December 6, 2011 Academic Council Minutes

Dean Skerrett called the meeting to order at 10:31 a.m. The minutes of  November 15, 2011 meeting were approved.

All proposals on the December 6, 2011 consent agenda were approved.

 Discussion Agenda:

1.Budget Realignment

Dean Skerrett discussed the work of the program based budget pilot group. The group was able to discuss budgeting challenges and proposal realignments.The dean informed Council that the program based budget pilot will broaden next year so that every department will be able to participate. The realignment of budgets, as approved by departments, will be effective July 1, 2012.



2.Chair Stipends/Program Coordinator Stipends

Dean Skerrett expressed concern that department chairs and program coordinators are not receiving their pay until one year after service is complete. Dean Skerrett informed Council that she would like to change this process by paying Chairs during their service as this would be better aligned with typical compensation practice.  Dean Skerrett plans to work towards creating a policy that will, for new chairs, come into effect July 1, 2012.

3. Reorganization of Academic Council Meetings

 Dean Skerrett opened discussion on the organization of Academic Council meetings. The dean asked Council for suggestions or concerns regarding organizing Academic Council meetings. Should members sometimes meet in quadripartite divisions?  Many agreed that bi-monthly meetings are necessary so as to not create a backlog of work. Some members suggested meeting in small groups organized by issues and not by their division. Concerns were raised if meeting in smaller groups would create more meetings. Dean Skerrett assured Council she would not like more meetings. The idea of members submitting agenda items and approving consent agenda items online was suggested. Some Council members thought this would allow flexibility for discussion while keeping the tradition of the bi-weekly Academic Council meeting. Dean Skerrett encouraged Council to think about projects for Academic Council next year and to continue to think of ways to enhance Council and Academic Council meetings.


Dean Skerrett reminded Council of the A&S faculty holiday reception to be held on December 7th, and thanked everyone for a great semester.




The meeting adjourned at 11:16  a.m.

Respectfully submitted,


Zandria Ivy

Academic Council: December 6, 2011 Agenda

 Our next meeting will be Tuesday, December 6, 2011 from 10:30-11:45 a.m. in the Tyler Haynes Commons, Room 305 (THC 305). Please review the agenda below and the cited materials in advance of the meeting.

Approval of minutes from the November 15, 2011 meeting.


Discussion agenda

1. Chair Stipends
2. Reorganization of Academic Council Meetings
   

Consent Agenda

EDUC Proposals


PHYS Degree Proposal 

New course proposals:


EDUC 326 Assessment, Intervention and Literarcy Strategies for Elementary Readers


EDUC 338 Instructional. Technology Applications for the Classroom

PHYS Degree Proposal 

RELG 350 The Dao of Sex


RUSN 121Intensive Elementary Russian 


RUSN 221 Intensive Intermediate Russian 

Course number changes:

 EDUC 217 Foundations of Education (formerly EDUC 205)

EDUC 350 Content Area Literary (formerly EDUC 352)

EDUC 358 Classroom and Behavior Management (formerly EDUC 375)

Course title changes:

EDUC 306 Content and Pedagogy for Elementary Science and Social Studies (fomerly Integrated Curriculum Methods)

EDUC 327 Content and Pedagogy for Elementary Mathematics (formerly Foundations of Math Instruction)

EDUC 342 Teaching in Middle and Secondary Schools (formerly Secondary Curriculum Methods)


EDUC 366 Elementary School Practicum (formerly General Elementary Practicum)

Number and title changes

ART 213  American Art 1700-1900 (formerly ART 313 Art of the United States)


ART 217 Nineteenth Century Art in Europe (formerly ART 317 Nineteenth Century Art)

 EDUC 218 Diverse Learners (formerly EDUC 207 Diverse Learners and Environments)

 EDUC 324 Reading Foundations for Early Literacy Instruction (formerly EDUC 310 Emergent Literacy)

MLC 265 German Cinema (formerly MLC 365 German Film in Context) 

Academic Council: November 15, 2011 Minutes

 Dean Skerrett called the meeting to order at 10:32  a.m. The minutes of the October 18, 2011 meeting were approved.

Due to technical difficulties, the consent agenda from November 15, 2011 will be moved to the December 6, 2011 meeting.

The Healthcare Society and Major was moved from the consent agenda to the discussion agenda.

Discussion agenda

1. Campus tours with Nanci Tessier:

Dean Skerrett welcomed vice president of enrollment, Nanci Tessier, and thanked her for attending Council. Nanci expressed appreciation of Council's continued interest with campus tours and the importance of having shared goals. Nanci assured Council that the admissions office has built a recruitment plan that represents the university in its entirety. Concerns were raised regarding department representation among student tour guides. Nanci stated that the admissions team looks for broad representation when hiring tour guides. It was suggested that departments reach out to admissions with a list of students who are willing to give campus tours so admissions will have a running list when looking to pair prospective students. Questions were raised on how prospective students are initially recruited and if the School or Arts and Sciences is represented in the process. Nanci outlined the process and noted the admissions process updates year to year. Nanci encouraged Council to reach out to her with any questions or ideas, and extended an open invitation to those who would like to continue this discussion.

     2. Minor In Linguistics Proposal

The dean opened discussion on the proposed minor in Linguistics. Questions were raised about the requirements of the minor. It was suggested that students should take a 300 level course before a 400 level course. Questions were also raised  was decided that this minor will need close advising since there will be so few students minoring in Linguistics.It was mentioned that this minor was created as a response to student demand as these courses continue to fill each semester. This motion was approved. The minor will be effective Fall 2012.

   
     3. Healthcare and Society Major

Rick Mayes and John Vaughan opened discussion regarding the proposal for a Healthcare and Society (HCS) major. This major will  promote an interdisciplinary understanding of medicine and healthcare and will allow students to explore classes that may better complement their health career interests. There is significant student demand in this area. This motion was approved. 



  4. Inuksuit Project

Gene Anderson informed Council of an upcoming project the music department has been working on, Inuksuit. The performance will take place outdoors on April 21, 2012 and will celebrate Earth Day.  The composer, John Luther Adams, will be actively involved in the performance. Gene extended an invitation to all departments who would like to be involved as the music department is hoping this will gain support and will be a campus wide activity. 

  

  5. New Associate Deans

 Dean Skerrett announced the School of Arts and Sciences new associate deans Vincent Wang, Malcolm Hill, and Lisa Gentile. The new associate deans will start in January and will allow the dean's office to accomplish some new initiatives in the Spring semester.

  6. New Business

 Dean Skerrett mentioned the realignment of the School of Arts and Sciences budget. Members of the budget and operations team sent budget worksheets to all department chairs and program coordinators for review. These worksheets have a three year history of actual expenditures and a calculation of a three year average for each line. The dean mentioned that the pilot program is underway and is a great learning tool for the deans office on how to move forward with program based budgeting. 



The meeting was adjourned at 11:52 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,


Zandria Ivy

A&S Faculty Meeting: November 9, 2011 Minutes

Dean Kathleen Skerrett called the meeting to order at 4:01 p.m. in the Brown-Alley Room of Weinstein Hall.

The minutes of the A & S meeting of October 17, 2011, were approved as circulated.  http://richmondas.blogspot.com/search/label/Faculty%20Meetings

    The actions of A & S Academic Council from October 18, 2011, were approved as circulated:  http://richmondas.blogspot.com/2011_10_01_archive.html

    Dean Skerrett’s Report:

    Dean Skerrett thanked the faculty for sending their comments and notes to the newly elected Ad Hoc Annual Performance Review Committee.

    Dean Skerrett recognized the newly appointed Associate Deans in Arts and Sciences – Lisa Gentile, Malcolm Hill, and Vincent Wang.  Deans Landphair and Boehman were also acknowledged for their continuing service and work.  Associate Deans Kathy Hoke and Scott Johnson will be continuing in their positions through June, 2012.  She discussed her intention to have the specific duties and responsibilities of the Associate Deans placed and highlighted on the A & S website to make them available for everyone.

    Libby Gruner then proposed that those in attendance welcome the new deans and thank the outgoing deans for their many years of outstanding service and dedication to the School of Arts and Sciences.  Dean Skerrett welcomed the proposal and all of the new and outgoing deans were applauded.

    Dean Skerrett discussed the various ways she is going about reviewing and learning more about budget practices for the various areas in A & S.  These include asking a pilot group of the department chairs from Theater and Dance, Philosophy, Music, Biology, Chemistry, and Religion to assist her with developing “program based” budget procedures.  Terri Weaver, Tiffany Jefferson, and Cheryl Burns in the Dean’s office are also working with the pilot group and the Dean.

    Dean Skerrett reminded the faculty of the deadline for nominating department chairs.

    Dean Skerrett commented that Dorothy Holland, Tanja Softic, and Gene Anderson from the fine arts had met with  vice president of enrollment,Nanci Tessier, following Nanci’s presentation on student recruitment and prospective student and parent tours at the October 17, A & S


faculty meeting.  Dean Skerrett strongly encouraged the faculty to take Nanci Tessier’s invitation to meet with her and her staff in Enrollment Services to help with developing strategies and programs for expanding recruitment in the subject departments.  The Dean also announced that the Dean’s office staff will continue to work closely with University Web Development to expand and enhance the web presence of the school.  She commented that the web presence as part of A & S recruitment of students is very important, and she urged faculty to contact her staff with their ideas and suggestions.

    Provost Allred announced that Nanci Tessier will also be making a similar presentation at the November 14th University Faculty meeting.

    Dean Skerrett then introduced Deans Juliette Landphair and Joe Boehman who presented a 20 minute review and discussion program on the new freshman orientation programs in Richmond and Westhampton Colleges.

    Dean Skerrett reminded everyone that the next faculty meeting and holiday reception will be on December 7, 2011, in Brown-Alley.
   
    The meeting was adjourned at 4:58 p.m.


            Respectfully submitted,

            Jim Gwin

Academic Council: November 15, 2011 Agenda

Our next meeting will be Tuesday, November 15, 2011 from 10:30-11:45 a.m. in the Tyler Haynes Commons, Room 305 (THC 305). Please review the agenda below and the cited materials in advance of the meeting.

Approval of minutes from the October 18, 2011 meeting.

Discussion agenda

1. Campus tours with Nanci Tessier
2. Minor In Linguistics Proposal
3. Annual Performance Review Committee 
4. Inuksuit Project- Gene Anderson 
5. New Associate Deans
6. Chair and Program Coordinator Stipends

Consent Agenda

New major proposals:


HSC Healthcare and Society Major 

New course proposals:
ECUC Proposals

EDUC 326 Assessment, Intervention and Literarcy Strategies for Elementary Readers

EDUC 338 Instructional. Technology Applications for the Classroom

RELG 350 The Dao of Sex

Course number changes:

 EDUC 217 Foundations of Education (formerly EDUC 205)

EDUC 350 Content Area Literary (formerly EDUC 352)

EDUC 358 Classroom and Behavior Management (formerly EDUC 375)

Course title changes:

EDUC 306 Content and Pedagogy for Elementary Science and Social Studies (fomerly Integrated Curriculum Methods)

EDUC 327 Content and Pedagogy for Elementary Mathematics (formerly Foundations of Math Instruction)

EDUC 342 Teaching in Middle and Secondary Schools (formerly Secondary Curriculum Methods)


EDUC 366 Elementary School Practicum (formerly General Elementary Practicum)

Number and title changes

 EDUC 218 Diverse Learners (formerly EDUC 207 Diverse Learners and Environments)

 EDUC 324 Reading Foundations for Early Literacy Instruction (formerly EDUC 310 Emergent Literacy)

A&S Faculty Meeting: November 9, 2011 Agenda

Our next faculty meeting will be held tomorrow, November 9, 2011 at 4:00 p.m. in the Brown-Alley Room of Weinstein Hall.

Our agenda will be:

• Approval of minutes from our October 17, 2011 meeting
• Approval of Academic Council actions from October 18, 2011
• Dean's Report     

             -Ad Hoc Annual Performance Review Committee         
             -Associate Deans
             -Realigning budgets and budget request 
             -Department Chair Nominations
             -Continuing discussions with Nanci Tessier

Next A&S Faculty Meeting: December 7, 2011 in the Brown-Alley Room of Weinstein Hall.This will be a holiday reception.

Faculty Meetings:October 17, 2011 Minutes

Dean Kathleen Skerrett called the meeting to order at 4:17 p.m. in the Brown-Alley Room of Weinstein Hall.

The minutes of the A & S meeting of September 13, 2011, were approved as circulated.  http://richmondas.blogspot.com/search/label/Faculty%20Meetings

The actions of A & S Academic Council from October 4, 2011, were approved as circulated:  http://richmondas.blogspot.com/2011/09/academic-council-october-4-2011-agenda.html

Dean Skerrett encouraged faculty to contact their newly elected representatives on the Ad Hoc Annual Performance Review Committee if there are items and issues that you wished discussed.  The representatives and the chairs will be meeting in their divisions for discussion on November 1. The committee includes Division I:  Carol Wharton, Division II:  Lisa Gentile, Division III:  Dorothy Holland, and Division IV:  Yvonne Howell.

Dean Skerrett then introduced Nanci Tessier, Vice President for Enrollment Management, who presented a detailed overview of the processes and systems used to recruit students for admission.  She presented some 22 slides and some brief video clips with faculty and students to illustrate some of the examples used in recruitment.

 Nanci Tessier then opened the floor for discussion and questions.  A lively session then ensued about the on-campus tours for perspective students and parents, and what areas and facilities of the University are included and emphasized during the tours.  Ms. Tessier welcomed suggestions and advice and encouraged faculty to contact her directly.

Dean Skerrett reminded everyone that the next faculty meeting will be on November 9, 2011.
   
The meeting was adjourned at 5:28 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Jim Gwin

Academic Council: October 18, 2011 Minutes

 Dean Skerrett called the meeting to order at 10:32 a.m. The minutes of  October 4, 2011 meeting were approved.


All proposals on the October 18, 2011 consent agenda were approved.

1. Athletic schedules
 The dean opened discussion on ways to continue to reduce conflicts between academic and athletic schedules for our student athletes. Many agreed that receiving a student athlete's practice travel schedule in advance could potentially help avoid conflicts. The major concern is how to avoid conflicts so faculty do not have to accommodate unforeseen ones. The athletic department has agreed to increase communication between athletics and academic departments. The registrar's office will work to create a tag in grad tracker that would allow advisers to identify students who are athletes.




2.Annual performance reviews  

Dean Skerrett reminded Council of the October 26th deadline for annual performance reviews.The dean opened a follow up discussion regarding the annual performance review process. Many agreed that there should be one scale that is used by both the chair of the department as well as the dean's office. This process will be transparent and will ideally show how a conclusion was made.  The goal is to create one system that is congruent with the language of the faculty handbook. The dean would like to continue to work on an infrastructure that everyone is comfortable with and prepare a revision for the faculty to approve. 





3.Faculty meeting discussion follow-up 

Concerns were raised regarding the lack of representation of the School of Arts & Sciences on prospective student tours. Many agreed that Nanci Tessier's presentation at the most recent faculty meeting was impressive but did not focus enough on the concerns raised regarding the campus tour. Most were concerned that students are not able to see everything the University of Richmond has to offer and the breadth of a liberal arts education. The dean asked for suggestions on how to better improve these campus tours and how might the School of Arts and Sciences be involved. Many agreed that a targeted campus tour could be beneficial as well as having prospective students meet with faculty members. Dean Skerrett will draft a note to be reviewed by Council, before submitting to Admissions ideas and suggestions.The dean noted that Nanci Tessier's strategy is innovative, sophisticated, and effective in recruiting students to the School of Arts and Sciences.





The meeting was adjourned at 11:52  a.m.

Respectfully submitted,


Zandria Ivy

Academic Council: October 18, 2011 Agenda

Our next meeting will be Tuesday, October 18, 2011 from 10:30-11:45 a.m. in the Tyler Haynes Commons, Room 305 (THC 305). Please review the agenda below and the cited materials in advance of the meeting.

Approval of minutes from the October 4, 2011 meeting.

Discussion agenda

1. Athletic schedules
2. Annual performance reviews 
3. Faculty meeting  discussion follow-up
4. New business

Consent Agenda

New course proposals:

RELG 287 Ninety-nine Names of God





Next Meeting

We will meet on November, October 1, 2011 at 10:30 a.m. in THC 305.

A&S Faculty Meeting: October 17, 2011

Our next faculty meeting will be held this coming Monday, October 17, 2011 at 4:15 p.m. in the Brown-Alley Room of Weinstein Hall.

Our agenda will be:

• Approval of minutes from our September 13, 2011 meeting
• Approval of Academic Council actions from October 4, 2011
• Ad Hoc Faculty Annual Performance Review Committee
• Discussion with Nanci Tessier, Vice President of Enrollment Management

Next A&S Faculty Meeting - November 9, 2011 in the Brown-Alley Room of Weinstein Hall.

Academic Council: October 4, 2011 Minutes

Dean Skerrett called the meeting to order at 10:32 a.m. The minutes of  September 13, 2011 meeting were approved.

Dean Skerrett introduced the new assistant to the dean, Zandria Ivy, and thanked Cheryl Burns for her service to both the dean and academic council. Cheryl Burns will remain in the dean's office as operations coordinator in the budget & operations unit.

All proposals on the October 4, 2011 consent agenda were approved.

1. Ad Hoc Faculty Annual Performance Review Committee
Dean Skerrett reminded Council of the purpose of the Ad Hoc Annual Performance Review Committee. This committee will meet and discuss the criteria for calibrating merit. Dean Skerrett will send a notice to faculty announcing the election results. The following chairs were selected as quadripartite divisional representatives:

Division I: Carol Wharton
Division II: Lisa Gentile
Division III: Dorothy Holland
Division IV: Yvonne Howell

In lieu of the Academic Council meeting scheduled on November 1, 2011, department chairs will meet with their respective quadripartite representative to have first discussions regarding the calibration of merit in the annual performance review process. Following these meetings, Dean Skerrett will meet with the members of the committee twice before winter break, and once after winter break.



2.Merit Rubrics
The dean opened discussion on ways to improve and simplify the current rubric for faculty annual performance reviews. Many council members expressed concern with the current categorical language in place and how that language can be confusing for pre-tenure faculty expectations.  The dean would like the language to reflect department chairs' assessment of faculty achievement, and to be consistent with language that is used in the faculty handbook. There was some discussion about the differences between a 3 and 4 point evaluation system. The dean would like Council to think about was how to make the process more transparent.



3.Course Proposals Process (Scott Johnson)
Scott encouraged everyone to use the online form for all course proposals as this makes the process much faster and decreases email traffic.
Council was reminded that the first round of capacity audit will be due October 14, 2011. Once the first round is complete, updates will be sent and a second round will occur. If anyone would like to meet and/or discuss capacity audits, please contact Scott Johnson. Dean Skerrett urged Council to return their capacity audits in a timely manner.


4.Athletic Schedules
Bruce Matthews briefed Council on the challenges that are faced when scheduling athletes for classes.
The athletic department's two major goals each year are for students to succeed both athletically and academically.  This issue will be discussed more in depth at the next meeting.

5. New Business
The budget and operations staff within the dean’s office will work with departments this year to realign budget lines in order to bring budgets more accurately in line with annual expenditures.  The dean distributed a memo from Terri Weaver setting out the four-step process that chairs can expect after worksheets are distributed on November 1.  In addition, the dean discussed the pilot for a program-based budgeting process.  Six departments have volunteered to participate in this pilot, which will begin the week of November 7.



The meeting was adjourned at  11:46 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,


Zandria Ivy

Academic Council: October 4, 2011 Agenda

Our next meeting will be Tuesday, October 4, 2011 from 10:30-11:45 a.m. in the Tyler Haynes Commons, Room 305 (THC 305). Please review the agenda below and the cited materials in advance of the meeting.

Approval of minutes from the September 13, 2011 meeting.

Discussion agenda

1. Ad Hoc Faculty Annual Performance Review Committee
2. Merit Rubics
3. Course proposals process (Scott Johnson)
4. Athletic schedules
5. New Business

Consent Agenda

New course proposals:

BIOL 336 Special Topics: Eco-epidemiology

LAIS 333 Introduction to Luso-Brazilian Literatures

MUS 234 Women in Opera

PHIL 350: Topics Seminar: Historical will be divided into two courses,PHIL 351: Topics Seminar: Historical I and PHIL 352: Topics Seminar: Historical II. 

PHIL 380: Topics Seminar: Issues will be divided into two courses, PHIL 381: Topics Seminar: Issues I and PHIL 382: Topics Seminar: Issues II.

PPEL 388 Individual Internship

PPEL 390 Independent Study



Next Meeting

We will meet on Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 10:30 a.m. in THC 305.

A&S Faculty Meeting: September 13, 2011 Minutes

Dean Kathleen Skerrett called the meeting to order at 4:03 p.m. in the Brown-Alley Room of Weinstein Hall.

• The minutes of April 21 were approved as circulated.
• The actions of Academic Council were approved.

Mike Spear honored retiring faculty member Steve Nash who began his career at the University of Richmond in 1980.

Dean Skerrett acknowledged A&S faculty members who have completed 45, 44, 35, 30, 25, 20, 15, and 10 years of service to the community.

The dean spoke about annual performance reviews with the view to making the process less burdensome and more effective. Specifically, tenured faculty members would not be required to submit large dossiers. Also, a simpler scale would be used for the allocation of merit consisting of three categories: 1) exceptional achievement 2) professional excellence 3) areas of concern.

To aid the dean with the process of evaluation an Ad Hoc Performance Review Committee will be constituted by vote of those with faculty status who are evaluated through this process. The four members of the Ad Hoc Committee will be chairs of departments in each of the quadripartite divisions of the School of Arts and Sciences. The dean distributed a document describing the membership, election process, and responsibilities of the committee.

Discussion ensued, primarily about the Ad Hoc Performance Review Committee. Some of the issues/questions raised were: Do the chairs on the committee need to be full professors? Do we need a procedure for creating the ad hoc committee? Can we protect the identities of individuals in the discussions among chairs?

A motion to constitute the Ad Hoc Performance Review Committee was put forward and approved.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:15 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Margaret Denton

Academic Council: September 13, 2011 Minutes

Dean Skerrett called the meeting to order at 10:32 a.m. The minutes of the August 17, 2011  meeting were approved.

All proposals on the September 13, 2011 consent agenda were approved.

1. Budget process
Dean Skerrett informed Council of a pilot program for program-based budgeting. Program-based budgeting would allow department chairs to submit budget request based on the needs of the program. Chairs would receive their three year budget history to start, and from that, forecast their needs for the next three years. Programmatic planning allows room for conversations about how the schools money is allocated. It will take a couple years to pilot this new budgeting process; in the meantime, the dean would like at least five departments to participate in the pilot program. Chairs who are interested in participating in the pilot program should contact the dean. The budget and operations unit in the dean's office would provide support to department chairs in this initial process.

The dean wants to encourage more faculty governance in the schools budget planning process. Members of Council suggested that it would be helpful if A&S endowment funds were more transparent so departments know exactly how much they might receive from year to year.

2. Associate deans
The dean discussed the associate dean nomination process. When a faculty member is nominated, the dean will contact the nominee and ask them to submit her or his c.v., etc. The deadline for applications is October 3, 2011. Three members of the Dean's Advisory Council will review the applications with the dean to make the selection. The dean hopes to appoint both associate deans by July 1, 2012, however, if someone would be willing to begin January 2012, that would be preferable. These three-year positions will allow colleagues to experience work in administration with a diversity of tasks in each portfolio.

3. Annual performance reviews
Dean Skerrett continued the discussion surrounding the annual performance review process for faculty. The dean would like to keep the conversation going over the course of the next year in order to write guidelines for subsequent years. SACS requires annual reviews, but is not specific as to how they need to be conducted. The dean recited an excerpt from the handbook regarding the criteria for salary decisions and performance reviews. The chair is required to inform the faculty member where he/she stands with regard to tenure, promotion, and performance. The guidelines on the A&S website, however, can be revised and modified. This is where the dean will need feedback from Council over the next year.

Questions to think about during this time: What is most meaningful in the current process, and What is the most effective timeline for annual reviews?

4. Ad Hoc Annual Performance Review Committee
The dean requests that chairs submit, for each faculty member, her or his preface, appendices, c.v., and department chair's report. The reports will be due October 26, 2011. The dean will ask the faculty to vote for divisional representatives from among the chairs of the quadripartite divisions to serve on an ad hoc committee. The representative will meet with the chairs in their division to calibrate what are the different ranks of merit. The divisional representatives will discuss with the dean their assessment which will assist the dean in assigning merit.

Some members of Council expressed concern that the faculty would be asked to vote on something that they have not been consulted about prior to today's faculty meeting. There was additional concern about naming the committee an ad hoc committee without a specific charge. The dean asserted that the ad hoc committee would have a limited charge. The dean also stated that this process is not a huge departure from what has been done in the past. The divisional representatives will advise the dean on what they consider excellence in each of the three areas. The same form will continue to be used and the discussions of the ad hoc committee would not compromise the chairs' role.

Council asked whether faculty would vote within their own division or across divisions. While most seemed in favor of voting within their division, there were some who would like to vote across divisions because they identify with departments outside of their division. It was asked if an election was required, since it is, in essence, an advisory committee. The dean stated that it was not required, but that she is seeking faculty input and believes that in general, it is important for the faculty to be part of the process that addresses the allocation of resources, such as merit pay. The dean will continue to consult with faculty and Academic Council about this.

It was suggested to inform the faculty at the faculty meeting that the committee would not have any access to faculty reviews or salaries.

The meeting was adjourned at 11:57 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Cheryl Burns

Changes to organizational structure

Dear Colleagues,

After reviewing the excellent qualifications and capabilities of our staff in the dean's office, I have made some changes to the organizational structure.

Cheryl Burns, former assistant to the dean, today assumes the role of Operations Coordinator, reporting to Terri Weaver, our Director of Budget and Operations.  This transition capitalizes on Ms. Burns's extensive experience managing academic grants and budgets, as well as her graduate education in human resources, which she completed at the University of Richmond in 2007.  Cheryl joins Dustin Engels and Tiffany Jefferson in the Budget and Operations unit, which facilitates all faculty contracts, manages faculty records, and organizes and tracks our budgets.  As all of you have experienced, this is a superb staff, whose intelligence and integrity make things work.

As a consequence, we welcome today a new assistant to the dean:  Ms. Zandria Ivy has recently relocated to Richmond, coming to us from Washington D.C. There she held positions as a legislative associate and as an executive assistant to a congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives.   Zandria is a graduate of Millsaps College with a BA in psychology and a minor in education.  She comes to us highly recommended, and we are excited that she has decided to join the dean's office.  We look forward to introducing Zandria to our faculty, staff, and students in the next weeks; please join us in welcoming her to the University of Richmond.

In a year of transition, there are opportunities for reflective review of our organization and process.  I am grateful to the dean's office staff for their creativity and initiative as we make these changes.  We appreciate your patience as we adjust to new roles.

Kathleen

Annual Performance Reviews

Dear Colleagues,

Thank you for our discussion at the A&S Faculty Meeting last week. I appreciate the diversity of opinion among you, and I hope that every faculty meeting will foster open exchange and argument. In the course of argument, I learn a lot. I also have learned from the comments that many of you have sent to me in the past week. Thank you for the time that you have taken to explain your views and to make suggestions. Here are some revisions that I will make as a result:

Ad Hoc Annual Performance Review Committee:
As a result of hearing your objections and recommendations, I will amend the charge to the Ad Hoc Annual Performance Review Committee to omit reference to individuals’ files. The purpose of the Ad Hoc Committee is to discuss criteria and evidence that chairs have used for discriminating among merit assignments. However, the possibility that chairs might use individual cases as examples in these discussion seems to both confuse the task and to foment controversy around it. Therefore, while I personally believe that our ethics of confidentiality and collegiality should protect any individual faculty members from negative exposure, it seems to me that, in this transition semester, confusion and controversy weigh against my insistence. Therefore, I will remove the reference to individual examples in the charge to the Committee, meanwhile retaining obligations of confidentiality around the chairs’ divisional discussions. In addition, some of you mentioned that department chairs may want the option of meeting with the dean to discussion their evaluations of colleagues. My hope is that the divisional discussions will clarify any issues that you bring forward in such discussions, but I am certainly willing to talk with individual chairs.

We will hold the electronic election on Monday morning. You will receive an email directing you to the site where your ballot will appear. Please elect one of the chairs in your quadripartite division who has indicated to a grateful new dean that he or she is not unwilling to serve on the Ad Hoc committee. The revised charge to the Ad Hoc Committee is now included in the School's list of committees.

Merit Categories
A number of people have sent thoughtful responses to my suggestion of three categories for merit: Exceptional Achievement, Professional Excellence, and Areas of Concern. In particular, many of you have argued a four-point scale has been most effective for chairs in making meaningful discriminations among colleagues. Since the standard of excellence continues after the tenure review, we need a rubric to identify annual performance that does not rise to that standard. Further, many of you noted that Areas of Concern is a rubric that can be relevant even in cases where individuals have exceptional achievements to their credit. You have suggested that an annual performance review is most meaningful when it results in concrete recommendations for enhancing professional achievement in any area of concern. As a result of these arguments and recommendations, I will bring the matter back to Academic Council for further discussion with the chairs when we meet on October 4. I will communicate with all of you the results of that discussion and the amendments I make in response.

I look forward to faculty meetings with you. Please let me know if there is business you would like us to address in future meetings.

Kathleen

Insights and Priorities

Dear Colleagues,

We have closed the Insights and Priorities survey now, although I am certainly glad to read the comments that have continued to come into my inbox. As I have been reading through your comments, I have been struck by how specific are many of your concerns and by how solution-oriented are many of your suggestions. All of this indicates to me an active, problem-solving culture among the faculty.

This week we will work at grouping your responses thematically so that we can announce some general topics for the "listenings" in October and November.

I want to thank everyone who contributed ideas. I received many thoughtful and detailed reflections, which have really helped me to grasp both simple and complex concerns among you. I also want to thank people for signing their reflections. This not only enables me to get to know you better as colleagues, but I now have individuals to consult as we develop responses in future.

Kathleen

Promoting Events on Campus

If you're a faculty or staff member in the School of Arts & Sciences, the easiest way for you to get the word out about an event that your department or program is hosting is to share all the information about the event with the communications staff in the School of Arts & Sciences’ dean’s office.

When you tell us about an event, we develop a strategy for promoting it, both internally to the campus community and externally if we believe the event will appeal to a wider community.

Visit the communications site for a complete list of available promotional efforts as well as a portfolio of our recent work.

Fall 2011 Artes Liberales now in mailboxes

By now you should have received your copy of the School of Arts & Sciences newsletter, Artes Liberales. Featured in this issue:

Cover story: Dean Kathleen Roberts Skerrett
Faculty Teaching: David Burkman, Director of Film Production
Student Research: Tania Bukach, '13
Faculty Research: Bedelia Richards, Assistant Professor of Sociology
In the Community: The Archimedes Initiative
Alumni Focus: Megan Johnson Naylor, '04 and Mark Naylor, '05
In the World: Sheila Carapico, Professor of Political Science and International Studies

Artes Liberales is also available digitally at
as.richmond.edu/deans-office/about-school/newsletter/

For additional copies of Artes Liberales, contact Kirsten McKinney.

Faculty Meeting: September 13, 2011

Our next faculty meeting will be held this coming Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at 4:00 p.m. in the Brown-Alley Room of Weinstein Hall.

Our agenda will be:

• Approval of minutes from our April 21, 2011 meeting
• Approval of Academic Council actions
• Honoring retiring faculty member Steve Nash
• Acknowledgement of those A&S faculty who have completed 35, 30, 25, 20, 15, and 10 years of service to our community
• Annual performance reviews
• Ad Hoc Faculty Annual Performance Review Committee
• Insights & Priorities
• Associate deans

Next A&S Faculty Meeting - Monday, October 17, 2011 at 4:15 p.m. in the Brown-Alley Room of Weinstein Hall. Please note:  The meeting will be begin at 4:15 p.m. to allow faculty to attend the President's update in Camp Concert Hall that afternoon.

Actions pending Academic Council approval on September 13, 2011

Faculty Meeting: April 21, 2011 Minutes

Dean Andy Newcomb called the meeting to order at 4:01 in the Gottwald Science Center Auditorium.

• The minutes of March 22 were approved as circulated. 
• The actions of Academic Council were approved.

The Dean presented medallions of the University Seal to Mike Davison (Music) and Ray Dominey (Chemistry) for twenty-five years of service.

Kathy Hoke (Mathematics) and Del McWhorter (Philosphy) read respective testimonials for retirees Gary Greenfield and Gary Shapiro.  Professors Greenfield and Shapiro were honored by their colleagues with prolonged applause.

Associate Provost Neff moved that degrees be conferred on all Arts and Sciences students that the Registrar’s Office has determined to be eligible for graduation.  The motion was approved.   

The slate of committee members from the Nominating Committee (see attached) was approved.

The Dean recognized Gene Anderson (Music) upon his retirement from A&S Faculty Secretary after twenty-one years of service.

The proposed revisions to the A&S T&P process (see attached) were approved item by item.

The faculty recognized Andy Newcomb with personal testimonials, a poem and prolonged applause for his ten years of service as Dean of Arts and Sciences.
       
The meeting was adjourned at 4:30 PM

Respectfully submitted,

Gene Anderson, Secretary

Academic Council: September 13, 2011

Our next meeting will be Tuesday, September 13, 2011, from 10:30-11:45 Tyler Haynes Commons, Room 305 (THC 305). Please review the agenda below and the cited materials in advance of the meeting.

Approval of Minutes from April 19, 2011 and August 17, 2011 meetings

Discussion Agenda

1. Budget process
2. Associate deans
3. Annual performance reviews
4. Ad Hoc Faculty Annual Performance Review Committee
5. Course proposal process (Associate Dean Scott Johnson)

General Information Items

Department Chairs and Divisional Alignment

                                             
                                   Tripartite     Quadripartite
Art & Art History              I                     III                    Tanja Softic*
Biology                             III                     II                    Gary Radice
Chemistry                         III                     II                    Lisa Gentile*
Classical Studies               I                     IV                   Dean Simpson
Education                         II                      I                    Tricia Stohr-Hunt*
English                              I                     IV                   Suzanne Jones
Geography                        II                      I                     Chris Stevenson*
History                              II                     III                    Hugh West
Journalism                        II                     IV                   Mike Spear
LAIS                                  I                     IV                   Sharon Feldman
M&CS                              III                     II                    Lewis Barnett*
MLC                                  I                     IV                    Yvonne Howell
Music                                 I                     III                    Gene Anderson
Philosophy                        II                     III                    Nancy Schauber
Physics                             III                     II                    Con Beausang*
Political Science               II                      I                   Andrea Simpson
Psychology                      III                     I                     Jane Berry*
Religion                           II                     III                  Jane Geaney
RHCS                              II                     III                   Mari Lee Mifsud*
Sociology & Anth.          II                      I                    Carol Wharton*
Theatre & Dance              I                     III                   Dorothy Holland

*Due for chair review and election

Tripartite Divisions:

Division I - Arts/Languages and Literatures (Art & Art History, Classical Studies, English, Latin American & Iberian Studies, Modern Literatures & Cultures, Music, Theatre & Dance;

Division II - Humanities and Social Sciences (Education, Geography, History, Journalism, Philosophy, Political Science, Religion, Rhetoric & Communication Studies, Sociology & Anthropology);

Division III - Mathematics/Computer Science, Natural and Psychological Sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Math & Computer Science, Physics, and Psychology)

Quadripartite Divisions:

Division I - Social Sciences (Education, Geography, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology & Anthropology);

Division II - Math and Natural Sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Math & Computer Science, Physics);

Division III - Humanities, Fine Arts (Art & Art History, History, Music, Philosophy, Religion, Rhetoric & Communication Studies, Theatre & Dance);

Division IV - Languages & Literatures (Classical Studies, English, Journalism, Latin American & Iberian Studies, Modern Literatures & Cultures)

Interdisciplinary Program Coordinators

American Studies                                                        Bert Ashe
BMB                                                          Krista Stenger & Michelle Hamm
Criminal Justice                                                          Joan Neff
Environmental Studies                                                Chris Stevenson
Film Studies                                                                Abigail Cheever
Interdisciplinary Programs                                         Scott Davis
International Studies                                                   John Gordon
Jewish Studies                                                            Sam Abrash
PPEL                                                                           David Lefkowitz
WGSS                                                                         Crystal Hoyt

Dean’s Advisory Council

Scott Davis - Academic Council Interdisciplinary Programs (12)
Sharon Feldman - Academic Council Division I (13)
Nancy Schauber - Academic Council Division II (12)
Gary Radice - Academic Council Division III (14)
Tricia Stohr-Hunt - Planning and Priorities Division I (13)
Lisa Gentile - Planning and Priorities Division II (12)
Geoff Goddu - Planning and Priorities Division III (14)
Kathrin Bower - Planning and Priorities Division IV (14)

Consent Agenda

Again this year we will use the Consent Agenda to deal with routine business that requires Academic Council action and would not be expected to generate discussion. Any item can be moved from the Consent Agenda to the Discussion Agenda.  All course proposals are on the Arts & Sciences website at http://richmondas.blogspot.com/search/label/academic%20council

Course Number & Title Change:

ART 218 Modern Art, 1900-1960 (formerly ART 318 20th Century Art)

Course Number Changes:

ART 223 Studies in the History of Photography (formerly ART 323)

RELG 240 Lost Christianities (formerly RELG 340)
RELG 347 Women in Early Christianity (formerly RELG 247)

Course Title Changes:

ENGL 401 Creative Writing Portfolio (formerly Creative Writing Seminar -- course no longer required for the minor in creative writing)

LAIS 151 Spanish for Advanced Beginners (formerly Accelerated Elementary Spanish)
LAIS 302 Spanish in Fiction (formerly Spanish through Literature)

ARAB 101-102 Elementary Arabic (formerly Introduction to the Arabic Language & Culture)
ARAB 201-202 Intermediate Arabic (formerly Intermediate Arabic Language & Culture)
ARAB 301 Advanced Arabic (formerly Arabic in the Media)
ARAB 302 Advanced Arabic 2 (formerly Arabic in Literature)
CHIN 401 Advanced Chinese I (formerly Crossing Cultural Boundaries)
CHIN 402 Advanced Chinese II (formerly Advanced Chinese Syntax and Conversation)
ITAL 305 Writing in Italian Culture and Literature (formerly Advanced Grammar and Composition)

RELG 281 Introduction to Islam (formerly Islam Muhammad to the Modern Age)
RELG 341 Peter, Paul, [Mary] and Mary (formerly Paul and Christian Origins)

Major/Minor Revisions:

Art & Art History (see documents below)

Philosophy (see documents below)

New Course Proposals:

ART 219 Alternative Photographic Processes

JOUR 314 Literary Journalism 

ARAB 401 Arabic in the Media
ARAB 402 Introduction to Arabic in Literature 

MUS 208 Global Pop (FSVP)

RELG 385 Sufism: Introduction to Islamic Mysticism

DANC 218 Capoeira Angola
DANC 251 Contemporary Dance Technique
THTR 229 Going Solo: The Politics of Identity in Contemporary Solo Performance
THTR 239 Latina/os On Stage: From the Barrios to Broadway

WGSS 202 Feminist and Queer Theories

Unit Revision:

IDST 281 Principles of the Natural Sciences II - Zero units of credit (formerly 0.25 - see justification in documents below)



Next Meeting
We will meet on Tuesday, October 4, 2011 at 10:30 in THC 305.

Call for Nominations/Applications for Associate Dean Positions

Dear Colleagues,

After consulting with members of the Dean’s Advisory Council and the chair of the Nominating Committee, I now invite nominations and applications from tenured faculty members in the School of Arts & Sciences for two associate dean positions. All candidates must be willing to begin a three-year term of service no later than July 1, 2012. Candidates who would be willing to begin a term of service on January 1, 2012 should please indicate this.

Nominations or applications should include a letter that sets out the contributions the candidate is prepared to make, discussion of relevant leadership and administrative experience, and the candidate’s curriculum vitae. Please submit nominations or applications and the requested materials to Cheryl Burns by October 3, 2011.

Appointments of associate deans will be for three-year terms, with a procedure for performance review and discernment in the third year. In some cases, one further three-year appointment may be possible. The associate deans will hold mixed portfolios of responsibilities, including some work that is typical in a dean’s office, such as hiring, personnel reviews, budget planning, curriculum planning, and institutional procedures, etc. However, I will also assign to individuals specific projects that are dear to them, such as undergraduate research or support for pedagogy. I will consider the complementary capabilities and experiences of the academic deans as I make appointments and assignments.

I will ask three members of the Dean’s Advisory Council to review all nominations and applications with me, and I will take very seriously their advice and recommendations.

The dean’s office staff values very highly integrity, clear communication, creativity, and effectiveness. We look forward to welcoming two new members this year.

Academic Council: August 17, 2011 Minutes

Dean Skerrett called the meeting to order at 10:02 a.m. 

Dean Skerrett shared information regarding the Priorities & Insights Initiative. The dean invited submissions via the website (http://as.richmond.edu/deans-office/about-dean/share-insights.html). The Priorities & Insights Initiatives will provide an opportunity for faculty to share their ideas for the school. Dean Skerrett will schedule facilitated conversations after the comments come in. The dean will report the results back to the faculty in January 2012.

Director of A&S Communications, Rachel Beanland, provided a demonstration of the new look of the A&S dean’s office website, which includes the new Academic Council minutes and agendas. A&S Faculty meetings will be displayed in a similar manner. The dean encouraged Council to provide feedback to the communications team regarding the website.

Rachel also announced upcoming welcome events for the dean:
Drop-in and Meet the Dean: August 25 and 29 from 2:00-4:00 p.m., A&S Dean’s Office
Ice cream social – students meet the dean: Thursday, September 15 at 3:30 p.m., Boatwright Library Patio (rain location: THC Alice Haynes Room)
Early career faculty luncheon (invitation only), September 8 at noon, THC 305
Welcome reception for the dean, Thursday, October 6, 3:30-5:00 p.m., INTC commons

Associate Provost, Joan Neff, updated Council about Mellon funding for University Seminars. The seminars are team taught across schools. There will be stipends available over the summer to those who are interested. There will be a call for proposals early in the fall for the following year.
Joan also shared with Council some of the transitions in the Provost’s Office. Nell Massee, formerly of the Rhetoric & Communication Studies department has filled Joyce Farmer’s position. Joyce has left to be a full-time grandmother. Susan Taylor has taken a position in the Jepson School of Leadership and will leave sometime in September.

Joan reminded Council about the workshop series on course design (with Michael Palmer). Those interested may attend as many workshops as they wish. A smaller cohort group will meet prior to each workshop. Registration is required for the cohort group, but not the workshops.

Dean Skerrett briefly discussed the faculty search process for the fall. The dean would like to work with search committee chairs and diversity advocates to clarify communication between the dean’s office and the search committee. The dean shared with Council that the diversity advocate briefing was beneficial.

Dean Skerrett discussed the faculty annual review process as the deadlines are fast approaching. The dean has observed that this is a time-intensive process and requested Council feedback on how to streamline the process for tenured faculty, with the intention of maintaining the current process for tenure-track faculty and directors. The dean stated that she would like to see an elected group of chairs who might assist with the review process. With the dean’s office being short one associate dean this year, it is important to streamline the review process this year, with the understanding that this year would be a trial year, and we will discuss the process further over the semester.

The dean posed the question to Council: “In an annual review process, what is most meaningful to you as chairs and faculty members?”

Some Council members felt that student evaluations provide feedback that you might not ordinarily get. It was mentioned that student evaluations could be better orchestrated. Students are often inundated with requests for surveys.

Some members were inclined to think that goal setting is a crucial part of the review process. There needs to be parameters to keep the process consistent from department to department. It was suggested to use an online form for chairs and faculty (limited to x number of characters). The annual review process should help faculty track their accomplishments and achievements. It was also suggested that a guideline be established to limit the number of pages submitted. Some faculty said that further opportunities for self-reflection would be beneficial.

There was some concern about inequity in the current process, when each chair is using his/her own judgement about how to calibrate merit standards.

It was noted that some tenure-track faculty submit binder(s) in preparation for mid-course or tenure review, but tenured faculty should not be expected to do that.

The dean posed the question: What is the best way to conduct evaluations for tenured faculty?
Every tenured person is currently reviewed every year. It was suggested to possibly change that to a triennial review process with assignments of scores that would carry for three years. Of course, SACS requirements would need to be heeded.

The dean asked if there were consistent standards across departments? How are those researched?

Some faculty indicated that they do not want peer reviews of teaching, while others felt it could be beneficial. Perhaps someone from another department would be more welcome.

The dean asked if it would be possible to have an elected committee work in the annual review process. A divisional representative might work with chairs and report to the committee on shared standards. That would allow a calibration of merit along with the chairs recommendation to the dean. The dean would be a member on the committee. It was noted that directors need to be supported as well and should not be lost. The oversight of their evaluations would need to be addressed. 

There was discussion whether the dean should share faculty salary data with the committee. It was suggested not to delegate merit recommendations to an associate dean. The dean asked Council to think about the process in ways that would make the process meaningful and more efficient.
The dean thanked Council for the discussion and promised to continue to discuss the process over the course of the next year.

The meeting adjourned at 11:44 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Cheryl Burns

Dean Skerrett's Remarks at Colloquy

Below are remarks that Dean Kathleen Roberts Skerrett made this afternoon at Colloquy:

-------------------

I am honored to join this university as the Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. I share your desire to create a learning environment unlike any other in higher education, a model institution for the twenty-first century. With liberal arts at its heart, our unique suite of schools enables students to gain skills for discovery, analysis and creation, while preparing them for citizenship and enterprise. This mix appeals to students and to families that have various expectations of a college graduate, and allows us to welcome a diverse generation and to join their families to this school.

The generation we are teaching will reach maturity in a world that is deeply wounded and precarious.  The apocalypse proceeds for the diversity of species at a terrible rate, and the waters rise to engulf the lands of the poorest of the poor. We do not know what the new normal will be for the world economy, or how economic collapse will deepen ecological degradation. We do not know how religious or political forces will respond to crises of sickness and scarcity; or how technology and communications will interact with basic human need. Yet the students in our classrooms today must meet these global contingencies tomorrow.  

Any of us who saw Tyler Hicks’ photograph of a starving Somali child, published on the front page of the New York Times on August 2nd, stopped in our tracks. Many scholars here could provide commentary: images of severely emaciated African children have a history in American media. Yet the photograph nonetheless incites our visceral knowledge that a person can suffer the most hideous anguish.  If there is any hope to foster communities of nurture and justice for the future, it will fall to the ingenuity and compassion of this generation we are teaching.

There is no obligation in our professional lives more pressing: to practice our disciplines of discovery and creation so as to devise the most effective pedagogies we can. And we have a task that is peculiar for highly trained teachers—we must teach our students how to learn what we are unable to learn, and how to do what we are unable to do. I have high expectations of the intellectual and practical capabilities that our students must gain. 

Yet, when people ask me what is the point of a liberal arts education, I say: to form people capable of resilience and joy. Because resilience they will need in inexhaustible supply to meet crises that challenge their hope, and joy to share, in a groaning world, that still gives such beauty in abundance.

I have high expectations for us as well, for pedagogical innovation and scholarly productivity, for administrative tact and wise resource management. But innovation and productivity are just work, dear colleagues, if they are not grounded in a community of virtue. So let us be together a community worthy of academic freedom. I said to our new faculty on Monday, do not wait until you are tenured or promoted or retired to practice courage. Because if you do not practice courage when you are insecure, you will not suddenly have it when you are safe. Courage never feels like fearlessness or confidence or conviction; it feels like struggling to do the next right thing in the face of uncertainty and stress. For this reason, we need also practice mutual kindness. In a community of severely intelligent people, who have long opportunities to observe each other’s sins, and who build our careers on critical acumen—mutual kindness is a condition of our freedom together. So be brave in the moment, and kind for the long haul. An Augustinian scholar, James Wetzel, observes that time becomes incarnate in us as habit. Therefore, let the time we share in this next year as faculty and staff of the University of Richmond become in us habits of courage and kindness.

I am delighted to be counted among the faculty of the School of Arts & Sciences. Thank you for having me.

Academic Council: August 17, 2011 Agenda

Our next meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 17, 2011 in the Keller Hall Reception Room (KHRR). Breakfast will be available at 10:00 a.m.

Discussion Agenda

1. Priorities & Insights Initiative
2. Communications Updates - new look for Council agendas & minutes (Rachel Beanland)
3. Mellon funding for University Seminars (Associate Provost Joan Neff)
4. The workshop series on course design this fall (Associate Provost Joan Neff)
5. Annual faculty reviews
6. Other business

Next Meeting

We will meet on Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at 10:30 a.m. in Tyler Haynes Commons, Room 305 (THC 305).

NEH Summer Stipend Applications Due Aug. 22

The University of Richmond may nominate two individuals (at any rank) for the annual NEH Summer Stipend competition.  NEH Summer Stipends for 2012 will be $6,000 for two consecutive and uninterrupted months of full-time independent study and research on a project that contributes to scholarly knowledge or to the public's understanding of the humanities.  Projects may address broad topics or consist of study and research in a specialized field. (NEH defines its coverage as extending to "language, both modern and classical; linguistics; literature; history; jurisprudence; philosophy; archaeology; comparative religion; ethics; the history, criticism, and theory of the arts; those aspects of social sciences which have humanistic content and employ humanistic methods; and the study and application of the humanities to the human environment with particular attention to reflecting our diverse heritage, traditions, and history and to the relevance of the humanities to the current conditions of national life.")

Projects may be completed during the stipend period, or be part of a long-range endeavor.  Recipients usually produce scholarly articles, monographs, books, digital materials, archaeological site reports, translations, editions, or other scholarly resources.  NEW LAST YEAR: The Summer Stipends program welcomes projects that respond to NEH’s new Bridging Cultures initiative. Such projects could focus on cultures internationally or within the United States. International projects might seek to enlarge Americans’ understanding of other places and times, as well as other perspectives and intellectual traditions. American projects might explore the great variety of cultural influences on, and myriad subcultures within, American society. These projects might also investigate how Americans have approached and attempted to surmount seemingly unbridgeable cultural divides, or examine the ideals of civility and civic discourse that have informed this quest.

Individuals who have held a major fellowship or research grant or its equivalent within the last three academic years prior to the deadline are ineligible. A “major fellowship or research grant” is a postdoctoral research award that provides a stipend of at least $15,000. Sabbaticals and grants from an individual’s own institution and stipends and grants from other sources supporting study and research during the summer are not considered major fellowships.

For a fuller description of the stipend program, its selection criteria, application format, and specific examples, see the NEH announcement that is available at http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/stipends.html . You may also wish to contact Diana Vincelli in the Office of Foundation and Government Grants, 289-8005 or dvincell@richmond.edu.

Since the deadline for the nomination from the university to NEH is September 29, THE DEADLINE FOR THE PRELIMINARY INTERNAL COMPETITION IS 12:00 NOON, MONDAY, AUGUST 22.  All those who would like to be considered as potential nominees should submit proposals consisting of a brief (3- to 5-page) project description, an up-to-date vita, a paragraph-length overview of their preparation to undertake the proposed project, a paragraph-length description of any progress-to-date, and a preliminary bibliography, to Kathy Hoke in the Office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences at or before noontime, August 22.  BY AUGUST 31, TWO APPLICANTS WILL BE INVITED TO WRITE A MORE FORMAL PROPOSAL FOR SUBMISSION TO NEH BY THE SEPTEMBER 30 DEADLINE.

Communications: Quarterly Report

April 1, 2011 – June 30, 2011

Completed Projects

• Image Restructure
• Link-checking
• Three months of acknowledgements (postcards and dean’s notes)
• Student Symposium video (collaboration with University Communications)
• 14 videos posted to YouTube, including Dance Concert Highlights video
• Tocqueville postcard
• Between Patriarchy and Prostitution poster
• English Lecture Series: Bonnie & Clyde poster
• Global Sounds Style ad
• Global Sounds Richmond Times-Dispatch ad
• Telling the Story of Gaza poster
• Global Sounds poster
• Sex & Desire in the College Hook-Up Culture poster
• Seeing and Reading After Nietzsche
• Gary Shapiro Retirement Invitation
• Symposium program
• Symposium poster
• 14 digital flyers
• 2 Alumni E-newsletters
• A&S Branded Presentation Templates for PowerPoint and Keynote
• 100-word statements on all Arts & Sciences departments and programs complete

News & Features

• 9 news items
• 17 feature stories
• 8 press releases (collaboration with Media Relations)
• Most popular feature story: Thomas King: Junior pursues his passion for music while studying business (578 pageviews)
• Most popular news item: 2011 Arts & Sciences Honors Convocation (217 pageviews)

Presentations

• “Wish You Were Here: Telling your campus story from abroad” by Kirsten McKinney at the Social Media for Higher Education Communicators Conference, University of Richmond School of Continuing Studies
• “The Power of Facebook Ads and Online Promotions” by Rachel Beanland at the Social Media for Higher Education Communicators Conference, University of Richmond School of Continuing Studies

Awards

• PRSA Richmond’s Capital Award, Brochures: “2010-11 Theatre & Dance Season”
• PRSA Richmond’s Capital Award, Social Media: “UR Jazz in Costa Rica”
• PRSA Richmond’s Best in Show Award, “2010-11 Theatre & Dance Season”

Social Media Stats

• Facebook Fans: 1172 (+380 since last quarter)
• Twitter Followers: 241
• Tweets: 71
• LinkedIn Members: 175

Web Stats

• Visitors to as.richmond.edu: 25,238
• Pageviews: 60,066
• 2.38 pages/visit
• Average time on site: 1:53
• Top 5 search terms: academic council, symposium, tiffany Jefferson, faculty of practice, majors
• Website Traffic Sources: Richmond.edu, direct, search, google, admissions.richmond.edu, undergraduatecatalog.richmond.edu, oncampus.richmond.edu, news.richmond.edu
• Top 5 most visited Webpages: homepage, majors, departments, symposium schedule, why
• Days with highest traffic: April 5, 2011 – 879 visits
• E-Newsletter Pageviews: 4,530

Dean's Update: Diversity Advocate Briefing

Dear diversity advocates,

This year's Diversity Advocate Briefing will be held on Monday, August 15, 2011 from 1-4 p.m. in Ryland Hall #215. Please let me encourage each of you to attend this year. I hope that experienced advocates will share their expertise and experiences with newer members.

Diversifying the faculty and community is a shared priority. Please consider attending this important event. RSVP to Glyn Hughes atghughes@richmond.edu.

I will look forward to visiting with you there.

Kathleen

Budget & Operations: Staff Performance Reviews

Reminder:

The deadline for PLAnet Spider Staff Performance Reviews is May 26, 2011. Please see details below.

As promised here is a list of instructions to help make the staff evaluation process as simple as possible.

1. Review the attached listing of staff members and supervisors and make sure everyone you supervise is assigned to you on that list. If there are any errors or omissions let me know immediately.
2. Talk with the staff you supervise and make sure they have entered their goals into PLAnet Spider. I encourage you to share this email with your staff.
3. Login on to PLAnet Spider https://richmond.learn.com.
4. Once you have completed the login process and you are redirected to the PLAnet Spider page, select Supervisor Tools from toolbar on the left side of the page.
5. The page will reload and you can select the Supervisor Control Panel link in the middle of the page.
6. You will see the list of individuals you supervise. If this list has any errors or omissions let me know immediately.
7. Next click on the crayon on the right side of the page that corresponds to the staff member you want to evaluate.
8. You will be sent to a page that has the individual's goals for 2011. You will need to complete a supervisor comment and rating for each goal; if you completed a developmental review at mid-year you will already have comments. You can just add to those comments. I strongly suggest that you write your comments in a Word document and use copy and paste to complete this part of the form. When you are done remember to hit the SAVE button.
9. Schedule a meeting with your staff member to discuss your review. You may want to meet with your staff member before your write your comments and do your ratings. You will know the best approach in each situation. Once you have made any additional edits it is necessary for the staff member to sign off on the review at the bottom of the page and for the staff member to click the SUBMIT button.
10. Finally print a copy of the completed performance review and send it to Terri Weaver through campus mail. I was able to print the entire form using Firefox on a Mac. In the past there have been printing problems. I encourage you to test things out so that you don’t lose any of your work.

Staff performance reviews must be completed through PLAnet Spider by May 26, 2011 and a paper copy needs to be received by Terri Weaver by May 31, 2011. I urge you to start this process as soon as possible to avoid being caught by unexpected snags.

Faculty Meetings: April 21, 2011 Agenda

Our next faculty meeting will be held this coming Thursday, April 21, starting at 4:00 p.m. in the Gottwald Science Center Auditorium (A001).

Our agenda will be:

• Approval of minutes from our March 22, 2011 meeting. (please see below)Approval of Academic Council actions shown below
• Honoring Ray Dominey and Mike Davison for 25 years of service
• Honoring four retiring faculty members: Gary Greenfield, Steve Nash, and Gary Shapiro
• Motion to approve awarding of degrees
• Election of A&S committee nominees (see attached)
• Proposed revisions to the A&S T&P process (see attached)
• Other Business

This is the final A&S Faculty Meeting of the 2010-2011 academic year.

Actions for Academic Council approval on April 5, 2011

English

Proposed revisions to creative writing minor:

The coordinators of the Creative Writing Program propose two changes in requirements for the Creative Writing minor. They want to drop the required creative writing seminar and one of the literature courses since literature is taught in all of the creative writing workshops. But six courses will still be required for the minor.

Film Studies

FMST 203 With Images and Sound: Introduction to the Language of Film
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any):  None

Religion

New course proposal:

RELG 281 Islam: Muhammad to the Modern Age
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any):  None

Revised course proposals (title and/or catalog changes only):

RELG 241 Introduction to New Testament (formerly Introduction to Early Christian Era)
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any):  None

RELG 242 Jesus in History and Tradition (formerly Jesus and Christian Origins)
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any):  None

RELG 243 Ancient Mediterranean Religions (formerly The World of the New Testament)
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any):  None

RELG 247 Women in Early Christianity (formerly Women and Christianity: Origins through Middle Ages)
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any):  None

RELG 340 Lost Christianities (formerly Varieties of Early Christianity)
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any):  None

Actions pending Academic Council approval on April 19, 2011

Music

New course proposal:

MSEN 204 Little Big Band (see justification)
0.5 units
Prerequisites (if any):  Permission of instructor

Religion

Proposal for department name change (Department of Religious Studies):

Rationale:  The Department of Religion has voted to change its name to the Department of Religious Studies. The rationale for this decision is that the term “religion” is often interpreted to involve faith commitments to the subject matter, as opposed to more academic approaches that are detached from any particular religious tradition. The change is intended to align our department with a trend in nomenclature that differentiates departments located in secular institutions of higher education from those of institutions that retain a strong denominational heritage. In addition, the use of “studies” emphasizes the diverse interdisciplinary nature of the department’s course offerings, which interpret religious phenomena through methods borrowed from a variety of fields including history, philosophy of religion, literary theory, queer theory, material culture studies, psychology, and sociology.

Documents