The meeting was called to order at 10:32 am
The minutes of the January 21, 2014 were approved.
Course Proposals and Curricular Revisions
The dean asked if any member of Academic Council wished to move a course proposal from the consent agenda to the discussion agenda. Dr. Sam Abrash requested that ENVR 325, Global Sustainability, be added to the agenda. The dean added this course to the discussion agenda. Dr. Linda Boland asked that DANC 319 be removed from the consent agenda and placed on the discussion agenda. Further, the dean moved that the Biology curriculum proposal be moved to the discussion agenda. Dr. Michelle Hamm asked for removal of the BMB major revisions from the consent agenda to the discussion agenda.
All other new courses on the consent agenda were approved by unanimous consent.
Dr. Linda Boland asked why DANC 319 was only listed as one unit given the time commitment envisioned for students. Dr. Holland further explained that if DANC 319 were offered at 2 units, a student would have to get permission to take over the maximum 5.5 units. Susan Breeden confirmed the minimum average of credits a student can take per week is 10-12 hours. It was asked if an adjustment could be made to avoid conflict in the future. Dr. Malcolm Hill, associate dean, added DANC 319 it falls within the guidelines of 10-12 hours a week per unit. After discussion DANCE 319 the members of Academic Council voted to approve DANC 319.
A member asked who would take ENVR 325. Dr. Abrash answered that Environmental studies majors would take this course as an elective. Dr. Abrash explained that this course would be cross-listed with the School of Professional and Continuing Studies. This would be the only way to make this course available to undergraduates. The members voted to approve ENVR 325 with the following changes to the proposal:
Effective semester: summer 2014
Professor: David Kitchens
Susan Breeden noted a correction to MLC 312. MLC 312 will be listed in the catalog as Italian 312.
Dr. Linda Boland gave a brief explanation of Biology’s revised major curriculum proposal. Biology proposal embodies an innovative national agenda for undergraduate science education that has been proposed by the National Science Foundation and HHMI. The Biology proposal was approved by vote of the members.
Dr. Hamm asked that the proposed revisions to the BMB curriculum be discussed at a later date because the key departments have not approved the. The proposal was tabled.
All other proposed course revisions were approved by unanimous consent.
Contingent Faculty Reform Initiative
The dean asked Dr. Vincent Wang, associate dean, to present the Dean’s office Contingent Faculty Reform Initiative (CFRI). This initiative is based on an analysis of our reliance on term and adjunct faculty members; it aims to prioritize reliance on tenure-track faculty to design and teach the academic program at all levels, and to increase compensation for term and adjunct faculty when we do rely on them.
As a starting-point, Dr. Wang noted that the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) recommends that the use of non-tenure track appointments should be limited to instances where specialized expertise is required for a particular course or where there is some contingent event that requires a limited replacement appointment. Dr. Wang defined tenure stream faculty, faculty of practice (directors at UR) and part-time faculty as stated in the University of Richmond Faculty Handbook. Dr. Wang defined contingent faculty to include both part-time and full-time non-tenure-stream or non-continuing faculty.
The dean’s office is working to reduce chronic term positions and replace them with tenure track positions. The dean’s office is confident that over time they can reduce chronic term appointments. Between 2011-2012 and 2014-2015, we will be able to the number of chronic term appointments from 10 to 3, replacing these with tenure-stream positions.
Dr. Wang stated of the 350 total A&S faculty in 2013, 30% were contingent faculty. These faculty members do not participate in governance and are not expected to have continuing appointments at the university. Patty Murphy, director of Institutional Effectiveness, added that these numbers exclude applied music instructors. A few questions were asked from Academic Council members.
The dean clarified the numbers presented in the presentation.
Dr. Wang briefed Academic Council members on contingent faculty eligibility for benefits. At the University, full-time term faculty members are eligible for health benefits while adjunct faculty members are not. The Dean’s office will be able to hire term appointments to teach 4-4 or 4-3 with benefits. The dean’s office plans to improve the pay for adjunct faculty while reducing reliance on adjuncts to no more than 140 per year. The dean’s office will raise the adjunct rate per unit from $4,000 to $5,000 for instructors with terminal degrees and $3,200 to $4,000 without terminal degrees. Adjunct instructors without terminal degrees should be hired in rare circumstances.
Using the new Teaching Assignment Projection (TAP), the dean’s office will work with department chairs to meet or reconfigure curricular needs based on tenure-steam or continuing faculty resources. The dean asked department chairs to identify chronic term or adjunct reliance so that the dean’s office can help to address this through faculty planning.
Dr. Wang then explained the guidelines and procedures associated with the CFRI. Before making requests for contingent faculty, department chairs will first complete the Teaching Assignment Projection (TAP). All contingent faculty requests should be submitted to the dean’s office for term faculty by the end of February, and for adjunct faculty by the end of March. Requests can be submitted again at the end of October. Any department that has a leave-proof agreement with the dean’s office (in exchange for a tenure-track position) will not be eligible for term faculty during the term of the agreement. Departments can request adjunct units based on demonstrated needs, including enrollment averages for courses requested.
The dean’s office will continue to report back to faculty on A & S reliance on term and adjunct faculty members. If anyone would like to see today’s presentation, please send a request for a hard copy to the dean’s office.
The meeting adjourned at 11:48am.
Respectfully submitted,
Zandria Haines
The minutes of the January 21, 2014 were approved.
Course Proposals and Curricular Revisions
The dean asked if any member of Academic Council wished to move a course proposal from the consent agenda to the discussion agenda. Dr. Sam Abrash requested that ENVR 325, Global Sustainability, be added to the agenda. The dean added this course to the discussion agenda. Dr. Linda Boland asked that DANC 319 be removed from the consent agenda and placed on the discussion agenda. Further, the dean moved that the Biology curriculum proposal be moved to the discussion agenda. Dr. Michelle Hamm asked for removal of the BMB major revisions from the consent agenda to the discussion agenda.
All other new courses on the consent agenda were approved by unanimous consent.
Dr. Linda Boland asked why DANC 319 was only listed as one unit given the time commitment envisioned for students. Dr. Holland further explained that if DANC 319 were offered at 2 units, a student would have to get permission to take over the maximum 5.5 units. Susan Breeden confirmed the minimum average of credits a student can take per week is 10-12 hours. It was asked if an adjustment could be made to avoid conflict in the future. Dr. Malcolm Hill, associate dean, added DANC 319 it falls within the guidelines of 10-12 hours a week per unit. After discussion DANCE 319 the members of Academic Council voted to approve DANC 319.
A member asked who would take ENVR 325. Dr. Abrash answered that Environmental studies majors would take this course as an elective. Dr. Abrash explained that this course would be cross-listed with the School of Professional and Continuing Studies. This would be the only way to make this course available to undergraduates. The members voted to approve ENVR 325 with the following changes to the proposal:
Effective semester: summer 2014
Professor: David Kitchens
Susan Breeden noted a correction to MLC 312. MLC 312 will be listed in the catalog as Italian 312.
Dr. Linda Boland gave a brief explanation of Biology’s revised major curriculum proposal. Biology proposal embodies an innovative national agenda for undergraduate science education that has been proposed by the National Science Foundation and HHMI. The Biology proposal was approved by vote of the members.
Dr. Hamm asked that the proposed revisions to the BMB curriculum be discussed at a later date because the key departments have not approved the. The proposal was tabled.
All other proposed course revisions were approved by unanimous consent.
Contingent Faculty Reform Initiative
The dean asked Dr. Vincent Wang, associate dean, to present the Dean’s office Contingent Faculty Reform Initiative (CFRI). This initiative is based on an analysis of our reliance on term and adjunct faculty members; it aims to prioritize reliance on tenure-track faculty to design and teach the academic program at all levels, and to increase compensation for term and adjunct faculty when we do rely on them.
As a starting-point, Dr. Wang noted that the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) recommends that the use of non-tenure track appointments should be limited to instances where specialized expertise is required for a particular course or where there is some contingent event that requires a limited replacement appointment. Dr. Wang defined tenure stream faculty, faculty of practice (directors at UR) and part-time faculty as stated in the University of Richmond Faculty Handbook. Dr. Wang defined contingent faculty to include both part-time and full-time non-tenure-stream or non-continuing faculty.
The dean’s office is working to reduce chronic term positions and replace them with tenure track positions. The dean’s office is confident that over time they can reduce chronic term appointments. Between 2011-2012 and 2014-2015, we will be able to the number of chronic term appointments from 10 to 3, replacing these with tenure-stream positions.
Dr. Wang stated of the 350 total A&S faculty in 2013, 30% were contingent faculty. These faculty members do not participate in governance and are not expected to have continuing appointments at the university. Patty Murphy, director of Institutional Effectiveness, added that these numbers exclude applied music instructors. A few questions were asked from Academic Council members.
The dean clarified the numbers presented in the presentation.
Dr. Wang briefed Academic Council members on contingent faculty eligibility for benefits. At the University, full-time term faculty members are eligible for health benefits while adjunct faculty members are not. The Dean’s office will be able to hire term appointments to teach 4-4 or 4-3 with benefits. The dean’s office plans to improve the pay for adjunct faculty while reducing reliance on adjuncts to no more than 140 per year. The dean’s office will raise the adjunct rate per unit from $4,000 to $5,000 for instructors with terminal degrees and $3,200 to $4,000 without terminal degrees. Adjunct instructors without terminal degrees should be hired in rare circumstances.
Using the new Teaching Assignment Projection (TAP), the dean’s office will work with department chairs to meet or reconfigure curricular needs based on tenure-steam or continuing faculty resources. The dean asked department chairs to identify chronic term or adjunct reliance so that the dean’s office can help to address this through faculty planning.
Dr. Wang then explained the guidelines and procedures associated with the CFRI. Before making requests for contingent faculty, department chairs will first complete the Teaching Assignment Projection (TAP). All contingent faculty requests should be submitted to the dean’s office for term faculty by the end of February, and for adjunct faculty by the end of March. Requests can be submitted again at the end of October. Any department that has a leave-proof agreement with the dean’s office (in exchange for a tenure-track position) will not be eligible for term faculty during the term of the agreement. Departments can request adjunct units based on demonstrated needs, including enrollment averages for courses requested.
The dean’s office will continue to report back to faculty on A & S reliance on term and adjunct faculty members. If anyone would like to see today’s presentation, please send a request for a hard copy to the dean’s office.
The meeting adjourned at 11:48am.
Respectfully submitted,
Zandria Haines
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