1. Call to Order - The chair, David Heathcote, called the meeting to order at 2:05 p.m. in Holton Hall 241.
   
   
2. Special Order of Business: Discussion with Associate Deans - Each of the associate deans gave an update on the recuitments for the current year and outlined priorities for hiring for Fall, 2007. The information reported was as follows:
   
   

   Social Sciences - Rodney Swain
   The following hires have been made for Fall, 2006:

   • two positions in Africology, one of them a "target of opportunity" hire;
   • one position in History, and an additional position shared with Jewish Studies;
   • one position in Political Science;
   • two positions in Psychology (health psychology), one of them a "target of opportunity" hire;
   • one spousal hire (Anna Mansson McGinty) jointly in Geography/Women's Studies.

   The following top five priorities were listed for Fall, 2007:

   • Anthropology - museum studies, AP or P level to strengthen liaison with the museum. The museum has laid off one of the two individuals who work with UWM in this program, and UWM has no one in the department who is assigned specifically to the program. The individual in Anthro currently coordinating the program has the highest graduate student load in the department as well as other administrative duties.
   • Geography - GIS/remote sensing, AP or P level because the department is "bottom heavy" with younger faculty members. One individual is leaving, and this area is a major focus of the reconfigured Geography Ph.D. [Following submission of its position requests, the Department received word that Nik Heynen may be leaving. If that is the case, the Department would make a replacement for that position its top priority (physical geography, urban environment).]
   • Women's Studies/Political Science - joint position. Women's Studies has an entitlement to develop a Master of Arts degree, but at present it is having trouble covering its core courses.
   • Psychology/Biological Sciences - neurosciences. This is an "action plan" carryover from several years ago that has never made it to the recruitment stage.
   • Geography - urban water resources/GIS. Urban is another focus of the reconfigured Ph.D. In addition, System has requested the development of a Freshwater Ph.D. in which Geography may be involved.

   The following five additional needs were identified:

   • Journalism and Mass Communication - media and society
   • Psychology - applied behavior analysis
   • Women's Studies/Communication - joint position
   • Anthropology - palaeobotanist
   • Geography - GIS/geovisualization

   Natural Sciences - Marija Gajdardziska-Josifovska
   The following hires have been made for Fall, 2006:

   • one position in Biological Sciences;
   • two positions in Geosciences, one of them a spousal hire;
   • two positions in Mathematical Sciences, one of them a spousal hire;
   • one position in Physics (with low start-up costs).

   The following top four priorities were listed for Fall, 2007:

   • Chemistry - analytical. This individual will do spectroscopic work in a biological and environmental context and will contribute to the Conservation and Environmental Sciences major.
   • Physics - biophysicist. This was last year's #1 position, but high start-up costs prevented recruitment. External reviewers identified this as the Department's highest priority. The individual will work in medical imaging and optics. This position is essential for the establishment of an MS program in Medical Physics.
   • Biological Sciences - evolution/population geneticist. This is the Department's #1 priority, with impact in all areas of the biosciences.
   • Chemistry - chemical education. The Department has become a national leader in chemical education, and this is a low start-up cost position.

   The following additional needs were identified as high priorities for 2008:

   • Mathematical Sciences - stochastic;
   • Geosciences - glacial (Lasca replacement).

   There are three additional special cases to be considered. Two of them (biology/chemistry and neuroendocrinology) were Milwaukee Idea positions. It is not clear if there still is MI money to support these positions. The third is a senior person from a very-well-funded Florida group of particle physicists who is spending his year's sabbatical in Madison. He is a theorist in particle phenomenology research. This position would require a large salary, but small start-up.

   Humanities - Charles Schuster The following hires have been made for Fall, 2006:

   • one position in Communication;
   • one position in English (American literature);
   • one position in FLL (Arabic);
   • one position in FICL (spousal hire for Madison);
   • one position in Spanish and Portuguese (Latin American literature).

   The following priorities, weighted toward graduate programs that have lost a lot of faculty strength, were listed for Fall, 2007:

   • Philosophy - modern European. The Department has lost the faculty member in this important area due to retirement. Additionally, there is one individual on leave. The Department has one of the top two master's programs in the country, so it is critical to maintain the strength of the faculty.
   • Communication - rhetoric. There is huge enrollment demand, but the Department has lost faculty members. The Rhetorical Leadership certificate and the proposal for the Communication Ph.D. will be strengthened by this hire.
   • English - possible creative writing or literature, although the Department ranked linguistics first. The Department lost five senior faculty members this year.
   • Communication - intercultural or women's studies. The intercultural position also would support Global Studies, while Women's Studies would benefit from a joint hire.
   • English and Philosophy tied. Philosophy will lose its key person in religion in the Spring. This is a critical need for the Comparative Study of Religion major as well. English has needs due to the above-mentioned lost of five senior faculty members.
   • Spanish and Portuguese - Latin American literature and culture. This is a critical need, especially in view of the development of a new major in Latin American, Caribbean, and U.S. Latino Studies, but it is difficult to rank it above graduate programs that have experienced significant losses.
   • FLL - linguistics or Japanese, with the latter preferred over the former. There also is a request for an individual in Classics, but this seems harder to justify.

   There was a brief discussion of the pros and cons of spousal hiring. The practice allows UWM to attract high quality people over universities that do not engage in spousal hiring. The cost, if the spousal hire is done right away, is borne in part by System funds. On the down side, however, a spousal hire may take a department in a direction it did not intend to go, although this doesn't necessarily turn out to be a bad thing.

3. Procedural Matters
   1. Election of Chair for 2006-2007 - postponed until the next meeting when all members will be present.
      
      
4. Automatic Consent
   1. Minutes #5 (April 13, 2006) - There were no objections to the minutes of the previous meeting; they stand approved.
      
      
5. Old Business
   1. Distinguished Professorships - The Committee members went over the draft proposal line by line and made suggestions for revisions. Connie Jo will prepare the revised document and circulate it via email for review and correction.
      
      
6. New Business
   1. Position Requests for New Faculty in 2007-2008 - The subcommittees were asked to meet prior to May 31st. Connie will check with Dean Meadows to see if he is available to meet with the Committee on that day. The Committee will make its hiring recommendations following that meeting.
      
      
7. Adjournment - The meeting was adjourned at 3:50 p.m.
   
   
   

Respectfully submitted,

Connie Jo, Assistant Dean
Secretary to the L&S Faculty

Distribution: Dean G. Richard Meadows
Associate Deans Gajdardziska-Josifovska, O'Bryan, Schuster, Swain
Assistant Deans Horstman, Jo
Secretary of the University

Minutes #6, 2005-06.apgc