February 11, 2008

Present: Dale McFadden (chair), Tom Busey, Deborah Cohn, Sandra Dolby, Jeff Hart (recorder), Brian Steensland, and Maxine Watson.

The meeting began at 4:00pm.

Patricia Steele, Dean of University Libraries, joined us at 4:20pm to brief the committee on plans for a “research commons” in the East Tower of the Main Library.  She provided a one-page summary and a Xerox copy of a PowerPoint presentation (see http://www.cni.org/tfms/2007b.fall/Abstracts/presentations/cni-research-steele.ppt).  The research commons would complement the “information commons” in the West Tower.  While the information commons was designed primarily to be used by undergraduate students, the research commons is being designed for use by graduate students and faculty.  Dean Steele is looking for feedback from the faculty regarding these plans. 

Dean Steele also discussed the need to redesign the branch libraries to reflect student demand for common spaces for research and the declining dependence on non-digital resources, especially in the sciences.  She mentioned that the Library was conducting some experiments with making reference librarians available for consultation via web-based video teleconferencing.  The IU Archives moved to the fourth floor of the East Tower in November 2007 and faculty may want to visit it to see how other library research areas might be reconfigured.

Dean Steele left at 4:55pm; Dean Bertenthal arrived at 5:00pm. 

The Dean repeated his earlier request that the committee work on a policy regarding documentation and procedures for hiring of senior faculty with tenure. 

Despite continuing pressures on the College’s budget, Dean Bertenthal said that he is hoping to raise stipends for AIs in many departments so that there are no stipends less than $11,000 per year.  The College had requested and received funds to pay for three and a half more undergraduate advisers from the Provost’s funds.  Because of low salaries for advisers, the College was losing them to other units in the University and to the MCCSC.

The Dean left at 5:40pm.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:45pm.

Jeff Hart, Recorder

Questions or comments regarding the minutes and actions of the College Policy Committee may be addressed to its Chair, Dale McFadden (mcfadden@indiana.edu – 855-3845). Past minutes and College Policy Statements can be found at the CPC web page.