October 14, 2005
Meeting of the Faculty Council
Friday, October 14th, 2005
3:00 p.m.
The Pleasants Family Assembly Room in Wilson Library
Chancellor James Moeser and Professor Judith Wegner, Chair of the Faculty, will preside.
Agenda
3:00 Faculty Council Convenes
- Welcome by Professor Wegner
- Remarks by the Chancellor
- Introduction of University Registrar Alice Poehls
3:20 Questions and Comments from Members of the Council
3:30 Comments from the Provost
3:40 Athletics Reports and Discussion
- Report of the Faculty Athletics Committee: Professor Lissa Broome (Chair, Faculty Athletics Committee)
- Report of the Faculty Athletics Representative: Professor Jack Evans (Faculty Athletics Representative)
4:20 Diversity Assessment and Planning: Discussion with Representatives of the Diversity Task Force
- Click to download the following Word documents.
- Report of the Diversity Task Force
- Excerpts from the Report
- Links to Background Materials
- Members of the Task Force
- Click here to download a Powerpoint file about diversity.
- a. Overview of Diversity Task Force findings, recommendations, process for developing “diversity plan” – Dr. Archie Ervin, Associate Provost for Multicultural and Diversity Affairs; Dr. Melva Newsom, Director, Diversity Education and Research.
- b. Discussion of selected recommendations: From faculty viewpoint, how can we
- “Ensure accountability for achieving diversity objectives”? (Recommendation 2)
- “Achieve the critical masses of minority populations necessary to ensure the educational benefits of diversity”? (Recommendation 3)
- “Make high quality diversity education, orientation, and training available to all members of the University community”? (Recommendation 5)
- “Create and sustain a campus climate in which respectful discussions of diversity are encouraged” (Recommendation 6)
5:00 Adjourn
Minutes
The Faculty Council of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill convened at 3:00 p.m. in the Pleasants Family Assembly Room of the Wilson Library.
The following 47 members of the Council attended: Alperin, Ammerman, Bachenheimer, Barreau, Becker, Bennett, Cairns, Copenhaver, Couper, Dalton, Degener, Dupuis, Eble, Foley, Gerber, Gilligan, Heenan, Holmgren, Huber, Jonas, Klebanow, Kramer, Lastra, Leonard, Matson, McGrath, McIntosh, Mesibov, Muller, Murray, Papanikolas, Perrin, Renner, Rogers, Rustioni, Salmon, Sandelowski, Smith, Sulik, Sweeney, Tauchen, Tiwana, Tobin, Trotman, Wallace, Wissick, and Wolford. The following 38 members were granted excused absences: Arnold, Belger, Blocher, Booth, Chapman, Clemens, Connolly, Conover, de Silva, DeSaix, Ewend, Gasaway, Givre, Granger, Gulledge, Howell, Kagarise, Kamarei, MacLean, Marshall, Martin, Matthysse, Miguel, Morton, Murphy, Peirce, Rock, Selassie, Simpson, Strom-Gottfried, Sutherland, Taylor, Templeton, Vick, Weil, Weinberg, Wilson, and Yankaskas. The following three members were absent without excuse: Anton, Keagy, Lin.
Chancellor’s Remarks
Chancellor James Moeser reported that Carolina has just become the only institution in the country to receive eight grants as part of the National Institutes of Health “Roadmap for Medical Research” initiatives. This program encourages researchers to attack complex problems using interdisciplinary collaboration and sophisticated computation techniques to create quick translations to patient care. Carolina’s funding for these awards totaled $15.5 million and includes support for the new Carolina Center of Nanotechnology Excellence. The Chancellor said that a major factor in our success in this competition has been the creation of an office, led by Prof. Rudy Juliano (Pharmacology), to guide our efforts to compete for prestigious awards at the highest level. Prof. Juliano will lead the nanotechnology center. Other faculty receiving rants are Professors Bruce Cuevas (Pharmacology), Michael Jarstfer (Pharmacy), K.H. Lee (Pharmacy), Eugene Orringer (Medicine), Barry Popkin (Nutrition), David Siderovski (Pharmacology), and Alexander Tropsha (Pharmacy).
The Chancellor said that the Tuition Task Force, led by Provost Robert Shelton and Student Body President Seth Dearmin, is nearing completion of work on proposals for campus-based tuition increases for next year. He said that the Task Force aims to generate between $5 million and $6 million (net after setting aside 40% of the increase for need-based aid and graduate student awards) to help raise the minimum per semester salary for teaching assistants to $7,000 and to continue to advance faculty salaries closed to the mean individual salary of our peer institutions. Increases in under consideration for undergraduates are in the range of $250 to $300 for residents and $600 to $900 for non-residents. For graduate and professional students, increases under consideration are in the range of $300 to $500 for residents and $300 to $600 for non-residents.
Chancellor Moeser praised the work of the Chancellor’s Task Force on Diversity under the leadership of Associate Provost for Diversity and Multi-Cultural Affairs Archie Ervin. The Chancellor said that the essence of the diversity we seek goes beyond statistical reports and benchmarks; it seems to embrace diversity in every dimension of human interaction: race, religion, politics, and sexuality. We seek an atmosphere that encourages civil discourse about sensitive topics, he said, but without adopting speech codes or infringing on anyone’s First Amendment rights.
Introduction of the University Registrar
Provost Shelton introduced Alice Poehls, the newly-appointed University Registrar, who came to Carolina from a position as registrar at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Ms. Poehls thanked all those who have been supportive and welcoming since her arrival at Carolina. She said that she has been involved in faculty governance over the years and is eager to serve the faculty as well as the administration.
Questions and Comments from Council Members
Prof. Diane Leonard (Comparative Literature) lamented the fact that the Ph.D. program in Portuguese is being eliminated. Noting that one of the Distinguished Alumni honored on University Day was Prof. Ana Lucia Gazzola, Rector of the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil, Prof. Leonard said that we have had a strong faculty and student exchange program with Brazil which will be compromised by de-emphasizing studies in Portuguese. She hoped the decision would be reversed. Prof. Frank Dominguez (Romance Languages) said that this decision runs counter to trends elsewhere in the country where programs in Portuguese are being expanded. He added that Portuguese is also important for Hispanic studies. Dean Bernadette Gray-Little said that discussions with affected faculty members are ongoing. She did not think today’s Council meeting to be an appropriate forum for discussion of the larger issues involved.
Prof. Lloyd Kramer (History) said that he was pleased to hear Chancellor Moeser include mention of sexual orientation in his remarks about diversity. Prof. Kramer said that some faculty members had come to him expressing concern about two recent events that called into question gay/lesbian identity.
Prof. Andrew Perrin (Sociology) said that while news of our success in NIH “Roadmap” grants is pleasing, there is a flip side. He wondered what plans are being made to enable the University to continue its intellectual mission in the face of declining NIH grant support overall. Will there be a diversion of funds from Academic Affairs to medical/scientific research in order to continue to support the superstructure that has built up over the years as grant funding continued a steady increase, he asked? Chancellor Moeser responded that the University needs to begin to think about strategies for shifting research funding more toward private and corporate support. He said that development of Carolina North would play a major role in that regard. Every research university is facing similar circumstances, he said, especially as Congress faces the challenge of identifying funds for the massive reconstruction work that is needed in areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
Comments from the Provost
Provost Shelton reported briefly on the status of the ongoing work in preparation for SACS reaccreditation.
As for the status of senior administrator searches, the Provost said that four finalists for Director of the Morehead Planetarium are being interviewed; we have received many applications for the post of EO/ADA Director; and searches for deans of Law and Journalism continue.
The Provost reported on experience after one year with the new Parental Leave Policy. He said that about 2% of eligible faculty took advantage of the policy in the 12 months. The total number was 51, of whom 46 were women and 5 were men. Prof. Perrin said that he has heard reports that there have varying degrees of receptivity to the policy among department chairs. He hoped for a future report on kinds in the policy that need working out. Prof. Leonard said that in the College parental leave is counted against the department’s total allocation of research and study leave time. She said that in a small department that is a serious problem.
Annual Report of the Faculty Athletics Committee
Prof. Lissa Broome, Chair of the Faculty Athletics Committee, reviewed highlights from the committee’s annual report.
Prof. Jack Evans, Faculty Athletics Representative, commented on aspects of his written annual report.
In response to a question, Director of Athletics Richard Baddour said that Carolina has informed the ACC that we will not host a Thursday night game on this campus.
Prof. Steve Bachenheimer (Microbiology & Immunology) said that one issue that arose in the 1995 reaccredidation study was that student-athletes did not find themselves integrated into campus life as much as they would like. Prof. Evans acknowledged that this continues to be a concern, but he pointed out that Coach Dean Smith had encouraged a culture in his program that strongly encouraged students to complete their degrees. He said that Coach Roy Williams holds the same views.
Diversity Assessment and Planning
Prof. Charles Daye (Law) presented an overview of the work and recommendations of the Chancellor’s Task Force on Diversity assisted by Dr. Archie Ervin, Associate Provost for Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, Dr. Melva (Cookie) Newsom, Director of Diversity Education and Research, and Prof. Carol Ann Trotman (Dentistry). See the PowerPoint presentation posted on the Faculty Governance website at https://facultygov.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/261/2010/10/CDC2005.ppt.
Prof. Jay Smith (History) would have preferred a more specific definition of “diversity.” Will the University’s response to the report focus specifically on traditionally under-represented groups, he asked, or on broader considerations? Chancellor Moeser commented that perhaps the “affirmative action” aspect of diversity should continue to focus on traditionally under-represented groups while the “non-discrimination” aspect casts a wider net.
Several members asked about how the Task Force collected and analyzed its data. Dr. Lynn Williford, Director of Institutional Research, explained the limitations of the research design which was intentionally structured to encourage comments from respondents without being intrusive.
Prof. Mary Anne Salmon (Social Work) commented that the trends observed in the responses from minority and women faculty parallel those found in other workplace surveys. She asked whether there are comparisons that can be drawn to the perspectives of Carolina faculty and minorities and women in other work settings. Dr. Newsom replied that more could be done in that direction.
Prof. Eric Muller (Law) asked how “intellectual diversity” fits into the work of the Task Force. Prof. Evelyne Huber (Political Science) observed that intellectual diversity is not readily measurable and should not be the subject of affirmative action, a point with which Chancellor Moeser expressed agreement.
Prof. Terence McIntosh (History) asked about the concept of a “critical mass” of minority faculty. He wondered whether there are departments in the University where a “critical mass” has been achieved. Prof. Daye replied that under the decision in Grutter v. Bollinger (concerning a constitutional challenge to the University of Michigan Law School’s affirmative action admissions policies) it is impossible to define “critical mass” in general terms because the concept is context-dependent.
At the conclusion of the discussion, the consensus appeared to be that the Council would welcome the opportunity to continue discussion of the Task Force’s recommendations at a later date.
Adjournment
Its business having concluded, the Faculty Council adjourned at 5:00 p.m.
Joseph S. Ferrell
Secretary of the Faculty
