The committee met in 210 Gilbert (West). Present were Robert Davis (Romance Languages), Susan Fagan (English, Ret.), Peter Gilkey (Mathematics), Lynn Kahle (Sports Marketing), Jim Long (Chemistry), Greg McLaughlin (Sociology, University Senate president), and Jeanne Wagenknecht (Business). The meeting began at 8 AM.
Following some discussion, the committee decided to meet often during April so that work on the report to the senate will progress as it must.
The report must make very clear from the onset that equitable and collegial treatment of fixed-term faculty greatly benefits the University and its teaching mission.
The work from the fall term will need to be summarized for the report. That summary should include the taxonomy developed for fixed-term faculty at the University of Oregon, as well as best practices drawn from the presentation of our three visitors that term.
The committee made the following assignments for the meeting ahead:
April 8: Jeanne Wagenknecht will present on Resources (office space, materials, etc.) as well as timely orientation of new fixed-term faculty. Jim Long will also present on Salary and Compensation issues.
April 15: Robert Davis will present on Hiring Policies and Timely Notice issues. Greg McLaughlin will also present on Employment Policies and Rights. [note: since reset to April 22]
April 22: Jim Long will present on the survey results and the committee will work on editing the draft of the report. [note: since reset to April 29]
The committee also felt that it was important to suggest a lasting infrastructure for the University that would help support fixed-term faculty. One possible solution might be an ombudsperson, if that position were funded by the University. Alternatively, key tenured faculty might serve as volunteer mentors or resource persons. This will need further discussion.
The committee also discussed the plans for Fall 2003, in which Town Hall meeting(s) would share the survey results and the committee's proposals with the larger campus community. These meetings should not be open-ended, but should be built around presentations by the committee. This may require some planning during the summer.
The meeting adjourned at 10:00 AM.
Minutes submitted by Jim Long