Faculty Meeting

October 5, 2007
Gannett Auditorium

MINUTES

President Philip A. Glotzbach called the meeting to order at 3:40 p.m. President Glotzbach asked if there were any amendments to the May 15, 2007 Faculty Meeting minutes. A request was made to revise language in a portion of the minutes; the request was accepted, and the revised minutes were approved. President Glotzbach asked if there were any amendments to the September 7, 2007 Faculty Meeting minutes. Hearing none, he announced that the September 7, 2007 minutes were also approved.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT:

President Glotzbach began his report by giving an update on the Zankel Music Center project. Construction continues on the infrastructure. Fund raising for completion of the project is ongoing. President Glotzbach hopes to have more details to share in the near future.

DEAN OF THE FACULTY’S REPORT:

Muriel E. Poston, Dean of the Faculty, encouraged all chairs and faculty members to post the laminated Emergency Procedures cards that were distributed at the beginning of the meeting. The cards should be posted in all academic spaces. Emergency Preparedness information can be accessed via a web link on Skidmore’s home page. Dean Poston encouraged everyone to enroll for the Urgent Notification System. Dean Poston also announced the second Distinguished Scientist Lecture Series lecture to be given by Dr. Susan Landau, Sun Microsystems, on October 8, 2007 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Davis Auditorium. Dean Poston also encouraged faculty to consider participating in a short-term study abroad or abroad site visit and view it as an opportunity to link our approved programs and our students to more international locations.

OLD BUSINESS:

Associate Professor Curley, on behalf of the Faculty Executive Committee (FEC), opened the floor for discussion of a motion proposed at the last meeting:

MOTION: The Faculty Executive Committee moves that the function and membership statements for the Athletic Council in the Faculty Handbook (Part Two, Article II, Section F, number 12) be amended. FEC further offered a friendly amendment to reduce and revise the language offered in the motion. The friendly amendment was read into the record. Discussion of the motion ensued. The motion was put to a vote and passed unanimously. (See Attachment A.)

NEW BUSINESS:

Deb Hall, on behalf of the Committee on Educational Policies and Planning (CEPP), in accordance with the Faculty Handbook, Part One, Section 17, acknowledged receipt of a proposal from the Department of Art and Art History to separate into two autonomous departments; namely, the Department of Art and the Department of Art History. CEPP anticipates bringing forth a motion at the next faculty meeting and intends to organize an open faculty forum for discussion of the proposal.

MOTION: Associate Professor Curley, as chair and on behalf of the Faculty Executive Committee (FEC), moved that the membership statement for the Committee on Academic Standing (Part Two, Article II, Section F, number 13) be amended. The full motion was read into the record (see Attachment B). The motion, having come from the committee, required no second. Motions on matters of policy are required to lie over one meeting; therefore, this motion will lie over until the November 2, 2007 meeting.

MOTION: Associate Professor Curley, as chair and on behalf of the Faculty Executive Committee (FEC), moved that the faculty of Skidmore College adopt Parts One through Five of the 2007-2008 Faculty Handbook (see Attachment C).

MOTION: Associate Professor Curley, as chair and on behalf of the Faculty Executive Committee (FEC), moved that the meeting be moved to a Committee of the Whole to discuss Faculty Handbook, Part Six, Articles I-VI (said materials were distributed prior to the meeting - see Attachment D and Attachment E); Mark Huibregtse was appointed chair of the Committee of the Whole. A 20-minute time limit was set. The motion received a second and the meeting moved to a Committee of the Whole at 3:53 p.m. A 10-minute extension to the time limit of the Committee of the Whole was agreed upon. A motion was made and seconded for the Committee of the Whole to rise and report. The session adjourned at 4:28 p.m. and the chair of the Committee of the Whole reported that Faculty Handbook, Part Six, Articles I-VI were discussed.

REPORTS:

The Student Government Association (SGA) Executive Committee distributed its annual Executive Committee Priority Goals and Initiative publication. Individual presentations were given by the following members: Jonathan Brestoff '08, President; Sadiatu Kamara '10, Vice President for Academic Affairs; Raymond Sultan '09, Vice President for Residential Affairs; Lauren Seebacher '08, Vice President for Communications; Stephanie Block '08, Vice President for Financial Affairs; Derek E. Bagley '10, Vice President for Clubs and Organizations; and Phred Braunstein '08, Vice President for Diversity Affairs. Jonathan Brestoff, encouraged faculty to promote Academic Council to students.

Sarah Goodwin, on behalf of the Campus Environment Committee (CEC), gave a report on an upcoming event: Leave Your Car at Home Week (October 8 – 12). A web site has been created to log in miles so that the positive impact of leaving an automobile home for a week can be registered.

OTHER:

There was no other business.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Jeff Segrave, Interim Dean of Special Programs, on behalf of the Campus Campaign Committee, gave an update. For the present campus campaign, Creative Thought. Bold Promise., overall employee participation to date is 49 percent; overall faculty participation is 62 percent, which is close to the 70 percent faculty participation in the Journey Campaign, Skidmore’s last campaign. Total dollar amount stands at $3.1 million for the campus campaign effort. In terms of percentage, this campaign is very close when compared with the Journey Campaign for the corresponding time frame. Dean Segrave thanked all who have participated.

Mary Ann Foley, as chair and on behalf of the Faculty Development Committee, announced that nominations for the Edwin M. Moseley Faculty Lectureship are being accepted until the deadline of October 22. A new online form has been created to submit nominations but letters of nomination will also be accepted. Professor Foley invited all to participate in the selection process.

Janet Casey announced an upcoming event. The ACCESS Project – Photography Exhibit is currently on display in the Intercultural Center during the month of October. Vivyan Adair, Elihu Root Peace Fund Associate Professor of Women’s Studies and founding director of the ACCESS Project at Hamilton College, will give a lecture at Skidmore on October 24 at 8 p.m.-9:30 p.m. in Gannett Auditorium, entitled The Missing Story of Ourselves: Poverty and the Promise of Higher Education. A gallery guide was distributed at the meeting.

President Glotzbach announced that students recently seen playing music on campus are a part of the Carnegie-Julliard-Skidmore collaboration, and a concert is to be held this evening, Friday, October 5, at 8 p.m. in Filene Recital Hall.

John Weber, Dayton Director and Professor of Liberal Studies, announced that on Wednesday, October 10 at 12:00 noon a tour will be given of the Molecules that Matter exhibit. On Tuesday, October 16, Associate Professor Rik Scarce will give a lecture about DDT and a documentary will be shown. On November 1 at 8:00 p.m., a Dunkerley Dialogue will feature a discussion of photography and cultural representation with Phyllis Galembo. On November 14 at 8:00 p.m. in Gannett Auditorium, Roald Hoffmann, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry (1981) and the Frank H. T. Rhodes Professor of Humane Letters at Cornell University, will present an illustrated lecture on chemistry, stressing its psychological dimension and its connections to the arts.

John Weber invited everyone to the Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery for the Faculty Meeting Reception.

The meeting concluded at 5:05 p.m.

Minutes submitted by:
Colleen M. Kelly,
Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs