Office of Industry Collaboration
Caroline Himes and Jeff Sczechowski discussed the role of OIC in providing a point of entry for companies to get involved with CU-Boulder or to increase their involvement, including research contracts but also other areas such as hiring students and providing philanthropic support. The role of OIC is still being defined, but in many cases it is to direct companies to another unit, such as Career Services or an academic department. Members of the administrative council urged OIC to develop a specific goal, such as a set increase in private contracts and grants or the number of companies for which CU is a core or preferred school.
Space Survey and Non-centralized Classrooms
Huron Consulting is surveying and interviewing CU departments and leadership on building use on campus. It was reported to the deans that they had encountered resistance in obtaining data on usage of non-centralized classrooms. The chairs indicated that they had not been contacted, other than the teaching survey sent to all faculty. Rob Davis urged that their offices provide usage data when requested.
Faculty Searches
Rob noted that most departments have now launched their faculty searches for this year, and he re-emphasized that each department is to have a unified search, with a single committee and single ad, etc. for multiple openings in broad areas. Our goal is to have more successful hiring and yields by being able to make early and multiple offers to top candidates. It was also recommended that part of the candidate selection criteria should be congruence with CU-Boulder (i.e., affinity for the area, good fit with existing strengths, and facility needs in line with what we can offer). Skype interviews should be undertaken before inviting candidates to campus, and they can provide considerable help in this regard. Penny Axelrad noted that AES has a list of questions for Skype interviews and offered to share it.
Feedback from EAC
The Engineering Advisory Council was highly appreciative of all six department chairs presenting their visions and plans relative to the college strategic plan. Some concerns were expressed that not all chairs may be comfortable with all goals and that our model of rotating department chairs poses a challenge for maintaining a long-term view of moving a department forward. It was also urged that the departments seek non-incremental advances (e.g., big grants, new degrees).
Departmental Advisory Committees
Rob noted that he had received some feedback that requests for financial support should not be the lead with advisory committees. Engaging the members with the department first will lead to support in the long run.
Anything Else?
Dan asked if there is more we can do to control enrollments and slow down the growth rate of the most popular majors. Rob noted that we are working with the admissions office on different standards for admission to the different majors. Student performance and persistence were also discussed. Unfortunately, many students who do not pass a core class subsequently have difficulty with future courses after retaking and passing the first course. Rob noted that the campus has selected our ECES (formerly ECCH) wing for major renovations. We should know the timing and scope of the project in the next few weeks. Rob also reminded chairs that the CUSG students’ elections are this week, with students to vote via their myCUinfo portal.
In Attendance
Rob Davis, Mark Gross, Penny Axelrad, Dan Schwartz, Balaji Rajagopalan, Jim Martin, Bob Erickson, Clayton Lewis; for the first item only: Jeff Sczechowski, Caroline Himes, Scott Palo