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Scenes from Faculty Senate

Joint Strategic Planning Committee

Thursday, December 2, 2004

1:00 - 2:30 p.m.

Green Hall President's Conference Room

Attendance: Robert Carothers, Tom Dougan, Robert Weygand, Faye Boudreaux-Bartels, Celest Martin, Karen Ramsay, Bill Rosen, Michael Rice, Jim Kowalski, Roxanne Gomes, Abu Bakr, Anne Morrissey. Guests: Cliff Katz, Tom McElroy, Kathleen Guglielmi, and Ron DiOrio.

Announcements: President Carothers introduced Kathleen Guglielmi and Ron DiOrio from the School of Education, who were attending the meeting to present the Charter High School proposal.

Faculty Senate Chairperson Boudreaux-Bartels announced that Commissioner Jack Warner will speak on student learning outcomes assessment at the December 9 Faculty Senate meeting. She said that everyone was invited to attend and encouraged Vice President Dougan to invite members of the Division of Student Affairs to attend as well.

Minutes: TThe minutes of the October 21, 2004 meeting were approved as corrected.

Ombuds for Division Units: Chairperson Boudreaux-Bartels shared with the committee the Executive Committee's proposal, which, for want of a better term, was being referred to as the Administrative Ombuds proposal.

Senate Chairperson Boudreaux Bartels explained that the proposal was for a systematic review of administrative processes and forms in an effort to clarify steps necessary for moving various requests through the system. She said that the Executive Committee proposed that administrative units provide clear guidelines and flow-charts for the various review and approval processes. This would include listing all required signatures and steps on forms, posting flow-charts and simple guidelines in offices and on the web. In addition, a "facilitator" or "trouble shooter" would be appointed for each major administrative division who would respond to process and procedural questions, direct people to the appropriate source of information outside that person's department and review systems to recommend appropriate modifications.

Discussion ensued during which the Executive Committee responded to questions and clarified that their proposal was not to add new positions, but to select someone at a high enough level in each division who was in a position to look at the systems holistically and propose modifications if necessary.

Assistant Provost Katz suggested that what was needed was a small group of experts who could provide assistance to faculty and others in unusual situations regarding how to comply with regulations and move through the various processes successfully.

During the discussion, the group also agreed that there was a need to provide workshops for assistant deans, department chairs and budget directors when they begin their positions and on a regular basis thereafter so they are familiar with the various processes and can help others navigate the system.

Ms. Morrissey and Mr. Bakr agreed to follow up on the discussion with a more detailed proposal.

Charter High School Proposal: President Carothers, reported on the proposal to establish a charter high school for adolescents who leave the corrections system and provided the historical context for the proposal.

Discussion of the specific proposal ensued. President Carothers, Professor Guglielmi and Mr. DiOrio, Director, Office of Teacher Education, responded to questions about the proposal.

The meeting adjourned at 2:30 p.m.