January 14, 2009 - Faculty Governance

Faculty Governance News

vol. 3.9

January 14, 2009 , 2008

From the UNC Office of Faculty Governance
200-204 Carr Building
UNC-CH Campus
Contact: Anne M. Whisnant (anne_whisnant@unc.edu)

Budget challenges to be discussed at Faculty Council meeting, Friday, January 16, at 3 p.m. in Stone Center

The Faculty Council meets this Friday, January 16, at 3 p.m. in the Hitchcock Multipurpose Room at the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History. The agenda may be found online here. Looming budget issues will be a focus of part of the meeting.

Professor Joseph Templeton, Chair of the Faculty, issued a special invitation for faculty to attend, saying, “In light of the current budget realities – outlined recently in a memo to the entire university from Chancellor Thorp – a considerable portion of the meeting will be devoted to a discussion of our view of various budget cutbacks. Between now and Friday, please talk with your colleagues and think about this issue so that you can share opinions and suggestions for budget-cutting measures. Our goal is not to prescribe budget outcomes, but rather to have a conversation with faculty colleagues about budget cuts. We plan to discuss advantages and disadvantages of budget options that are brought forward. Please keep in mind that this will be a free wheeling faculty council conversation, not a decision making budget session.”

Minutes from the Dec. 12 Faculty Council meeting can be found here.

Deadline to submit Honorary Degree nominations extended to January 19

The deadline to nominate candidates for honorary degrees at the 2010 Graduation has been extended until Monday, January 19.

The award of an honorary degree recognizes people who have rendered outstanding service to humanity in the world arena, our nation, in the American South, or in our State of North Carolina; people who have made outstanding contributions to knowledge in the world of scholarship; people whose talent and creativity in the world of the arts has enriched out lives; and people whose devotion to and support of our University merits our highest recognition.

A list of previous recipients may be found here.

Nomination letters can be sent to Joseph Ferrell, Committee on Honorary Degrees and Special Awards, Campus Box 9170, or emailed to Anne Whisnant of the Office of Faculty Governance at anne_whisnant@unc.edu.

Daily Tar Heel reports that per-credit-hour method of calculating tuition charges will not be adopted at UNC-Chapel Hill

The Daily Tar Heel reported on Tuesday that UNC-Chapel Hill will not participate in a pilot UNC-system program to calculate tuition costs by the credit hour rather than by current “block” method, which charges a flat rate of tuition for all “full time” students, regardless of how many hours they are taking. The Faculty Council had voted unanimously in December to discourage the switch from block to per-credit-hour computation of tuition costs, citing its possible negative effects on student learning.

Obama inauguration to be televised at Faculty Commons, Campus Y, January 20

President-elect Barack Obama will be inaugurated next Tuesday, January 20, at noon. A large-screen television will be set up in the Anne Queen Faculty Commons at the Campus Y for faculty to view this historic event. Please drop by after 11:00 to have some coffee and witness a piece of American history.

Inaugural meeting of LMS User Group scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 20

The inaugural meeting of the Learning Management System (LMS) User Group will take place from 2:30 – 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 20 in room 205 of the R. B. House Undergraduate Library. Vice Chancellor for Information Technology and CIO Larry Conrad will kick off the first meeting. The group was formed to provide a forum for sharing LMS innovations, resources and best practices. A learning management system (LMS) is software, such as Blackboard or Sakai, that manages and delivers instructional content as well as tracks learner activities and progress. To review the meeting agenda, please visit http://tinyurl.com/7kxj7j

Faculty Mentoring Award nominations being accepted; deadline is January 28, 2009

Nominations for Faculty Mentoring Awards, sponsored by the Carolina Women’s Leadership Council, are due January 28. Each winner will receive $5,000. These awards recognize outstanding men and women faculty members who go the extra mile to lead students and junior faculty as they make important career decisions, embark on innovative research and teaching initiatives, prepare for leadership positions, and enrich their lives through public service, teaching and meaningful educational opportunities. One award will be given in each of two categories: faculty-to-student mentoring and faculty-to-faculty mentoring.

All tenured and tenure-track faculty are eligible for these awards, as well as fixed-term faculty members who have been at UNC for at least three years. Visiting faculty are not eligible. Nominations may be submitted by anyone from the Carolina family, including current and former faculty, staff and students.

The awards will be presented at the annual meeting of the Carolina Women’s Leadership Council, scheduled for February 26-27, 2009. For complete information about these awards, including instructions for completing nominations, please visit http://provost.unc.edu/announcements/2009-faculty-mentoring-award.html or contact Carol Tresolini, Associate Provost for Academic Initiatives, at 962-3907 or Carol_Tresolini@unc.edu.

“Black Women in the Academy: Strategies for Survival, Success, and Transformation” symposium set for January 30-31, 2009

“Black Women in the Academy: Strategies for Survival, Success, and Transformation” is the topic of a two-day symposium scheduled for January 30-31 in the William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education.

Plenary speakers will include:

Dr. Beverly Guy, Sheftal, Spelman College;
Dr. Yolanda Moses, University of California at Riverside;
Dr. Rhonda Sharpe, University of Vermont; and
Dr. Monica Corbitt Rivers, Winston Salem State University.

Undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, faculty, and administrators are invited to attend. For more information, write to sbwacademy09@gmail.com or visit http://www.unc.edu/iaar/Sites%20of%20Struggle/sos.htm

Graduate Research Consultant Program can help faculty incorporate research into undergraduate courses

Would you like to help your undergraduate students acquire productive habits of mind in your courses so that they learn to conceptualize, create, investigate, collaborate, and communicate? To date, over 100 faculty in all disciplines have used the Graduate Research Consultant (GRC) program sponsored by the Office for Undergraduate Research (OUR) to increase opportunities for original inquiry for over 6,000 students. The OUR pays graduate students chosen by the faculty for 30 hours of work during the semester to offer advice to undergraduates as they plan, conduct and communicate the results of original investigations in these classes. For more information about designing such courses and applying for support for your own GRC, please visit http://www.unc.edu/depts/our/faculty/faculty_grc.html.

Tell students in need to visit the Office of Student Aid

Shirley Ort, Associate Provost and Director of Scholarships and Student Aid, offered this advice for faculty to give to students who may discuss a difficult financial situation with a faculty member:

“Our students may be facing increased financial challenges due to the economic climate. If a student shares such a dilemma with you, please encourage the student to visit the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid to determine if assistance may be available.”

Ort’s office is located in Pettigrew Hall.

Faculty Governance Reading Room

Articles, books, or other resources of interest to faculty. This week’s selection:

Colleges Press New Ideas as They Brace for Bumpy State-Budget Sessions (from Chronicle of Higher Education, 9 January 2009; access is free from campus network)

About Faculty Governance News

The Faculty Governance News is published every two weeks throughout the academic year by the Office of Faculty Governance. Archived issues and the publication schedule for 2008-09 are available online here. Information to be considered for inclusion should be sent to Anne Whisnant (anne_whisnant@unc.edu) by Monday before an issue is scheduled to appear.

For more information on any of these items, please contact Anne Whisnant in the Office of Faculty Governance.