November 5, 2024 Minutes

Council of Department Chairs

In attendance: Curtis Bennett, Krzysztof Slowinski, Kelly Young, Jesse Dillon, Lijuan Li, Lora Stevens, Will Murray, Prashanth Jaikumar, Jim Kisiel, Christine Whitcraft, Babette Benken, Jeanine Pociask, Christina Hall, Margaret Karteron, Tatiana Avila

  1. Approve approved
  2. Approved minutes from October 22
  3. Associate Deans part 1
    1. Academic Programs
      1. Please read both memos on range elevations carefully. One memo is for people who should have been notified last year, but were not. Second is for those who are eligible this year.
      2. Lecturer Evaluations. Please check spreadsheets sent from Dean's office. Send discrepancies to Matt Menchaca in Faculty Affairs.
      3. Please run CS Link reports on enrollments and keep seats open. Also making sure that we will have seats for students who don't pass their courses this fall.
  4. Announcements
    1. ASM
      1. On recruitments, everything is going as planned
      2. Budget
        1. We still don't have too much detail, but current news is budget cuts will be coming next year, a cumulative 8%, but "it will feel like 9.7%." As things become more clear, the dean's office will look at potential carryover and how we will move forward in the new environment. "We will get through it together," but it doesn't look good.
        2. Very important that assigned time is coded correctly, and anything that is direct instruction (like course coordination) is in a code 11 (or maybe 13).
      3. Staff Training: On Thursday a fiscal training with staff. At a later date (possibly Friday) there can also be a training for chairs with their staff. Deans level of managing money is to help departments organize and distribute money to departments. Main management at department level.
    2. Operations
      1. Week of deadlines
        1. 48 applications from college for RSCA/FSG. No information yet on the number of MG/SS
          1. Sabbatical applications due November 6, chair impact statements due on November 8 - Please be thoughtful about the impact statement (# who can get from your department, etc.). Probably 5 or 6
            1. Review period until December 12
            2. If you were eligible last year and didn't get a sabbatical, you are automatically eligible for this year
            3. Does it matter if you request 1 or 2 semesters for sabbaticals
              1. Chair impact semesters
              2. 2 semesters is often more likely to be funded by provost
        2. Deadline for submitting applications for nominations for university achievement awards was last night
          1. 19 nominees
          2. 18 submitted
          3. College committee evaluates 3 awards
            1. Dist. Teaching (DFTA) - 4 applications
            2. Early Career - 2 applications
            3. DFSCAA (Distinguished Faculty Scholarly Achievement Award) - 4 applications
        3. Scholarships
          1. Oliver Mamangum has left the university - currently a search. Two individuals helping out for now
          2. Will be reaching out 1 department at a time regarding scholarship opportunities regarding information to be in Beach Scholarship
            1. Criteria needing special consideration
            2. Rubric
          3. Please get scholarship committees to the dean's office
          4. Please give updates on the summer research assistantships
    3. Development
      1. Scholarships
        1. A few straggler students who have not replied to their request for a "thank you"
        2. Thanks to Kris for quick response on donor issue
        3. Green Graduate Fellowship
          1. The donor intent was $15K per year for minimum of two years
          2. We need to change how we are giving them
          3. If a recruitment scholarship, we need to be thoughtful of date
          4. Criteria in Dick Green gift agreement is not overly specific
          5. Money would fund 6 total
          6. First year could be 3 and 3 fellowship scholarships
          7. We will revisit this at a January retreat. (Approved by vote)
    4. Dean
      1. Budget - Discussed above
      2. January retreat - travel plans to deans office by end of the week
      3. Roof repairs
        1. first contractor fired
        2. new contractor through purchasing (hear at the end of the week)
        3. multi-year process
        4. asked to fix the immediate holes temporarily
        5. Contact Kelly Young for further questions
      4. Autoclave situation
        1. A water pipe burst on October 27.  Decreased water pressure for at least 2 weeks (on campus), so autoclaves are not functioning. Biology has a temporary work-around. Contact Raymond Macias for information. Old autoclaves are working on wet cycle. New ones are out of commission for
      5. Next meeting - next Tuesday
  5. Associate Deans part 2
    1. Research
      1. Thanks for talking to faculty about new ORED deadlines. Qualtrics survey was sent out.
        1. Please stress that people need to talk to the chairs if they plan to put in a grant
        2. Urgent situations have happened then clearance doesn't always happen
      2. ORED is trying to get information from departments on what we would like to make our Federal Priorities. AVP for university relations is meeting with URAC, please make suggestions about what we want to be our federal priorities for funding. We have a Qualtrics survey. Please fill out.
    2. Graduate Programs
      1. Revised the Master's Policy, went through GRAC and CEPC. What went forward to senate was friendly to our programs.
      2. Amendment at Academic Senate that would increase the % of program that needs to be primarily graduate from 50% to 70%, which would limit double numbered courses to 30%.
        1. Numerous people have reached out to make concerns known
        2. Alternative language has been suggested
  6. Adjournment at 11:52am

Upcoming Dates

  • November 11, 2024: (Monday) Veteran's Day - Campus Closed
  • November 12, 2024: (Tuesday) Promotion Only Department & Department Chair's Reviews due to Interfolio
  • November 18, 2024: (Monday) Open Period begins for Periodic Mini Reviews and ETF (through Monday December 9)
  • November 25-27, 2024: (Monday-Wednesday) Fall Break - No Classes, Campus Open
  • November 28 - December 1, 2024: (Thursday-Sunday) Thanksgiving Break - CAMPUS CLOSED
  • December 6, 2024: (Friday) CNSM End of Semester Party, 2:00pm-4:00pm
  • December 11, 2024: (Wednesday) Last Day of Classes
  • December 12-18, 2024: (Thursday-Wednesday) Final Exams
  • December 24, 2024: (Tuesday) Last Day of Fall 2024 Semester
  • December 25, 2024 - January 1, 2025: (Wednesday-Wednesday) Winter Break
  • January 2, 2025: (Thursday) Winter Session Begins
  • January 17, 2025: (Friday) Winter Session Ends
  • January 20, 2025: (Monday) Martin Luther King Holiday - Campus Closed
  • January 21, 2025: (Tuesday) First day of Spring Semester - First day of classes
  • May 20-23, 2025: (Tuesday-Friday) Commencement at Angel Stadium

Meeting minutes were APPROVED Tuesday, December 17, 2024.

Note: The minutes above reflect discussion on the date of the CDC meeting about policies, not actual policy. Faculty and staff should wait for official communication on each subject before acting.