Faculty Assembly
THE FACULTY ASSEMBLY
THE COLLEGE OF WILLIAM AND MARY IN VIRGINIA:
MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF TUESDAY APRIL 25, 2000
The meeting was called to order at 3:38 p.m. with 19 members present.
The minutes of the meeting of March 28, 2000 were approved as distributed.
The minutes of the special election meeting of April 18, 2000 were approved as distributed.
I. Administrative Reports
Provost Cell reported on specified-term (non-tenure-track) faculty at the College. (The Specified Term Faculty Report was distributed in advance.) She noted that the number of specified-term faculty is not increasing. In fact, the overall numbers of these faculty are extremely stable. In Arts and Sciences specified-term faculty has remained at approximately 8.6%. Provost Cell indicated there has been some marginal increase in specified-term faculty in the Business and Education schools. She explained that this increase related to faculty leave replacements in the two schools and to the School of Business' attempt to enrich the elective curriculum for MBA students. The provost does not see any trend in the use of specified-term appointments that should be alarming to faculty. She noted that the same report shows that there has been growth in recent years in the College's tenure-track faculty. She also stated that the administration will try to have the report on specified-term faculty available earlier in subsequent academic years.
Provost Cell also reported on demographic trends among the tenured and tenure-track faculty. She noted that there has been a slight increase in faculty of color as well as an increase in female full professors and eminent scholars. She also reported that women faculty are moving up in the associate professor ranks. In contrast, the cohort of women assistant professors is smaller now than in the recent past. To some extent, the provost said this change relates to faculty promotions. She speculated that W&M loses more women than men at the assistant professor level. She suggested that career opportunities for spouses may be a part of this phenomenon but acknowledged she does not have a firm answer to questions about this gender difference in faculty retention.
President Lutzer encouraged the administration to try to learn why the number of untenured assistant professor women is decreasing.
II. Reports of Standing Committees
A. Academic Advisory Committee. Committee chair Katherine Kulick reported that the committee had reviewed revisions to the proposed post-tenure review policy. She noted that the proposal was subsequently withdrawn and will be resubmitted to the Assembly next fall. This year's AAC will forward its comments to the Faculty Affairs Committee of the 2000-2001 Assembly.
B. Committee on Committees. COC had no report. However, President Lutzer announced that COC will provide a report at the May 9 meeting on the committee's review of campus-wide committees. Lutzer stated that next year's Assembly should study what committees should be abolished. Provost Cell reported that Associate Provost Karen Cottrell was requesting that the Admissions Committee be expanded to an Admissions and Financial Aid committee due to the interrelated missions of the Admission and Financial Aid Offices.
C. Executive Committee. President Lutzer reported on the election of officers and committee membership for next year's Assembly. (See minutes of special April 18 Assembly meeting.) Lutzer asked the Assembly Officers for 2000-01 to convene the committees before summer break so that they can elect their chairs for next year.
Vice President Bill O'Connell reported that Upper Brandon has been reserved for an Assembly retreat on August 24 and 25, 2000. He asked Assembly members to send him issues they would like to discuss at the retreat.
D. Liaison Committee. Vice President Bill O'Connell reported on the Committee's presentation on the Public Policy Program to the April BOV meeting.
III. New Business
The Ad Hoc Committee on Faculty Development discussed its report (distributed in advance). The committee members identified Faculty Research Leaves as the College's first faculty development priority. Their report argues that W&M should try to increase the frequency of leave opportunities, including a junior research leave across the board in every department. In addition, the committee called for the enhancement of information technology support systems for faculty, the development of a "Faculty Center" to foster scholarship and intellectual community, faculty mentoring programs, and funds for the purchase of research, teaching, and library materials. The committee considered the idea of variable faculty contracts (work assignments), recognizing that there might be benefits to a more flexible approach to faculty work assignments, but variable contracts have both merits and liabilities, which is why they were not considered high on the priority list.
A vigorous discussion followed concerning the report's proposals, including the desire to be certain that any W&M faculty development program include adequate support for instructional enhancement. Other issues raised were the need to develop a system that provides faculty with blocks of time to concentrate on research or service as well as the need to recognize and accommodate differences in faculty at various career stages. Another idea that emerged from the discussion was the need for workload and evaluation criteria that count major efforts by faculty on important projects.
President Lutzer called for a vote to refer the report to the Assembly's Committee on Faculty Affairs for consideration next year. The resolution passed with one negative vote.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:44 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Roger Baldwin
Secretary
