Faculty Council Business Meeting
Monday, September 22, 2003, 12:00 noon
Cohen House, Esther M. Cohen Dining Room

Present: Ed Akin (Speaker), Lynne Huffer (Deputy Speaker), Marjorie Corcoran, Steven Crowell, Rebekah Drezek, Tom Haskell, Bob Patten, Caroline Quenemoen, Patricia Reiff, and Herb Ward. Absent: Stephen Baker, Deborah Harter, Hannah Landecker, Michael Emerson, Julia Morgan, and Mark Wiesner. Guest: Ira Gruber and Mary McIntire.

(1) Minutes (9/8/03): The minutes were accepted after one revision

.
(2) Continuing Studies, Liberal Studies Degree Proposal (Mary McIntire and Ira Gruber): The Speaker welcomed the guests (Mary McIntire, Dean of Continuing Studies, and Ira Gruber, Professor of History) and then requested that McIntire present the Continuing Studies proposal to establish a Masters of Liberal Studies Degree Program at Rice University.

McIntire provided a summary of the proposal, and she pointed out that the interdisciplinary, part-time masters degree program is to serve working professionals and other adults. She emphasized that 80% of the core teaching staff will be senior and recently retired Rice University faculty in the fields of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences. McIntire then said that the Steering Committee will be comprised of faculty from those disciplines, who will oversee the curriculum and admission of students. She gave a brief history of the first graduate liberal studies programs and described other distinguished institutions that have such programs, which are often administered in colleges or schools of continuing or general studies. McIntire stressed that there would be many benefits for Rice University (the degree program will attract alumni, especially those who attend Continuing Studies courses; it will provide opportunities for faculty to teach outside their disciplines and to develop areas of personal research interests; and courses can be formed that can be adapted to other graduate programs and to the undergraduate disciplines). McIntire stated that it is a four years program that will require a lot of composition but not a thesis. She communicated that the classes will be on a quarterly based system (September to May); however, there will not be classes in the forth quarter (June to August). She then said that the Graduate Council has already recommend (to the Faculty Council) that the proposed Master of Liberal Studies degree, operated by Continuing Studies, be approved during 2003-2004 Academic Year.

Council and guests then discussed other aspects of the program (such as costs/fees, time commitments/constraints, teachers/instructors, Graduate Council reviews, and so forth) and the following motion was made:

"I make the motion that we approve this proposal and send it to the faculty for vote in the next General Faculty Meeting."

(The Speaker asked if any member of the Council would like to second the motion and none responded. Motion died for lack of a second.)

Akin thanked the guest for the presentation. He then stated that Council will further discuss the proposal during their business meeting on October 6, 2003, and they will endeavor to arrive at a recommendation in time for the General Faculty Meeting in November.

(3) Art & Art History Department (split) and Summer School (Speaker):

(A) Degree Changes, Art & Art History Department (split): Akin described his concerns/questions about the possible impact on the faculty due to the Art & Art History Department split. Council decided to delay further discussion of the curriculum issues until their business meeting on October 6, 2003, and then prepare a recommendation to present at the General Faculty Meeting in October 2003. Akin said he would inquire about the department faculty support for the split.

(B) Rice Summer School, Admitting High School Students: (deferred to a future meeting)

(4) Governance Committee (Patten): Patten stated that the Governance Committee is moving toward having a proposal to present to Council in mid-spring. He then said that the committee's first gesture this fall will probably be to have someone from the AAUP give a talk at Rice University regarding general issues of faculty governance in at universities.

(5) Policy Committee (Huffer): Huffer stated that the Policy Committee is handling the Intellectual Properties Policy and the Professor of the Practice Policy, both of which involve very time consuming, far-ranging issues. She provided a handout, which listed all the different faculty titles (categories: paid/unpaid non-tenure track teaching; paid tenure-track teaching/research; paid, via renewable contracts/grants, non-teaching). Huffer expressed her concerns about the issues involved in the usage of the "Professor in Practice" title, which was proposed by President Gillis for a series of new, non-tenure track teaching faculty titles of the "(Assistant/Associate) Professor in the Practice of (Field)." She said the title would be primarily created for the usage of the School of Architecture and the Jones School. She stressed that some form of review, beyond the Departments, needs to be established for such appointments. Huffer said that there will be a joint meeting of the Faculty Titles Committee and the Policy Committee to discuss the "Professor of the Practice" question in the context of the issues of faculty titles, generally. She emphasized that the Policy Committee will welcome suggestions.

(6) Faculty Council business meeting, 9/29/03, with President, Board Chair, and Provost, Preparation (Speaker):

(A) Athletics Report (Speaker): Since the Faculty Council resolution on forming a new Athletics Review Committee occurred before Council knew
that the Board had decided to undertake a full and open study of athletics at Rice, Council has requested that the Speaker ask President Gillis to delay
the appointment of such a committee until after the Board has shared its study with the university community. The Speaker reported that the President agreed
to Council's request.

(B) Confidential Information Access: (discussion deferred to a future meeting)

(C) September 3, 2003, General Faculty Meeting: (discussion deferred to a future meeting)

(D) November 11, 2003, General Faculty Meeting: (discussion deferred to a future meeting)

(7) Honor Council Appeal Board (Speaker): Akin commented that Council has completed the task of forming the initial panel of seven faculty members (one will be on leave the second semester) to be available to serve with Don Ostdiek (Assistant Dean, Student Judicial Programs), as members of an Appeals Board to hear each appeal brought forward as a result of a decision of the Student Honor Council. The Speaker stated that the panel will select a Convener, and the panel Convener will meet with Dean Ostdiek, for each appeals case, to select two faculty from the panel (of full professors) to serve on the Appeals Board, to mainly address whether proper Honor Council procedures were followed. Akin stated that Council will review the efficiency of the workload of the new appeals process, and seek ways to maintain good continuity with future panels. He then said that the Speaker and Deputy Speaker will meet with the faculty panel and Dean Ostdiek at the end of each semester regarding those matters. Council pointed out the necessity of creating formal documentation that describes how the Appeals Board/Panel operates.

(8) Academic Calendar Proposed for 2004-2005 (Speaker): (discussion deferred to a future meeting)

(9) New Honor Council Committee (Speaker): (discussion deferred to a future meeting)

(10) Bylaws (revisions) (Speaker): (discussion deferred to a future meeting)

(11) New Business: Discuss Non-Faculty Council Representation on Faculty Council Subcommittees (Huffer): Huffer stated that it would help the subcommittees if members of the faculty are added to help with the work load for those subcommittees. Council agreed that it would be good to add "non-voting members" of the faculty, but emphasized that the Faculty Council must be notified of membership changes to the subcommittees.

(12) Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 1:30 p.m., and the next Faculty Council business meeting is scheduled for Monday, September 29, 2003, 11:30 a.m., Cohen House, Esther M. Cohen Dining Room.

Ellen Butler, Secretary