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College of Arts and Sciences Policy Committee Minutes
October 23, 2003
Present: Susan Gubar, Kevin Hunt (chair), Chuck Livingston (recorder), Al Ruesink, Rob Shakespeare
1. The meeting began at 4:00 PM with the approval of the minutes of October 16, as amended.
2. Kevin Hunt discussed his meeting with Dennis Gannon, Chair of Computer Science, regarding the possible move of the Department of Computer Science to the School of Informatics. Professor Gannon reported that the Chancellor's committee that is examining the possible transfer is doing a meticulous job exploring a lengthy list of issues. Gannon assured the CPC that it will be given ample time to consider the move, which could not take place before Fall, 2005, at the earliest.
3. The Committee returned to its discussion regarding recent events related to the Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies. Last minute considerations and the absence of several members of the CPC from the meeting prevented the Committee from taking final action on the matter.
4. Dean Subbaswamy joined the meeting at 5:00 PM.
a. The Dean assured the Committee that the lack of Associate Professors on the College Tenure Committee did not reflect a policy decision on his part and that in the future he would be attentive to this aspect of assuring a diverse representation on the Tenure Committee.
b. Committee members asked how the proposed transfer of a 25 percent faculty assignment from a department to a program within the College meshed with the current vision for, and needs of, the department and program. The Dean discussed aspects of the growth of the program. With respect to the impact of the transfer on the originating department, the Dean believes that adjustments will be possible to compensate for any loss of teaching entailed by the 25 percent transfer.
c. The Committee has asked the Dean for a summary of the budget implication of proposed and recently approved programs within the College, particularly those in Eighteenth-Century Studies and Asian-American Studies, respectively. The Dean responded that costs are low in relation to the College budget and well worth the expense when the programs are fully justified on academic grounds.
d. The discussion moved to the role of teaching in tenure and promotion cases, and more generally its role in the College and a research university. The Dean reiterated his view that the distinction between a research university and a college with a more exclusive emphasis on undergraduate education should be that our teaching loads are less, not that the quality of our teaching is less than excellent. He wants our criteria for tenure and promotion to reflect that we place a high value on teaching.
Committee members discussed the challenges of evaluating teaching and the limitations of such tools as the BEST evaluation forms. A discussion of the difficulty of rewarding teaching financially in the context of a marketplace that focuses on research accomplishment ensued; as one example of the limited financial incentives in the teaching realm, a Committee member questioned why teaching awards are treated as one-time awards and not added to base salary. Another Committee member suggested that raising admission standards might contribute to a teaching environment that does more to inspire teachers. Another committee member pointed to the need for greater recognition of teaching contributions outside of the realm of the traditional undergraduate classroom, for instance in graduate student and thesis direction.
The Dean emphasized his desire that we do more to facilitate excellence in teaching and to communicate the value we place on teaching.
5. The meeting concluded at 5:45 PM.
6. Future agenda items:
a. Consideration of Dean Subbaswamy's goal of College-wide discussion of tenure criteria, with particular emphasis on the role of teaching effectiveness.
b. A review of the CPC's role in, and the general structure of, the annual departmental planning meetings held with the Dean.
c. Salary policies for professional staff and the Dean's goal of encouraging a modification of these policies at the university level.
d. College policy on the procedures for the distribution of release time for pretenure faculty.
Questions or comments regarding the minutes and actions of the Policy Committee may be addressed to Kevin Hunt 5-3857, Dept. of Anthropology, Student Building 248, khunt@indiana.edu. Past minutes and College Policy Statements can be found at the CPC web page: www.indiana.edu/~college/faculty/policy/policies.shtml.
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