College of Arts and Letters

Faculty Council Minutes Sept. 5, 2023

2023-2024 Faculty Council

Meeting Minutes - September 5, 2023, Webex

1. Call to Order
   Motion to begin; Second; Motion Approved; Meeting begins.
   
   
2. Roll Call
   Present:  Al-Hariri, Allred, Amialchuk, Baltus, Benton, Bland, Bonifacio, Carpenter, Christman, Cook, Damschroder, Dudley, Emonds, Feldmeier, Foss, Gamble, Grazzini, Hey, Kistner, McBane, Mezo, Monteleone, Mossblad, Myers, Nelson, Nemeth, Peralta, Rouillard, Sakowski, Schlemper, Semaan, Smith, Stauch, Taylor, Ward, Whittaker, Zeigler (37)
   Absent:  Alam, Alamina, Black, Beatty-Medina, Ferris (5)
   Guests: Day, Gregory, Keith, Layng, Miner (5)
   
   
3. Approval of Agenda and Minutes
   Meeting agenda submitted for approval; Motion to approve; Second; Vote: Agenda Approved.
   
   
4. Dean’s Report: Melissa Gregory
   The new Provost search is ongoing and accelerated. Megan Cunningham is now Director of Marcom; Dr. Frank Calzonetti is now Vice-President for Research; Dr. LaFleur Small is no longer Vice-Provost for Faculty Labor Relations; and Dr. Tiffany Wang is the new Writing Center Coordinator.
   
   In the CAL Dean’s office, Teri Garcia is the new office secretary (shared with Philosophy & Religious Studies); Emily Cohoe accepted a promotion in Marcom; Dr. Ammon Allred is the Faculty Director of Global Fellows.
   
   Enrollment update: the University is down 3.1% in DHS but up 4.6% overall in undergraduates. In CAL, DHS is down but Adult, Transfer, and International student enrollments are all up for a College total of 303 new students, up 7.4% from fall 2022.
   
   Budget cuts requested by the University in April result in painful decisions, including reducing dean’s operating funds, losing 4 CWA positions, eliminating important contingent faculty positions, rescinding PhD funding, reducing 11 department chairs to 9-month contracts, and cutting part-time instruction.
   
   Continued challenges include low American confidence in higher education; a rough political atmosphere for higher education; an ongoing deficit at UToledo--Finance says more cuts to come in FY25, including very limited PT instruction and low or non-existent Graduate funding; and declining enrollment in the Liberal Arts.
   
   Opportunities include retention, new curriculum at the program and College levels, new curricular and public partnerships, new structures for small majors, and rethinking General Education, I.e., impact over grades, hands-on and practice-based learning, and strong instructor presence.
   
   Dr. William Barber II will be the 2023 Edward Shapiro Distinguished Lecture Speaker on Thursday, Sept. 14 at 7 PM in Doermann Theatre.
   
   The Maryse and Ramzy Mikhail Memorial Lecture, an evening with Leila Fadel, is Thursday, Oct. 12 at 6 PM in McQuade Law Auditorium.
   
   The CAL Fall Reception is Thursday, Oct. 5; location TBA.
   
   
5. Executive Committee Report: Ammon Allred
   The Executive Committee met to discuss today’s agenda, populating the standing committees, and the  resignation of Kim Nielsen from Faculty Senate. Per Senate’s Bylaws, the Executive Committee will ask   Senate to run the election for a replacement. An update on the CAL Dean’s search has been requested of  the Provost’s office.
   
   
6. Faculty Senate Report: Gaby Semaan
   The Faculty Senate Executive Committee report included discussion of the changes in the Colleges, including fewer overall faculty and the limination of the Success Coaches. It was reported that 50 programs were closed at the University, but this has not gone through Faculty Senate. Summer course numbers were down 12%, largely because Nursing did not enroll a summer cohort. Senate committees are looking for members; you do not need to be on Faculty Senate to serve on a committee. Ohio State Senator Paula Hicks-Hudson was a guest speaker and discussed House Bill 151 and encouraged faculty to be heard.
   
   Note: Faculty Senate Minutes are available on their website.
   
   
7. Graduate Council Report: Jami Taylor
   A review of graduate program policies is planned. Overall graduate enrollment is down 2%; international graduate students are up 22%. Scott Molitor discussed the graduate program discontinuations and process. Connie Shaw, Interim Vice President for Research, noted that overall research funding is down at the University.
   
   
8. Elections Committee Report: TBD
   No report.
   
   
9. Constitution and Bylaws Committee Report: TBD
   No report.
   
   
10. Curriculum Committee Report: TBD
    No report.
    
    
11. Old Business 
    No Old Business.
    
    
12. New Business
    Elections Committee needs an Arts Representative; Curriculum needs one from Humanities and one from Social Sciences. Ben Grazzini volunteered for Humanities-Curriculum; Aliaksandr Amialchuk volunteered for Social Sciences-Curriculum.
    
    The College of Arts and Letters Elaborations will need to be updated and re-approved; the document and change will be New Business at the next Council meeting.
    
    
13. Announcements
    No announcements.
    
    
14. Adjournment
    Motion to Adjourn; Second; Motion Approved; Meeting Adjourned