September 2, 2009

Faculty Governance News

vol. 4.1

September 2, 2009

From the UNC Office of Faculty Governance
200-204 Carr Building
UNC-CH Campus Box 9170
Contact:  Anne M. Whisnant (anne_whisnant@unc.edu)

Message from new Faculty Chair McKay Coble

Dear UNC Faculty:

It is an honor to be in the position to serve you as Chair of the Faculty. Please let us know what is on your mind – that is what we are here for! We will be setting up new ways to communicate with each other as I learn more (what my kids already know) about the capabilities of computers. Until then, call, email, write, smoke signal – we want to hear from you.

Best, McKay
A. McKay Coble, Chair of the Department of Dramatic Art and Chair of the Faculty
acoble@email.unc.edu or 919-962-7748 or 919-843-9813

Faculty Council and General Faculty to hold first meeting, Friday, September 4

The Faculty Council’s first monthly meeting of the year will be held Friday, September 4, 2009 at 3:00 p.m. in the Hitchcock Multipurpose Room of the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History. This meeting also constitutes the fall meeting of the General Faculty, as prescribed in the Faculty Code of University Government.

This will be the first meeting conducted by new Chair of the Faculty McKay Coble, who will open the floor to discussion of priorities for Faculty Council work during the coming year.  All faculty are invited to come, express what is on your minds, and contribute to the discussion. The complete agenda for the meeting is now online here.

For the complete Faculty Council meeting schedule for the year, as well as for agendas and meeting minutes of all Faculty Council meetings from 1997 to the present, please visit the Faculty Council page of the Faculty Governance website.

FAQ of the Month

How do I get on the Faculty Council agenda?

People frequently contact our office asking how to get a topic or speaker on the agenda for the monthly Faculty Council meetings.  The Faculty Code of University Government (essentially the constitution for faculty governance at UNC) places responsibility for programming the Faculty Council agenda in the hands of the Agenda Committee, an appointed subcommittee of the Council.  The Agenda Committee meets monthly (schedule online here) to consider agenda items.  If you have an item you’d like to put before the Agenda Committee, please contact Anne Whisnant in Faculty Governance at anne_whisnant@unc.edu or 919-962-1671 or contact any member of the committee.

It is important to note that the rules of procedure for the Faculty Council also allow faculty members to initiate proposals from the floor, although proposals for legislative action must be distributed in advance of the meeting according to the rules of providing “due notice.”   You can read about the Agenda Committee here and the full rules of procedure for the Faculty Council here.

The Faculty Executive Committee:  Another way to bring concerns to the attention of faculty leadership

Sometimes you might have concerns that you are not sure warrant attention at the Faculty Council.  Another way to bring issues to the attention of your faculty leadership — as well as to the attention of University administration — is to take them up with members of the Faculty Executive Committee (FEC).  This elected committee of fourteen faculty members drawn from all areas of the university, serve as members of the Faculty Council and, in certain situations, can act on its behalf.  They also advise the Chair of the Faculty, and have an important role representing the Faculty Council and the General Faculty in consulting with the university administration on various planning and policy issues.  The Faculty Executive Committee’s role is described in Section 2-10 of the Faculty Code.  Please feel free to contact any FEC member at any time.

Faculty Governance meetings calendar now available

All scheduled meetings of both the Faculty Council and many of the standing committees of the faculty are listed on our Faculty Governance Google calendar, accessible from a link on the Faculty Governance home page.  Check it out to better understand the operations of faculty governance here at UNC!

2010 Distinguished Alumna/us Award nominees sought; Deadline for nominations is October 14

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2010 UNC Distinguished Alumna/us Awards, which will be presented at the 2010 University Day ceremony. The deadline for nominations is Wednesday, October 14, 2009, and anyone may submit a nomination. The Faculty Committee on Honorary Degrees and Special Awards selects winners.  Nomination letters should include appropriate biographical information and a statement in support of the nomination that shows the nominee’s contribution to humanity in any walk of life. Supporting letters often accompany nominations, but the content, not the number, of these letters is what counts.

Nomination letters can be sent to the Committee on Honorary Degrees and Special Awards, Campus Box 9170.  Please read the complete criteria and instructions for making a nomination here.

Free coffee is back at the Faculty Commons at the Campus Y:  9:00-11:00 a.m. daily!

The Office of Faculty Governance is pleased to announce the return of free coffee for faculty and their guests at the Anne Queen Faculty Commons at the Campus Y.  Due to budget-related belt tightening, the coffee hours will now be from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. each weekday.  The Faculty Commons is a beautifully renovated space where faculty and their guests can gather for impromptu get-togethers or conversations.  The room is kept unscheduled each day until 1:30 p.m., but faculty groups can reserve the room for faculty-oriented programs in the afternoons.  Please contact David Thompson in the Office of Faculty Governance (962-2147) for more details or check out the room regulations, calendar, and reservation form online.

Association for Women Faculty and Professionals holds fall reception, September 17

The UNC Association for Women Faculty and Professionals invites all women faculty to its fall reception, to be held Thursday, September 17, 2009 from 5:00-6:30 p.m. in the Faculty Commons at the Campus Y.  Since 1978, the AWFP has offered women faculty opportunities for fun, networking and learning through social activities, seminars, discussion groups and other events. The diverse membership, expanded to include professional women in 1992, now includes faculty, researchers, administrators, librarians, communicators, fundraisers, medical and legal professionals, and other UNC faculty and staff.

For more information, please visit the AWFP website or contact AWFP president Anne Whisnant at anne_whisnant@unc.edu.

2009 Lambeth Lecture to focus on higher education and civic engagement

This year’s Lambeth Lecture, sponsored by the Department of Public Policy, will be delivered by Ambassador James A. Joseph on Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 5:30 p.m. in Gerrard Hall.  The event, and the reception following, are free and open to the public.  Joseph, who served as ambassador to South Africa from 1996 to 1999, is now Professor of the Practice of Public Policy Studies at Duke, where he has launched the U.S. – Southern Africa Center for Leadership and Public Values to help emerging leaders in southern Africa contribute to the development and reconstruction of their countries and the region.  Joseph will speak on “Remaking America: Higher Education and Civic Engagement.”   Click here for more information.

Is technology always good in the classroom?

When does technology become a hindrance instead of an aid to learning?  Join Vinodh Venkatesh of the Department of Romance Languages, for “A Study of Facebook and Learning Management Systems for Course Management” on Wednesday, Sept 16 at 3:30 p.m. in Toy Lounge, Dey Hall.  To register for the free event, refer to http://tinyurl.com/ITSTL091609-unc-edu.  The event is sponsored by ITS Teaching and Learning and the Center for Faculty Excellence.

Technology training available for College of Arts and Sciences faculty

At a time when IT training has been curtailed due to budget cuts, there is good news for faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences who want to design a webpage, learn a new piece of software, or just get general technology training:  the OASIS Instructional Technologists are offering regular classes and have open training hours every Mon-Thurs from 1-4pm.

Faculty Governance Reading Room

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

• Off-Track Profs: Nontenured Teachers in Higher Education by John G. Cross and Edie N. Goldenberg.  Investigates the expanding role of part-time and non-tenure-track instructors at ten elite research universities and explores the consequences of this trend for the quality of the educational experience, the functioning of the university, and the excellence of the academic environment.  Inside HigherEd carried an article about this book last May.

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 2009-10 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.