The Arts and Sciences Council, February 19, 2015, 3:30-5:00, UMC 415/417
Meeting Minutes
Representatives present:Â David Atherton, ALC; Julio Baena, SPAN; Daniel Barth, PSYC; Paul Beale, PHYS; Giulia Bernardini, HUMN; Robert Buffington, WMST; Bert Covert, ANTH; Amma Ghartey-Tagoe Kootin, THDN; Weiqing Han, ATOC; Ruth Heisler, IPHY;Â Daniel Kaffine, ECON; Moonhawk Kim, PSCI; E. Christian Kopff, HNRS; Catherine Labio, ENGL; Andrew Martin, EBIO; Greg Odorizzi, MCDB; Lonni Pearce, PWR; Markus Pflaum, MATH; Rob Rupert, PHIL; Neeraja Sadagopan, SLHS; Greg Tucker, GEOL; Bianca Williams, ETHN; Joo Woo, AAH
Representatives not present:Â Reece Auguiste, FILM; Andrew Cain, CLAS; Brian Catlos, RLST; Cathy Comstock, RAPS; Â Vanja Dukic, APPM; Erica Ellingson, APS; Michela Ardizzoni, FRIT; Mike Haffey, SOCY; David Jonas, CHEM; Bhuvana Narasimhan, LING; Mark Pittenger, HIST; Artemi Romanov, GSLL; Elizabeth Root, GEOG
Also in attendance:Â Steven Leigh
Catherine Labio called the meeting to order at 3:35 PM.
Retention and Graduation Rates in the College of Arts and Sciences
Jeffrey Luftig, Associate Vice Chancellor for Process Innovation, presented data on retention and graduation rates in the College of Arts and Sciences. The slides, which included answers to questions raised prior to the meeting by ASC representatives, can be found in Appendix I.
The following points were made in response to questions raised by representatives:
Dean’s Report
The number of applications rose significantly this year; the number of admissions and confirmed students has risen since last year. Changes have been made to the admissions process to solve some of the retention issues presented earlier in the meeting.
The College has raised a total of 16.66 million dollars this (against $9.8 million last year). This represents a significant increase, even if we discount the large gift that went to Economics and Music.
Several candidates have applied for the position of Associate Dean of the Arts and Humanities. A faculty committee formed by the dean in consultation with the chair of the ASC is reviewing the applications. Faculty will have opportunities to interview the final slate of candidates.
A new funding system has been adopted for the campus. See Appendix II, “A Model for Undergraduate Enrollment Funding.” The existing model is historical: each college gets about what it got the year before. In that model, the fewer students A&S had, the better. The new system is based primarily on student enrollments, but does not completely do away with the historical approach. If enrollments suddenly drop, commensurate cuts won’t happen right away.
Overall Steve Leigh believes the new system will benefit the College of Arts and Sciences, which subsidizes all other colleges and campuses. For instance, business students take about 50 percent of their classes from A&S. A&S will now be compensated for that. We thus have an incentive to teach students from other schools and retain our students.
The Budget Committee is studying the new funding system and will report back to the ASC.
Chair’s Report
Erica Ellingson (APS) is the new chair of the Diversity Committee.
°Őłó±đĚýad hoc Core Revision Committee has begun meeting. Its co-chairs, Cora Randall and Ann Schmiesing, may hold a town hall for all faculty on Thursday, April 23 at 3:30. ASC representatives are asked to pencil in that day and time. If an April town hall is premature, a town hall will be held in the fall instead and the chairs will simply give a preliminary report at the last ASC meeting of the year, scheduled for April 16.
The Executive Committee is working through the bylaws revision. The plan is to have a draft out to representatives in time for the March meeting. If there is general agreement on the revision, the ASC could then decide to hold a vote of the entire Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:59 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Catherine Labio
Janice Jeffryes
Appendix I:
The Current State of Retention & Graduation Rates at the ˛ĘĂń±¦µä – Presentation to the Arts & Sciences Council by Jeffrey Luftig
Appendix II:
A Model for Undergraduate Enrollment Funding (Planning, Budget & Analysis, January 2015) — note: this file is not accessible to screen readers