New Business —

Welcome to new members of the committee and welcome back to returning members.

Whisenant reported about his recent meeting with the ad hoc FRB committee, convened this year to discuss and evaluate procedures for dismissal of a tenured faculty member.

Scioli gave an update about her recent meeting with the ad hoc committee on program discontinuance, convened this year in response to the recent recommendations from the Provost to discontinue several inactive and active programs at KU. 

We discussed the FRPR charges for the year.

Davidow reported, with regard to Charge 5, on the work that had been done by last year’s committee to develop policies for the sharing and use of online course evaluations by departments and p/t committees.

The subsequent discussion focused on the committee’s recent specific charge to contribute to the drafting of a Faculty Workload Policy, which the Provost requested in response to a request from KBOR. 

Scioli had already had several meetings with an ad hoc committee of Chris Brown, VP for Faculty Development, Rémy Lequesne, Faculty Senate President, and Brad Cokelet, Chair of SPPT, to discuss and draft a version of the policy, so discussion was in response to the draft.

Most questions and concerns revolved around the data used to establish the initial benchmark of 250 SCH per year, per faculty member.

There was also ample discussion of the revised Excused Absence Policy, a draft of which Scioli shared with the group.

Comments and concerns centered on the language of the document, including use of the word “should” in expressing expectations for faculty and student conduct with regard to excused absences.  Members of the committee were concerned that this language did not make the language binding and therefore it was unenforceable.  The phrase “undue burden” also struck committee members as ambiguous and in need of further definition.

The rest of the meeting consisted of brief discussion of the remaining charges for the year.