Agenda
I. Minutes
II. President's report
III. Interim Provost -- Dr. Gottfredson
IV. Vice Provost for Diversity -- Dr. McCreary
V. Committee meetings
Absent: Abbott, Alford (excused), Canfield (excused), Dupree (excused), Iurno, Tait,Welleford
President Judy Lewis called the meeting to order at 4:03 p.m.
1. The minutes of the September 7th meeting were approved.
2. President Judith Lewis reported on the following …
Strategic planning following up on our SACS site visit..
The Strategic Planning Commission is up and running and will have its first meeting the week of October 11. The 6-member steering committee consists of Co-chairs of the Commission and Vice Presidents Gottfredson (Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs) and Retchin (Vice President for Health Sciences), as well as Vice President Messmer, Dean Boudinot (Graduate Studies), Vice Provost Huff (Life Sciences) and Senate President Judith Lewis. Faculty will be given many opportunities to participate in the committees of the commission, and it is important for us to provide our input. As a result of the quality enhancement plan prepared for the SACS visit, we identified ourselves as a learning centered research university, and priority was given to our roles in teaching, scholarship, service, and patient care. There is a commission web site, and more will be said on strategic planning by Interim Provost Gottfredson.
Meetings with president and others.
Judy Lewis met with President Trani and went over a number of issues important to Faculty Senate. The Promotion and Tenure document discussed last meeting in regard to its effect on collateral faculty gave the impression that collateral faculty needed to resign in order to apply for a tenure-track job, and that language is being addressed and changed to avoid this perception. Another issue is that of domestic partners, and we are providing language used by other institutions that would allow access for domestic partners to gym facilities and other areas. Dr. Trani was provided neutral language that does not take a stand on civil unions or allow benefits for a partner du jour but rather focuses on economic benefits and equal benefits for those living in the same household. The president is moving ahead with addressing economic issues while making sure to respect Virginia law in the area of domestic partners.
Mr. Timmreck has asked us to announce Project Aries, as in Aries the ram, a new VCU information system to replace the current HRS (human resources system), FRS (fiscal reporting system), and SRS (student reporting system). They are looking for a couple of faculty with experience using these systems to serve on the Executive Committee of the group that is heading the transition from the old system to the new. Meetings are the fourth Wednesday of the month in the morning. Let Judy know if you are interested.
3. After a brief introduction by Judy Lewis, Interim Provost
Gottfredson received faculty senators’ applause.
Dr. Gottfredson provided details on the strategic plan. He explained that this was not a further development of the old strategic plan first created in the 1990’s and that had continued in three phases. Rather it is a new strategic plan that will take us out to the year 2020 and is called VCU 2020: Vision for Excellence. He explained the anticipated major impact of upcoming retirements (based on the large number of faculty currently over 50) combined with growth in the student body, which is just under 28,000 students this semester. The institution will undergo substantial change. In his role as Dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences, where new freshmen in all fields take their couses, he has seen phenomenal growth – in his seven years at VCU we have gone from 1650 to over 3300 freshmen. He sees tremendous opportunity in our circumstances and the need to develop a kind of roadmap for the coming 15 years. [The web site www.vcu.edu/vcu2020 is now available. In late October, at the time the minutes are being written, it identifies the commission members and outlines the four broad themes and seven strategic directions that have been cited.] Ultimately Dr. Gottfredson expects to see several hundred people involved, and the web site will be interactve. In response to a question, the provost noted that the plan will be flexible enough to adapt to the change in institutional leadership anticipated in 2007. The time frame to develop the plan over this academic year is ambitious but doable.
In response to a question about the transition to an undergraduate online catalog, Dr. Gottfredson noted that not all had gone according to plan and that faculty were expected to be listed as they were in the graduate online catalog. Currently we have both a paper catalog and an online catalog for undergraduates and only an online catalog for graduate students. The intention is to provide up-to-date catalog information that is best available online, and improvements will be made.
4. Dr. Micah McCreary, Assistant Vice Provost for Diversity,
commented on the diversity statement distributed with the agenda.
He discussed his special efforts to promote both faculty recruitment and retention. Of special interest is a new grant program, which is attached to these minutes.
Copies of the document Let’s Get REAL (Reinforcing Engagement and Learning) were distributed along with a copy of the Response Report to the Visiting Committee of the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. SACS is our accrediting body, and this was a response to the site team visit. At the exit report, the visiting team said that VCU had developed a strong Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), which will be implemented over the next several years. The QEP theme “Enhancing Student Engagement in Learning” has been renamed “Let’s Get REAL” and as a result appears in the distributed document. Our Quality Enhancement Plan goes hand in hand with the strategic planning now under way and that was discussed by Dr. Gottfredson. All signs are positive that in December 2004 when SACS makes its formal determination of VCU’s Reaffirmation of Accreditation, the result will be full accreditation for the next ten years.
5. The University Grievance Panel report was given by Wes
Poynor. No grievances were heard last year.
The meeting was adjourned at 5:12 p.m.
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Patricia W. Cummins, Secretary
· The ultimate aim of a Learning Centered University is the creation of cognitive, emotional, and social changes within students over their stay at the university and beyond. A Learning Centered University prepares students to continue learning throughout their lives, to adapt to new environments, and to integrate knowledge from various sources. A Learning Centered University:
o Places student learning at its center.· In an attempt to help create a Learning-Centered Research University, VCU’s Let’s Get REAL (Reinforcing Engagement and Learning) quality enhancement program has developed the Departmental Engagement in Learning Grant program to support departmental projects that reinforce VCU’s identity as a Learning-Center Research University. The departmental grants are offered to fund the development and implementation of academic courses, research projects, or professional service activities toward the enhancement of faculty and students in the learning process. They are intended to strengthen student learning, enhance the professional development of faculty, and support collaborations between our institution and the community. The project must focus on departmental efforts to increase engagement of students, faculty and staff in the learning process. This can be accomplished through endeavors focused around teaching, student engagement, service-learning, research, and/or community engagement.
o Views the entire university and its community as both a resource and active participants in the learning process.
o Defines success in terms of student learning.
o Fosters collaboration with faculty, staff, and the community to facilitate learning and engagement among students.
o Expects students to be active participants in rather than passive recipients of knowledge and its applications.
· The program is being supported through the office of the Provost.
2. A total of $30,000 will be awarded. We will fund three (3) to seven (7) proposals per year. The possibility exists for continued funding over a five year period.
3. Eligible expenses include (but are not limited to):
a. Small pieces of equipment4. Funds for projects selected for support will revert to the REAL Small Grants Program if for any reason the project is not begun within three months of the award date.
b. Software
c. Supplies
d. Personnel
e. Travel (must be directly related to faculty teaching development)
f. Stipend (must be directly related to course development)i. Faculty member is not a twelve-month employee of the university.
ii. Faculty member will be employed by the university in the following academic year.
iii. Stipend does not exceed 20% of the annual salary for previous academic year.
5. Unused funds will revert to the REAL Small Grants Program upon termination of the award.
2. Proposals from all departments are welcomed and due in the REAL(QEP) Office, 901 Ginter House, Suite 217, by November 8th, 2004 by 5 p.m. Especially encouraged are proposals that can demonstrate funding will have a direct impact in the department on engaging students in learning.
3. Awards will be made on a merit basis without reference to quotas or distribution among fields and departments.