FACULTY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Minutes

Tuesday, December 9, 2003

PRESENT: William Beeman, Michel-Andre Bossy, Deborah Cohen, Mary Ann Doane, James Egan, Anne Fausto-Sterling (Chair), Michael Rosen

GUESTS: David Greene, Richard Spies, Tom Webb

The Chair opened the meeting at 3:10 p.m. Minutes of the 11/25/03 FEC meeting were approved as submitted.

Professor Fausto-Sterling gave a Chair’s Report. The FEC officers recently met with the Provost and discussed the new ad hoc retirement committee. One of the important issues the committee will investigate is medical insurance for retirees. The committee charge is still in draft form and there is a proposed membership list on the table. Professor Fausto-Sterling suggested that an emeritus faculty member be added to the membership. The FEC would like to see the ad hoc retirement committee in place and operating before the May Corporation meeting.

A draft of the job description for the Dean of Medicine is now available, and Professor Fausto-Sterling requested that the FEC see the draft before it is made public.

Since one more candidate is needed to complete the University Resources Committee (URC) ballot, the mailing will be delayed. The deadline for response will be extended to the end of January because most faculty will be away from campus for winter break.

A one-semester replacement is needed for the Tenure, Promotions and Appointments Committee (TPA). Professor Fausto-Sterling will call the person on last year’s ballot who had the highest number of votes to see if she will be willing to serve. It was suggested a bulk e-mail be sent to all faculty in mid January to draw their attention to the ballot mailing.

The FEC plans on discussing issues about Brown’s copyright policy with President Simmons at their meeting with her later this month.

Professor Thompson Webb was invited to speak with the FEC about the Wayland Collegium, which he currently chairs. He gave a historical account on Wayland and noted that the Dean of the College oversees its budget which took a 10% cut this academic year. Wayland operates on a budget supported by endowed funds.

Professor Webb met with Provost Zimmer last fall at which time he presented several potential points for discussion and action. He would like endorsement of the Wayland Collegium as being vital to the faculty and faculty activity. Professor Webb feels it is faculty serving faculty and is key to faculty development. In light of the new Faculty Development Advisory Board (FDAB), he proposes that Wayland be housed all or in part with the new Dean of the Faculty. Since there will be many new faculty coming to Brown, it would make sense for Wayland’s funding to be increased so it will be available to support faculty, especially the new faculty turnover. Professor Webb is seeking suggestions for improving Wayland’s service to the faculty with its focus on interdisciplinary efforts and collegial interactions among the faculty. Provost Zimmer was impressed with the points Professor Webb brought to his attention because they are supportive of his new initiatives and he enjoys vigorous discussion among faculty. Professor Webb also met with Dean Armstrong whose reaction to his discussion with the Provost seemed favorable.

Professor Webb invited suggestions and comments from the FEC. They agreed that because of the new faculty coming in, Wayland Collegium should be growing instead of shrinking. Broad faculty support would be beneficial for Wayland. The FEC could weigh-in their support of the proposal. The FEC suggested that Professor Webb and his Board write a letter to all faculty to educate them about the Wayland Collegium and invite conversation to suggest ways to use Wayland grants. It makes sense for Wayland to fall totally under the Dean of the Faculty since it promotes faculty development. The FEC proposed that the issue be raised again with the Provost. Perhaps some of the 10% which was cut from the budget can be restored. Professor Webb thanked the FEC for their input.

Interim Vice President David Greene and Richard Spies, Vice President for Planning, updated the FEC on the Campus Life Planning project with Venturi, Scott Brown. It has been determined that although academic and non-academic life have mixed quite well together, facilities are an anchor in the setup in that they are not up to what they should be. Efforts are now being made to improve campus life with proposals for new buildings and revisions to existing buildings throughout the campus. The main goal is to strengthen the sense of community. In a power point presentation, Dean David Greene highlighted several areas for improvement which they hope will be ready for presentation to the Corporation in February.

A pedestrian traffic study was conducted, and it was determined that there needs to more dining facilities, fitness areas, and community spaces. Other specific needs include a community athletic center, more space in the Rockefeller Library and better food, and improving the area around the Science Library. Metcalf is currently being considered for more wireless study space as demand for study areas is great. It was noted that most patrons of the Sharpe Refectory would prefer it remain a dining hall as they like the social atmosphere there. There is a strong desire for an Academic Resource Center to promote faculty, student and staff interaction. This would be centrally located on campus where the Brown community could come together to socialize and to meet for special events. It would also serve as a show place promoting Brown’s culture. The issue of performance spaces has been raised and there is a need for museum space. Expansion of the University library is a priority. The proposed campus life plan also includes building up the walkways throughout campus. Dean Greene hopes that improvements to facilities will enrich campus life by promoting faculty and student interaction and nocturnal life in a healthy way.

Dean Greene and Vice President Spies would like to come again before the FEC in early spring at which time they will seek general approval of the proposed plan. Insights and reactions from the FEC are welcome before February. The FEC appreciated their keeping them informed of developments related to campus life planning.

The meeting adjourned at 5:00 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Cheryl A. Moreau

Secretary