21 April 2005
Loyola Marymount University
Faculty Senate Minutes,
April 21, 2005
McIntosh Center
2:45 p.m.-5 p.m.
Present: Cynthia Becht, Victoria Graf, Ed Mosteig, K.J. Peters, Ralph Quinones, Patrick Damon Rago, James Roe, Rhonda Rosen, Susan Scheibler, Thomas Zachariah
Excused: Marta Baltodano, Chun Lee, Charles Erven, Omar Es-Said, Jok Madut Jok, Lily Khadjavi, Elizabeth Murray, Suzanne O’Brien, Edward Park, Ralph Quinones, Leland Swenson,
President Roe called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m.
I. Report and Announcements of the President to the Faculty Senate:
- President Roe welcomed the Faculty Senate to the last meeting of the semester. This was followed by a moment of silence dedicated to Pope John Paul II, the election of Pope Benedict XVI and the 10th Anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing.
-It was moved and seconded to approve the minutes of the March meeting. The minutes were approved with an amendment: SCT Luminus Company is affiliated with Collegis and is a subsidiary of Sunguard.
- Thomas Zachariah reported on the Senate Elections and informed the Senate about the newly elected members:
Fr. William F. Cain S.J. (Science and Math)
Blake Mellor (Science and Math)
Paul Harris (English and Modern Languages)
Nina Reich (Communication Studies)
Susan Scheibler (School of Film and Television)
Jeffery Davis (School of Film and Television)
Robert Singleton (Social Sciences)
II. A Discussion with Fr. Robert B. Lawton, S.J., President of LMU
- Fr. Lawton addressed the following topics:
1. The election of Pope Benedict XVI. The Catholic Church relates to the modern world by strongly reaffirming its identity in dialogue with the world. This is very important for LMU as a Catholic University. Our University, located in a very diverse city, always protects the importance of different views and voices.
2. Issues regarding IT: negotiations are in process with Collegis and the goal is to reassume control of IT by the University.
3. Plans for the next year:
-The goal of the Capital Campaign is $300,000 million. Between $140,000,000 and $160,000,000 have been raised so far.
-More authority and responsibility will be given to the Deans of the various Schools and Colleges as the University becomes more complex. Fr. Koppes will be organizing a retreat to provide professional development for Department Chairs. A new Dean has been appointed to the School of Science and Engineering.
Discussion:
Q: There were no applicants of color for top administrative positions. How would you address the issue of recruiting more faculty and staff of color?
A: It is a challenge to hire more faculty and staff of color and this is being discussed. Primarily it depends on the faculty member in a given department to get to know people and bring them on campus. There are also instructions given to search committees regarding recruiting for diversity. There will also be accountability that an effort is being made by the search committees to address this.
Q: Could you tell us more about the James Irvine Foundation visit?
A: They were genuinely impressed by LMU and view LMU as a place with much potential as well as challenges. Data will be collected and shared in order to better inform decision making.
Q: How do you envision the position of the new Academic Vice President?
A: The new Academic Vice President will work with the Deans as they assume more responsibility. There will be increased emphasis on securing outside grants.
Q: Some faculty of color have left the University. What is the role of the Special Assistant of Diversity in overseeing the effort to help people stay?
A: Abbie Robinson-Armstrong, Assistant to the President for Intercultural Affairs, oversees the Irvine Project and can provide more information. We have to examine the individual cases and the diverse reasons of leaving.
Q: Has the issue of housing been addressed regarding faculty who have left LMU?
A: We are aware that housing is an issue but the housing assistance plan has been increased. However, some faculty do leave for personal reasons.
Q: What is the progress of the plan for the new library?
A: The library is a $55 million project and now we have approximately $37 million. We hope to complete the fundraising for the Library during the next year.
Q: How would you address the raise of tuition?
A: We try to balance our needs and aspirations and provide a quality education at a reasonable price. While tuition is expensive, it is lower than other universities such Santa Clara or Pepperdine University. The key is to raise money and endowment for financial aid. Last year’s surplus will be put into the financial aid.
III. Continuation of the Faculty Senate President’s Report
- There will be a Leadership Retreat in May focusing on recruiting and retaining faculty of color.
- The Elections for the officers of the Faculty Senate will be held in Hilton 302 on April 29 at 3 p.m.
- Initiatives that will be benefit faculty include the maternity leave policy and the increase in housing assistance for new faculty which will be available upon renewal of the second year contract.
IV. Discussion on College Fellowships
- It was moved and seconded to approve the Faculty College/School Fellowship. The document was discussed and clarified in wording and meaning. It was moved and seconded to accept the Faculty College Fellowship with an amendment. The motion was approved unanimously.
Faculty College/School Fellowships
The intent of these Fellowships is to allow up to two faculty members per semester, per college/school to complete a substantial research or creative project by releasing them from a portion of regular responsibilities. During the Fellowship semester, each Fellow will teach one three-unit course and be released from all but one University committee. Service to the Department/College/School should be reduced accordingly to promote the completion of the research project.
Full-time tenured or tenure track faculty who have completed at least two years of full-time teaching at the University are eligible for Fellowships. A faculty member is eligible to receive a Fellowship only once in between the regularly scheduled sabbaticals. A faculty member is not eligible to receive a Fellowship during the semester immediately before or after a regularly scheduled sabbatical.
The application process will go through the Chair of the Department (or through the Coordinator in the School of Film and Television). Four copies will be received and forwarded to the Dean with the chair’s recommendation. The Dean will have a standing committee of the faculty in the College or School to review all applications and make recommendations to the Dean. The Dean will make the final decision and will inform the recipient and their chairs or coordinators.
The application should include sufficient information to allow the Committee, the Chair, and the Dean to assess the intellectual significance of the work, progress dates, and how a Fellowship semester would enable the faculty member to bring the work to fruition. The text of the proposal should be no more than 5 single-spaced typed pages, excluding notes and references.
Application packages shall include the following elements:
1. A detailed timetable for the completion of the project should be provided. This should identify the current stage of the project and a realistic statement of what can be accomplished during the period of the Fellowship.
2. Identify potential sources of dissemination for the project (publication, performance, or exhibition as appropriate) and any information what would allow an estimate of the likelihood of dissemination (e.g. book contract, assessment from an editor, comments in the project from experts, record of successful publication in similar sources in the past).
3. Since scholars from different fields will be evaluating the submissions, the proposal should be written free of academic jargon.
4. Discussion of the intellectual/theoretical significance of the project and its relationship to other work in the field should be clearly stated.
5. The methodology or approach to the project should be outlined.
6. An updated curriculum vitae should be included and should indicate prior publications, professionally disseminated creative works and grant awards.
7. Four copies of your application package should be sent to your chair or coordinator.
8. Each Fellow shall submit a copy of his/her Fellowship project to the Dean no later than February 15/October 15 of the following semester.
The competition deadlines will be set by each Dean in his or her College/School. Pending approval by the Deans Council and the Faculty Senate, this policy will go into effect in the 2005-2006 academic year. Deadlines will be determined in relationship to setting faculty class schedules for the following semester.
The Faculty Senate thanked members who were completing their term as Senators.
The Faculty Senate thanked Fr. Albert Koppes, O. Carm., Acting Academic Vice President, for his service and support of the Faculty and for his service to the University.
The meeting adjourned at 5:00 PM
Submitted by: Victoria Graf
Prepared by: Monika Juszli