University Council Minutes

09/27/2017 03:30 PM - Tate Theatre, Tate Student Center

View Related Documents Online The University Council met on September 27, 2017 in the Tate Theatre for its first meeting of the 2017-2018 academic year.  A quorum being present, President Jere Morehead called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m.

As the first item of business, the minutes of the April 26, 2017 meeting were approved as distributed.

President Morehead then delivered the following report to the Council:

• The President began the meeting by welcoming all members to the first Council meeting of the academic year.  The President thanked all new and continuing members for their service to the Council and stated that the Council provides for faculty, staff, and students an opportunity to participate in shared governance at the University by offering valuable proposals and suggestions and through serving in an advisory capacity to the President.  He also highlighted how proposals are moved through the committee process and how input from faculty, staff, and students leads to well-crafted proposals.  The President then stated that he was looking forward to working with all members in the coming year.
• The President then introduced to the Council those who will help facilitate each Council meeting this academic year:  Dr. Scott Pegan serves as chair of the Executive Committee; Ms. Fiona Liken, who was appointed on July 1 as Associate Vice President and Registrar, serves as the Council Secretary; and Professor Usha Rodrigues serves as the Council's Parliamentarian.
• Two new deans have been appointed since the last Council meeting. Lisa Nolan serves as dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, and Matthew Auer serves as dean of the School of Public and International Affairs. The President asked the Council to join him in welcoming Dr. Nolan and Dr. Auer to the University.
• The President took a moment to acknowledge the many employees who worked tireless to protect the campus during Hurricane Irma and who worked quickly to restore normal operations after the storm passed.  The President wanted to especially thank those who staffed the Emergency Operations Center during the storm as well as the Facilities Management Division, UGA Police, and Office of Emergency Preparedness.
• UGA is now ranked number 16 in the latest U.S. & World Report ranking of best public national universities, which is the highest ranking in UGA's history. 
• The University has again enrolled the most academically talented class of first year students in its history.  The class of 2021 enrolled with an average GPA of 4.0 and an average ACT of 30.  This class is comprised of over 5,800 undergraduate students, the largest in UGA's history.  The class of 2021 is also the most diverse class in the University's history. 
• The new Double Dawgs program has been launched.  The President recognized Vice President for Instruction Dr. Rahul Shrivastav as well as the many faculty, deans, and department heads who have collaborated on this program. The President stated that he anticipates the demand for a degree from UGA will become even higher with this new program.  Double Dawgs provides students with more than 100 opportunities to earn both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in five years or less. 
• The President reported that for the fourth consecutive year UGA has received the INSIGHT Into Diversity Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award.  UGA is one of 81 universities to be recognized for this recognition.  The President stated that while much work remains, he is proud that the University is making strides toward becoming an even more connected and welcoming academic community for all faculty, staff, and students.
• The Research Enterprise continues to expand.  Total research and develop expenditures reached $458 million in fiscal year 2017, representing a 31% increase over the last four years.  This unprecedented growth is fueled in part by many major faculty hiring initiatives over the last several years.  The newest initiative involves investing in the student experience.  The initiative will recruit exceptional faculty members from academic disciplines that are seeing dramatic growth  in student demand as well as hire additional academic advisors to support students with degrees in these high demand areas.
• In the last two weeks, several new buildings have been dedicated on campus.  Governor Deal was present for the dedication of phase two of the Business Learning Community.  Ground has been broken on the third phase.  The new home for the Center for Molecular Medicine was also dedicated.  As well, the ribbon was cut on three new turfgrass research and educational facilities at Griffin, Tifton, and Athens.  Next week, the renovation of Clarke Howell Hall will be celebrated.
• For the fourth consecutive year, UGA hit a high mark in fundraising with $227.8 million in new gifts and pledges in FY 2017.  The three year rolling average which measures sustained growth in fundraising is 60% higher than in FY 2013, now averaging $185.2 million.  The President stated that he is pleased that since January 2017 donors have created more than 140 new need-based endowed scholarships, known as Georgia Commitment Scholarships.  Close to 90 of these scholarships were awarded to members of this fall's incoming class.  This program is one reason UGA continues to be a leader among public universities in terms of affordability and access.  A latest New York Times college access index ranks UGA tenth among public universities for its commitment to students from low income backgrounds.
• As he closed his remarks, the President informed the Council that the annual Ombudsperson Report has been provided to him by Ms. Janyce Dawkins, Director of the Equal Opportunity Office, and will be available to the Council in the minutes.  The President thanked Dr. Cathy Jones, Mr. Steve Gibson, and Ms. Charisse Harper for their work as the three Ombudspersons who work directly with faculty, staff, and students.
• This concluded the President's report to the Council.

The floor was then opened for the following standing committee reports:

• Executive Committee, presented by chair Scott Pegan
• University Curriculum Committee, presented by chair Alison Alexander
• Educational Affairs Committee, presented by chair Mark Farmer
• Staff Council, presented by chair Michael Lewis
• Student Government Association, presented by president Cameron Keen
• Graduate-Professional Student Association, presented by president Johnita Daniel

The following Action Items were then presented to the Council for consideration:

• Alison Alexander, chair of the University Curriculum Committee, presented the following proposals:
  • Proposal to offer the existing major in Genetics (M.S.) with a Non-Thesis option. A vote was called and the proposal was approved.
  • Proposal to terminate the Graduate Certificate in Sport Coaching. A vote was called and the proposal was approved.
  • Proposal to change the name of the Undergraduate Certificate in Integrated Pest Management to the Undergraduate Certificate in Plant Health Management. A vote was called and the proposal was approved.
  • Proposal to change the name of the Graduate Certificate in Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Regulatory Affairs to the Graduate Certificate in International Biomedical Regulatory Sciences. A vote was called and the proposal was approved.
  • Proposal to dissolve the Institute for Evidence-Based Health Professions Education. A vote was called and the proposal was approved.
  • Proposal for a new Center for Cyber-Physical Systems. A vote was called and the proposal was approved.
  • Proposal to revise Academic Affairs Policy Statement No. 3, Minors.  A brief discussion on the item occurred in which the motivation behind the proposal, how it relates to UGA's peer and aspirant institutions' policies on minors, the proposal's impact on students, and clarification on the proposal's language was discussed.  Following discussion, a vote was called and the proposal was approved.
  • Proposal to revise Academic Affairs Policy Statement No. 21, Distance Education. A vote was called and the proposal was approved.
• Mark Farmer, chair of the Educational Affairs Committee, presented the following proposal:
  • Proposal to revise the Academic Honesty Policy. A vote was called and the proposal was approved.
• David Shipley, chair of the Committee on Statutes, Bylaws, and Committees, presented the following proposal:
  • Second Reading: Proposal for amendments to the University Statutes. A vote was called and the proposal was approved.

There being no old or new business, the meeting adjourned at 4:13 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Fiona Liken, Registrar
Secretary to University Council

 

University Council Roster
Adams, Malcolm	Herist, Keith	Owsiak, Andy
Ahern, Christine	Hill, Janette	Parker, Kevin
Auer, Matthew	Hoyt, Rob	Parks, Andrew
Babiarz, Patryk	Hunt-Hurst, Patti	Patel, Kush
Baginski, Steve	Ivy, Stuart	Patel, Reema
Barbour, Suzanne	Jackson, Chandra	Peake, Jason
Black, Joel	Jackson, David	Pegan, Scott
Bliss, Thomas	Jackson, Stan	Phillips, Dennis
Bousquette, Joshua	James, Kevin	Prentiss, Amber
Bray, John	Jarrett, Carla	Reinberger, Mark
Briggs, Harold	Katz, Laura	Rhicard, Laura
Brown, Mark	Keen, Cameron	Richards, Patricia
Byers, Rachel	Kelley, Laura	Rizer, Jasmine
Bynum, Josh	Kennedy, Craig	Robinson, Eric
Cabrera, Miguel	Kong, Fanbin	Rosemond, Amy
Cade, Jason	Kostovetsky, Kathryn	Roulston, Kathy
Camus, Al	Lai, Ming-Jun	Saleh, Eman
Camus, Melinda	Lastrapes, William	Santesso, Esra
Cheypyator-Thomson, Rose	Leigh, David	Sawhill, Ronald
Cona, Kelly	Lelito, Hannah	Scheyett, Anna
Cooper, Jamie	Lewis, Michael	Schuttler, Heinz-Bernd
Coverdill, Jim	Lewis, Steven	Schwanenflugel, Paula
Dahlen, Joseph	Li, Changying	Shen, Ye
Daniel, Johnita	Li, Ke	Shepherd, Shelley
Dellaria, Nancy	Liken, Fiona	Shipley, David
DeMaria, Don	Little, Elizabeth	Shrivastav, Rahul
Devaney, Sheila	Magnan, Nicholas	Sikes, Kris
Doran-Petreson, Joy	Malone, Barrett	Slater, Elizabeth
Dorsey, Alan	Mao, Leidong	Smith, Amanda
Durham, Stephan	Marotta, Anthony	Snyder, Margaret
Edwards, Claire	Martin-Williams, Jean	Steele, Jada
Epstein, Kira	Mattern, Susan	Sumner, Maxwell
Eran, Vinu	Matthews, Paul	Taha, Thiab
Evans, Jonathan	McClung, James	Tobin, Beth
Farmerk, Mark	Meadows, Laura	Tolley, Beth
Felt, Anderson	Medeiros, Patricia	Turner, Kari
Fox, Linda	Miller, Shari	Vining, Richard
Fresk, Kara	Moore, Mary	Viveiros, Maria
Funk, Shelby	Moore, Myra	von Waldner, Trina
Gabara, Rachel	Morehead, Jere	Weeks Leonard, Elizabeth
Garvin, Chris	Munneke, Henry	Whitman, William
Gaver, Jenny	Muszynski, Artur	Whitten, Pamela,
Graham, Toby	Myrna, Kate	Wilhelm, Teena
Greene, Dale	Naghepour, Roya	Williams, Brian
Greene, Erik	Nelson, Scott	Williams, Jennifer
Grey, Timothy	Nesbit, Ryan	Williams, Phillip
Gupton, Timothy	Nesbit, Scott	Williams, Susan
Hamstead, Griffin	Nibbelink, Nate	Wilson, Mark
Han, Jeong-Yeob	Nimkar, Santosh	Wilson, Victor
Hansen, Nathan	Nuss, Michelle	Wolf, Montgomery
Harman, Ruth	Okech, David	Yabsley, Michael
	Oliver, Kerry	Zheng, George

 

Represented by Proxy

Birch, Suzanne

Brooks, Kay

Burke, Kevin

Chatterjee, Santanu

Crawley, Laura

Davis, Charles

Diaz-Perez, Juan Carlos

Dougherty, Anjali

Gomez-Lanier, Lilia

Hasko, Victoria

Joye, Samantha

Lee, David

Leo, Donald

Lewis, Denise

Liggett, Sharon

Mandal, Abhyuday

Masciadri, Milton

Michaelis, Vicki

Miller, Deborah

Nolan, Lisa

Shetterley, Karen

Villari, Caterina

Øie, Svein