WILLIAM MARSH RICE UNIVERSITY

Minutes of the Faculty Meeting

December 04, 1997

1. Minutes

2. Proposal for a new undergraduate curriculum in Bioengineering

3. Proposal for a new undergraduate curriculum in Computer Science

4. Report on special admissions

5. Report on procedures now being developed

6. Report on the Faculty Handbook

7. Report on the Curriculum Review

8. President's Report on Rice in the Coming Century

1. Minutes.

Minutes of the meeting on October 28, 1997 were approved.

2. Proposal for a new undergraduate curriculum in bioengineering.

Gerry McKenny, Chair of the Curriculum Committee, requested a second approval for a new major in bioengineering. Upon the second and final reading, the motion for the program was approved unanimously.

3. Proposal for a new undergraduate curriculum in computer science.

Gerry McKenny, Chair of the Curriculum Committee, introduced a proposal for a B.S. degree in computer science and offered to answer questions on the Committee's deliberations. Moshe Vardi, Chair of Computer Science, answered questions about the degree and the proposed curriculum. One unanswered concern was the effect on enrollment in other engineering majors at Rice, some of which now attract a fairly small number of students. Dean Carroll confirmed that no increase was anticipated in the total number of engineering majors, which implied some losses for other fields. The first reading of the motion nonetheless passed.

4. Report on special admissions.

Fred Rudolph presented information on the admission of scholarship athletes for the past five years and explained that the modified review process has begun to function as intended. A lengthy discussion followed concerning whether these statistics indicate substantial positive change, a trend in the right direction, or a lack of progress toward improvement in the academic qualifications of scholarship athletes. There was also a short discussion on effects of over-reliance on SAT scores in gauging the the abilities of prospective students. Whether the students in the bottom quartile are capable of doing the work in rigorous courses is a serious concern to several faculty members.

To ensure that faculty advice on admissions during the upcoming recruiting season can be delivered in a timely manner, Chandler Davidson moved that (1) the chair of the Committee on Admissions shall present the report on special admissions at the first faculty meeting of the semester, which should be held no later than October; (2) this report shall be scheduled as the first item of business on the agenda after the approval of the minutes; and (3) this report shall include the number of times that the dean of admissions approved students who were not recommended by a majority of the faculty subcommittee. This motion passed.

5. Report on procedures now being developed.

Policy 201-97 on appointments, promotion and tenure adopted in May 1997 specified that Faculty Council is responsible for developing procedures for investigating accusations warranting severe sanctions, including dismissal, against faculty members. The Speaker of Faculty Council, Walter Isle, explained that Faculty Council will bring a draft of these procedures to the next general faculty meeting for consultation with the faculty. He also went over proposed changes to the Faculty Council By-Laws that will be necessary for the formation of a committee to hear procedural complaints as well as one to hear faculty complaints about other serious matters.

6. Report on the Faculty Handbook.

Ira Gruber, Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee appointed to prepare a faculty handbook reported that a draft will be put up on the Web very soon for faculty review and comments. He also said that a three-person committee of individuals serving staggered terms will be created to maintain the handbook, which will be published in printed form and on the World Wide Web. The committee's final revision of this edition of the handbook will be made on January 20th, 1998, so prompt responses will be appreciated.

7. Report from the Curriculum Review Committee.

Bill Martin, Chair of the Curriculum Review Committee introduced the draft summary of his committee's report, which was distributed at the meeting. It will be available for faculty on the Web along with many other materials and special reports the Committee has collected. Innovations at other universities offer an interesting array of possibilities that can inspire faculty to rethink our own programs. He briefly introduced the principal sections of the draft and urged faculty to read it carefully. He noted that the Committee recommends a gradual process of innovation and reform instead of sweeping and uniform change in all departments.

Martin's mood reflected both the exhaustion and exhilaration of the Committee: Laughter rippled across the room at his ironic observation that he had aged "a year and a half over the past eighteen months." More seriously, he noted: "A very high percentage of universities that have undertaken curriculum review report very strong positive impact on their sense of community, faculty renewal, and the identity of the institution . . . . The Committee hopes this report will engender a renewal of interest in the curriculum. We have not met together much to talk about how we view education. We hope to stimulate conversation about that in the next few weeks, and we hope all of you will want to be part of that discussion."

8. Report on Rice in the coming century.

The most exciting part of the meeting, the President's vision of Rice in the coming century, led to rousing applause from the faculty. Read the President's explanation of Rice in the Coming Century. (Essential reading!)

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