Monday, November 7, 2022

Minutes

EMERITUS FACULTY COUNCIL MEETING

9:30 a.m. Monday, November 7, 2022

(Live meeting at Old Capitol Conference Center, Meeting Room A, 2d Floor, Old Capitol Mall, With Zoom Connection.

Roll Call:  EFC Members: xCharlie Anderson, xChristopher Atchison, xConstance Berman, xDeborah Cobb, Sam Cochran, xCathy Cole, xMinnetta Gardinier, xMiriam Gilbert, xBill Hines, Russell Lenth, Jacob Odgaard, Mary Ann Rasmussen, xCarol Scott-Conner, Siroos Shirazi, xBernard Sorofman, xJill Valde, xJohn Westefeld

Other participants: Megan Foley-Nicpon

Approval of Minutes: October 3, 2022 - approved unanimously

New Business

An ad hoc discussion occurred regarding IT support for Emeritus faculty.  It was observed that there is some prediction that IT support may be removed from the Emeritus Faculty.  The Chair said he would investigate that possibility.

New Emeritus Faculty Members

NAME                                       College    Retirement Date

Timothy Yahr                           CCOM              11/19/2022

Tad Mabry                                CDEN               11/1/2022

Michael Duffel                         CPHAR             12/9/2022

Recently Deceased Emeritus Faculty

Delbert Disselhorst                 CLAS                 9/1/2022

Sohan Hayreh                          CCOM              9/28/2022

Keith Guillory                           CPHAR             10/7/2022

Donald McClain                       CLAS                 10/8/2022

Darrell Eyman                          CLAS                 10/6/2022

Janet Kay Spect                        CNUR               10/24/2022

Moment of Silence

Reports From EFC Committees

  1.    Elections: Gilbert & Cole – No report
  2.    Program: Anderson & Westefeld – Need speakers for December, March and May, requested ideas. And Requested guidance for the Annual Meeting.  Suggestion of the new director or program director at Hancher.
  3. Lecture Series: Gardinier, Gilbert & Scott-Conner – Next Program is November 17th. The topic is: Time Management: Oxymoron or Essential? – Presented by Susan R. Johnson.  A program with Jerrold Weiss, Ph.D. is scheduled for April 2023. The committee is looking for 2 additional speakers for the Spring.
  4. Webpage: Lenth – History video is on site. Minutes Attached

Reports From Liaisons to University Committees

  1. Campus Planning: Anderson – No report, meeting next week
  2.  Faculty Senate and Council: Gardinier & Rasmussen – Minutes Attached
  3.  FRIC: Shirazi & Sorofman – FRIC met this week but nothing of significance to report. ng. However, Sorofman raised the prior FRIC meeting’s discussion of the guaranteed issue rights for retirees.  She asked if we should we be more pro-active regarding retirees. Do we have a value of the emeritus faculty to the U? Hines said it is difficult to quantify.
  4. Hancher & Art Museum: Valde – No report
  5. Libraries: Lenth & Cole – Minutes attached
  6. Parking & Transportation: Odgaard & Scott-Conner – minutes attached
  7. President’s Committee on Athletics: Hines – Minutes attached
  8. Recreational Services: Atchison – Atchison noted that the UIHC has determined that they will not be taking the space occupied by the Fieldhouse, consequently plans to remove that historic building have been cancelled.  Minutes attached
  9. Research Council: Berman – No report
  10. Senior College: Mitros – No report
  11. UIRA: Cobb – The UIRA now has a formal relationship with the University through memo. There was general discussion and some concern regarding future of benefits. Atchison suggested this might be an item to also discuss with the UIRA. Cobb will do some exploring regarding enrollee numbers. 

Old Business – No old business

New Business –

Chair Hines posed a question regarding how we should report in the minutes regarding the results of decisions on the permissive conferral of emeritus status. Hines said we need to capture reasons for the decisions, create a record for the future decision making. Valde said we have had done that in the past.  There are fundamental questions, years of service, faculty titles, or contributions. A key phrase is “honorable circumstances” after a period of time. Gilbert agreed with Gardiner that we will get an increasing number with the range of titles now in place. Anderson asked if we can utilize executive minutes for personnel action. Scott-Conner asked about precedent. Hines said precedent is very important. Hines will take names off the agenda. Gilbert suggested that a template be developed for the process and reporting to the Provost and agreed to review earlier records for precedent.

Guest Speaker: Westefeld introduced Megan Foley-Nicpon, professor in Counseling Psychology and Department Executive Officer for Psychological and Quantitative Foundations to discuss “Talent Development and The Belin-Blank Center”.

Foley-Nicpon opened her comments by noting that she grew up in Iowa City and obtained her PhD with focus on educational disabilities at Arizona State University. 

She became the 3rd director of Belin-Blank Center in August of this year.  Her focus is to build on the goals of the College of education: 1) Improve student faculty and staff success 2) Advance research and discovery, and 3) Actively engage diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism.

Her first objective is to develop a strategic plan for the Belin-Blank Center that addresses these goals through four priority areas:  1.) equity, 2.) talent development, 3.) research and discovery, and 4.) collaboration and outreach. She will be present her planning process to the Belin-Blank board this Friday.

The Council then engaged in a broad discussion regarding gifted education, students with exceptional ability and students with neurological struggles. 

Chair Hines thanked Foley-Nicpon for her presentation and discussion and the meeting was adjourned at 11:01