University Council Minutes

09/26/2018 03:30 PM - Tate Theatre, Tate Student Center

View Related Documents Online The University Council met on September 26, 2018 in the Tate Theatre for its first meeting of the 2018-2019 academic year. A quorum being present, President Jere Morehead called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m.

The President welcomed all Council members to the start of a new academic year, and as the first item of business, the minutes of the April 25, 2018 meeting were approved as distributed.

President Morehead then delivered the following report:

• The President began his remarks by expressing his thanks and appreciation to new and continuing Council members for their service to the Council in the academic year and explained the role of the Council in the campus governance process. The President introduced Executive Committee Chair Andy Owsiak, Associate Vice President and Registrar and University Council Secretary Fiona Liken, and Parliamentarian Usha Rodrigues and thanked them for their service to the Council.
• The President expressed his thanks to Dr. Libby Morris for serving again as Interim Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost while the national search for a permanent provost is conducted. The Provost Search Committee is being co-chaired by Dean Benjamin Ayers and Dean Denise Spangler. 
• In addition to Dean Spangler, the President recognized Dean Sonia Hirt of the College of Environment and Design and Dean Kelly Smith of the College of Pharmacy and officially welcomed them in their new roles as deans at the University.
• The University has been ranked number 13 in the U.S. News and World Report 2019 ranking of the best public universities in the country. Many positive factors led to this ranking of the University. The President stated he believes that this ranking shows a commitment on the part of faculty, staff, students, and alumni to work hard for the overall benefit of UGA.
• For the sixth consecutive year, the University again enrolled the most academically qualified class of first year students in its history. The overall GPA for this first year class is over 4.00 with an ACT average of 30.
• Eighteen UGA students have been selected as Fulbright scholars. This marks the fifth straight year and the ninth time in the last ten years that the number of Fulbright scholars from the University has reached double digits.
• Sponsored research awards again rose by 7% and research expenditures are up as well. The five year increases in these areas are 30% and 29% respectively.
• The President wanted Council members to be aware that based on the recommendations of the Innovation District Task Force that was formed last year, the University has moved to the next stage on developing an innovation district at UGA. The vision is to strengthen the innovation ecosystem at the University which will be important in remaining relevant as a land grant institution. The President hopes the initiative will bring even more of UGA's research to the marketplace and support the on-going relationships the University has with industries around the state and country.
• The Commit to Georgia Campaign continues. This campaign will conclude on June 30, 2020 but already the University is reaching records of success which suggests the campaign will reaches its goals early. The President stated that 292 need-based Georgia Commitment Scholarship endowed funds have been established with the goal of reaching 400 and beyond by the time the campaign ends.
• Next month, Lake Herrick will be reopened for limited recreational use thanks in large part to contributions from the Georgia Power Foundation.
• In November, the University will break ground on a 100,000 square foot interdisciplinary STEM research building. This is a $65 million facility project, and the University will be making its argument to the state for planning funds for a second phase of the facility.
• Improvements on the Driftmier Engineering Complex will begin in December. Also, renovations have concluded on Russell Hall.
• In October, a portrait will be unveiled of Mary Frances Early, the first African-American graduate of the University of Georgia, in the Administration Building's main hall. The University looks forward to welcoming Ms. Early back to campus for this event.  A few weeks ago, the President joined Ms. Early in Atlanta for the premiere of a documentary about her life. The documentary was co-executive produced by Dean Emeritus Maurice Daniels and Vice Provost Michelle Cook and has screened twice on Georgia Public Television. The President commended Dr. Cook for her strong leadership of the diversity programs at UGA.
• The President has completed his annual farm tour in south Georgia. The President thanked Dean Samuel Pardue of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences as well as state representatives Terry England and Tom McCall and Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black for their leadership in this annual event.
• Before closing 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 in the minutes.  The President thanked Dr. Cathy Jones, who served as the faculty Ombudsperson for more than six years and has stepped down. She has been replaced by Dr. Jenny Gaver.  Mr. Steve Gibson and Ms. Charisse Harper join Dr. Gaver as the current 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 reports:

• Executive Committee, presented by chair Andy Owsiak
• University Curriculum Committee, presented by chair John Maerz
• Staff Council, presented by president Marie Mize
• Student Government Association, presented by Ammishaddai Grand-Jean
• Educational Affairs Committee (submitted but not presented)
• Committee on Statutes, Bylaws, and Committees (submitted but not presented)

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

• John Maerz, chair of the University Curriculum Committee, presented the following proposals:
  • Proposal to offer the existing Master in the Study of Law (M.S.L.) on the Buckhead Campus. A vote was called and the proposal was approved.
  • Proposal for a new Institute for International Biomedical Regulatory Sciences. A vote was called and the proposal was approved.
  • Proposal to change the name of the Center for Gene Social Environment Transactions to the Center on Biological Embedding of Social Events and Relationships. A vote was called and the proposal was approved.
  • Proposal to change the name of the major in Forest Resources (M.S., Ph.D.) to Forestry and Natural Resources (M.S., Ph.D.). A vote was called and the proposal was approved.
  • Proposal to reactivate the Master of Avian Health and Medicine (M.A.H.M., Online), Master of Avian Medicine (M.A.M.), and Master of Food Animal Medicine (M.F.A.M.). A vote was called and the proposal was approved.
  • Proposal to terminate the major in Teacher Leadership (M.Ed.). A vote was called and the proposal was approved.
  • Proposal to deactivate the major in Social Studies Education (M.Ed.), Online only. A vote was called and the proposal was approved.
  • Proposal to deactivate the Graduate Certificate in Diverse Children's Literature for a Global Society. A vote was called and the proposal was approved.
  • Proposal for a new Undergraduate Certificate in Learning, Design, and Technology. A vote was called and the proposal was approved.
  • Proposal for a new Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies. A vote was called and the proposal was approved.
  • Proposal for a new Graduate Certificate in Music Performance. A vote was called and the proposal was approved.
  • Proposal to terminate the major in Animal Nutrition (Ph.D.). A vote was called and the proposal was approved.

There being no old or new business, the meeting adjourned at 4:03 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Fiona Liken Registrar
Secretary to University Council

 

University Council Roster
Adams, Malcolm	Gaver, Jenny	Nibbelink, Nate
Ahern, Christine	Glasser, Gary	Nuss, Michelle
Anderson, Alex	Goodie, Adam	Owsiak, Andy
Auer, Matthew	Graffin, Scott	Pardue, Samuel
Ayers, Benjamin	Grand-Jean, Ammishaddai	Peterson, David
Bai, Shuyang	Greene, Dale	Phillips, Dennis
Barner, John	Hagood, Chase	Poulsen, Annette
Bartges, John	Happek, Uwe	Prentiss, Amber
Bergstrom, John	Hasko, Victoria	Ribak, Nadav
Bierema, Laura	Hensel, Kyle	Richards, Patricia
Birch, Suzanne	Herist, Keith	Roulston, Kathy
Black, Joel	Himelboim, Itai	Rutledge, Bo
Borron, Abigail	Jackson, Angel	Sabatini, Robert
Bousquette, Joshua	Jagnow, Rene	Santesso, Esra
Bray, John	Ji, Pengsheng	Santus, Nina
Briggs, Harold	Johnson, Beverly	Sawhill, Ronald
Brown, Mark	Joye, Samantha	Scartz, Christine
Brunow, Beate	Kastner, James	Scheyett, Anna
Bynum, Josh	Kelley, Christopher	Schultz, Alisa
Cabrera, Miguel	Kelley, Laura	Schuttler, Heinz-Bernd
Cade, Jason	Kern, Kathleen	Schwanenflugel, Paula
Campbell, John	Kong, Fanbin	Scott, Robert
Camus, Al	Krause, George	Shaffer, Anne
Carpenter, Tina	Lai, Ming-Jun	Shen, Ye
Carson, Jim	Lastrapes, William	Shepherd, Shelley
Ceska, Jennifer	LeGette, Casie	Shipley, David
Chess, Shira	Liken, Fiona	Shrivastav, Rahul
Claudio, Charley	Magnan, Nicholas	Snyder, Margaret
Coco, Lindsay	Mani, Sudhagar	Spangler, Denise
Cona, Kelly	Marotta, Anthony	Spektor, Alexander
Coverdill, Jim	Marsh, Charlene	Story, Jessica
Crowe, Doug	Masciadri, Milton	Sumner, Maxwell
Dahlen, Joseph	Massey, Ann	Sumners, Sarah
Dellaria, Nancy	Mastrovita, Mandy	Taha, Thiab
DeMaria, Don	Mattern, Susan	Tan, Li
DeYoung, Sarah	Mayfield, Mark	Tang, Lili
Dorsey, Alan	McArthur, Sherell	Thippareddi, Harsha
Dougherty, Anjali	McClung, James	Tiller, Lori
Dove, Robert	Means, Darris	Tompkins, Chasity
Dumont, Devin	Medeiros, Patricia	Tompkins, Mark
Durham, Stephan	Michaelis, Vicki	Villari, Caterina
Elyaman, Ali	Miller, Shari	Vining, Richard
Epstein, Kira	Mize, Marie	Viveiros, Maria
Eranezhath, Vinu	Moore, Mary	Whitman, William
Evans, Jonathan	Morehead, Jere	Wilhelm, Teena
Femia, Patrick	Morris, Libby	Williams, Jackson
Flowers, Rachel	Murph, Mandi	Williams, Jarred
Fox, Linda	Murphy, Amy	Williams, Susan
Franchini, Caitlin	Mustard, David	Wilson, Mark
Fresk, Kara	Nelson, Scott	Wilson, Victor
Frum, Jennifer	Nesbit, Ryan	Woodson, Brock
Gabara, Rachel	Nesbit, Scott	Zastre, Jason

 

Represented by Proxy

Barbour, Suzanne

Brooks, Kay

Burke, Kevin

Davis, Charles

Graham, Toby

Gupton, Timothy

Habteselassie, Mussie

Hirt, Sonia

Holladay, Steven

Holmes, Callie

Joho, Jan

Leo, Donald

Lewis, Denise

Martin-Williams, Jean

Nutt Hahn, Angela

Okech, David

Saleh, Eman

Smith, Kelly

Sweigart, Andrea

Thomas, Paul

Tuberville, Tracey

Williams, Phillip