Executive Committee Minutes

11/02/2016 03:30 PM - Peabody Board Room, Administration Building
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The University Council Executive Committee met on November 2, 2016 in the Peabody Boardroom located in the Administration Building. A quorum being present, Chair Janet Frick called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m. Standing Committee chairs in attendance were William Vencill of the University Curriculum Committee, Dave Chatterjee of the Program Review and Assessment Committee, Jean Williams-Woodward of the Educational Affairs Committee, and David Shipley of the Committee on Statutes, Bylaws, and Committees. Guests to the meeting included Allan Aycock, Debbie Bell, Sarah Covert, Eric Dahl, Harry W. Dickerson, Dale Green, Tim Heckman, Donald Leo, Fiona Liken, Masaki Mori, Naomi Norman, Kathy Pharr, Usha Rodrigues, Kaori Sakamoto, Lee Shearer, Jo Walther, Karen Watkins, Chris Whalen, and Harrison Young.

Dr. Frick opened the meeting by recognizing SGA president Houston Gaines and asking him to provide an update on early voting for November local, state, and national elections at the Tate Student Center. This is the first time voting has occurred at the Tate Center for Athens-Clarke County residents. Mr. Gaines stated that 1200 people voted on November 1 with the anticipation of more turning out on November 2. The Executive Committee recognized and commended the SGA for their work with this initiative.

  1. The minutes of the September 7, 2016 meeting were approved as distributed.
  2. Action Items:
    1. Proposals from the University Curriculum Committee:
      1. Proposal for a new minor in Vietnamese Language and Literature. A vote was called and the proposal was approved to be placed on the November 16, 2016 University Council agenda.
      2. Proposal for a new Engineering Education Transformations Institute. A vote was called and the proposal was approved to be placed on the November 16, 2016 University Council agenda.
      3. Proposal for a new Health Informatics Institute. A vote was called and the proposal was approved to be placed on the November 16, 2016 University Council agenda.
      4. Proposal to change the name of the Center for Global Health to the Global Health Institute. A vote was called and the proposal was approved to be placed on the November 16, 2016 University Council agenda.
      5. Proposal to terminate the Undergraduate Certificate in Business and Political German. A vote was called and the proposal was approved to be placed on the November 16, 2016 University Council agenda.
      6. Proposal to reorganize the College of Engineering: Attachment A- College Organizational Committee; Attachment B- College Organizational Committee Final Report. A vote was called and the proposal was approved to be placed on the November 16, 2016 University Council agenda.
      7. Proposal to change the name of the following major in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences: From: Studio Art (A.B.) To: Art: Interdisciplinary Art and Design (A.B.). A vote was called and the proposal was approved to be placed on the November 16, 2016 University Council agenda.
      8. Proposal to change the name of the following major in the College of Veterinary Medicine: From: Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences (Ph.D.) To: Comparative Biomedical Sciences (Ph.D.). A vote was called and the proposal was approved to be placed on the November 16, 2016 University Council agenda.
      9. Proposal to change the name of the following major in the College of Education: From: Adult Learning (M.Ed., Ed.D., Ph.D.) To: Learning, Leadership and Organization Development (M.Ed., Ed.D., Ph.D.). A vote was called and the proposal was approved to be placed on the November 16, 2016 University Council agenda.
      10. Proposal to terminate the major in Human Resource and Organizational Development (M.Ed., M.Ed. Gwinnett, M.Ed. Online). A vote was called and the proposal was approved to be placed on the November 16, 2016 University Council agenda.
      11. Proposal to revise Academic Affairs Policy Statement No. 16, Dual Degree Programs. For Information Only: Graduate School Dual Degree Policy Statement. A vote was called and the proposal was approved to be placed on the November 16, 2016 University Council agenda.
    2. Proposal from the Program Review and Assessment Committee:
      1. Proposal to amend the UGA Academic Program Review Policy. Following a brief presentation on the item, a vote was called and the proposal was approved to be placed on the November 16, 2016 University Council agenda.
  3. Information Item:
    1. From the Educational Affairs Committee:
      1. 2015-2016 Academic Honesty Annual Report. This report will appear as an information item on the November 16, 2016 University Council agenda.
  4. Discussion Item for the Executive Committee:
    1. Discussion concerning the practice and handling of University Council minutes. Citing the Executive Committee's duty "to oversee the activities of the Council and to ensure that it implement and observe faithfully the provisions" of the University Council bylaws, Dr. Frick brought forth for discussion two topics regarding the handling of University Council minutes. The first topic concerned if it is permissible for the University Council minutes to be substantively edited/changed (other than minor typos) after being sent to the Archnews listserv but before Council meets to vote on them/approve them? If so, how should those changes be noted in the posted minutes prior to the Council vote (so that people are aware of them)? The second topic involved discussing the current (and long-standing) Council practice of not identifying members of Council in the minutes who speak or make motions from the floor. These discussion topics were brought to the Executive Committee in light of changes made to the distributed but unofficial September 21 Council meeting minutes. Following distribution of the minutes, a Council member made a parliamentary inquiry that included identifying an individual's title in the minutes. An extensive discussion occurred on both topics among members of the Executive Committee.

    5. Regarding the first topic, some members supported the idea of using track changes or resending the minutes via the Archnews listserv and highlighting the changes when any changes or edits are made to the minutes after the minutes are initially distributed through Archnews. The rationale for the support of identifying changes in the minutes was so that Council members could see that changes were made to the minutes prior to voting to make the minutes official. Other members disagreed with the notion of identifying changes, stating that this would make any errors or changes a permanent part of the minutes and that the Council Secretary's discretion and judgement should be used on any corrections or modifications that are brought forward before a vote is made to make the minutes official at the next Council meeting. Then, the Council could decide from the floor whether or not to change the minutes or approve as is. There was a consensus among the Executive Committee that for the specific minutes situation in question, and other minutes going forward with changes beyond simple typos, the words "revised minutes" can be included on the Council agenda to inform Council members that changes have occurred since the initial minutes distribution.

    Regarding the second topic, the consensus among Committee members was that the practice of not identifying individuals in the discussion portion of the minutes should continue. Concerning the specific situation in question regarding the September Council minutes, there was agreement among some members that the practice of not naming individuals was followed but was only overridden because of the parliamentary inquiry correction. Other members stated that the correction was still in opposition to the practice of not naming individuals in the minutes, initiating this discussion at Executive Committee. With the discussion concluding, it was noted that the Statues and Bylaws Committee had also discussed these issues and agreed that individuals should not be mentioned by name or title in the minutes; it was also noted that the Statutes and Bylaws Committee did not feel it was appropriate to modify the bylaws to reflect this practice.

There being no old or new business, the meeting concluded at 4:45 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Dr. Jan Hathcote, Registrar
Secretary to University Council


Executive Committee Members Present
Rose Chepyator-Thomson
Jeff Dorfman
Melissa Freeman
Janet Frick
Houston Gaines
Jan Hathcote
Michael Lewis
Lettie Lockhart
Henry Munneke
Kerry Oliver
Andy Owsiak
Scott Pegan
Amy Rosemond
David Shipley
Michael Snell
Ashley Steffens
Beth Tolley
Patricia Yager

Executive Committee Members Represented by Proxy
Melinda Camus (Alvin Camus)
Luke Naeher (Marsha Black)
Pamela Whitten (Russ Mumper)


If you require these minutes in an alternative format, please email Neal Lawson at neal@uga.edu.