April 19, 2022 Minutes

Council of Department Chairs

In attendance: Curtis Bennett, Margaret Karteron,  Andreas Bill, Dessie Underwood, Maryanne Horton, Allie Puz, Lijuan Li, Will Murray, Lora Stevens, Lisa Martin, Kris Slowinski, Henry Wu, Babette Benken, Tanya Piloyan, Valerie Bagley.

NOTE: THESE MINUTES REFLECT DISCUSSIONS THAT HAPPENED ON THE DATE OF THESE MINUTES.  DUE TO THE COVID-19 SITUATION, THINGS ARE RAPIDLY CHANGING.  FOR OFFICIAL POLICY PLEASE WAIT FOR DOCUMENTS FROM THE APPROPRIATE OFFICES.   

  1. Approve Agenda (11:00)
  2. Approve Minutes from April 12
  3. Announcements
    1. ASM
      1. Faculty stipends and pay increases have been mostly keyed in.
        1. Chairs be prepared to receive questions because not everyone will get a check at the same time.
    2. Operations Update
      1. Committees
        1. We have enough nominations to run a ballot, but we’re still accepting nominations as they come in.
      2. Commencement
        1. Program has been edited and will be sent out for final revisions/additions this week.
      3. Scholarships are in progress.
    3. Communications Update
      1. Fellows Colloquium Event is 4/20/22 at 7:00 PM.
      2. Standing call for news items.
    4. Dean’s Report
      1. GSI Redux
        1. After discussion, it was determined that the General Salary Increase would apply to Fall 2021 hires.
      2. Student Council Elections are on Friday, April 22, 2022.
        1. This council determines the Nobel Laureate Speaker among other responsibilities.
      3. College Fellows Colloquium
        1. Wednesday, April 20, 2022 at 7:00 PM.
        2. Event is fully virtual this year.
  4. Associate Deans
    1. Academic Programs
      1. Student Showcase (Tanya Piloyan, Valerie Bagley Time Certain 11:15)
        1. Saturday, April 23, 2022 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
          1. Check In begins are 8:00 AM; event set up starts around 8:30 AM.
        2. RSVP Totals as of now
          1. 208 students
          2. 545 total (students and guests)
        3. Tanya needs names of participants and duties assigned as soon as possible.
          1. Please send Tanya all PowerPoint presentations so that we’ll have a backup in case of technical issue.
        4. General Meeting on Thursday, April 21 for event preparation (this meeting will be recorded so participants can watch later if they have schedule conflicts).
      2. Enrollment Updates
        1. Beach Enrollment Data is a resource for daily enrollment comparisons.
          1. May help you anticipate enrollment needs.
        2. Class Based Enrollment Data is also available.
      3. Withdrawal
        1. Deadline was last Friday (April 15, 2022).
          1. No exceptions can be made except in major extenuating circumstances.
    2. Research & Graduate Programs
      1. IRB Issues
        1. Some reports of delays.
        2. Send specific examples of delays to Babette or Barbara.
          1. Examples will not identify faculty or department.
      2. Administrative Barriers Task Force
        1. Babette will send a list of previously identified administrative barriers and chairs can chime in to add to the list if anything is missing.
    3. Graduate Programs
      1. Graduate Fellowships
        1. Each college selected 2 fellowship nominations; recipients will be announced by the Office of Graduate Studies on or before May 13:
          1. Anise Mansour (MS, Physics)
          2. Michelle Castillo (MS, Biochemistry)
        2. We have funding for an additional 10 Richard D. Green Awards
          1. Recipient announcement pending.
  5. New Business
    1. Discussion about Lecturers Teaching 296/496 Courses
      1. Potential Issues:
        1. Entitlements
        2. Conflicts of interest
        3. Duration and Consistency
        4. Research Space
        5. Contract Conflicts
      2. Benefits
        1. Increase capacity for student research
        2. Lecturer satisfaction
      3. Potential interest in special cases.
        1. Will require additional record keeping.
      4. Instructor committee has been asked to investigate and make recommendations.
    2. “Reimagining Faculty” at the University Level
      1. Currently this discussion involves clinical faculty and doctors who are employed in other ways.
      2. Focusing on tenure density will put CNSM at a disadvantage as we have the highest tenure density of any college (because the definition of tenure density does not include TAs). The Provost has already rejected making a change in the data based on TAs, thus we need to be careful about how we frame these issues.

Upcoming Dates:

Apr. 18-22: Week of RSCA
April 20th: Fellows Colloquium (7:00pm Hybrid)
Apr. 23rd 9-1: CNSM Showcase
May 17: College Commencement (1pm, between COTA (9am) and COB (5pm)) at the stadium

Meeting Minutes were APPROVED on Tuesday, May 3, 2022

*Note: This reflects 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.