2020-2021 Summary of Activity

The Faculty Council session begins September 1, 2020 and ends August 31, 2021. 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 live-streamed on October 14, 2020.  The Spring Assembly was live-streamed on March 24, 2021.   The meetings are recorded and archived on the website.

Faculty Council Officers 2020-2021

Eileen B. O’Keefe
Chair
Clinical Professor
Department of Health Sciences
College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College

Cataldo Leone
Past Chair
Professor, Department of Periodontology
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Professor, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology
Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine

Discussions & Outcomes, 2020-2021

The Faculty Assembly elected as Vice Chair Kimberly A.S. Howard, Associate Professor, Counseling Psychology & Applied Human Development Wheelock College of Education & Human Development.  Leslie Will, Professor/Chair, Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine was elected Secretary-treasurer.  The Vice-chair serves a four-year term: one year as Vice-chair, two years as Chair of Faculty Council, and one year as Past-chair.  Dr. Howard will assume the role of Faculty Council Chair on June 1, 2022.  The Secretary-treasurer serves a two-year term.  Andy Andres, Chair of the Nominating Committee, reported the election results at the May 4 Faculty Council meeting.

On May 4, 2021, the Faculty Council heard a report from Charles Chang, Chair of the Equity and Inclusion Committee, about DEI practices in faculty hiring and aspirational department statements.  Jeffrey Hughes, Co-Chair of the University Council Student Life and Policies Commitee, and Ayşe Parla, a Council representative for CAS and a member of the Antiracism Task Force subcommittee on the calendar, discussed three proposed changes to the University calendar: re-naming Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day, the addition of Juneteenth as a University holiday, and a revision to the Veteran’s Day holiday.  Andy Andres, Chair of the Nominating Committee, introduced the slate of candidates for committee chairs and called for nominations from the floor.  The Faculty Council voted, via Qualtrics ballot.  Rebecca Kinraide (CAS) was elected chair of the Academic Freedom Committee.  Fadie T. Coleman (MED) was elected co-chair of the University Council Committee on Research.  Andy Andres (CGS) was elected chair of the Sustainability Committee. Pinelopi Pani (GSDM) was elected chair of Teaching and Learning Resources Committee.

On May 3, 2021, the Faculty Council elected Katya Ravid, Barbara E. Corkey Professor of Medicine in Cardiovascular Medicine Department of Medicine, School of Medicine and Shi Yang, Associate Professor Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine School of Medicine, to serve on the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine Dean Search Advisory Committee.  In addition, William Lehman, Professor, Department of Physiology & Biophysics, School of Medicine; and Christopher Robertson, Professor, School of Law, stood for election.

The winners of the 2021 John S. Perkins Award for Distinguished Service were selected on April 28.  They were featured in BU Today.  The Faculty Council will host a ceremony and reception for the 2020 and the 2021 winners in the next academic year, when University protocols permit social gatherings.

The Faculty Assembly held elections for Vice Chair and Secretary-treasurer in spring 2021.  The poll opened on Wednesday, April 14 and closed on Friday, April 30 at 5:00 p.m.  Current Faculty Assembly members were eligible to vote.  Note: Faculty Assembly members must have either a modified or unmodified professorial rank (except for visiting, emeritus, or adjunct), a lecturer rank, or instructor rank, and hold an appointment of .50 FTE or greater.  Assembly members received a link to a confidential online ballot from the Faculty Council account “fafc@bu.edu.” 

On April 27, 2021, the Faculty Council heard a report from Marnie Reed, Chair of the Awards Committee.  Prof. Reed presented the Committee’s recommendations for the three recipients of the 2021 John S. Perkins Award for Distinguished Service.  The Council members voted to approve the Committee’s selections, via Qualtrics vote.  The Council also heard a report from Mark T. Williams, Chair of the Compensation and Benefits Committee.  Prof. Williams informed the Council of the Committee’s engagement with the Retirement Investment Plan Committee to discuss TIAA-CREF retirement benefits.  The Council also suggested agenda items and strategic priorities for the 2020-2021 session.  University Provost Jean Morrison and Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs Maureen O’Rourke joined the meeting to discuss a temporary change to the Faculty Handbook to extend the one-year blanket tenure-clock extension to apply to faculty who joined BU on the tenure-track in Fall 2020.  Council members endorsed the proposal and also discussed the effect of the pandemic on non-tenure-track faculty.

On April 8, 2021, the Faculty Council sent a Call for Nominations for faculty to serve on the Dean Search Advisory Committee for the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine.  Per the Faculty Handbook, the Council elects two faculty who hold appointments external to the school subject to the search.  Membership on Faculty Council is not required to serve on the search committee.  Faculty who would like to stand for election, or nominate a colleague with their permission, may write to the Faculty Council office with the subject line: GSDM Dean Search.  In your message, provide a brief statement of interest, including your or your candidate’s professional qualifications and experience.  Your statement will be sent to the voting members of the Faculty Council.  Nominations will close on Monday, April 26.  The outcome of the election will be posted on this page in early May.

On April 6, 2021, the Faculty Council met with President Robert A. Brown to discuss Covid vaccinations for students, faculty and staff for the fall semester.  Also, the Council held a second discussion about the proposal to discontinue the MS in Athletic Training Program, Sargent College.  Sargent College Dean Christopher Moore,  Dr. Kimberly Mace and faculty of the MS in Athletic Training, and Associate Provost for Graduate Affairs Daniel Kleinman attended the meeting. The Council heard presentations from Dean Moore, Dr. Mace, and the Co-Chairs of the University Council Committee on Graduate Programs and Policies, Kimberly Howard and Daniel Kleinman.

The Spring Faculty Assembly meeting was hosted via livestream on March 24, 2021. President Brown, Provost Morrison, and Faculty Council Chair O’Keefe gave presentations and responded to questions submitted via email.  The video is available to Faculty Assembly members on the website.

On March 2, 2021, the Faculty Council met with President Robert A. Brown.  He updated the Council about Covid testing, vaccinations, and plans for the summer and fall 2021. He discussed issues around faculty review and promotion during the pandemic and responded to questions the Council sent prior to the meeting.  Chair Eileen O’Keefe reported the new timeline for the proposal to discontinue the MS in Athletic Training, Sargent College.  Andy Andres, Chair of the Nominating Committee, informed the Council that the Committee is currently recruiting faculty to stand for election as Faculty Council Officers and Committee Chairs.  The Faculty Assembly will vote for Officers this spring.  The Faculty Council will vote for Committee Chairs in May. The Committee will also accept self-nominations, subject to the requirements of the Constitution.

Nominations for the 2021 John S. Perkins Award for Distinguished Service will be accepted from February 1-February 26, 2021.  Please consult the Awards page for more information.

On February 2, 2021, the Faculty Council heard a report from David Decosimo, Chair of the Academic Freedom Committee.  The Council also met with University Provost Jean Morrison and discussed a number of questions sent to her prior to the meeting as well as the use of standardized tests in undergraduate admissions.

On  January 19, 2021, the Faculty Council discussed the proposal to discontinue the MS in Athletic Training, Sargent College.  The Council also discussed implementation of the BU2030 Strategic Plan with invited guests Provost Jean Morrison, Professor Swathi Kiran, and consultants from McKinsey.

On December 1, 2020, the Faculty Council met with Sargent College Dean Christopher Moore, Faculty of the MS in Athletic Training, and Associate Provost for Graduate Affairs Daniel Kleinman to discuss the proposal to close the MS in Athletic Training Program.  This meeting was mandated by the Faculty Handbook.

On November 2, 2020, the Faculty Council heard reports from the Council members who serve on the University Recovery Working Groups (Undergraduate Programs, Graduate Programs, Research & Clinical Operations, and Medical Advisory), and on the Antiracism Working Group.  Leslie Will, the Chair of the Faculty Council Administrative Policies Committee, gave a report about the MyCV Committee.  Maureen O’Rourke, Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs and Christine Collins, Associate General Counsel, presented the proposed changes to Faculty Personal and Family Leave Policies.

On October 30, 2020, the Faculty Assembly received a call for nominations for the 2020-2022 Nominating Committee.  Five Faculty Assembly members serve a two-year term and are charged with identifying candidates for officer positions and committee chairs, per the Constitution and the By-laws. When the nomination period closed, five Faculty Assembly members volunteered to serve.

On October 23, 2020, the Faculty Council elected Maurice Lee, Professor, CAS English, and Nancy Lowenstein, Clinical Associate Professor, College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences (Sargent), to serve on the Wheelock Dean Search Advisory Committee.  A call for nominations was sent to the Faculty Assembly on October 5.  In addition, the following faculty stood for nomination: Kelly Bylica (CFA Music Education), Kirsten Greenidge (CFA Playwriting & Theater Arts), Kevin Lang (CAS Economics), Donna Pincus (CAS Psychological & Brain Sciences), and Leslie Will (GSDM Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics.)

On October 14, 2020, the Fall Faculty Assembly convened via livestream. President Brown, Provost Morrison, and Faculty Council Chair O’Keefe gave presentations and responded to questions submitted via email.  The video is available to Faculty Assembly members on the website.

On October 6, 2020, the Faculty Council met with President Robert A. Brown and discussed Covid compliance, testing and tracing; undergraduate and graduate enrollment; strategic planning; LfA and workplace adjustments; and the University budget.

On September 8, 2020, the Faculty Council held its first regular meeting of the session.  Twenty-four new members joined the Council as representatives and alternates of their schools/colleges. The Faculty Council Chair summarized the summer meetings, for the benefit of new members.  Committee Chairs reported the charge for the committees and the Council discussed potential agenda items for 2020-2021.

For information about the Faculty Council’s discussions during Spring and Summer 2020, please review the 2019-2020 Summary of Activity.

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.  President Robert Brown and University Provost Jean Morrison are scheduled to meet with Faculty Council during a regular meeting this session.

Faculty Representation on University Committees

In addition to serving/co-chairing University Council Committees, members of Faculty Council serve on the following University-level committees:

  • Antiracism Working Group
  • BU Hub XCC Steering Committee
  • BU Laboratory Safety Committee
  • BU Laboratory Safety & Student Education Sub-committee
  • Community Safety Working Group
  • Diversity & Inclusion Recruitment Committee
  • Fulbright Campus Review Committee
  • Graduate Council
  • Grievance Committee
  • Howard Thurman Center (faculty liaisons)
  • Learning Management Systems Steering Committee, CRC
  • Mascot Committee
  • MyCV Faculty Advisory Committee
  • SIS Program Steering Committee
  • Strategic Planning Task Force
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Scholarly Resources & Services — Libraries subcommittee
  • Title IX Hearing Board
  • University Academic Conduct Board
  • University Advising Network
  • University Leadership Group and Recovery Organization Working Groups
    • Graduate/Professional Programs
    • Medical Advisory
    • Research and Clinical Operations
    • Undergraduate Programs
  • Women’s Leadership Council, MED