Present: Hadi Esfahani, Bettina Francis, Harry Hilton, Lewis Hopkins, Richard Laugesen, David O’Brien, Robert Parker, Bruce Rosenstock, Daniel Steward, Leslie Struble, H. F. Williamson.
The meeting began at about 12:32 p.m. with O’Brien presiding.
- Review of the Minutes for May 7, 2020 Meeting of Policy Committee. The minutes were approved.
- President’s Report. O’Brien discussed the significant activities that had taken place since the May meeting of the Policy Committee that he had summarized in his written report.
- Governance Report. This was completed during the summer and, in the interest of speeding up its release, it was shared with Bill Bernhard in the Provost’s office.
- Sexual Misconduct Policy. He sent a comment to the Committee for the Campus Administrative Manual (CAM) summarized our concerns in particular about the absence of any system of progressive sanctions.
- COVID-19. Members of the Policy Committee had met with President Killeen, Executive Vice President Wilson, Chancellor Jones, and Provost Cangellaris via Zoom on July 30 to discuss the University’s preparations for the fall semester. We learned that no professor would be compelled to teach in person. He noted that those attending had told him how impressed they were with the administrators’ thoughtfulness and familiarity with the University’s plans.
- Newsletter. He is beginning to work on our fall newsletter and will welcome any suggestions for content that the members have.
- Schedule for Fall Policy Committee Meetings: O’Brien referred to the information provided in the agenda for the schedule of Policy Committee meetings this fall The meetings will start at 12:30 p.m. on the following Thursdays. We assume that they will be all held electronically.
- Thursday, October 8 (2nd Thursday);
- Thursday, November 12 (2nd Thursday).
- Thursday, December 10 (2nd Thursday); Reading Day is also December 10)
- Review of Annual Chapter Meeting and Program on May 12, 2020. Struble asked about the status of the minutes for the meeting. Williamson reported that they had been prepared and would be sent to the Policy Committee later this week. There was a brief discussion about the procedures that should be followed for their approval.
- Governance Report. The committee members complimented Esfahani for the draft report which was circulated to the committee in July. There was a lengthy discussion of the next steps we should take with particular reference to the issues of with whom the current draft should be shared, how it should be drafted to be sure to preserve the anonymity of the respondents, and how it will be presented to a broader audience. It was agreed that the first step will be to ask the members of the Policy Committee to review the current draft and send Esfahani any suggestions for revisions. It is expected that one week will be allowed for this step. The second step will be for the leadership to meet with staff in the Provost’s office to see where we go next. The goal is to finish this process as quickly as possible.
- Other Actions
- Promotion and Tenure Workshop. Hilton reported that the workshop is set for April 1, 2021. We have commitments from Provost Cangellaris and Vice Provost Bernhard. He will be contacting the remaining panelists as well.
- New Members of the Policy Committee. O’Brien reviewed the procedure we follow for proposing new members of the committee. The first step is to propose possible new members for an informal review. If this is favorable, they will be invited to attend a meeting of the committee. He proposed two individuals as possible new members for this year, and both were approved.
- Adjournment. The meeting adjourned at about 1:35 p.m. As noted above, the next meeting will be at 12:30 p.m. on October 8, 2020