FACULTY MEETING

December 7, 2001
GANNETT AUDITORIUM

MINUTES

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

A motion was made to approve the November 2, 2001 Faculty Meeting minutes. The motion was seconded and passed with all in favor.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

President Studley began the Faculty Meeting by announcing that Skidmore College received a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to support our project in Object, Exhibition and Knowledge for $350,000. The grant will allow the use of the museum for a catalyst for teaching and learning. The President thanked Sue Bender, Barry Pritzker, Charles Stainback, and others for their hard work and contributions in obtaining the Luce Grant. President Studley recalled the Friends of the President’s dinner, held in New York City, where Tom Lewis discussed his work and the work of colleagues as an example of the imaginative pedagogy and research in which the faculty is engaged. His example represented the whole faculty in capturing the innovative and dedicated research of his Skidmore colleagues.

President Studley thanked Dan Curley, Assistant Professor of Classics, for his work with “Homerathon 2001,” a celebration of Homer, held on December 4, 2001.

President Studley read part of a letter from the parent of a recent alumnus. The President wanted to share the parent’s praise for Skidmore and the faculty. The family has donated $30,000 to the department from which their son graduated, for research and equipment, and to scholarships.

DEAN OF THE FACULTY’S REPORT

Dean John Berman reported that Jeff Segrave has been asked by the Olympic Committee, as one of world’s twelve most outstanding scholars, to give a major presentation. This is an honor not only for Jeff, but Skidmore College as well.

Dean Berman updated the faculty on the progress of the Athletic Review Council (ARC). ARC has been meeting two times a week, with coaches and others. Dean Berman commended the dedicated ARC members who have been working at a break-neck pace during the fall semester. John Anzalone, Chair of CAPT, read the following resolution:

BE IT RESOLVED, the faculty of Skidmore College expresses its profound appreciation and admiration for the following members of the Skidmore faculty who have expressed their determination to retire, Wilma B. Hall, Kenneth G. Johnson, and Patricia-Ann Lee. The faculty further resolves that the following biographical highlights be included in the minutes of the faculty meeting of December 7, 2001, as a recognition and celebration of distinguished service and achievement. (See Attachment A in hardcopy only located in the Faculty Minutes File in the Dean of the Faculty Office)

Each retiree was presented with a gift and the resolution was passed by acclamation.

OLD BUSINESS

RESOLVED: On behalf of the Curriculum Committee, Professor Eric Lewis presented the motion to create an Environmental Studies major that was originally brought to the faculty at the November 2, 2001 Faculty Meeting.

Professor Lewis opened the floor for questions, which were addressed by Sue Bender, Karen Kellogg and Judy Halstead.

The motion was seconded and passed with a majority voting in favor.

Dean Berman commended the faculty and administrators for all their hard work on the Strategic Plan. President Studley then asked Grace Burton, for IPC to speak about the status of the Strategic Plan. Professor Burton began by indicating that IPC is looking forward to discussing the planning process. IPC would like to thank the writing group for its important contribution. At the conclusion of the Committee Out Reports, she asked that the faculty commit itself to the Committee of the Whole to facilitate the discussion of the writing group’s document.

Committee Out Reports

CEPP – Professor Sandy Baum, Chair of CEPP, reported the committee’s progress in developing criteria for evaluating new faculty lines. No decisions have been made as to the number or placement of faculty lines. Sandy stated that CEPP had e-mailed faculty with their comments concerning the Strategic Plan.

CASA – Professor Kate Leavitt, Chair of CASA, reported an analysis, with the help of an expert consultant, to lead us toward detailed plans to maximize further enrollment goals and to understand better the effect of our allocation of financial aid dollars. Other schools have more money available for aid and are able to compete aggressively for academic excellence, diversity and international students. An increase in financial aid will help Skidmore to reach its goals.

FPPC - Professor Dan Hurwitz, Chair of FPPC, explained that the role of FPPC at this time is more reactive, then pro-active. This committee will have more to report once they figure out how much the initiatives outlined in the Plan will cost.

DAAC – Professor Paty Rubio, Chair of DAAC, submitted a statement to IPC in which the feasibility for students to go abroad was addressed. She would like to see a program for freshmen in Paris and Madrid similar to the one offered in England last fall. Other DAAC work relates to defining diversity objectives, implementation of the Intercultural Center, and admissions and recruiting efforts.

FDC – Professor Carolyn Anderson, Chair of FDC, reported that the committee met twice during the semester with the Dean and Bob DeSieno to discuss faculty development initiatives in relation to the Plan. The committee stressed several areas where faculty development could be enhanced.

MOTION

A motion was presented for the Faculty Meeting to move to a Committee of the Whole. The motion was seconded and passed. Susan Kress, the Class of 1948 Professor for Excellence in Teaching and Professor of English, chaired the Committee of the Whole.

MOTION

Upon conclusion of the discussion, Professor John Thomas presented a motion that the Committee of the Whole rise and report. The motion was seconded.

NEW BUSINESS

MOTION

Motion called by Professor Mehmet Odekon:
Whereas the faculty at the November 2001 meeting charged the writing sub-group of academic Staff to produce a strategic planning document that highlights

a) the central goal of excellence in liberal arts and sciences education;

b) the necessity of a productive faculty of teacher-scholars; and

c) a streamlined and better-focused set of bullets and derives from the central goal and that makes clear the college’s strategic priorities for the next decade, and

Whereas the planning document that the writing subgroup has delivered to the faculty is one that proposes goals and strategies for their attainment that express the faculty’s sense of its mission and priorities, and
Whereas the faculty wishes these goals and strategies to find their best representation in the drafting of the final planning document,

Be it resolved that the present document be conveyed to President Studley and IPC with the endorsement of the faculty, and that the faculty recommend to its representatives on the IPC to oversee that the fundamental guidelines and principles of the document, and the discussions thereof at the December Faculty Meeting, be incorporated into the final ‘strategic plan’ to be prepared by the IPC, and that the final draft of the strategic plan be brought to the faculty for further discussion and endorsement.

After a discussion among the faculty a friendly amendment was suggested and accepted that changed the wording in paragraph five to read “that the faculty recommend to IPC to oversee that the fundamental principles of the document, and the discussions thereof at the December Faculty Meeting, be incorporated into the final ‘strategic plan’ to be prepared by the IPC, and”

Professor Alice Dean noted that the draft included a lot of good work and ideas, but that she wanted to be sure that the resolution would not tie IPC's hands in doing its work. She specifically noted that further drafts should reflect the discussion at the meeting of the need for additional financial aid. Professor Joel Smith commented that the writing group draft helps empower faculty and is positive for morale, but that the vision is more important than the specifics or bullets. Professor Lary Opitz commented on the broad nature of the document and the importance of seeing faculty members elected to committees as representatives of the faculty. Professor Baum was concerned about the seeming difference between the explanations of the resolution and the wording. Professor Odekon stated that the intent of the motion was not to be binding in any way on IPC but to capture faculty sentiment and assure that the draft and discussion received very serious attention. The motion was seconded and passed with a majority voting in favor.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Professor Carolyn Anderson, Chair of FDC, announced that Penny Jolly, Kenan Professor of Liberal Arts and Professor of Art History, was awarded a TANG exhibit grant for her upcoming show entitled HAIR.
• Professor Anderson alerted the faculty to the list of Faculty Development Grants Award Recipients on the back of the agenda, and congratulated the 23 recipients for the period of January – August 2002.
• Dean Berman invited the faculty to the Surrey for the faculty/staff reception to further honor our retirees.

Respectfully submitted,

Patricia Ann Heritage
Executive Secretary
Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and
Dean of the Faculty