1. Call to Order - The chair, Kathleen Dolan, called the meeting to order at 12:33 p.m. in Holton Hall 241.
   
   
2. Automatic Consent
   1. There were no objections to Minutes #6 (March 18, 2005); they stand approved.
      
      
3. Procedural Matters
   1. Election of Chair for 2005-2006 - David Heathcote was enthusiastically elected unanimously as chair for the 2005-2006 academic year.
      
      
4. Old Business
   1. Distinguished Professorships - Mark Amsler has been out of the country, so the subcommittee has not met to develop a proposal. This will be an agenda item at the May Committee meeting.
      
      
5. New Business
   1. Recommendation to Rename and Restructure the University Honors Program - Committee members had a number of questions about the proposal, particularly concerning the functions of a College within a College. As there was not a representative of the program present, the committee agreed to schedule a meeting on Friday, April 29, 1:00 p.m., in order to consider the proposal in time for the May Faculty meeting. Connie Jo will contact Larry Baldassaro, Director of the Honors Program, to find out if he or someone else can attend the meeting. She noted that the old Academic Planning Committee had started to develop a policy statement on the implications of a School/College within a College, but it was shelved when JMC's request to become a school was withdrawn. Connie was asked to send the draft to the Committee members.
   2. Recommendation to Establish a New Administrative Home for the Earth and Freshwater Sciences (former Geosciences) Ph.D. Program - It was moved and seconded to recommend to the Dean the proposal to establish a new administrative home for the Earth and Freshwater Sciences Ph.D. Program. Doug Cherkauer described the proposal to revive and revise the dormant Geoscience Ph.D. with new tracks and a new name. He explained that the Ph.D. will be administered by a faculty committee, following the model of the MHRLR graduate program. Doug and Mark Harris answered a number of questions from committee members. After much discussion, the motion was approved with three abstentions.
      
      It was moved, seconded, and approved to suspend the agenda to hear from the associate deans concerning their recommendations for new hires.
      
      

      V.E.

      Associate Dean Eleanor Miller discussed her rankings (distributed earlier to committee members; copy attached to the original of these minutes) of position requests in the social sciences. She indicated we really need the top five positions. Those are: Psychology - health psychology (Action Plan carryover) Psychology - health psychology with specialty in African-Americans (this is an effort to support the first hire by creating a cohort and also satisfy the request from Africology for a hire with a specialty in African-American health) History - modern central Europe (there has been a vacancy in this area for some time) Political Science - Wilder Crane Professor (established by action of the State legislature; we are mandated to have this position) Econ, Geog, Hist, Pol Sci, or Sociol - social science pedagogy (supported by Carnegie/Ford grant) Associate Dean Charles Schuster reviewed each position request, indicating what he felt were pressing needs in each department. When asked to identify his top five priorities, he indicated the following: FLL - Arabic ( this was failed hire this year; it has funding from CIE) Communication - rhetorical leadership (the department has huge enrollment pressures) Art History - film studies (this position has been authorized and then withdrawn several times; key elements of the FS program are being taught by ad hocs) English - American literature (department has requested both early and modern; choice to be left to the department; lot of enrollment pressure) Toss up between several other positions Associate Dean Mark Harris gave the following rankings: Biological Sciences - animal ecologist (past hiring in the department has been slanted toward microbiology; a number of retirements in animal biology have not been replaced; this request also addresses the needs of Conservation and Environmental Science) The next two could be in either order. Math - geometry (a number of retirements have created need; especially important in teacher prep; supported by Carnegie grant) Fluvial geomorphology to support both CES and the revised Earth and Freshwater Sciences Ph.D. The following two could be in either order; both are needed for research programs. Chemistry - spectroscopy (will help build bridges between engineering, physics, biology and chemistry) Biological Sciences - population geneticist The next is important, but we probably could hold off for a year. Math - second teacher education position Five other positions are very appealing, but there is no way we will be able to hire that many people in the coming year. Committee members agreed to meet in their area subcommittees to make recommendations that will be reported at the May 19 meeting. Connie Jo was asked to invite Dean Meadows to that meeting to discuss the budget. [Note: A later check of Dean Meadows' calendar indicated that he will be in Madison on the 19th.]

      The Committee returned to the order of the agenda.
      
      
   3. Approval of Faculty Meeting Date (May 5, 2005) - The May 5 meeting date was approved unanimously.
      
      
   4. Approval of Faculty Meeting Agenda - Committee members reordered the items on the agenda and set starting times for discussion of each item. If there is no recommendation for the Honors Program coming out of Friday's meeting, Connie will adjust the starting times. She also was authorized to add to the agenda any annual reports that might be received prior to publication of the agenda.
      
      
   5. Recruitment Requests for 2005-2005 - see above
      
      
6. Adjournment - The meeting was adjourned at 2:15 pm.
   
   
   

Respectfully submitted,

Connie Jo
Assistant Dean
Secretary to the L&S Faculty

Distribution: Dean G. Richard Meadows
Associate Deans Harris, Miller, O'Bryan, Schuster
Assistant Deans Horstman, Jo
Secretary of the University

Minutes #7, 2004-05.apgc