NOTE: At times, issues of confidentiality may require that some items discussed in meetings be excluded from these minutes.

PRESENT: Bill Barnes, Alan Gabrielli, Steve Hamrick, Joyce Mills, Mike Murphy, Dawn Ramsey, Zvi Szafran, and Wayne Unsell.

GUESTS: John Mills, Facilities

John Mills gave a brief update on campus projects. New chillers have been installed in Building J and the first section of the third floor is ready for the contractors. Faculty and staff in that section are now operating out of J 163. The building E roof is near completion; the Wellness Center is next on the list for roof repairs. Underground utility work is progressing. Mills stated that in the future, where possible, Facilities will schedule projects when the campus is least populated.

Other Updates:

VPAA Szafran announced that Cobb County Schools has also withdrawn from the Early College Project but this project may still be an option to consider for next year.

The Construction Engineering degree proposal from ACC is almost ready to go to the Board of Regents. Mechatronics will now be named Robotics & Mechatronics and will hopefully be approved by December. Szafran will share these proposals with the deans.

Early Warning – data shows a small number of students fell into the category of three or more non-engaged entries. The number one course with the most non-engaged students was Physics followed by Math. Students will be receiving the appropriate letter soon. The undergraduate curriculum committee approved a support course entitled “Hitchhikers Guide to SPSU” and will be listed as SPSU 1010. This course will be open to all students but strongly recommended for those listed as non-engaged.

VPAA Szafran has been talking with VP Gruska about Streaming Video and greater outside access from the VPN. VPN is already being used by Building J faculty and staff relocated to J 163 and will eventually be available campus wide. Wireless may still be an option but there are still security issues to be addressed.

Item 1: Role of Deans

The deans were asked to submit a short paragraph to the VPAA about how they see their roles as deans. Some points derived from these included

complicated process regarding searches for faculty
budgetary control and who should be accountable and at what level
signatory authority for different processes/forms
clear responsibilities of deans and department chairs
appearance of circumventing dean authority by going directly to the VPAA
chain of command in dealing with student appeals
deans role and the role of the Deans Council

VPAA Szafran will address these items and work with all involved to streamline the processes. The deans agreed that department chairs should have more responsibility and control over their budgets with less need for deans’ signatures on purchasing and travel requests.

The VPAA’s office will make sure that students who appeal to their office have followed the P&P regarding student appeals and if additional information is needed Szafran will include the dean and department chair. Szafran will also generate a list of dean/department chair duties from their job descriptions.

Item 2: Faculty Positions

The VPAA distributed a list of faculty positions needed for review and discussion. Szafran will finalize the list and forward to the deans for prioritization.

Item 3: Equipment Funds

Equipment funds requests and tech fee proposals will be kept separate. Dean Murphy will draft a form to be used in equipment proposals.

Item 4: Graduate Programs

The committee has agreed to meet every two weeks.

Item 5: International Programs

Issues were raised concerning the number of exchange students we are accepting and the financial impact on the university. This will discussed further.

Miscellaneous and Future Agenda Items

Dean Ramsey talked briefly about the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Workforce Teaching Laboratory and Outreach Center and asked for feedback as to whether we should pursue this or not.

Future Agenda Items

International Exchange Students
Hydrogen Fuel Cell
Hiring Process for Temporary Faculty

Meeting adjourned at 4:10 P.M.