Present: Hadi Esfahani, Robin Kar, Richard Laugesen, David O’Brien, Robert Parker, Leslie Struble, H. F. Williamson
The meeting began at about 11:00 a.m. with Kar presiding.
(1) Welcome and Introductions. Kar welcomed the attendees and thanked them for their service. Since there were no guests today, introductions were not needed.
(2) Review of the Minutes for the February 12, 2026 Meeting of Policy Committee. Since there were no responses to his request for substantive comments on the minutes, Kar announced that they were adopted by unanimous consent.
(3) Preparation for the Annual Chapter Meeting.
(a) Program and Speakers. Kar reported that Amy Santos has accepted our invitation to be a panelist for the program at the Annual Chapter Meeting covering Title VI and the concerns it is raising with respect to academic freedom. He also discussed whom he is considering to be a second panelist.
(b) Date and Time. Previously, the meeting has been held on the Tuesday of final examination week which is May 12 this year. It was agreed that this will be this year’s date providing there are no conflicts for our speakers. The proposed time will be 3:30 – 5 p.m. also providing there are no conflicts. Laugesen noted that an alternative time could be the slot between morning and afternoon final exam times in case that would avoid possible conflicts.
(c) Annual Chapter Business Meeting. Kar also set up the Nominating Committee to propose candidates for the election that occurs at the meeting. The members will be David O’Brien, Bob Parker, and Leslie Struble.
(4) Preparation for the P&T Panel.
(a) Date and Time. Parker reported success in arranging a time convenient for all the panelists. The Panel Discussion will be Wednesday, April 22, 2026 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. He circulated a first draft of the poster with the correct date and panelists. Rob will circulate a copy of the final draft once the link has been set up for this year.
(b) Publicity.
(i) Vice Provost. Kar will contact Executive Vice Provost William Bernhard to have his office contact Directors and Department Heads and urge them to encourage their relevant faculty to attend the panel.
(ii) EWeek and Packets. Kar, Parker, Laugesen, and Williamson will work on the entry for EWeek and the packet of material to send to Policy Committee and Chapter members to have them help publicize the meeting among their colleagues.
(iii) Website. Struble will prepare the posting for the Chapter website.
(5) Membership Drive
(a) Membership Social Event. Parker suggested that given the increase in membership, we might consider holding a social event at which we welcome these individuals, let them know what we are doing, and invite them to become more active. They could be invited to bring colleagues who are interested in knowing more about the association. It was felt this would be separate from the Annual Meeting and advertised at the P&T Panel. The publicity could distinguish between current members and individuals on our friends list. The invitation could be like a President’s Report and could include the information noted above about welcoming them and their becoming more active.
(b) Makeup of New Members. Esfahani noted that it would be useful to know more about the makeup of the new members such as their rank or department. He is willing to take a first look at the data. Kar expressed his appreciation for his being willing to take this on.
(8) Adjournment. Kar adjourned the meeting at about 11:50 a.m.
The next meeting is scheduled to be at 11 a.m. on Thursday, April 2, 2026.