Minutes of faculty council meeting 8/24/99

Announcements:

Dr. Barber: She would like to send best wishes to Branson some afternoon soon when he can be available on campus. She will send an e-mail with details.

Gail Hudson: Thanked the faculty for good suggestions for next year’s move-in day. T-shirts from this move-in day will be used again next year to save money.

Students should have revised schedules and faculty will be notified of students with learning disabilities in their classes.

Faculty Evaluation deadline dates are not confirmed due to lack of personnel head.

Diane Futrelle: If faculty want UNC or Duke library cards renewed they must let Diane know, and she will arrange it. New faculty may obtain borrowing privileges by contacting her for a new card.

Weekend library hours have been adjusted with the approval of department heads. Saturday the library is closed. Sunday hours are from 2pm-10 pm.

New faculty members were introduced by department heads.

Dot welcomed all members of the faculty, announced officers of Staff Council, asked faculty to remind students about dress up Tuesday ("dress for success day"), proposed food for future faculty council meetings, explained choice of meeting place, invited suggestions for meeting place.

Dr. Nelson addressed the faculty. He encouraged the faculty to see him individually and talk. He offered a special subscription rate to faculty for the New York Times. He introduced an article from U.S. News and World Report that discusses the decision-making abilities of teen age students. David Stein will e-mail the article to the faculty.

He thanked the faculty for the warm welcome he has received. He suggested the faculty are the engines of this good school. He wants all faculty to feel that they are an integral part of the success of the school. Regarding the search committee, Dr. Nelson suggested that he will be here through December and possibly longer. He conveyed that leadership has nothing to do with micro-management and that he would like to support the faculty strengths and help them however he can. He shared with the faculty that he has asked Sandy to chair an ad-hoc committee to re-examine the role of the cabinet. He stated that it is essential in a community as small as ours that everyone feel as if he or she is a shareholder. He invited faculty to share with him their thoughts on the governance of the school and to make an appointment to speak with him individually.

Dot began the discussion about committee assignments. Don Houpe described the Academic Technology committee that discusses the technology needs of the faculty and students. Gail Hudson described the role of the SLI liaison, and Tom Clayton described the role of the mini-term committee to promote and publicize mini-term this year and to develop appropriate standards to develop individual projects. Hugh Haskell introduced the role of the hearing board, and Ollie Burrell described the tasks of the scholarship committee in deciding on the recipients of available scholarships. Steve Warshaw described the new accreditation committee role. There will be a school improvement team with faculty, the principal, and stakeholders. Steve recommends that the curriculum council become the School Improvement Team next year. In the meantime, this year the SACS committee with focus on the school profile, school beliefs, and measurable outcomes. This will probably be a multi-year committee. The school sent Dr. Barber, Elizabeth Moose, and Dr. Warshaw for training last spring.

Dr. Barber addressed the possibility of having a committee assignment on the Action Plan Committee. This committee will look at the revisions of the code of conduct, possible addition of an honor code, and implementation of the recommendations of the Action Plan developed last school year. John Woodmansee made a motion that this be made a committee assignment for one year. The motion carried.

Tom Clayton requested that faculty and SLIs form a committee to brainstorm some ways that the entire community can aid in the admissions process. The committee would meet to help think through strategies for admissions and work with the admissions office and encourage other adults on campus to participate in new admissions efforts. These people could be asked to help with regional testing and do other work in recruiting. Leslie Brinson moved that the proposed new admissions committee be made a new committee for the next year. Steve Warshaw reiterated that this is not more work but done in the hope of working more efficiently. Jon Miller pointed out that these faculty members would be compensated for this work instead of it really being an extra committee as in the past. Tom Clayton said that this committee will make new decisions about compensation for faculty work in the admissions process.

Those in favor of Leslie’s motion = 29

Those opposed = 4

Abstain = 1

Dot stated that the faculty council has been asked that faculty department heads not serve on a committee because of their assignment on the Administrative Evaluation Committee.

Dot invited comments on this to the officers who will then assign committees based on the input of faculty.

Faculty will meet the first and third Tuesdays this semester, and Dot invited faculty to send agenda items that they would like to discussed this semester.