FACULTY MEETING
September 9, 2005
Minutes
President Philip A. Glotzbach called the meeting to order at 3:40pm. President Glotzbach asked if there were any objections to the approval of the May 18, 2005 Faculty Meeting minutes; hearing no objections, the minutes were approved.
“The President addressed the faculty on the topic of excellence and community. An edited version of his remarks will be available.”
VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS, CHARLES M. JOSEPH
Dr. Joseph welcomed all colleagues including those returning from sabbatical or leave of absence. These included Lisa Aronson, Thomas Denny, Kate Greenspan, Margaret Pearson, Pierre vonKaenel, Isabel Brown, Mao Chen, Mary Correa, Mary Ann Foley, William Fox, Mark Huibregtse, Penny Jolly, Daniel Curley, Pushkala Prasad, Alma Becker, Joel Brown and Mehmet Odekon.
Dr. Joseph praised Professor Odekon’s recently published book - The Cost of Economic Liberalization in Turkey. Acknowledging Professor Odekon as a model teacher, citizen and scholar, Dr. Joseph cited Professor Odekon’s new book as the best of what can be achieved during a sabbatical. Johan Ronnby was introduced as this year’s visiting STINT professor. He is currently teaching a course in Maritime Archeology in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work. The STINT program promotes excellence in teaching and allows participants to interact within the culture of a small liberal arts college.
Dr. Joseph stated that the College has been more active, competitive and successful in external grant applications and receipts. Recently, we received a $200,365 grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation to support new curricular and research projects in conjunction with a new Water Resources Initiative. WRI will create a model of interdisciplinary environmental education joining the scholarly interests of our faculty and students.
Acknowledgments to those contributing to the conceptualization of WRI included Tad
Kuroda, Judy Halstead, Corey Freeman-Gallant, Rik Scarce, Michael Ennis-McMillan,
Mary Lynn, Robert Turner, Richard Lindemann, Kyle Nichols, Barry Pritzker, Robert
DeSieno, and Karen Kellogg.
The VPAA also announced two new gifts to Skidmore from the Fox family. Norman, Harvey,
Cindy and 1980 Skidmore graduate Casey Fox have donated the Fox collection of nineteenth
century illustrated books to the College’s special collection. Additionally, the family
also contributed a generous financial gift of $100,000 to endow the Fox Adler lecture
in perpetuity. Dr. Joseph recognized Catherine Golden for her work and stewardship
of this program and her cultivation of the relationship with the Fox family.
Two exchange scholars are with us this semester from Union College. They come to us through our Mellon Foundation Consortium grant with Union, Colgate and Hamilton. Jordan Smith is teaching in the English Department and Terry Weiner is teaching in the Government Department. Professor Beau Breslin shared a few words introducing Professor Weiner. This fall, two of our professors, Murray Levith from English and David Vella from Math & Computer Science are at Union.
Dr. Joseph reminded everyone that more information about this program is available from his office and on the College website. Our Speakers Bureau also has funding available to support bringing guests to campus. Contact Mary Ellen Kokoletsos or Dr. Joseph for further information.
Finally, Skidmore will be sponsoring a conference on diversity in late September or early October 2006. A pre-planning session involving the other three members of the consortium will be held in March on our campus. Topics to be discussed at this session might include student admissions, best practices, and faculty diversity.
The faculty meeting scheduled for April 7, 2006 has been changed to March 31. This will allow the community to take advantage of the exciting Tang Teaching Museum conference on college teaching museums as part of the Luce grant. Also a performance as part of the McCormack Residency from Special Programs will be taking place that evening. Dr. Joseph consulted with the President’s Cabinet, the Dean of Faculty staff, the Vice President for Academic Affairs staff, FEC, IPPC, and all approved.
PROFESSOR LARY OPITZ, CAPT
Speaking as Chair of CAPT, Professor Opitz recalled that last year frequent meetings among CAPT, the President, and Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Dean of Faculty resulted in the enactment of some clarifying legislation. Discussed at these meetings were the many procedures involved with the transition of the changing responsibilities between the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty. In meeting with CAPT, the President and Vice President for Academic Affairs last year, it was determined that the methodology that would be most fair to the faculty regarding tenure procedures during this transitional year would be to have Dr. Poston sit in on these meetings but that Dr. Joseph would preside over the tenure cases. Professor Opitz indicated that the CAPT Operating Code, the CAPT Calendar and TAC Operating Code were recently sent out to everyone and that these procedures are explained at the end of the operating code. It was agreed that they would see how things work next semester regarding promotion decisions and that they may decide to continue through the whole year in this way. He commented that this semester, CAPT will be addressing the Faculty Handbook in order to capture as many of these long range changes as possible.
DEAN OF STUDENT AFFAIRS, T. PATRICK OLES
Dean Oles welcomed everyone and introduced Gail Cummings-Danson, our new Athletic Director. Dean Oles remarked that Dr. Cummings-Danson holds her three degrees from Villanova, and is a wonderful colleague who was an All American on a national championship team. Previous to coming to Skidmore, she served as an Associate Director of Athletics, a one time Chair of Physical Education, and also the Senior Women’s Administrator at the University of Albany. Dean Oles concluded by encouraging everyone to get to know Dr. Cummings-Danson.
ACTING DEAN OF FACULTY, SARAH GOODWIN
Dean Goodwin requested patience and understanding from all colleagues regarding staffing changes, reconfigured offices, and other changes that may slow the completion of tasks. Additionally, she reminded everyone that she is intentionally delaying some actions until Dr. Poston arrives. Dean Goodwin further reported that she is currently assisting the Middle States Steering Committee in finishing the draft of the Middle States report. This self-study document, approximately 200 pages, needs to be vetted by the entire community before January 2006. Dean Goodwin commented that she will encourage various groups to read and weigh in on the report. Input on this document is encouraged and appreciated. Dean Goodwin concluded with introductions of the new faculty and with a notation regarding the success of the new faculty orientation. See Attachment A.
Dr. Joseph declared his gratitude to Dean Goodwin for her hard work, diligence, and constant assistance. Dr. Paula Newberg is in attendance today, while our other new dean, Dr. Muriel Poston is arriving October 3, 2005. Dr. Joseph welcomed Dean Newberg noting that they had communicated over the summer and that she had traveled to the campus frequently.
DEAN OF SPECIAL PROGRAMS, DR. PAULA NEWBERG
Since Dean Newberg has only been with us three days, she was just beginning to familiarize herself with many of the programs, but emphasized she would attempt to persuade many of us to participate in current and future programs. She introduced James Chansky and asked that he review summer activities.
JAMES CHANSKY
Dr. Chansky stated that the Bernhard Theater was filled six times for Jazz Institute Concerts. Performances in dance and theater, as well as presentations and lectures at the Tang and elsewhere were also very well attended.
There were 350 students between the Dance Institute, Writers, Jazz, Theater and Flute Institute. Increasingly distinctive about the summer is the continuity between what happens here in the fall, in the spring, and in the summer. Approximately 6,000 people attended events on campus. In January, six Skidmore education majors are going to Antigua to work in classrooms. Over 250 Skidmore students that were on campus were involved in taking classes in the academic sessions, Summer VI or in the institutes doing internships, independent studies or collaborative research. Well over 100 Skidmore faculty were involved. Prior to commencement 50 students traveled to Italy, South Africa and Freiburg, Germany. UWW offered its institute on converting traditional courses to the Web, and the MALS seminar was led by Bernie Possidente and Ian Berry on the topic of Genes and Generation. There were over 100 high school students on campus taking college courses as well.
Special Programs will be soliciting your engagement in teaching in summer sessions. Note that the Greenberg Middle East Scholar and Residence program is here for the third year, and we have Nimrod Hurvitz on campus teaching in Professor Steven Hoffmann’s class for a couple of weeks. In the spring Nnenna Freelon will be the McCormack visiting artist-in-residence and she will be performing on April 7. Special Programs is looking forward to working with our new colleagues in the Office of Academic Affairs and working with Dr. Poston.
OLD BUSINESS
There was no old business.
NEW BUSINESS
There was no new business
REPORTS
VICE PRESIDENT FOR ADVANCEMENT, MICHAEL CASEY
Mr. Casey reported that $60.8M of allocations of monies were distributed to different places, such as supporting academic programs and supporting financial aid. Significantly, the bulk of the monies were unrestricted gifts and that is an investment in the mission of the school and a belief in what we are doing. Mr. Casey stated that his staff and he met with approximately 175 donors over the summer. This fall a series of small dinners across the country, entitled Presidential Advisory Dinners, are planned to expand the circle of donors toward fulfilling our goal of $100M by May 31, 2006. Mr. Casey acknowledged and thanked Susan Kress and Jeff Segrave for joining the Campaign Executive Committee. He then read a letter from a parent of a senior with whom Advancement had been in touch about a new project. This program, called the Senior Parent Project, requests parental gifts to recognize and celebrate the achievements of their children. The parent’s letter included a gift, mentioned the student’s intellectual growth at Skidmore, expressed appreciation for personal attention provided, commented on the student’s praise for his professors and stated that a larger university or state school would not have provided the atmosphere at Skidmore. Mr. Casey concluded by remarking on the significance of what we do here.
President Glotzbach acknowledged that total pledges, not all in the bank yet, were $60M to date. He thanked Michael and Tracy Barlok for their campaign efforts, and announced the next intermediate goal of $40M is going to be more difficult to attain.
FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE, PROFESSOR MICHAEL ARNUSH
Professor Arnush mentioned the very successful advising Grace Burton and Tina Levith in the Dean Studies office provided along with 40 faculty and staff. They spoke with virtually all the 664 students now on our campus. At the same time Ann Henderson and IT were working on the summer registration system that fared remarkably well. We succeeded in placing students into the Scribner Seminars and into the rest of their courses. We established a web site for the First-Year Experience, and another one for Burial of Thebes. We put the RAP (Reflection and Projection) together and we know that over 3/4 of the students responded before arriving on campus. That number continues to increase. We need to work on the relationship between Residence Life and the seminars so that next year more students from the same seminar can live in closer proximity to one another. We had tremendous help going through orientation, with 110 faculty and 25 offices doing such things as running honor code discussions, going to New Student Convocation in the gym, 42 faculty teaching discussion sessions with Burial of Thebes on Monday morning, and 47 faculty meeting with their students on Monday afternoon. Of the 664 students, about 450 affirmed the honor code by signing their class banner, which will be hanging up in Case Center. During the large group discussions of Burial of Thebes, four different groups of students from the pre-orientation theater group performed part of the play. At the last minute we needed to field one more Scribner Seminar. Susan Belden of M&B volunteered and this provided just enough breathing room to get all the students into their classes. With 47 seminars and 660 students, this yields about 14 students/seminar, and under the cap that we had set of 15 students/seminar. In London, we have 35 students with John Anzalone and Ruth Copans, so right on target there as well.
There are peer mentors for 32 of the 49 seminars, 31 of them on campus, and a peer mentor in London.
Grace Burton and Tina Levith have developed a fourth credit hour program for the Scribner Seminars that provide the students in the first year with the kind of support they need outside the classroom. Mentoring sessions range from the library and information resources to time management and stress management, learning how to take notes, learning how to use computers, and learning how to prepare for exams. The seminar instructors are planning field trips, planning lab work, doing round tables and panel discussions, and are inviting speakers to their seminars.
Professor Carolyn Anderson has very generously offered opportunities to watch the unfolding of the Burial of Thebes play from its very inception until its performance in November and December. Starting Monday, September 19th and for virtually every Monday for the remainder of the semester until the performance, 6:30-7:30p.m. in JKB, a faculty member will be speaking with the cast, crew and anyone who wants to come regarding aspects of the play. In addition, on five Wednesdays scattered throughout the semester, Carolyn is opening rehearsals of the Burial of Thebes production to the community; the performances are in late November and early December. The full schedule is available on the FYE website. Finally, Professor Arnush and others are assembling a Mellon proposal to support the FYE over the next couple of years. When asked if there were questions, Professor Gordon Thompson commented that when the First-Year Experience was voted in, advising and mentoring were intended to be an integral part of the program. Professor Thompson asked if next year only members of the faculty would be teaching in the program, and would all the faculty teaching in the program then serve as advisors to all of the students in that program.
Professor Arnush responded by stating that there are currently 49 seminar instructors. There are four faculty members offering seminars who are not on tenure-line positions, and of those two are full time faculty and two are not. The two who are not are in HEOP. Last September an email was sent to everyone explaining the October vote on the FYE, and in particular that HEOP staff serve as advisors to the HEOP students. There are several sections of what was LS 1, now called “Human Dilemmas,” being offered as first-year seminars this year, and the HEOP students are placed into one of those sections. We have not worked out what to do with the HEOP students next year, when there may not be many sections of “Human Dilemmas.”
The question of advising and mentoring emerges as an important one. Professor Arnush commented that advising and mentoring are inseparable, and so it is likely that faculty mentoring students will also advise them about academic choices. He commented that we must find a way for HEOP to continue to do the support that it does for HEOP students so they succeed. At the same time, we as a faculty said we want the HEOP staff to advise those students, but we want the faculty to mentor those students, and if indeed mentoring includes advising, we are at an impasse. We have been trying to figure out a way out of this without undoing the FYE, which Professor Arnush doesn’t think we want to do. Professor Arnush has discussed this with Dean Pat Oles, and asked if Professor Matthew Hockenos, Chair of CEPP would comment on the issue of bringing together HEOP, the First-Year Experience, CEPP, and the Dean of Studies Office. Professor Hockenos remarked that we are in the transitional year but hopes that by the time we enter into registration for next spring, a solution will have been identified.
Professor Mason Stokes commented that this has been described as a problem rather than an opportunity. We have amazing people working in that classroom across the campus, whether they are bearing the title of faculty or not, and when he voted for the FYE he was more interested in the ongoing and returning teacher presence, rather than someone necessarily with a particular label. He is concerned about what we lose if we cut out those without a faculty title but nonetheless are doing wonderful work in the classroom.
FACULTY ATHLETICS REPRESENTATIVE, CATHERINE BERHEIDE
Professor Berheide stated that Athletics has moved out of the Dean of Faculty Office and into the Dean of Student Affairs. Per NCAA guidelines, Catherine Berheide is the representative from outside the Athletics program. This faculty representative is required to present regular reports to the college community. She indicated that she will be calling on more faculty to get involved with the athletic program. She thanked Steven Frey and Adrienne Zuerner for participating in the search for our new ice hockey coach. Our new women’s softball coach has a master’s degree from Smith College and our new men’s ice hockey coach is an All-American out of Middlebury and comes to us from William’s College. Both of them have excellent backgrounds in understanding athletics at schools of our caliber. Our new Athletic Director, Gail Cummings-Danson is committed to ensuring that athletics is part of advancing the College’s overall admission at Skidmore. We are moving quickly on issues like hazing and drinking that might be standing in the way of our student athletes being the kind of members of this community that we want. We want to ensure that we have excellence on the playing field, in the classroom and in the larger community, which includes Saratoga Springs. It’s important for our athletes to know that coaches and faculty hold them to high standards in all aspects of their lives. She recommended that if we have concerns or problems with students to contact her so they may work together on these issues. She also thanked Ron Seyb in his efforts to hire a men’s lacrosse coach.
DIRECTOR OF THE TANG MUSEUM, JOHN WEBER
Mr. Weber gave an update on the events happening at the Tang Museum, which include preparations for the Tang’s fifth anniversary. We are bringing back several artists who have exhibited their work at the Tang in the past and there are some new shows coming up. Information will be sent shortly regarding these events.
A new website is being launched for the Tang making it more possible to send information, images and transcripts of interviews that will help support your work with the Tang. We have some funds from the Mellon Foundation that are helping to digitize our collection. As part of the grant, some of the funds will be appropriated to work directly with faculty to help prioritize that work. On April 7th and 8th there will be an event on college museums that is being worked on with the Luce Faculty Seminar chaired by Professor Susan Bender. The show “Therefore I Am” will open in mid February about the brain, thought and consciousness. In conversations with some colleagues in the Neurosciences, English and Philosophy, we are recommending the formation of a small working group. Mr. Weber then introduced Professor Ray Giguere, remarking that they had been working with the Chemical Heritage Foundation in Philadelphia and the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. in creating an exciting new installation that will have many implications across the curriculum.
Professor Raymond Giguere
Professor Giguere reported that work on the conceptualization of the project has been going on quietly in the background for awhile. He then thanked many folks for their work to this point including Professor Vasantha Narasimhan, Chair of the Department of Chemistry who served on the Scientific Advisory Board and helped to choose the molecules that we are going to talk about briefly, Barry Pritzker, Director of Foundations and Corporate Relations, and Ian Berry former acting director of the Tang. They established a firm partnership with the Chemical Heritage Foundation in Philadelphia, which is a major national organization that is now a full partner on this project. In addition, Fred Wilson, our visiting Luce Professor had a hand in shaping the ideas behind this. We have received a lot of assistance from Kris Szymborski and also from members of his department.
The concept of “Molecules That Matter” explores the history of the last century by asking the following question: if you had to pick one organic molecule per decade, when it was discovered and how it had an impact on people’s lives at that time and continues to have an impact today, which ten would you pick? The structures of these molecules are known, once you establish what those molecules are you can make large ball and stick models and treat them essentially as not as works of arts, but at least objects of architecture or inquiry, put them in the museum, put period art objects and other information about the substances, the discoverers, the history, the culture. Slowly but surely these molecules have changed our cultural identity. John Weber and Professor Giguere are going to extend an invitation sometime in October for faculty who are interested in coming to the Tang to learn more about the project and get involved in possibly considering writing and putting together materials for either the catalog or the virtual aspect of the show. See Attachment B.
PROFESSOR TIM BURNS, CHAIR OF FACULTY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (FEC)– See Attachment C.
PROFESSOR MATTHEW HOCKENOS, CHAIR OF THE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATIONAL POLICIES AND PLANNING (CEPP)- See Attachment D.
COMMENTS ON REPORTS ABOVE
Professor Lary Opitz commented that our committee structure is such that our committees have certain responsibilities and certain rights and that most of our committees are not in the position to set policy or make decisions. They must rather bring policy to the faculty. He suggested that there are some members of the faculty asking whether CEPP or CFG ultimately has the right to decide not to question what has gone on. The appropriate way for us to pursue this is not here as there is a lot of information to be exchanged but rather he would direct FEC to call a faculty only meeting at the earliest convenience so that we can spend time exchanging our views asking these questions of CEPP and the appropriate committees and then take a faculty stance on the issues. He would expect CEPP to move forward on this and if not, he would make a motion to do so.
President Glotzbach asked if Professor Opitz just made a motion and he responded by saying no. Then the President asked if it would be reasonable to let FEC go and consider this and come back at a future moment.
Professor Timothy Burns responded on behalf of FEC, saying that FEC has anticipated a faculty-only meeting and he was instructed by FEC to book the room for this. We have two possible dates: the 16th and the 23rd. The 16th there is a conflict because of FYE so the 23rd might be better. He booked Davis Auditorium at 3:30pm for this meeting.
President Glotzbach asked if this was satisfactory and the response was yes.
Professor Phyllis Roth asked Professor Timothy Burns what would be most productive for faculty-only discussions and whether this is one of those moments for that. Whether a give and take may be more productive for clarification of the issues and maybe it would be useful to have that to proceed.
Professor Timothy Burnsresponded by saying that he expects a faculty-only meeting will be one that FEC will have an opportunity to hear voices from all sides, to listen to those voices and especially those that haven’t made up their minds and that would be a good experience for our faculty that are here for the first time to see how faculty governance is operating. He thinks that there should be some give and take, maybe set up a FEC eligible email list, so that’s another possibility. That would have to be preceded as would the faculty only meeting by the full out report of FEC which he hopes will dispel some of the mystery behind this and allow us to talk about the process and whether or not we should have the opportunity to discuss the substance.
Professor Rothstated that it may be useful for her to say that she has been thinking about this particular point since we began to change the governing structure. The new governance structure attempts to implement much more of a shared approach, and much more collegiality across faculty responsibilities, and administrative responsibilities. In that context it seems that we do need to rethink the notion of a faculty-only meeting. That is to say that if what we are trying to do as we discussed for the new IPPC a year or two ago, very carefully both in and out of faculty-only committees, is really to provide the connection that many folks had felt was missing between faculty views and one might even say prerogative and having an impact, making a difference, then it seems that to continue without at least thinking it through a little bit more, faculty-only meetings may actually work to counter that ambition of being around the table at the right time to have the right conversations.
Professor Jennifer Delton commented that others should be invited, President Glotzbach and Dr. Joseph for example, and this should not just be a faculty-only meeting. She would like to hear any comments first hand and not just through the committees.
Professor Burns said that faculty-only meetings can invite administrators and provide us with information but there is none the less a difference with a faculty-only meeting and an open forum. If FEC is asked by faculty to have a faculty-only meeting then FEC would be remiss in its responsibility not to have a faculty-only meeting.
Professor Susan Kress asked if we should have a vote on this. Could we make a motion on this?
Professor Lary Opitz commented that we have this faculty meeting that is regularly scheduled and we will always have this meeting where the parties come together. This is a meeting where we indeed hash things out and debate and all parties have a voice. The problem we have here is that there are members of the faculty who believe that the Faculty Handbook was violated and believe that the committees have a need to report directly to the faculty and the faculty is largely in the dark and needs information. Ultimately all parties must have an opportunity to speak to the issue and he believes that they will in this body. The problem is that faculty have no place to meet as faculty alone and he suggests that we have a grievance here, therefore the appropriate solution is for us to meet, exchange points of view, exchange information, discuss things and then return here. We can have an additional forum with invited guests, but we will always make our decision here. The problem is indeed that decisions were made without the involvement of this body. Some faculty, not all, believe that things should have been brought to this body. That is why we must take advantage of what is in our structure, which is the faculty-only meeting.
President Glotzbach stated that we are embroiled in a debate without a motion on the floor and we could go on with this and it is up to everyone. If someone wishes to make a motion, we could entertain it, or we could move along and ask the FEC in its wisdom to consider what has happened here. We have had a request from a single individual to have this meeting and we have not had a vote, but we have had various views expressed about it.
President Glotzbach continued by saying that someone could make a motion to give a sense of the meeting to give advice to the Faculty Executive Committee. It would be possible to do that or we could simply have no motion and proceed as we seem to be proceeding which seems reasonable.
Professor Opitz suggested that FEC has a right to call a meeting without a vote, and that is an FEC function if it is their intention to call a meeting.
President Glotzbachacknowledged FEC’s right to do so and noted that he had spoken of the faculty’s advising the FEC, rather than indicating that he was trying to determine a specific action.
Professor Michael Arnush commented that he is going only by precedence and dim recollection of about two years ago. It seems we have had two different processes. One is to go the committee as a whole, and he thinks it was Professor Kuroda who first taught us about committee of the whole and we would do that sometimes here, the other was to have a faculty-only meeting, the merits of which we have never debated as a faculty. He recalled that it was always CFG's prerogative to simply call one, but doesn’t remember ever having a vote on such a matter. Chairs of CFG would say we have an issue to discuss, it wasn’t always to castigate anyone, it was sometimes just important issues that the faculty felt it needed to get a view of the faculty to then bring back to this body, for good or for bad.
President Glotzbachrecognized Professor Odekon.
Professor Odekonresponded that 15 years ago this discussion would not have taken place. The FEC is a duly elected representative Committee of the faculty and he trusts his colleagues on FEC to decide on this matter. If they see it necessary, it is every right of the FEC to call for a faculty only meeting and he thinks it should be left to the FEC to decide.
Professor Alice Dean remarked that there was no question that FEC feels it has a right to call a faculty-only meeting, and we have agreed that we would respond to that in the affirmative. But she thinks she heard that some people believe it might be more helpful to have something broader than the faculty-only meeting and that is why she is suggesting that it would be helpful if she could hear from more than just one or two voices.
Professor Odekon said that he needs to be informed and if a faculty-only meeting is going to provide the information needed to participate in discussion in an informed manner the next faculty discussion is going to be a very valuable contribution. If not for anything else, we can talk hours now and gather the necessary information to make any kind of intelligent comment on this issue, but we don’t have the time. Let’s have a session where we get the information and then come to the faculty meeting next time in October and have that discussion going on.
Professor Dean stated that Michael brought forth an idea that we have in the past, and we hadn’t considered. Professor Opitz suggested that we can have that discussion in this meeting, but just at today this meeting of the whole is filled with reports and announcements and it is very hard to have an intelligent in-depth informative discussion of this serious issue. Professor Dean agreed that like other faculty she would like to be better informed about this, but the Committee of the whole will have in it people who can give us that information more so than a faculty-only meeting.
President Glotzbachcommented that he thinks we have all agreed that the FEC has within its purview the right to call such a meeting and has heard such advice and different voices here. He suggested that FEC would consider what was heard today and make a decision collectively.
Professor Gove Effinger responded by saying that one possible compromise would be the FEC could deliberate and they might decide that it would be helpful to have some information at the beginning of the meeting and then have a faculty-only meeting after that.
President Glotzbachindicated that he will accept whatever the FEC determines in this regard. We have some good faith efforts here to get past this point and he is certainly willing to go with that. He stated that we have become somewhat informal here, but that is fine. He thanked Professor Timothy Burns and Professor Matthew Hockenos for bringing this matter to the floor of the faculty.
ANNOUNCEMENT
PROFESSOR PHYLLIS ROTH
Professor Roth announced two initiatives begun last year. She wishes to engage the attention and the enthusiasm of continuing faculty, new faculty, staff, and students, and will speak to SGA very soon. First, Saratoga Reads is about to launch its second year. We had an enormously successful spring last year, particularly in terms of community outside of Skidmore involvement and we want to engage Skidmore even more. There were lots of events in the community, including the Skidmore Capstone event that took place on campus. We did the Kite Runner, which is a book that has continued a Saratoga Reads life onto this campus this year. We had kite flying, a 5 K and 1 K runs that Gove organized, multi-cultural students sponsored booths, a fabulous Afghanistan lunch buffet put on by Food Services and by Steve Sullivan of Longfellows. A highlight was the screening of the Saratoga Reads exclusive video interview with the author of Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini,conducted by Professor Partha Parthasarathy. We need assistance from all of you for this coming year in continuing the enthusiasm. Anyone interested in this project, please contact either Marie Glotzbach or Professor Roth.
Professor Roth continued by mentioning that almost all the students in her First-Year Seminar completing their RAP mentioned that an important goal of their education is to make a significant difference, and one of the ways in which we can all do that is through the Lights Out Program. You will see more about it in today’s Skidmore News. For those of you who are new, it is an energy conservation program on campus. There is a lot of work that has been going on over the years. Last year the administration very generously allowed us to provide an annual scholarship of $5,000 for an upper class student whose family has gone through financial crisis. We will award such a scholarship probably to a senior student who could not graduate without additional help, including this help. This really is going to make a difference. We have already started in lots of other arenas developing strategies for keeping this on the agenda very visible. We also received an unsolicited donor pledge of $1,000 to help us continue to do programming to assure that we all remember to turn off the water while brushing our teeth, to launder in cold water, and to turn out the lights when you leave the classroom. More details to follow.
The President concluded by indicating that more information is forthcoming next week regarding invitations in how to use our collective intellect to determine how we might do more to help the Hurricane Katrina victims. He concluded by inviting everyone to the reception at Scribner House.
Meeting adjourned at 5:50pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Mary Ellen Kokoletsos
Executive Administrative Assistant
Vice President for Academic Affairs Office