Minutes of the University Committee
for March 23, 1999

The Committee met at 11:10 in 262 CART. Present were members Tim Fossum, Laura Gellott, Fran Kavenik, James Kinchen, and Carol Saffioti-Hughes. Also present were Deborah Davidson and Larry Duetsch.

Ms. Davidson, recently appointed Director of Credit Outreach, described initial projects she has become involved in. She is developing marketing strategies for the Weekend College program, surveying the needs of employers and individuals for credit outreach programs, and planning to create alumni focus groups that will examine the need for continuing education. Ms. Davidson asked the Committee to consider establishing faculty task forces to examine educational policy issues that arise in connection with adult education programs that depend on experiential learning, compressed timelines, alternate delivery systems, or cohort groups. The Committee agreed that these issues did need to be addressed and went on to discuss how this might be accomplished.

After considering a number of possible approaches, the Committee agreed to ask the Committee on Academic Planning to oversee an examination of issues surrounding adult education programs. Members of the Committee felt that the overriding issue is one of planning - planning for an appropriate campus commitment to meet the need for adult education programs - and for that reason the CAP should structure and oversee the inquiry. The Committee also agreed that members of the Academic Policies Committee should be involved in the inquiry. As a first step, the CAP will be asked to consider Ms. Davidson's proposals and to charge the task forces that they feel are needed. In consultation with the CAP and the APC, the Committee will then appoint the task forces, asking them to complete their work by the end of the Fall 1999 semester.

While this work is in progress, the Committee hoped that Ms. Davidson could develop a coherent effort to promote existing adult education programs. She thanked the Committee for their interest in these issues and left the meeting.

Gary Wood joined the meeting to discuss concerns he had raised several days earlier about the Chancellor's proposal for the allocation of the "skim" portion of this year's pay plan. He said his concerns had greatly diminished after he had an opportunity to review the complete text of the Chancellor's proposal. Proessor Wood left the meeting.

The Committee approved the agenda for the March 30, 1999, meeting of the Faculty Senate.

After discussion of a number of recent disturbances, members of the Committee asked the Secretary of the Faculty to draft a proposal to recreate an Environmental Concerns Committee.

The meeting adjourned at 12:25.