Minutes
Archives: September 15, 2008, October 20, 2008, November 10, 2008
Index of CAS Senate Actions - AY 1999-2000, Index of CAS Senate Actions - AY 2001-02
CLA Senate Meeting
November 10, 2008
Minutes
Attendance
Faculty Senators Present: At-Large Senators Present: Bonnie Miller, American Studies; Ping-Ann Addo, Anthropology; Corinne Etienne, Applied Linguistics; Cat Mazza, Art; Kellee Barnard, Classical Studies; Tammy Murphy, Economics; Stephanie Kamath, English; Luis Alonso-Ovalle, Hispanic Studies; Tim Hacsi, History; Sari Kawana, Modern Languages; Robert Lublin, Performing Arts; Adam Beresford, Philosophy; Thomas Ferguson, Political Science, Alice Carter, Psychology, Laura Hansen, Sociology; Shoshanna Ehrlich, Women’s Studies
Non-Tenure Track: Humanities: Sandra Howland, English
Non-Tenure Track Social Science: Kathryn Kogan, Psychology
Non-Tenure Track Interdisciplinary:
Ex-officio: Donna Kuizenga (Dean, CLA)
Visitors Present: James Green, History Department
√1. Approved agenda unanimously.
√2. Approved minutes of October 20, 2008 , unanimously, with the following correction: “Pin-Ann Addo” should be changed to “Ping Ann Addo” in the attendance list.
√3. Faculty Moderator’s Report
· Bryna Davidow will update the current list of senators in the CLA senate website.
· Academic Affairs has been asked to come up with stylistic regulations/recommendations for course descriptions. That committee has postponed discussion of the matter.
· There has been discussion at the Senate Executive Committee of how the different retirement plan options are presented at the New Faculty Orientation Sessions. It was felt that faculty members should be given a second chance to enroll in the state plan after tenure. Even though it was acknowledged that the senate cannot deal with this issue directly, the Senate Executive Committee proposed sending a note to the organizers of the New Faculty Orientation Sessions recommending giving faculty members a second chance to enroll in the state plan.
· The Faculty moderator reminded senators that all Classics courses to be approved (see below) are undergraduate courses cross-listed as graduate courses.
√4. Approved motion to change the order of items in the agenda (Dean’s report to go
after the motions to approve Classics 304, Latin 376/Latin 576, MdnLng 302, and ThrArt 329), unanimously.
√5. Approved motion of the Academic Affairs Committee to approve Japanese 302,
Readings in Japanese, unanimously.
√6. Approved motion of the Academic Affairs Committee to approve ThrArt 329,
Theatre in London with the following changes to the One Form: in the course
description,“ten day trip to London” corrected to “trip to London”, on page 2,
cross-listing options, eliminated “and English”, unanimously.
√7. Approved motion of the Academic Affairs Committee to approve Classics 304, Bronze Age Aegean Archaeology, unanimously.
√8. Approved motion of the Academic Affairs Committee to approve Latin 376/Latin 576, Latin Prose Composition, unanimously.
√9. Dean’s Report
· Budget cuts: commented on Chancellor’s message. Half of the $4.5 million cuts will be covered out of reserves, other half out of cost savings. There isn’t yet clarity on which concrete actions will be taken. Searches will go on. A second cut in the same fiscal year would be a cause of concern.
· Asian Studies major proposal will go before the Board of Trustees in the December meeting in Worcester.
· Fund raising: Deborah Mayerson has been hired to promote fund raising in CLA. Last year, the first CLA external board was formed. One new member was added this fall. Dean distributed the biographies of current members of the external board to the CLA senators.
· Dean to ask senators for input on the development of graduate programs during New Business.
√10. Approved motion of the Academic Affairs Committee to approve amending Economics 337, The Asian Economies, 17 to 1 vote against.
√11. Approved motion to approve History 620 (Public History Colloquium), History 625 (Presentation and Interpretation of History to the Public), and History 698 (Internship in Public History) as a block, with the amendment that the title of History 625 may be changed to “Presentation and Interpretation of History in the public sphere,” unanimously.
√12. Approved motion to approve Greek 580, Topics in Greek Literature,
unanimously.
√13. Approved motion to approve CW 614 (Teaching Creative Writing) and CW 699 (MFA Thesis), as a block, unanimously.
√14. Approved motion to approve proposal for a Public History Track in the MA History Program, unanimously.
√15. New Business
· The CLA senate website will be updated with a meeting schedule, approved minutes, and an updated list of members.
· The Dean discussed with senators the issue of graduate planning in the College. She wants to get feedback from the senate, chairs and directors of graduate programs about how to plan for graduate programs in the future, and how to balance the needs of current and future/potential programs.
· The Dean informed the Senate that there are two new graduate programs in the making: a Ph. D. in Developmental and Brain Science (Psychology), and an M.A. in Applied Economics, at an earlier stage of development.
· The Dean was asked about the kinds of needs to be taken care of when proposing graduate programs. She informed that the Office of the President has developed documentation explaining those needs in great detail.
· It was suggested to the Dean that non-tenure faculty should be involved in the process.
· The need to offer professional career support for graduate students was stressed out.
· Concern was expressed about the physical space needs of future grad programs.
· The Dean stressed the need for end of year reports, newsletters, and similar documentation of the success of graduate programs.
· Dean open to feedback and suggestions about graduate programs, to be sent to Faculty moderator.
√16. Meeting adjourned at 4:03.
Minutes submitted by Luis Alonso-Ovalle, Hispanic Studies.