Meeting Minutes 

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PRESENT: Alatis, Andrews, Areen, Arend, Bates, D. Betz, P. Betz, Bloch, Dorothy Brown, Douglas Brown, Cole, Collea, Curran, Danielson, Davis, DeGioia, Diamond, Ernst, Fasold, Glazer, Goldfrank, Hauser, Iglarsh, Ingebretsen, Jacobs, Kopac, Martire, McAuliffe, McGrail, J.Murphy, A.Myers, Nelson, Noyes, O’Connor, O’Donnell, Picken, Pfeiffer, Puto, Regan, Rameh, Ronkainen, Serene, Sitterson, Soudee, Temple, Vroman, T. Walsh, Wiesel, Zucarelli.

ABSENT: Angel, Banchoff, Breall, Byrne, Cohn, Cuddington, Dover, Evans, Gerli, Glavin, Haft, Haramati, Harter, Lepgold, McCabe, MoranCruz, Morris, Mujal-Leon, Oakley, Rothstein, Sanz, Spiegel, Tracy, Weidenbruch, Whittington.

Minutes

The minutes of the meeting of November 10, 1999 were approved.

Committee Appointments

A list of committee appointments approved by the Steering Committee was distributed.  

Search Committee for Dean of Students
Peter Pfeiffer
Joe Neale

Committees related to Catholic & Jesuit Identity:

a) Comm. to explore options for a Center or Institute for Excellence in Teaching: Patricia O’Connor, Ken Kellar (Senate Appointees), Leona Fisher (Alternate)

b) Comm. to explore options for future chairs in Catholic Social Thought: Peter Byrne, Beth McKeown (Senate Appointees), JoAnn Moran Cruz (Alternate)

c) Comm. to explore options for the recruitment & retention of diverse faculty, which will include recruitment of Jesuits:
 Ginger Patterson, Ellen Henderson (Senate Appointees)
 Paul Betz (Alternate)

d) Subcommittee: Jesuit recruitment: Paul Betz (Senate Appointee), Ginger Patterson (Alternate)

The people nominated, however, had not yet received the projected letters from Father O’Donovan asking them to serve.  Prof. Paul Betz asked for a description of the committees. Provost Dorothy Brown described what might be expected.

These appointments were first discussed by the Executive Faculty, then by the Senate Steering Committee but not by the Senate as a whole. Prof Susan Vroman asked who else would be on the committees.  The full list was not available.

Prof. David Goldfrank suggested that in future if appointments need to be made quickly, the fact be announced by e-mail.

The list was ratified with one abstention but no opposition.

MedStar

Prof. Dick Bates turned the floor over to Sr. VP Jack DeGioia to report on the MedStar negotiations.  Only a few issues remain, and these should be resolved within the next few weeks.  Issues concern future changes of control and any implications for Georgetown’s religious identity.  Future disposition of leased properties, the lease vs. sale of the PHC building, and implications for available parking.

Present expectations indicate agreements will be signed in December.  Several questions were raised about how or whether the agreement could be terminated.  This has not been foreseen. 

December Board Meeting

Prof. Bates summarized the recent actions of the Board in the open part of its December 1999 meeting.

Provost Dorothy Brown spoke on the status of construction plans and related discussion at the Board of Directors meetings.  

She also spoke on the status of the Ex Corde Ecclesiae and the discussion related to this at the Board.

Father Padberg of the Subcommittee on Faculty Relations read to the whole Board, the pending resolution of the Main Campus Executive Faculty regarding the Ex Corde Ecclesiae.

It was suggested that the Faculty Senate should vote to support the Executive Faculty statement.  Because the Executive Faculty is still considering its own resolution, and the statement had not been distributed in advance, some felt it was not appropriate to vote support at this point.  After discussion, the following motion was moved and seconded:

“The Faculty Senate supports the proposed resolution of the Executive Faculty.”

The motion passed with one against and one abstaining.

Sr. VP John DeGioia presented on the committees formed to deal with the issues arising with the MedStar transaction.  He reviewed the history and structure of the Academic Planning Committee.  The working group of the APC (APCWG) is looking at scenarios for the future of the Medical Center.  It is also looking at 2 key questions: (1) What will it take to stabilize the environment and get through the transition period of the next 18 months or so, and  (2) How to ensure long term revenue growth in research.

The conditions for establishing FY01 budgets, governance in the transition, and administrative structure are being considered.

He reviewed the charges and interrelationships between various groups, including the Comprehensive Review Team, the APC, the four APC subcommittees, the Committee on Clinical Practice, the Numbers Committee, and the Governance Committee.

The Medical Center Caucus has asked Prof. Bates to initiate the process of making two Senate appointments to the APCWG.  Prof. Myers explained the basis of that request.  According to him, the APCWG has evolved into the focused group dealing with important faculty related issues, but no Senate appointees are on it.  Prof. Zuccarelli questioned the process by which the APCWG was formed.  Prof. Bates suggested that the Senate Steering Committee tackle the issue of the APCWG appointments at its next meeting.

Prof. Bates mentioned a series of harsh complaints by faculty against computer bulletin boards on which courses are being discussed and evaluated by students and possibly others.  A University server is being used for this purpose. Prof. Arend spoke to several parties about appropriate MC channels for considering this issue.  He and Prof. Jack Murphy attended a meeting of the Speech and Expression Committee.  After reviewing the University Speech and Expression Policy, they concluded the web site in question, while in bad taste, was neither in violation of the policy nor the Policy on the Appropriate Use of Computers.  Some suggestions for improving the site are under discussion.   The Speech and Expression Committee recommended that the site organizers be supervised by the Media Board.  Some Senators expressed fear that comments might result in violation of personal liberties or even violence.  Several expressed the wish that the site be made more useful and constructive, and that censorship was generally undesirable.  Father Jim Walsh is preparing a letter to students on these matters.

The meeting was adjourned at 6:15 p.m.

AKM/jhg

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