GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY
MINUTES OF
THE FACULTY SENATE
FEBRUARY 16, 2005
Senators Present: Kevin Avruch, Jim Bennett, Rei Berroa, Russ Brayley, Lorraine Brown, Phillip Buchanan, Richard Carver, Richard Coffinberger, Warren Decker, Charlene Douglas, Bob Ehrlich, Esther Elstun, Michael Ferri, Kingsley Haynes, Mark Houck, Kristin Johnsen-Neshati, Dan Joyce, Menas Kafatos, David Kuebrich, Julie Mahler, Alan Merten, Linda Monson, Jean Moore, Ami Motro, Patricia Moyer-Packenham, Jane Razeghi, Priscilla Regan, Larry Rockwood, James Sanford, Joseph Scimecca, Suzanne Slayden, Peter Stearns, Clifton Sutton, June Tangney, Tojo Thatchenkery, Susan Trencher, Phil Wiest, Stanley Zoltek
Senators Absent: Alok Berry, Michelle Boardman, Deborah Boehm-Davis, Sara Cobb, Martin De Nys, Jeff Gorrell, Lloyd Griffiths, Bruce Johnsen, Carol Kaffenberger, Rich Klimoski, Jim Kozlowski, Jane McDonald, Jim Metcalf, Robert Nadeau, Peter Pober, Daniel Polsby, William Reeder, Esperanza Roman-Mendoza, Christine Smith, Daniele Struppa, Shirley Travis, Iosif Vaisman, John Zenelis
Liaison Present: Linda Fauteux, Staff Senate
Guests Present: Robin Herron, Brian Rooney, Mike Terry
Chair Jim Bennett called the meeting to order at 3:01 p.m.
The minutes of January 26, 2005 were approved as
distributed.
III. Announcements
A. Force-Add Statistics – Fall 2004, Fall 2003: Jim Bennett displayed two transparencies from the Office of the Registrar regarding force/add statistics. During the fall of 2004, there were 3,149 force/adds. If computed at a rate of 3 credit hours per class, this would yield $2.1 million in revenue for the University. A total of 2,944 force adds occurred during the fall term of 2003.
B. Independent Study Statistics: The Executive Committee has just finished a first draft of three academic years’ worth of data (Fall 2001 – Summer 2004) in which a total of 31,113 hours of independent study course registrations at the undergraduate and graduate levels (theses) were recorded. These courses generated an average of $2.2 million in revenue for the University per academic year.
C. Phi Beta Kappa: A letter from Marion Deshmukh, Phi Beta Kappa Faculty Coordinator to Professor Charles Adams, Phi Beta Kappa Senator and Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville), written in response to the turning down of George Mason University’s application for a Phi Beta Kappa chapter this year was displayed on transparencies. As noted in the letter “apparently the primary reason [for the rejection of Mason’s application was] the abrupt withdrawal of a speaking invitation previously extended to filmmaker Michael Moore. While most faculty members wish this recission had not occurred, there are those who concurred with the President’s main rationale – that the $35,000 fee to be paid from state monies was not a wise use of educational funds . . . the University attempted to find alternative means to fund Michael Moore’s campus visit. Given the short time period under discussion, Mr. Moore’s schedule prevented him from participating in a campus program.” Appended to the letter was a petition from forty-one Phi Beta Kappa members of the George Mason faculty in support of a request to reconsider this decision. for the benefit of our best students. “George Mason University has attained significant stature in its short existence. . . the distinction of large numbers of important faculty members, including two Nobel Prize winners, a MacArthur, several Guggenheim, NSF, Fulbright recipients as well as numerous other distinguished professors. It ignored the increasingly high quality of our students. But finally, and most important, it missed an opportunity to play a part in the only significant institution of higher education (four-year) in Northern Virginia, one of the most dynamic areas in the nation…an opportunity to reward merit by recruiting into its ranks students from first-generation immigrant families who will be national leaders in the future. . . an opportunity to reinforce the liberal arts values which lie very much at the heart of George Mason’s undergraduate education.” Jim Bennett raised the question of how we as a faculty can support the reapplication for a chapter in the next cycle, which will not take place until 2006. A motion was made and seconded to establish a Senate Task Force to help us prepare fully for George Mason University’s next Phi Beta Kappa application, working with relevant faculty and administrators. The motion was passed unanimously.
1) Congratulations to T. Mills Kelly, Assistant Professor of History and Art History and associate director of the Center for History and New Media (CHNM) who received the 2005 Virginia Outstanding Faculty of the Year Award yesterday at a ceremony in Richmond. He was the first person so honored in the new category of Teaching with Technology.
President Merten noted that the University is in the final phases of the Search for Vice President for Research and in the early stages of the search to replace Helen Ackermann as Vice President for University Relations. The search for two new deans is now concluded: Shirley Travis is the new Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences and Dan Polsby has been appointed Dean of the Law School. The President noted the high quality of these appointments.
President Merten will hold an Open House on Friday, February 18, 2005 from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. in Mason Hall to talk about his recent trip to Asia in which he visited Shanghai and Beijing, China; Seoul, Daegu and Busan, Korea; and Taipei and Kaohsuing, Taiwan. He praised the faculty for the connections to twenty-one universities they have made and noted that George Mason University is very highly regarded at these institutions. He stressed the importance of maintaining these contacts and continuing to promote GMU in Asia.
2) As of this date, the Virginia state legislative session is about to go into conference. The Governor’s proposed budget would give GMU a $2.8 million increment; the Senate is proposing an increase to $3.7 million; the House a reduction to $1.8 million. The Governor has proposed a 3% faculty and staff salary increase; the House proposes a increase of 4%.
President Merten said that he opposed the proposal of UVA, William and Mary, and Virginia Tech to become “charter universities.” However, there is a perceived need for the State government to develop a more business-like relationship with the public universities. To address this issue, there are now new bills before the Legislature asking for more independence for all state schools, for the right of each school to negotiate for more freedom in specified areas of particular interest to that institution, and for the right to negotiate “agreements of understanding” in specific areas.
George Mason University is interested in four areas of increased independence: tuition, purchasing, information technology and capital projects. Human resources also constitutes an area of future interest in this process. It is expected that the proposed legislation under will pass in some form.
As this is the year in which amendments are made to the all-ready adopted two-year budget, the GMU Administration is now gathering data for next year’s budget. One item of note is a plan to request a COLA for faculty and staff because of the high cost of living in Northern Virginia. This issue has not been looked at for fifteen years. The President requested that individual faculty and the Senate work with the Administration on this issue.
In response to a question raised regarding the option of providing tuition benefits for dependents, President Merten responded that the Attorney General of Virginia reports this is illegal; one cannot spend state monies in this way under current law. It is possible that greater institutional autonomy in the future might allow a reconsideration of this issue.
3) President Merten distributed two documents “Plan 2010: The Road to Greatness” and “Proposed Facility Openings 2004-2010” (Attachments A and B). The current planning process is effectively the fourth planning exercise in the last four years. It began as a bottom-up process from the various schools and colleges which then evolved into a comprehensive plan, and now it is going back to academic and administrative units for further revision, e.g., how does an enrollment cap of 31,000 students (instead of the earlier envisioned 35,000 students) impact each school and college; an increased emphasis on research, etc. The full document will have five to six chapters with appendices. Much of the new construction noted in the projected facilities openings involves catching up with past growth in student enrollment. There are also plans for property located west of Route 123 and bordered by Shirley Gate Road as well as the addition of at least another dormitory facility with 1,000 beds in the northeast area of the Fairfax campus near the water tower. A meeting will be held at the end of February with the Board of Visitors to provide an update; the Board of Visitors hopes to approve the plan at its March meeting.
IV. Reports from the
Senate Standing Committee Chairs
A. Academic Policies – Cliff Sutton: Although the Committee had no motions to present, Cliff reported on one item which was recently completed (for which no action was needed), and the one item which the Committee is currently discussing (which should lead to one or more motions being made at the March meeting).
The Committee spent some time at the end of the fall
semester and the beginning of this semester considering a proposal from the
School of Law for a “3+3” program. Such
a program seemed to require more “double dipping” of credits than GMU currently
allows, which is why the proposal came to Academic Policies. However, earlier this month Dean Polsby
communicated that he and Vice Provost Linda Schwartzstein had decided to no
longer pursue the establishment of a “3+3” program. This decision eliminates the need for the AP Committee to
consider the item any further.
The one item of business AP
has yet to complete involves double majors and undergraduate certificates. The Committee has consulted with Registrar
Susan Jones and a number of people involved in programs which may be impacted
by the new policy, and it will present some pertinent motions at the March
meeting of the Senate. If you have any
opinions regarding this matter, please contact Cliff.
B. Budget and
Resources – Rick Coffinberger: Representatives from the Budget and Resources
Committee and the Faculty Matters Committee have had very useful meetings with
Provost Peter Stearns and David Rossell, Associate Provost for Personnel and
Budget, regarding retirement options for faculty. B&R will report on this
matter in the future.
C. Faculty Matters –
Jim Sanford
1. Faculty
Evaluation of Administrators: website
updates for three administrators are pending.
As newly appointed deans, Shirley Travis of the College of Nursing and
Health Sciences and Daniel Polsby of the Law School will not be evaluated this
year. The Committee has experienced a
delay in receiving address labels from Human Resources as the person contacted
in the past was away on maternity leave.
2. Office of
Sponsored Programs: discussion of this
topic is on-going, and the Committee will report its findings to the Faculty
Senate in April.
3. Criminal
Background Checks: Linda Harber,
Assistant Vice President for Human Resources is working on developing a policy
as George Mason University is the only state university which does not
presently have a policy on this issue that would apply to new employees. Such
a policy is necessary to guard against
potential legal liabilities.
4.Free Field House
Access for Spouses: Jeff Brandwine,
University Counsel, confirms there are no legal obstacles to granting access to
spouses, as no state money is involved.
A question was raised regarding partners who are not spouses. The issue will be examined further, and the
policies of other state universities in Virginia are being compiled.
D. Nominations –
Lorraine Brown: no report this
month.
E. Organization and
Operations – Michael Ferri: no report this month.
A. Special Joint Meeting of the Faculty Senate and GMU Chapter of the AAUP to consider a Resolution regarding the Patriot Act – March 9, 2005 – David Kuebrich: The Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate and the GMU Chapter of the AAUP have agreed to sponsor a discussion on this topic as some issues of privacy have been raised by the Patriot Act. The Library Council is considering whether it wishes to cosponsor the meeting. Resource people from the ALA and AAUP will speak briefly in support of the resolution. A meeting announcement and a copy of the proposed resolution will be sent to all faculty members later this week. The meeting will be held in Robinson Hall, room B113 at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 9, 2005.
The investigation into the computer hacking incident continues. The consulting group investigating the break in has found no evidence that the ID card data file has been either entered or downloaded.
Michael Ferri reports that five new handicapped parking spaces have been created at Enterprise Hall. He credits the attention given to this issue by the Faculty Senate as a catalyst in effecting this improvement – those now using the spaces are very grateful.
The Senate will send a note to the Sodexho employees responsible for food service in the Faculty Lounge to express our appreciation for their hard work and attention to detail as well as their prompt responses to individual suggestions.
VII. The meeting
adjourned at 3:56 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
David Kuebrich
Secretary
PLAN 2010:
THE ROAD TO GREATNESS
The great universities of the 21st century will differ from the traditional model. They will have strong research programs, but with an entrepreneurial focus. They will explore opportunities across disciplines, not just within individual fields. Teaching will be integrated not just with research, but throughout a student’s on-campus experiences. Diversity—of students, of ideas, of backgrounds—will pervade campus life. Such universities will reach out in a variety of ways to be active players on the world stage.
No university is positioned better than George Mason to be the first new great university of the 21st century.
Mason’s foremost asset lies in the nature of its region and its greatest strength is its relationship with that region. From its foundation, Mason grew with and was embedded in first Northern Virginia and now the Greater Washington Region. It is the nature of its region that makes George Mason’s eventual status as a great university inescapable.
Why is Northern Virginia the logical home for a great university? Great universities need the ability to attract outstanding faculty, provide stimulating research opportunities and access talented students. The Greater Washington Region provides all these, with its major government policy and research agencies, national and international businesses, and excellent public schools. But more than that, with its museums, art galleries, theatres and libraries, it provides an unrivalled educational environment for our students. Its embassies and international businesses link the region to the world. The nature of Northern Virginia itself provides a sophisticated frontier that provides stimulating challenges, and positions our students and graduates in one of the country’s most thriving job markets. Combine these assets, leverage them skillfully, and George Mason must succeed.
What has made George Mason distinctive so far is the way in which it has developed in tandem with its location—in the academic specializations it has chosen, the faculty it has attracted, the diversity of its students, the partnerships it has built with the public and private sector. To the degree that George Mason can further partner with its region as an intrinsic part of its social, economic and intellectual life, it will achieve its goal.
Mason is on track. Over the last 30 years, it has made extraordinary progress, rising from a small liberal arts college with little research to the biggest university in the Commonwealth with a rapidly growing research program focused on cutting edge fields.
The achievement of greatness is within reach. By 2015 George Mason will be the world-class, internationally-recognized university its region desires. Plan 2010 is the next staging point in George Mason’s progress to that ultimate goal.
By 2010, George Mason will be the leading public
university in the National Capital Area, internationally known for its
strategic integration with its region,
its world-class research in distinctive areas based on regional
strengths and needs, its increasing ability to attract top faculty, and the
talents and economic contributions of the graduates it produces.
Its research will continue to explore the leading edge in select fields, including information technology, earth sciences and climate studies, public policy, law, and economics. The biosciences, a recent addition in 2005, will be a major thrust by 2010. The university will also have established two additional major centers of research concentration, nanotechnology and biotechnology.
Student profile and selectivity will have increased at all levels, while overall enrollment growth continues at a slower pace to reach a total of 31,000 students. Resident students will number 5,000. Mason’s student enrollment will continue to be among the most diverse in the nation, and the university will remain committed to accessibility for qualified students even as competition for admissions increases. An increasing number of students will enroll at the existing distributed campuses and at other potential sites in the region and abroad. Mason will be widely known for its ability to combine extracurricular experience and student life with academic work to provide a comprehensive educational experience.
The arts, already strong on the Fairfax campus, will be a major presence in Prince William and Arlington also, as new facilities come on line. The arts at Mason will have a strong impact on the cultural life of the region, and will continue to be a shared experience for all students, whatever their major.
Innovative, non-traditional new facilities on all three campuses will change the face of Mason and the culture of the campuses. Most new buildings at the Fairfax campus will be non-academic, providing both much needed catch-up space for the campus community as well as accommodating an increasing residential student body and faculty research needs. New buildings at Arlington and Prince William will relieve space pressures on existing programs and allow us to expand to meet projected enrollment growth at these campuses.
George Mason will be a noticeable world citizen. International outreach and educational programs will be routine for faculty and students. We will have two overseas campuses, probably in the Middle East and Asia.
Attachment B
|
PROJECTED
FACILITY OPENINGS 2004
- 2010 (Shaded
Projects Are Conceptual) |
|||
|
|
CAPITAL PROJECT NAME |
BIENNIUM REQUESTED |
PROJECTED FINISH |
|
1 |
Prince William III-A |
00 – 02 |
Fall, 2004 |
|
2 |
Housing VI |
02 – 04 |
Fall, 2004 |
|
3 |
Housing Renovations: Commonwealth |
04 – 06 |
Fall, 2004 |
|
4 |
Fairfax Parking Deck II |
00 – 02 |
Spring, 2005 |
|
5 |
Utility Infrastructure – Ice Vault/Boiler |
02 – 04 |
Spring, 2005 |
|
6 |
Utility Infrastructure – East Loop |
02 – 04 |
Summer, 2005 |
|
7 |
CVPA Music Modules |
04 – 06 |
Fall, 2005 |
|
8 |
Arlington (original) Renovation |
04 – 06 |
Fall, 2005 |
|
9 |
Research I |
02 – 04 |
Spring, 2006 |
|
10 |
Housing Renovations: Dominion |
04 – 06 |
Fall, 2006 |
|
11 |
Fairfax Aquatic Center – Addition |
02 – 04 |
Fall, 2006 |
|
12 |
GMUF-Arlington (Academic) |
Foundation |
Fall, 2006 |
|
13 |
Surge Space Bldg (50,000 sf) (Thomp/West) |
00 – 02 |
Fall, 2006 |
|
14A |
West Building Renovation (A) |
00 – 02 |
Fall, 2006 |
|
15 |
Patriot Center Renovation |
02 – 04 |
Fall, 2007 |
|
16 |
Krasnow Addition |
04 – 06 |
Fall, 2007 |
|
17 |
Academic V |
02 – 04 |
Fall, 2007 |
|
18 |
Student Housing VII-A (550) |
04 – 06 |
Fall, 2007 |
|
19 |
Field House Addition (25,000 GSF) |
04 – 06 |
Fall, 2007 |
|
20A |
Faculty/Staff Housing (Fairfax) Phase I |
PPEA |
Fall, 2007 |
|
21 |
Physical Plant Building (FFX & PW) |
04 – 06 |
Spring, 2008 |
|
22 |
Athletic Facility Upgrades/Improvements |
04 – 06 |
Spring, 2008 |
|
23 |
ICAR Conference Center |
04 – 06 |
Summer, 2008 |
|
24 |
PW – BSL3 Laboratory |
04 – 06 |
Summer, 2008 |
|
25 |
Student Services (One Stop Shop) |
|
Summer, 2008 |
|
26 |
Academic VI/Research II |
04 – 06 |
Summer, 2008 |
|
27A |
Housing Renovations: Presidents Park – Phase I |
04 – 06 |
Summer, 2008 |
|
28 |
Parking Deck III (Fairfax) |
04 – 06 |
Fall, 2008 |
|
29 |
Physical Education Building – Addition |
04 – 06 |
Fall, 2008 |
|
30 |
Library Addition |
04 – 06 |
Fall, 2008 |
|
31 |
PW Freedom Aquatic Center Addition |
08 – 10 |
Fall, 2008 |
|
32 |
Student Housing: VII-B (550) |
04 – 06 |
Fall, 2008 |
|
33 |
University Based Retirement Center |
PPEA |
Fall, 2008 |
|
34 |
Arlington II |
02 – 04 |
Fall, 2008 |
|
35 |
Prince William Performing Arts Center |
04 – 06 |
Fall, 2008 |
|
36 |
Child Development Center |
02 – 04 |
Fall, 2008 |
|
37 |
K-8 Magnet School Prince William |
PPEA |
Fall, 2008 |
|
20B |
Faculty/Staff Housing (Fairfax) Phase II |
PPEA |
Fall, 2008 |
|
14B |
Thompson Building Renovation (B) |
00 – 02 |
Spring, 2009 |
|
38 |
Prince William Student Union |
06 – 08 |
Spring, 2009 |
|
39 |
Shirley Gate Development |
PPEA |
Spring, 2009 |
|
27B |
Housing Renovations: Presidents Park – Phase II |
04 – 06 |
Summer, 2009 |
|
40 |
Robinson Building Renovations |
06 – 08 |
Fall, 2009 |
|
41 |
Prince William III-B (Academic) |
06 – 08 |
Fall, 2009 |
|
42 |
Conference Center |
PPEA |
Fall, 2009 |
|
43 |
Housing Renovations: Commons |
|
Summer, 2010 |
|
44 |
Arlington III-A (200,000 GSF) |
08 – 10 |
Fall, 2010 |