig Turner)

6:     Present committee recommendations to University Chairs Council. (Alex Blazer)

7:     Expand post-tenure workgroup to at least one from each academic unit. (Mike Rose)

10:   Set tentative agenda for next meeting in consultation with committee. (Craig Turner)

Tentative Agenda for the next FAPC meeting (1 October 2010 in Arts &Sciences 1-15)

1.  Faculty Evaluation, Triggering Reviews of Department Chairs (work group update)