2014-2015 Summary of Activity

The Faculty Council session begins September 1. It meets monthly September through May, and as needed. The minutes of Faculty Council meetings are posted, upon approval by the Faculty Council.

Faculty Assembly convenes twice a year.  The Fall Assembly was held on November 10, 2014.  The Spring Assembly was held on March 23, 2015.   The meetings are recorded and archived on the website.

Faculty Council Officers 2014-2015

Stephen Brady
Chair
Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Graduate Medical Sciences Director, Mental Health & Behavioral Sciences Program
School of Medicine

Kathryn Pfisterer Darr
Past Chair
Professor of Hebrew Scripture
School of Theology

J. Robb Dixon
Secretary-treasurer
Associate Professor of Operations and Technology Management
Questrom School of Business

Discussions & Outcomes, 2014-2015

On May 5, 2015, Chair Brady announced the outcome of the Officer Election.  J. Robb Dixon and Janelle Heineke were elected Vice Chair and Secretary-treasurer respectively.  J. Robb Dixon provided an update about the Socially Responsible Investing Committee.  Chair Brady gave updates about the ongoing discussions about University employee benefits and the faculty diversity working group.

On April 7, 2015, Chair Brady announced that President Brown and Provost Morrison have accepted the Faculty Council Equity and Inclusion Committee’s recommendation to establish a diversity working group to study hiring and retention of under-represented minority faculty.  Chair Brady submitted the memo to the Provost requesting review of promotion for non-tenure track faculty. He also submitted a memo, co-signed with Committee Chair Lynn O’Brien Hallstein, requesting review of teaching evaluations.  Shiela Kibbe, Chair of the Awards Committee, presented the Committee’s recommendations for the 2015 John S. Perkins Award for Distinguished Service.  The Council discussed proposed changes to University benefits and provided feedback from colleagues in their schools and colleges.  Nicole Hawkes, Associate Provost for Strategic Initiatives, gave an update about Academic Program Review.

On March 3, 2015, the Council convened on the MED campus.  Karen Antman, MED Provost, gave an update about a proposed merger with Boston Medical Center.  The Council discussed faculty development and support for MED faculty.  Gary Nicksa, Senior Vice President of Operations; Diane Tucker, Chief of Human Resources; and Nimet Gundogan, Executive Director of Benefits, presented proposed changes to University employee health benefits.

The February Council meeting was cancelled, due to inclement weather.

On January 20, 2015, Elizabeth Loizeaux, Associate Provost of Undergraduate Affairs and Suzanne Kennedy, Assistant Provost, presented the workflow for review and approval of University policies.  Walter Fluker gave an update about the Dean Search Advisory Committee for the College of Arts and Sciences.  Chair Brady informed the Council that the dean search for the College of Fine Arts has been postponed and Lynne Allen appointed interim dean. Chair Brady also convened an ad hoc committee to draft a memo for the University Provost to call for a review of promotion procedures for non-tenure track faculty.

On December 2, 2014, the Council received updates from James Hamilton, Co-Chair of the University Council Research and Scholarly Activities Committee; Hee-Young Park, Co-chair of the University Council Graduate Programs Committee; Joyce Walsh, Co-chair of the University Council  Student Life and Policies Committee; Kathe Darr, Chair of the Faculty Council Equity and Inclusion Committee; Lynn O’Brien Hallstein, Chair of the Faculty Council Teaching Resources Committee; John Carroll, Chair of the Faculty Council Media and Communication Committee; and Janelle Heineke, Co-Chair of the University Council Faculty Policies Committee. The Council continued its discussion of the pending vote of the adjunct faculty to join the SEIU.  Kenneth Elmore, Dean of Students; Erika Geetter, General Counsel; and Lisa Tenerowicz, Associate General Council, joined the meeting to discuss the proposed policies for Title IX compliance.

On November 4, 2014, the Faculty Council elected John Bernstein, Associate Professor of Film of Television, College of Communication, and J. Robb Dixon, Associate Professor of Operations Management, School of Management to serve on the Dean Search Advisory Committee of the College of Fine Arts.  Chair Brady invited the Council the attend the Executive Committee meeting in January. Francine Montemurro, University Ombuds; Todd Klipp, Senior Vice Presidenta and Senior Counsel; and Drew Marrochello, University Athletic Director, will be invited to attend.  Council members may also submit questions for the guests, if they cannot attend. The Council hears reports from Hee-Young Park, Co-chair of the University Council Graduate Programs Committee; Bruce J. Schulman, Co-chair of the University Council Undergraduate Programs Committee; Joyce Walsh, Co-chair of the University Council  Student Life and Policies Committee; Gwynneth Offner, Chair of the Faculty Council Administrative Policies Committee; Kathe Darr, Chair of the Faculty Council Equity and Inclusion Committee; and Lynn O’Brien Hallstein, Chair of the Faculty Council Teaching Resources Committee.  The Faculty Council Director gave updates on behalf of absent committee chair members as well.  University Provost Jean Morrison attended the meeting. The Council discussed criteria for promotion for non-tenure track faculty on CRC and MED; gender equity of faculty salaries;  recruitment and retention of under-represented minority faculty; and the ongoing effort of adjunct faculty to form a union.

On October 7, 2014, the Faculty Council elected Judith Chaffee, Associate Professor of the College of Fine Arts and Walter S. Fluker, Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor of Ethical Leadership, School of Theology, to serve on the Dean Search Advisory Committee for the College of Arts and Sciences.  President Robert A. Brown attended the meeting and gave an update about the capital campaign, undergraduate admissions, the budget, and the re-structuring of the University Council. The Council and President Brown discussed the Socially Responsible Investment Committee, the University’s energy usage, and the Board of Trustees’ approval of the institutional diversity statement.

On September 9, 2014, Chair Brady reported on the summer activities of the University Benefits Task Force and the Socially Responsible Investment Committee. He announced that there will be a search for a new dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.  Faculty Council elects two (2) faculty who hold appointments external to the school subject to the search to serve on the search advisory committee.  The Council discussed the resolution passed in May 2014 urging the Administration to promote the inclusion of under-represented minority faculty  and provide regular updates on its progress.