2019-2020 Summary of Activity
The Faculty Council meets monthly September through May, and as needed. The minutes of Faculty Council meetings are posted, upon approval by the Faculty Council.
Please note: as of June 1, 2020, Eileen B. O’Keefe is Chair of Faculty Council. Cataldo Leone will serve as Past Chair from June 1, 2020-May 31, 2021.
Faculty Council Officers 2019-2020
Cataldo Leone
Chair
Professor, Department of Periodontology
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Professor, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology
Goldman School of Dental Medicine
Eileen B. O’Keefe
Vice Chair
Clinical Professor
Department of Health Sciences
College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College
Gisela Hoecherl-Alden
Secretary-treasurer
Professor of the Practice
Department of World Languages and Literatures
College of Arts and Sciences
Discussions & Outcomes, 2019-2020
The Constitution of the Faculty Assembly/Faculty Council was amended on April 17, 2020. The Credentials and By-laws conducted a careful review of the Constitution during the 2018-2019 session. The Assembly received the ballot and support materials for the vote in November 2019. The poll closed on April 7, 2020 and was approved by the Board of Trustees on April 17, 2020.
On August 13, 2020, the Faculty Council met with Provost Morrison, Associate Provost Maureen O’Rourke, Interim VP of Human Resources Kenneth Freeman, and Chief of Provost’s Staff Laura Jenks to discuss Covid-19 compliance expectations and pledges for University employees.
On August 11, 2020, the Faculty Council met with President Robert Brown, Senior Vice President Gary Nicka, Director of Student Health Services Judy Platt, Associate Director of Advisory Service Kelly Lockard, and Professor Catherine Klapperich to discuss classroom ventilation and Covid-19 surveillance testing.
On July 23, 2020, the Faculty Council Chair attended the monthly meeting of the University Leadership Group, which received a report about HVAC systems in classroom spaces.
On July 14, 2020, the Faculty Council met with Kenneth Elmore, Associate Provost and Dean of Students; Maureen O’Rourke, Associate Provost of Faculty Affairs to discuss federally-mandated changes to Title IX. Also, Chrysthanos Dellarocas, Associate Provost of Digital Learning; Deborah Breen, Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning; Linda Jarrett Director of Learning and Event Technology Services and Support; and Ernie Perez, Director of Education Technology joined the meeting to discuss LfA Resources and Support.
The Faculty Council met with President Brown, Provost Morrison, Associate Provost O’Rourke and Prof. Hamer on June 15, 2020 to discuss the Public Health Plan for Covid-19 testing and the Faculty Survey Results/Return to Campus Recommendations.
The Faculty Council met with President Brown, Provost Morrison, Associate Provost Kleinman, Associate Provost ad interim Kennedy on June 8, 2020 to discuss the academic calendar for Fall 2020.
The Faculty Council met with President Brown, Provost Morrison, Associate Provost Dellarocas, Associate Provost Kleinman, Associate Provost ad interim Kennedy, and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs (CAS) Bizup on May 26, 2020 to discuss undergraduate teaching for Fall 2020, i.e. Learn from Anywhere.
The Faculty Council met with President Robert Brown on May 5, 2020 to discuss the early phase of the University’s Covid-19 recovery plan.
The Faculty Council met with Provost Jean Morrison and Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs Maureen O’Rourke on April 7, 2020 to discuss the extension of the tenure clock, due to Covid-19.
The Faculty Council met with Provost Jean Morrison, Registrar Christine Paal, and Assistant Provost Sue Kennedy on March 26, 2020 to discuss the one-time Credit/No Credit grading system for Spring 2020.
The Faculty Council met with Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs Maureen O’Rourke to review a draft of the External and International Activities Report and with University Librarian K. Matthew Dames on March 3, 2020 to discuss the Code of Conduct for Libraries.
The Faculty Council met with Provost Jean Morrison on February 4, 2020 to discuss issues around faculty hiring, professional Master’s programs, and the free speech initiative. The Council also met with her in November 2019 to discuss the new Strategic Plan and its emerging themes.
The Faculty Council met with Associate Provost for Graduate Affairs Daniel Kleinman on January 14, 2020 to discuss current initiatives in Master’s, Professional and Ph.D. Education.
The Faculty Council met with President Robert Brown on October 2, 2019 to discuss several topics including hiring faculty in the Computing and Data Sciences Unit, the Capital Campaign, and the Strategic Plan.
The Faculty Council appointed three faculty to serve as liaisons to the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground. Per its charge in the Faculty Handbook, it elected faculty to serve on the STH Dean Search Committee and recommended faculty to serve on the University Grievance Committee.
2020 Perkins Award Winners
Due to the University closing, the ceremony for the 2020 John S. Perkins Award for Distinguished Service, was postponed. The 2020 winners were featured in BU Today.
Debra Paarz
Administrator, General Internal Medicine/Department of Medicine
Kim Richards
Director of Program Administration for Computer Science Program Metropolitan College
Colin Riley
Executive Director of Media Relations
Ongoing Issues of Faculty Concern
The Faculty Council Officers and the full Council continue to engage with the senior leadership about the University’s Covid-19 recovery plan.
The Council regularly invites members of the leadership and academic officers to discuss current issues, concerns and initiatives and provide bidirectional communication between faculty and administration. This past year, the Associate Provost for Diversity and Inclusion, the Vice President for Information Services and Technology, and the Associate Vice President for Sustainability were guests at Faculty Council or Executive Committee meetings.
Council members served on the Task Force on Evaluating Teaching and the Task Force on Free Speech, among other committees, and the Council continues to monitor the status of these initiatives.