The Faculty Senate plans to expand upon the idea of "intellectual community" that began under past Faculty Senate Chairman Jahan Ramazani, and will also focus on the unexplored theme of research and scholarship next year.
Senate Chairman David T. Gies said the Senate will host a series of colloquia similar to the technology discussions the Faculty Senate held last year, but with a new focus.
"We want to discuss: What is teaching? What is research? Do undergraduates understand [faculty] research, and do they profit from it? Are the faculty rewarded by their research? These are some of the questions the seminars are going to discuss," Gies said.
He said another seminar will focus on "women's issues in the University."
The Senate's Executive Council met July 15 to discuss its broader themes for the year and to address the concerns of its two committees, the Academic Affairs and Research and Scholarship Committees. They also began planning for their annual student and faculty retreat, which will be Sept. 10.
The Academic Affairs Committee will conclude recommendations pertaining to improving student and faculty relations, which its Student Faculty Interaction subcommittee began work on last semester.
French Prof. John Lyons chaired the subcommittee, which proposed uniformly requiring photographic class lists and encouraging faculty to become more involved with students outside of the classroom.
Another matter the Academic Affairs Committee will address is a "major initiative that ITC is starting-to standardize desktop computing across the University" beginning with a trial run this fall, Academic Affairs Chairman William R. Johnson said.
Another continuation of last year's Committee's projects will be working with Honor Committee members.
Last year, faculty members filled out surveys concerning their experiences and feelings about the tenets of the University honor system.
Johnson said the Academic Affairs Committee would be "comfortable" giving the Honor Committee [representatives] a faculty opinion on the system.
The Academic Affairs Committee also will work on a continuation of the teaching initiatives that provide financial awards to outstanding and distinguished undergraduate educators, Gies said.
The Senate's Research and Scholarship Committee will continue to oversee the establishment of the Faculty Speakers Bureau, through which University faculty will speak to alumni and citizen groups.
The Speakers Bureau, begun last semester by former Committee Chairman Louis A. Bloomfield, is setting up a Web page which will be finished this summer, Gies said.
The Research and Scholarship Committee will work on the forums, as well as look into the feasibility of the Garden Room and other places designed for faculty and students to meet outside of the classroom, he said.
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