The University Council met on March 22, in the Master's Hall of the Georgia Center for Continuing Education. President Adams called the meeting to order at 3:35 p.m.
The minutes from the February 8, 2007 University Council meeting were approved as distributed.
President Adams' report included the following:
The floor was opened for standing committee reports as follows:
Executive Committee (attachment a). Dr. Mattern made a general statement that the Executive Committee by policy does not pronounce on the merits of proposals, although some discussion of substantive points is usual and often beneficial. The University Council is the sovereign body and the Executive Committee sees its main job as ensuring that proposals presented to the Council are complete and contain all the information needed for an informed decision. In addition, the fact that a lower committee, and in particular the Executive Committee, has passed a proposal should not prevent careful scrutiny by the University Council; that indeed it is the responsibility of the Council, which has the ultimate power to pass or defeat proposals, to weigh them very carefully.
Committee on Facilities (attachment b)
Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics (attachment c)
Committee on Student Affairs (attachment d)
Faculty Affairs Committee (attachment e)
Dr. Adams stated that the Student Government Association had requested to make a report to the Council and Kathryn Bowers, SGA President, was invited to speak on their behalf. (attachment f).
Committee on Statutes, Bylaws and Committees (attachment g)
Dr. Peter Shedd then presented, on behalf of the Committee on Statutes, Bylaws and Committees, the first reading of proposed changes to the University Council Bylaws (attachment h) and a corresponding change to the University Statutes (attachment i) as a package. A friendly amendment was made and accepted to add the name "Odum" in front of the School of Ecology in Part I., Section VIII., A. of the Council Bylaws. A second friendly amendment was made and accepted to add "Committee meeting times shall be posted by the committee chair on the University’s master calendar." to Part II., Section VI of the Council Bylaws. The vote was called and the first reading of the changes to the University Council Bylaws and the corresponding change to the University Statutes were approved as amended.
Dr. Adams commended the committees that requested changes to the University Bylaws so the election of a chair would take place at the last meeting of the academic year in the spring rather than the first meeting of the new academic year in the fall. Dr. Adams also stated he felt the university would be well served if all elections, including student elections, could take place with the fiscal year of July 1 to June 30. At present there are elections at different times of the year which is not conducive to continuing business.
Dr. William Vencill presented the standing committee report from the University Curriculum Committee (attachment j).
Dr. Vencill then presented, on behalf of the University Curriculum Committee, the following proposals (attachment k):
Dr. Vencill presented the standing committee report from the Educational Affairs Committee (attachment l).
Dr. Vencill then presented the proposed 2008-2009 Academic Calendar from the Educational Affairs Committee (attachment m). The vote was called and the 2008-2009 academic calendar was approved.
There were no reports from the following standing committees:
Benefits Committee
Faculty Admissions Committee
Faculty Conference
Faculty Grievance Committee
Faculty Post-Tenure Review
Faculty/Staff Parking Appeals Committee
Strategic Planning Committee
University Libraries Committee
Dr. Mary Anne Akers presented, on behalf of the Benefits Committee, recommendations for the implementation of Professional and Educational Leaves at UGA (attachment n). Supporting documents for these recommendations (Board of Regents policy, School of Public and International Affairs policy, College of Education policy and Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication policy) as well as a chart of Sabbatical/Educational Profiles of Peer Institutions can be viewed here. A friendly amendment was made and accepted to add to recommendation one a deadline of December 1, 2007 for academic units to finalize, with faculty input, their individual Professional and Educational Leave Polices. The vote was called and the recommendations were approved as amended.
Under new business Dr. Mattern requested, on behalf of the Executive Committee, Council approval for Irwin Bernstein and Stuart Ivy to serve on an ad hoc committee with Georgia State University to formulate a response to the Regents regarding their new criminal background check policy. The vote was called and the request was approved.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:07 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Rebecca L. Macon
University Council Secretary
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