September 2023/2024

EFC Committee/Liaison Reports

Report on Library Committee 

September 15, 2023

Submitted by Constance Berman

Reviewed the library charge in Charter 

Updated on gate count: up six percent

Discussion of new gallery exhibit on Bill Sackter. (Wild Bill’s Coffee Shop in School of Social Work): exhibit from August 21 to December 19, 2023. 

Call for nominations for Arthur Benton Fund award by October 1.

Arthur Benton University Librarian's Award for Excellence

The $2,000 award, made possible by a generous endowment from Dr. Arthur Benton, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Neurology, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

Notice of University’s next Capital Campaign will be launched on 16 October.

Modifications to Librarian promotion process 

With P & S /merit 20 new hires of 170 staff, mostly due to retirements.

Discussion of journals that we get, but for which page charges have to be paid.

Discussion of: Robust Special Collection

Discussion of shared position with Stanley digital scholar project.

Plan for future Meeting at Conservation lab in person.

Next meeting: library collection budget (90 % on journals)

ADOPTED MINUTES: FACULTY SENATE 

Tuesday, September 12, 2023 3:30 – 5:15 pm
Senate Chamber, Old Capitol 

SUBMITTED BY MARY ANN RASMUSSEN, EFC

SENATORS IN ATTENDANCE: M. Abou Alaiwa, A. Achenbach, L. Adams, B. An, D. Anderson, B. Ayati, C. Benson, M. Berg, J. Bunch, E. Carlisle, M. Carvour, C. Chan, R. Cox, R. Curto, R. Curtu, E. Destruel, H. Dybevik, A. Estapa, A. Farag, J. Fiegel, C. Fox, P. Gilbert, A. Goedken, B. Greteman, P. Groves, C. Grueter, A. Guernsey, A. Jabbari, C. Just, A. Kalnins, J. Kline, J. Koch, M. Landsman, A. Lesch, C. McMillan, M. McQuistan, H. Mehdi, B. Nottingham-Spencer, C. Pinnaro, M. Pizzimenti, T. Rietz, J. Sa-Aadu, M. Schroeder, D. Shane, Y. Shi, F. Solt, E. Thomas, A. Vikram, M. Wald, K. Whitaker, F. Williams, K. Worthington. 

Officers Present: M. Charlton, E. Gillan, A. Rodríguez-Rodríguez, C. Sheerin. 

Senators Excused: M. Coleman, L. Durairaj, S. Ganesan, T. Mangum, K. Parker, D. Santillan, M. Santillan, E. Welder, S. Young. 

Senators Absent: S. Abuhammoud, P. Ferguson, N. Greyser, J. Gutierrez, N. Handoo, D. Langbehn, B. Li, V. Lira, S. Martini, P. Nau, A. Shibli- Rahhal, C. Turvey, T. Wadas, L. Zingman. 

Guests: A. Flaming (Center for Teaching); A. Hanson (Office of the Provost); K. Kregel (Provost); A. Perry (Hancher and Office of Performing Arts and Engagement); D. Witt (Faculty Policies and Compensation Committee); L. Zaper (Faculty Senate Office). 

I.  Call to Order – President Gillan called the meeting to order at 3:30 pm. 

II. Approvals

1. Meeting Agenda –Professor Farag moved and Professor Pizzimenti seconded that 

the agenda be approved. The motion carried unanimously. 

2. Faculty Senate Minutes (April 25, 2023) – Professor Just moved and Professor 

Anderson seconded that the minutes be approved. The motion carried unanimously. 

3. Committee Appointments (Caroline Sheerin, Chair, Committee on Committees) – 

Vice President Sheerin noted that one update had been made to this list after it had been distributed to Senators. Professor McQuistan moved and Professor Farag seconded that the committee appointments be approved with the update. The motion carried unanimously. 

• The full list of appointments is appended to these minutes. 

III. New Business 

• Andre Perry, Executive Director, Hancher Auditorium and the Office of Performing Arts and Engagement
Mr. Perry explained that in July 2022, the administrative home of Hancher Auditorium was moved from the Office of Strategic Communications into the Office of the Provost. At the same time, Provost Kregel created the Office of Performing Arts and Engagement. This new office has oversight of Hancher Auditorium, as well as the stewardship of all of the relationships among the performing arts units (dance, theatre, music, and performing arts production) on campus. A monthly executive committee meeting brings Mr. Perry together with the DEO’s of the departments of Dance, Theatre Arts, and the School of Music; the dean and an associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; the Vice President for External Relations; several officers from the UI Center for Advancement; administrators from Hancher and the performing arts units; and the communications directors from these units. This is a group that previously had never met on a regular basis. Now, the executive committee members can discuss the challenges they face in their units and focus on shared long-term goals. Structurally and philosophically, the group has moved to a collaborative model, allowing units to pool resources in order to better support the performing arts at UI. 

The vision for the UI performing arts in the current strategic plan calls for the university to be the destination of first choice for the performing arts for a diverse and talented body of students, faculty, staff, visiting artists, alumni, and arts patrons and advocates – who will craft new chapters of exploration, discovery, creation, and engagement. Mr. Perry reminded Senators that the arts have always been an integral part of the University of Iowa. The university’s first creative writing class was taught in 1897 and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop was founded in 1936. In 1922, the university began accepting creative work as theses toward advanced degrees, thus laying the groundwork for the MFA. Eventually, the departments of Art History and Studio Art were combined in a manifestation of the “Iowa Idea,” putting critical thought and creative practice together in the same academic unit. In the following decades, the first Museum of Art and the first Hancher Auditorium were constructed. The devastation wrought by the flood of 2008 led to the rebirth of our arts campus with a series of magnificent new buildings. Plans now call for the Department of Dance to move to a new campus home. 

Mr. Perry indicated that last year, the Performing Arts at Iowa leadership focused efforts on four main areas. First, our different arts units are moving toward collaboration in support of student creative productions. Second, communications activities are now being consolidated to encompass all of the performing arts units through the creation of a Performing Arts at Iowa brand, while still maintaining the distinctive identities of each unit. Third, visiting artists are being incorporated into the academic curriculum. Fourth, structures are being developed at all levels to foster community across the performing arts units, so that organic relationships can flourish. During the 2023-24 academic year, the Performing Arts at Iowa leadership will take all four of these initiatives to the next level. Further dissemination of the Performing Arts at Iowa brand will inform our internal and widening external audiences that the performing arts units are working together towards a larger goal. 

Two large co-productions are planned for the 2023-24 academic year, Mr. Perry continued. The Fall Dance Gala is a collaboration among the Department of Dance, the production unit, and Hancher, which will become the permanent home of this event going forward. Opera will return to Hancher in the spring with the staging of Fierce, the score of which was composed by UI School of Music professor William Menefield. Also during the 2023-24 academic year, a series of visiting artists will not only perform on campus, but work with students in music, dance, and theatre. Other areas of focus for 2023-24 include collaborations with the UI Center for Advancement; development of value propositions for the dance, music and theatre units; and community building across all graduate level arts and creativity units. 

The performing arts inspire joy on campus, Mr. Perry observed. He added that we want to ensure that the arts are an essential element of the “Iowa experience,” for students, staff, and faculty. By 2027-28, we would like to ensure that 10,000 students annually are having a meaningful artistic experience on campus. Mr. Perry noted that last month, a Fall Welcome Concert was held on the Hancher Green and was attended by 3-4 thousand people; about one third of the audience members were students. In October, the Infinite Dream festival will take place at a variety of venues across campus. Faculty and student work, as well as visiting artist work, will be featured. 

Professor Kline commented on recent successful collaborations between Hancher and the hospital that brought artists into the hospital to perform. He encouraged the continuation of these collaborations. Mr. Perry indicated that he was eager to bring performances into the hospital and he requested that anyone with suggestions for performers contact him. Professor Kalnins wondered if Hancher could host even more performances than it currently does. He remarked that Eastern Iowa in general sometimes seemed to be overlooked by musical and other performers. Mr. Perry responded that he anticipated an increase in Hancher performances over the next few years. However, for some events, for example the opera Fierce, the stage must be closed for several weeks while preparations for the show are completed. The stage is occasionally used by students as part of their academic programs, as well. Other venues on campus are being considered for performances when Hancher is not available. Mr. Perry added that Hancher is becoming more flexible to accommodate unexpected opportunities to bring artists to campus, as well as developing new relationships with agents that won’t show results for several years. He observed that the entire performing arts industry is still recovering from the impact of the pandemic and figuring out how to move forward. 

President Gillan commented that when he arrived at UI 26 years ago, he received two free tickets to a Hancher performance during the orientation for new faculty. The person he invited to accompany him to the performance eventually became his wife. Mr. Perry thanked President Gillan for sharing that wonderful story. President Gillan encouraged Senators to attend performing arts events on campus. 

• Presentation on Faculty Council and Faculty Senate (Ed Gillan)
After requesting a show of hands from the newly-elected Senators, President Gillan 

presented an overview of Faculty Senate, Faculty Council, and shared governance activities. He explained that, in addition to Faculty Senate, there are three other university-level shared governance bodies: Staff Council, Undergraduate Student Government (USG), and Graduate and Professional Student Government (GPSG). The groups may vary in structure, but they all provide advisory input on issues and policies impacting their constituents to administrators, who have a history of respecting and engaging with shared governance. The leaders of all four shared governance bodies meet monthly, as well. The Faculty Senate has also interacted with the collegiate faculty shared governance bodies and with the deans. 

President Gillan continued, noting that the Faculty Senate and Faculty Council represent the approximately 2800 faculty members in the tenure, clinical, instructional, and research tracks. Currently, the tenure track comprises about 51% of the total, with the clinical track at 35%, the instructional track at 12%, and the research track at 2%. The number of Senators and Councilors from each college is determined on the basis of collegiate faculty population. The Senate consists of approximately 80 elected representatives from the ten academic colleges, while the Council consists of approximately 20 members elected from among the Senators representing each college. The Council and the Senate each meet six times per academic year, with additional meetings called if necessary.

Turning to the role of the Faculty Council, President Gillan explained that the Council functions like an executive committee of the Faculty Senate. Additionally, the Council discusses issues that are not yet “Senate-ready,” such as draft policies and collegiate concerns, and prepares these items for submission to the Senate. The Senate then has final approval on draft policies. President Gillan noted, however, that this approval is advisory to the administration. He emphasized that Councilors and Senators also serve as a valuable conduit for information transfer to and from faculty members in their colleges. It is through the Faculty Senate officers, elected by the Senate, that most Council and Senate communication with administrators takes place, President Gillan indicated. The officers meet regularly with the President, Provost, and other central administrators, and occasionally with deans, as well. Another channel of communication with administrators exists within the approximately 20 charter and university committees that advise on various aspects of campus operations. The Senate appoints the faculty members of these committees, which also include staff and student members. The Senate has also established several of its own committees to carry out the work of the Senate. The most consistently active Senate committee is the Faculty Policies and Compensation Committee. President Gillan encouraged Senators to apply for committee service when the committee recruitment announcement comes out in the spring. 

President Gillan noted that the Committee on Elections is the Senate committee responsible for assembling a slate of officer candidates from among current and past Senators. Officers are elected by the Senate at the last spring semester meeting. President Gillan suggested that Senators who might have an interest in running for an officer position contact the current officers for additional information. The activities of the Senate officers extend far beyond running the Council and Senate meetings, President Gillan continued. As he noted earlier, the officers meet regularly with the President, Provost, and other senior administrators, as well as engage with members of the Board of Regents, State of Iowa. The Senate officers coordinate periodic reviews of central academic offices and their leadership; a review of the Office of the Vice President for Research is currently underway. The officers also interact and collaborate with other shared governance group leaders. Various officers hold ex-officio memberships on Senate committees. Perhaps most importantly, the officers advocate for faculty voices and knowledgeable input to be solicited, heard, and respected. 

• Academic Freedom Statement (Caroline Sheerin and Ed Gillan)
Vice President Sheerin reminded Senators that faculty members had received an email message from the Office of the President on August 28, with the subject line An important reminder about academic freedom at Iowa. The message contained a statement to faculty signed by President Wilson, Provost Kregel, and Faculty Senate President Gillan. Vice President Sheerin explained that the statement had originated in conversations between the Senate officers and central administrators regarding protections that the university provides to its faculty members (on the tenure, clinical, research, and instructional tracks) related to academic freedom. The purpose of the statement was to reaffirm that the university recognizes and protects the academic freedom of all members of the faculty. Vice President Sheerin urged Senators to share the statement with their colleagues to ensure that faculty understand that when teaching and research are carried out within one’s area of expertise, faculty members are entitled to the university’s protection. President Gillan added that the statement is not something new, but is based on policies that have long been in existence at the university. 

• Instructional Track Faculty Policy Revision (Ed Gillan)
President Gillan indicated that his memo describing the history of and key changes to the instructional track faculty policy had accompanied the policy document that Senators had received prior to the meeting. The instructional track is our newest track, President Gillan continued, following the creation of the clinical track and then later the research track. Each of these three tracks was reviewed five years after implementation to determine whether changes were needed to the track’s policy. The faculty committee that reviewed the instructional track made a series of recommendations. This initial policy revision incorporates those changes deemed least difficult to implement, as well as most readily to garner administrative support. 

The Faculty Senate’s Committee on Rules and Bylaws and the Faculty Policies and Compensation Committee provided input to and drafted the policy revisions. Faculty Council discussed the recommendations and offered feedback, as well. An additional policy revision based on the review report’s more complicated recommendations, including those related to dispute procedures, is anticipated in the future. 

President Gillan briefly commented on key proposed changes to the policy. Reflecting on early concerns among tenured faculty that the instructional track (IT) might proliferate at the university to the detriment of the tenure track, President Gillan pointed out proposed modifications to the policy preamble that seek to set a more positive tone for inclusion of IT faculty in the university’s educational mission. The proposed revision changes the current Lecturer title to Assistant Professor of Instruction or Assistant Professor of Practice, thus providing title consistency among the levels of the instructional track (and among the initial  levels of all of the tracks), as well as eliminating confusion with the fixed-term Lecturer position. The proposed revision also sets forth a distinct set of qualifications, lacking in the current policy version, for the Assistant Professor of Practice. Increased Faculty Senate representation for IT faculty is proposed by raising the cap on IT faculty representation within collegiate delegations from 10% to 20%, similar to the cap on clinical-track faculty representation. The remaining proposed revisions more clearly define an initial 1-3 year probationary appointment for each rank; add collegiate guidance for distinction between the instructional and practice tracks; and remove items related to the five-year review and oversight of the impact of IT faculty on tenure- track faculty numbers. 

Professor Schroeder asked for clarification of the difference between an appointment as a clinical-track faculty member and an appointment as an instructional-track professor of practice. President Gillan observed that different colleges use their various faculty tracks differently. For example, an instructional-track faculty member in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences would likely have engaged only in an academic career. Someone hired by the Tippie College of Business as a professor of practice on the instructional track, however, would likely be someone with considerable experience in a business field who would then in the classroom provide students with their insight gained through years of practice in that field. At UI, both of these faculty members would be engaging only in teaching, unlike a clinical-track faculty member, who might, for example, see patients in addition to teaching. Professor Schroeder followed up by asking if there might be any unintended negative consequences to allowing colleges to implement the university-wide policy with such flexibility. Professor Gillan responded that the university-wide policy does place constraints on collegiate implementation. Also, collegiate instructional-track policies must be approved by the Provost’s Office, which applies an additional layer of scrutiny to the collegiate policies. 

Professor Kline moved and Professor Just seconded that the revised Instructional Track Faculty Policy be approved. The motion carried unanimously. 

President Gillan reminded Senators that approval from the Provost and the President are still needed before the policy revisions can be implemented. 

• President’s Report (Ed Gillan)
President Gillan reported on highlights of Faculty Senate officer activity during the summer 

months. As they do annually, the officers monitored legislative decisions regarding state appropriations. The Faculty Senate’s Governmental Relations Committee is seeking to coordinate its efforts with the relevant committees of the other shared governance groups, for greater visibility and impact. President Gillan noted that a survey regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion had recently gone out to the campus community from the Board of Regents. Results will likely be available by the end of the semester. As described above, the Senate officers assisted with the creation of the academic freedom statement sent out to all faculty. 

Policy and other committee work continued over the summer, President Gillan indicated. The officers and the Faculty Policies and Compensation Committee (FPCC) reviewed emeritus policy updates and policy revisions regarding pregnancy-related work accommodations. The 

6 

officers also facilitated FPCC’s review of the campus’ policy for classified research. Reminding the group that reviews of central administrative offices are one of the Faculty Senate’s responsibilities, President Gillan noted that former Senate president Professor Marshall is coordinating the review of the Office of the Vice President for Research and the Vice President for Research. He added that this year’s Faculty Council/Administrative Retreat focused on research and creative work across all disciplines. Reviews of the consensual relationships policy and of the policies related to the university’s charter committee structure are both ongoing. A working group, comprised of faculty members and administrators, has been meeting for over a year to review and propose modifications to the Faculty Dispute Procedures. The Judicial Commission, a faculty committee that supplies members for dispute panels, has recently lost its long-serving Investigating Officer. Discussions are underway with administrators regarding how to replace this staff member who has responsibility for coordinating the details of the judicial panel process. And, the Senate past president has been added to the committee, the Strategic Plan Action and Resource Committee (SPARC), that reviews P3 funding applications. 

President Gillan then invited Senators to introduce themselves to their neighbors and to discuss with them one issue about which their collegiate faculty was concerned. Following lively conversations among Senators, President Gillan asked Senators to share the concerns that had been discussed. These concerns included: 

• Burnout and morale among faculty 
• Concerns about staying competitive as an institution 
• Impact of the DEI review on campus programs 
• Vagueness of the language around academic freedom, especially as it relates to areas of expertise 
• Recruitment and retention of diverse students, faculty, and staff 
• Impact of K-12-related legislation on recruitment and retention of faculty and staff 
• Impact of LGBTQ-related legislation on patient care, faculty morale, and recruitment and retention of faculty 
• Impact of lack of retention of staff on faculty work 
• Staffing shortages at all levels at the hospital and Carver College of Medicine 

President Gillan thanked Senators for sharing these concerns. He indicated that the officers would discuss these concerns with administrators. 

IV. From the Floor – A new committee appointment emerged from the floor: Joel Kline (Internal Medicine) to fill the unexpired term of Emily Hill (Obstetrics and Gynecology) on the Faculty Council, 2023-25 

Professor Just moved and Professor Farag seconded that the committee appointment be approved. The motion carried unanimously. 

V. Announcements
• The next Faculty Council meeting will be Tuesday, October 10, 3:30-5:15 pm, Executive Boardroom (2390), University Capitol Centre.

• The next Faculty Senate meeting will be Tuesday, October 24, 3:30-5:15 pm, Senate Chamber, Old Capitol. 

VI.
Adjournment – Professor McQuistan moved and Professor Benson seconded that the meeting be adjourned. The motion carried unanimously. President Gillan adjourned the meeting at 4:45 pm. 

Appendix - Charter Committees 

Committee Appointments

Venise Berry (Journalism & Mass Communication) to fill a vacancy on the Charter Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, 2023-26 

Kay Ramey (Psychological & Quantitative Foundations) to fill a vacancy on the Family Issues Charter Committee, 2023-26 

Alexandra Nica (Economics) to fill a vacancy on the Financial Aid Advisory Charter Committee, 2023-26 

Maxwell Lei Geng (Chemistry) to fill a vacancy on the Financial Aid Advisory Charter Committee, 2023-25 

Art Spisak (Classics) to fill a vacancy on the Financial Aid Advisory Charter Committee, 2023-26 

Melissa Meisterheim (ESL) to fill the unexpired term of Mary Trachsel (Rhetoric) on the Sustainability Charter Committee, 2023-24 

Non-Charter and University Committees 

Melissa Swee (Internal Medicine) to fill a vacancy on the Faculty Staff Parking Appeals Committee, 2023-26 

Mary Charlton (Epidemiology) to fill the unexpired term of Sailesh Harwani (Internal Medicine) on the Presidential Committee on Athletics, 2023-24 

Lemuel Non (Internal Medicine) to fill a vacancy on the Conflict of Interest in Employment Committee, 2023-26 

Phuong Nguyen (School of Planning and Public Affairs) to fill a vacancy on the Conflict of Interest in Employment Committee, 2023-26 

Carrie Figdor (Philosophy) to fill the unexpired term of Palle Jorgensen (Mathematics) on the Student Publications Board, 2023-25 

Faculty Senate Committees 

Jason Rantanen (Law) to the Judicial Commission, 2023-26
Jonathan Simmons (Anesthesia) to the Judicial Commission, 2023-26 

Faculty Council 

Mary Schroeder (Pharmacy) to fill a vacancy on the Faculty Council, 2023-26 Dan Shane (Public Health) to fill a vacancy on the Faculty Council, 2023-26 

Faculty Senate 

Tom Rietz (Finance) to fill the unexpired term of John Murry (Marketing) on the Faculty Senate, 2023-24 

Alison Guernsey (Law) to fill the unexpired term of Jonathan Carlson (Law) on the Faculty Senate, 2023-24 

Carlos Chan (Surgery) to fill the unexpired term of Karima Ait-Aissa (Internal Medicine) on the Faculty Senate, 2023-25 

David Axelrod (Surgery) to fill the unexpired term of Donald Macfarlane (Internal Medicine) on the Faculty Senate, 2023-25 

Mark Berg (Sociology & Criminology) to replace Brady G’Sell (Gender, Women’s & Sexuality Studies) on the Faculty Senate, 2023-24 

James Nepola (Orthopedics and Rehabilitation) to fill the unexpired term of Emily Hill (Obstetrics and Gynecology) on the Faculty Senate, 2023-25