All hires have been informed of the importance of research to the SOS mission.

C. Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology – name change for Department of Chemistry

D. Commission on Higher Education (CHC) approved the new BS in Interdisciplinary Sciences (students can connect sciences together or connect science with SLA departments to create individualized curricula)

E. Space continues to be an issue for the SOS, particularly space for animal research and for research groups that need (or do not need) wet labs. There is a strong likelihood that some Dean’s staff will be vacating LD 222 and moving to 1000 Waterway, which will create additional space for research in what currently serves as the Dean’s office. The current LD 222 suite will likely be converted to include 2 biology labs (with support space), 2 math faculty offices, and office space for remaining Dean’s Office personnel who serve students. The Dean’s office is continuing to investigate other options.

F. Reviews of Mathematical Sciences and Psychology have recently taken place. Written reports should be sent very soon and are highly valued. Next year reviews are planned for Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. These are supposed to be on a 7-year cycle, and we are playing a bit of “catch-up” at this time.

G. Future Issues:

Graduate Programs – Fellowships have been established (3-year Dean’s Fellowship) to try to ensure that we have an adequate number of graduate students to carry out our research mission.

Next year we will begin to look more closely at undergraduate programs (particularly since Ivy Tech has changed the demographics of our IUPUI undergraduate student body).

H. Budget

We’re still relatively pessimistic about state support for higher education (support is expected to remain flat). The 2 new buildings that opened this year (Informatics, Herron) will not have the traditional services that accompany new buildings (e.g., utilities, maintenance paid by state). This will have an impact on the school because those costs will be distributed to the rest of the campus. Fuel costs have increased as well, and those increases, also, will be passed on to the rest of campus. Peoplesoft also is costing more than was anticipated and should lead to an additional $3 million bill to the rest of campus. We should expect a 10% increase in charges added to the School’s current assessments.

Undergraduate tuition is expected to go up 4%, and graduate tuition should increase 6%. Across campus there is variability in terms of the increase to graduate tuition (some schools 3.5%, others 10%). Cowen indicated that we might request a greater increase next year (e.g., 10%) to help cover costs.

Expenses associated with new hires should be paid with cash that we have on hand. Because taxes go up 10% and tuition goes up 6%, very little money will be available for raises this year. Cowen feels like faculty are currently underpaid, but there is little that can be done about this at this time.

I. Questions were entertained

P. Fastenau asked about the consequences of raising graduate student tuition on PIs who fund students on grants. Cowen indicated that there is little that can be done about the cost of graduate education (e.g., payments for out-of-state students). We may need to think about creative ways of raising tuition without negatively impacting researchers. Cowen is also going to try to “redescribe” the sources of income that are allotted to departments. Money will be apportioned to departments as a function of both ICR recovery and credits taught (in order to “incentivize” both teaching and research, rather than just research).

III. School of Science Promotion and Tenure Guidelines (David Malik)

D. Malik provided a brief overview of the proposed revisions to the SOS Promotion and Tenure Guidelines, which were circulated via email earlier this month. O. Burkinshaw (Math), J. Kremer (Psychology), and D. Rau (Physics) worked with D. Malik on the current document. Following today’s discussion there will be a meeting of the Unit Committee on 5/10, where the document will continue to be discussed. Following the 05/10/05 meeting, the final document will be distributed to the faculty with a mail ballot.

Comments:

B. Boukai (Math) thanked the committee for its work and praised the changes made to the document. However, several clarifications were requested:

1. The inserted text on p. 6 dictates to departments the mechanisms through which the primary committees are to be formed. However, the mechanism that a particular department uses should be decided by voting members of the department (and this should be stipulated in the document). D. Malik responded that their committee wanted to make it clear that the Chair should not appoint members to this committee, and that the decisions of appointees should be left to the department. B. Boukai suggested that the document should state explicitly that the voting members of the department should decide which mechanism would be used (e.g., Math currently includes 4 full professors and 2 individuals appointed by the Chair to provide balance).

2. If ALL tenured Full and Associate Professors were to participate on the committee AND adhere to the rule that no more than 50% of those should be Associate Professors, there would be a shortage of Full Professors. D. Malik indicated that either additional Full Professors could serve from other departments, or the department could elect a subset of Associate Professors to serve.

3. B. Boukai pointed out that the IUPUI guidelines for Lecturers do not stipulate any obligations in the area of research. Yet the SOS document indicates that Service OR Research may be used as the secondary area (for satisfactory performance). Boukai suggested that the SOS document remain aligned with the IUPUI guidelines and withdraw mention of satisfactory performance in Research. D. Malik countered that the SOS may differ from campus guidelines (and hold more stringent criteria than the campus guidelines). The committee envisioned that lecturers may engage in research on teaching and that this should be allowed. Preference was for this delineation of roles to reside within the decision-making committees of the individual departments. Boukai countered that the language suggests that a Lecturer could choose NOT to participate in service in order to accomplish satisfactory performance in Research. Boukai would prefer to stipulate that teaching and service be required areas of performance, with research not designated as something that may be substituted for service.

4. B. Ng suggested that we all review the IUPUI document. It is potentially problematic to “elevate” Lecturer responsibilities within the SOS compared to the rest of campus. It may be a problem to “blur” boundaries between Lecturers and other faculty and perhaps over time lead to the hiring of additional Lecturers and the eradication of tenure-track faculty lines.

P. Fastenau curtailed the discussion in the service of the agenda but encouraged faculty to contact Malik with any further questions or input. D. Malik indicated that the next step would be to send out a revised document (following the 05/10/05 Unit Committee meeting) and suggested that we wait until later in the summer (August) to vote on the revised document. Other comments and suggestions should be emailed to D. Malik as soon as possible (before the 05/10/05 meeting).

V. School of Science Committee Reports

A. Steering Committee (Fastenau)

5 major issues have been addressed by the SC in Spring:

1) transition of leadership (A. Barth agreed to take over as president following Crowell’s appointment as Associate Dean);

2) administrative reviews (most department chairs, as well as Asst. Dean Nguyen);

3) review of proposed Bylaws changes regarding (a) promotion and tenure reviews and (b) the addition of the Teaching/Learning Committee as a standing committee;

4) changes to the Code of Conduct, and

5) visit of President Herbert to our School (this has been suspended indefinitely because Dr. Herbert has postponed all campus meetings for the time being).

B. Educational Policy Committee (Watt)

New and ongoing initiatives were reviewed. Examples of new initiatives: approved name change for Department of Chemistry and proposed for Department of Geology (Department of Earth Sciences); approved new BS program for Computer Sciences; approved Astronomy 100 and 105 for BS degrees; and approved numerous new and revised course requests (many within Forensic Sciences).

Ongoing: Physics course transformation project and discussion with Education concerning science courses.

C. Nominations and Awards Committee – report appended

D. Graduate Affairs Committee (P. Crowell) –

Crowell reviewed points 1 – 5 listed in Faculty Assembly report (appended).

Crowell has worked closely with Graduate Student Council to try to address issues and concerns raised by SOS graduate students. Several workshops have been conducted or are planned (e.g., grant writing workshop)

E. Technology Committee (Gavrin)

Took care of technology fee budget for SOS. The standard allocation of $400K plus $30K in refunds from UITS were allocatable. Most of these covered fixed costs (e.g., associated with management of SL 070 labs and testing facilities). Most of remaining funds ($100K) were allocated to departments to be used. It’s currently unclear whether remaining funds will be used (in a second round of requests) or rolled over to next year.

F. Academic Appeals Committee (Gavrin) – Has not met this spring.

G. Research Committee (Crowell) – Committee has not met this semester, but worked last fall to review and rank the PRF proposals (faculty were very successful with these this year). Crowell encouraged faculty to continue to apply for PRF funds.

H. Unit Committee - G. Bond indicated that item #4 (Revision of P & T Guidelines) on this agenda reflects this committee’s activity beyond routine evaluation of candidates for promotion and tenure.

I. Library Committee – no representative present

J. Teaching and Learning Committee – Summary by Appleby is appended.

VI. Announcements – None

VII. New Business – None

Fastenau adjourned the meeting at 3:20 p.m.

Submitted by K. Johnson
April 27, 2005

Edited and posted to SOS web page for faculty review by P. Fastenau

May 11, 2005

Approval by the SOS Faculty pending

APPENDICES

Teaching and Learning Committee

Drew Appleby, Chair

The primary activity of the Teaching and Learning Committee this year has been its decision to change its identity. In the past, the committee has been challenged to address a variety of academic issues (e.g., assessment and academic honesty), but because it is not a standing committee of the School of Science, it has had no power to put its findings into effect and no audience to which to report them. After considerable deliberation, the committee has decided to change its name to the School of Science Assessment Committee, request that it become a standing Committee of the School of Science, and limit its actions to the following four tasks:

To facilitate the assessment of student learning at school and department levels
To provide the Dean or the Dean's designee with an annual report from each department, which will be collated into the annual School of Science assessment report and submit to the IUPUI Program Review and Assessment Committee
To provide the IUPUI Program Review and Assessment Committee with whatever information it requests
To present the annual assessment report to the SOS Faculty

Nominations and Awards Committee

Jyoti Sarkar, Chair

The SoS Nominations and Awards Committee has met on March 01 and 08 and decided on the following award winners. The Committee would like to thank all nominees, nominators, recommenders and department chairs for their input in the Committee's business.

School of Science Awards

Teaching Award Gautam Vemuri Physics

Research Award Jeff Ou Physics

Service Award Bethany Neal-Beliveau Psychology

Academic Advising Award Cynthia Williams Psychology

Full-Time Staff Award Joan Rainey Mathematical Sciences

Full-Time Lecturer Award Keith Anliker Chemistry

Teaching Assistant Award Mike Murcia Chemistry

Associate Faculty Award Marta Corbin Geology

Barnwell Scholarship Derek Scott Physics (& pianist)

Lambertus Scholarship Kelley Anderson Mathematical Sciences

Chancellor's Scholar Vera Vavinskiy Computer and Information Science

Trustees Teaching Award for Tenured/Tenure-Track Faculty

Mark Terrell Biology

Clifford Dykstra Chemistry

Jiang Zheng Computer and Information Sciences

Kathy Licht Geology

Owen Burkinshaw Mathematical Sciences

Silvia Bigatti Psychology

Trustees Teaching Award for Lecturers

Robert Yost Biology

Susan Meshulam Mathematical Sciences

SoS Nominee for Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Research

Christopher Jamell Physics

SOS Faculty Assembly

Chemistry: Anliker, Boyd, Holladay, Long, Malik, Muhoberac, M. Nguyen, Schultz

CIS: Dai, Huang, Mukhopadhyay, Palakal, Tuceryan, JY Zheng, Zou

Geology: Licht

School of Science Graduate Affairs Committee