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Meeting Minutes, January 21, 2020

The Arts and Sciences Council (ASC), January 21, 2020, 3:30-5:00, UMC 247

Representatives present: Stephen Mojzsis, GEOL; Annjeanette Wiese, HUMN; Elizabeth Huard, SPAN; Leslie Irvine, SOCY; Michela Ardizzoni, FRIT; Alison Hatch, HONR; Deborah Whitehead, RLST; Sebastian Casalaina, MATH; David Stock, EBIO; Julie Lundquist, ATOC; Juan Herrero-Senes, SPAN; Daniel Appelo, APPM; Rebecca Wartell, JWST; Lonni Pearce, PWR; John Gibert, CLAS; Cecilia Pang, THDN; Daniel Kaufman, PHIL; Gerardo Gutierrez, ANTH; Ramesh Mallipeddi, ENGL; Matt McQueen, IPHY; Andy Cowell, LING; Michaele Ferguson, PSCI; Alison Jaggar, WMST

Representatives not present: Francoise Duresse-Stimilli, AAH; Evelyn Shih, ALC; Erica Ellingson, APS; Robert Kuchta, BCHM; Tanja Cuk, CHEM; Hanna Rose Shell, CINE; Tania Barham, ECON; Roger Pielke, ENVS; Angelica Lawson, ETHN; Barbara Buttenfield, GEOG; Tim Weston, HIST;; Ding Xue, MCDB; Patricia Rankin, PHYS; Lewis Harvey, PSYC; Mike Zerella, RAPS; Tina Meyers-Denman, SLHS; Tim Kuhn, CMCI; Samantha Martin, ����������SG

Ex-officios present: Roshanne Ebrahimian, SAC; Samantha Martin, student government; Leaf van Boven, PSYCH; Bob Ferry, BFA

Also in attendance:  Jim White, A&S Bernadette Stewart, A&S Mike Murray, HR; Noah Finkelstein, PHYS; Donne Mejia, THDN; Nils Halverson, APS

The meeting was called to order at 3:30 pm.

Chair’s remarks, Stephen Mojzsis

Stephen Mojzsis welcomes all to the new year and reminds everyone that there is still no word on the reorganization of the college. Additionally, interim appointments continue to happen at ���������� Boulder with no faculty input in the selection process. The ASC is moving forward with creating the committees that the body voted on this past December. The election for the new ASC chair is coming up and Mojzsis would like to be proactive with this search. Those considering the appointment should approach him for more information. In March, candidates will present their platform to the body. In April, there will be a vote.

Dean’s remarks, James White

On the subject of split positions currently in place for the CFO, Interim Dean James White says he does not have much of a viewpoint because he does not consider it much of a change from what is already in place.

On the subject of 3/3 course loads, White confirms that a document to implement this is currently being passed around amongst the deans for editing and review. White has a meeting with the Provost this week for final approval and he sees no reason the Provost would not approve this. The plan is for this new course load to begin this fall of 2020. White confirms that the college has saved money over the last two years and we have the funds for this.

The Provost has decided to give the College of Engineering the B.A. in Computer Science program, which was originally housed in the College of Arts & Sciences. White was not in favor of this as he believes it takes options away for our undergraduate students.

The last campus budget meeting was about a week ago and during it, the CFO talked about going to the regents with a request for differentiated tuition for natural sciences. The cost of classes within the natural sciences is higher than in arts and humanities or social sciences.

Someone asks if this is really a good thing. White explains that right now, money is flowing away from arts/humanities/social sciences and into the natural sciences. A change in tuition would help balance this out. White adds that the social sciences have grown over the past two years and arts/humanities has flattened out. This is an improvement from the previous 10 years and is due to the fact that they have been relentlessly pushing out information on the value of a liberal arts education.

Someone asks if overloading is a possibility with the change to instructor load. White explains that those who want to teach 4/4 and be paid more have the option.

Someone expresses concern for the tuition difference, based on the fact that we have some interdisciplinary units that are both natural and social sciences and we have an interdisciplinary teaching initiative as a college, so this should be discussed further for unintended consequences.

Another concern is raised over the tuition difference. Will the college be reserving the natural sciences for only those who can afford to pay the higher tuition? White says there is an idea currently being discussed to take these additional tuition dollars and put it towards scholarships for those who cannot afford to major in a natural science, but want to.

Regular Business

How is the ASC supposed to have a discussion about the reorganization without knowing the Provost’s decision? Mojzsis believes that this is one of the great matters concerning transparency on the campus right now and that it is cause for concern.

On the subject of the status of growth enrollment funds, White explains that we did quite well, but he is not sure of exact numbers. There was over $2 million in growth and we have all three divisions to thank for that. White is confident that we will do even better next year with increased recruiting efforts.

Visit from Prof. Noah Finkelstein

Noah Finkelstein shares with the ASC his efforts to make ���������� Boulder a Teaching 1 institution, in addition to ����������’s status as a Research 1 institution. This was originally initiated by the AAU, who recognized that teaching evaluation is a key lever in supporting educational engagement.

Finkelstein shared a presentation and handout on Teaching Quality Framework.

The goals of this project include how to make effective teaching practices visible, broadening the definition of teaching, providing a greater structure to our approach, supporting a more developmental approach, and drawing from decades of scholarship in teaching evaluation.

The benchmarks for teaching effectiveness include goals, achievements, growth/development, and focusing on equity/inclusion. Finkelstein says they must rely on the disciplines in order to define how these benchmarks are enacted and applied.

Another important component is soliciting and collecting data from self-studies, student voices, and peer reviews. Self-review includes the professor’s CV, course materials, and reflection. Peer review includes scholarly forms of evidence-based peer review. Student voice includes asking students the appropriate, un-biased questions.

This initiative is currently working with 22 units across the campus in several different colleges. The core principles for those participating are that this be voluntary, scholarly based, disciplinary-defined, developmental, and student-facing.

Someone asks if this initiative will be connected with the Center for Teaching and Learning. Finkelstein explains that CTL is aware of this initiative and he does hope that there can be a connection, but he fears that CTL is under-resourced.

Mojzsis asks about rewarding faculty who achieve excellent teaching and research/creative work at their dossier review. Finkelstein says that they have been working with BFA to discuss this.

Someone asks if this initiative is looking at different modes of course delivery (face to face versus online). Finkelstein says yes, but not aggressively. With online courses, there will be different measures.

Mojzsis asks what the ASC can do to help this initiative. Finkelstein says ASC can help by: raising awareness, making sure the ASC’s work aligns with this initiative; advocating for this project within units that might be right for this; identifying and sharing institutional models (including their pitfalls).

The number one concern with this initiative is the faculty’s time. But Finkelstein is confident that being both an R1 and T1 university is indeed possible.

Provost Committee’s Report on College Restructuring

Mike Murray with the restructuring committee has come to talk to the ASC. He is joined by others in this working group: Bernadette Stewart (A&S), Donna Mejia (THDN) and Nils Halverson (APS).

Murray shared a presentation on restructuring the College of Arts & Sciences. 

The last restructuring working group actually decided on the new structure detailed in the report, so Murray’s group focused more on figuring out how to make this new structure work. There were three working groups total who submitted reports to the Provost in mid-December (restructure, faculty governance and budget). The Provost will give them their feedback, and then the working groups can choose to revise and re-submit the final report. In some respects, this conversation with the ASC is a little premature since the current restructuring report is still in draft form.

Mojzsis states that he would rather the ASC be proactive and gain as much information as possible while this unfolds, and countered that this discussion should not be viewed as premature.

Murray asks everyone to look at the fourth page of the power point slide that was sent out before the meeting. This illustrates the new structure: an executive dean with three deans of school underneath that. The deans of the three schools will be true deans with more autonomy. So the question becomes: how do we maintain the College of Arts & Sciences if it has three different schools? The answer is to create a forum where everyone is kept informed and up to date while having conversations around culture, climate and inclusive excellence. This “forum” would take the form of a new stewardship council, which is suggested in the report.

Mojzsis expresses concerns over the “layering” that may take place as a result of this. Is the stewardship council just another layer of bureaucracy between administration and faculty/staff?

Murray believes that a structure like the stewardship council allows us to have an informed group where all voices are represented at the table.

Halverson says he has thought for some time about the issue of layering. In suggesting a stewardship council, Halverson believes that one of the core principles that developed was to strive to embrace the best practices of inclusive leadership. The stewardship council would ensure that diverse groups are at the decision making table.

Someone voices concern over making sure that it is possible for our students to go in between the different schools. Murray explains that they do want students to have the ability to move among the schools, but they need the stewardship council to figure out how to make that work, to promote transparency, and for promoting the college as a whole. White says that he is in favor of this structure and that the executive dean must be a champion for connectivity and inclusivity and all the things that make a liberal arts education what it is.

Someone asks about whether or not student/staff voices would be incorporated into the stewardship council. Murray explains that there have been extensive discussions about what kinds of professionals would make up the stewardship council, but nothing is firm yet. More importantly, they need to make sure that the chosen executive dean is a peaceful voice for a variety of interests.

More attendees raise their hands for questions, but Mojzsis informs the council that we have run out of time.

Meeting is adjourned at 5:05 PM.