Brown University Task Force on Faculty Governance Minutes of Meetings

Minutes of The Task Force on Faculty Governance

September 19, 2002

Attending: Nancy Amstrong, Russell Church, Richard Fishman, Peter Gromet, John Savage, Rajiv Vohra, and Michael White.

Absent: Anne Fausto-Sterling

Guests: Dean Paul Armstrong, Prof. and Dean-Designate Karen Newman, Mr. Russell Carey

1. The opened at 1:05pm and adjourned at 2:55pm.

2. The minutes of September 12 were approved.

3. University Curriculum Committee (UCC)

   Dean Armstrong and Dean-Designate Newman gave us their opinions on the University Curriculum Committee. After debating the merits of the existing system for curricular review, which is reflected in the College Curriculum Council (CCC) and the Graduate Council (GC), we acknowledged 1) that there are important issues involving both graduate and undergraduate matters for which it is desirable to have a committee with overarching responsibilities 2) but that it is also desirable to retain the CCC and the GC.

   Based on this input we agreed to reshape our proposal for UCC to make clear that in curricular matters that are purely undergraduate or graduate in nature, the CCC and the GC will operate as they do today. However, on curricular matters that have both a graduate and an undergraduate component, they will be brought to the UCC. Such matters include creation of a new academic unit that has both undergraduate and graduate courses and degree programs and such policy issues as the teaching of undergraduates by graduate students.

   To ensure that members of UCC remain informed about the issues that come to it via the CCC and the GC, we agreed that the UCC membership should consist of the Deans of the College and Graduate School and the faculty Vice Chairs of both councils ex officio, the faculty members in their third year of service on the two councils and one undergraduate member of CCC and one graduate student member of GC chosen by members of the respective bodies, and the Registrar.

   We agreed that meetings of the UCC will be convened at least once per semester and that it will report annually to the Faculty.

   Dean-Designate Newman proposed that we delete items 2, 4, 5, and 7 shown below from the charge to UCC since these responsibilities would continue to be handled by the CCC and GC. A variation on item 4 is needed for proposed degree programs that overlap the jurisdiction of both CCC and GC.

     =============================DRAFT=================================
     University Curriculum Committee (UCC)
     -------------------------------------
       o Responsibilities
     	1 Oversees undergraduate and graduate degree programs
   	  and the development of criteria and standards for them.  
   	2 Submits proposed changes in degree programs, criteria and standards 
   	  to the Faculty for approval. 
   	3 Makes recommendations to the APC and the Faculty concerning
   	  the changing curricular needs of Brown undergraduate and
   	  graduate students. 
   	4 Reviews curricula for all new degree programs (graduate and
             undergraduate) and recommendations on them to the APC.
   	5 Reviews (3-5 years) of all departmental and program
   	  concentrations and curricula (graduate and undergraduate). 
   	6 Reports annually on these reviews to the Faculty and may recommend
   	  termination of inactive concentrations and degree programs. 
   	7 Approves changes in undergraduate concentrations and graduate
   	  degree requirements consistent with approved criteria and
   	  standards.
   	8 Adjudicates curricular conflicts as they arise between programs
   	  and departments.
   	9 Appoints subcommittees
   
     ===================================================================
   

   The charge to CCC and GC will be modified to reflect these changes.

4. Review of Draft Committee Charges

   The following members of the Task Force agreed to comment on the draft charges to the following committees.

   Task Force Member	Committee
   Michael White	APC
   Rajiv Vohra	TPA
   Richard Fishman	UCC
   JE Savage, Nancy Armstrong	FAC, FEC, NCFEC
   Richard Fishman	URC

5. A Standing Committee on Faculty Grievances

   We met with Russell Carey to discuss the charge to a faculty grievance committee. He prepared for the Task Force descriptions of such committees at other colleges and universities. Both the Chair and Vice Chair had examined these descriptions and concurred with Russell in believing that the Smith College committee best fit our needs. We agreed that it would be the basis for drafting a charge for such a committee at Brown.

   Submitted by
   John E. Savage