Introduction
University Standing Committees
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Academic Council
Annual Report for 2005 - 2006
Members
Dr. Barbara R. Sadowski, Chair
Dr. Kurt Torell, Dean College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Dr. Devorah Namm, Dean, Insalaco College of Creative Arts and Management
Dr. Ronald Bulbulian, Dean, College of Health and Human Services
Dr. Mary Anne Fedrick, Dean, Reap College of Education and Human Development
Dr. Bernadette Russell, Dean, School of Continuing Education
Mr. Dennis Kelly, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management
Dr. Michael Mirabito, Assistant to the Vice President for Academic Affairs for Technology
Dr. Diane Keller, Assistant to the Vice President for Academic Affairs for Research and Community Collaboration
Meetings
The minutes were taken and distributed by Mary Lou Schlesser, Executive Secretary. The agenda of each meeting was sent to the President of the University prior to the meeting.
During 2006-07, seventeen meetings of the Academic Council were held.
Accomplishments
The following work was done by the Academic Council during the 2006-07 year:
• Advanced eight part-time lecturers;
• Participated in budget formation for 2007-08;
• Named representatives to various University committees; created a Task Force on Enrollment and Retention, appointed faculty members from each college to the Task Force, held three meetings with Dr. Ann Henry, Chair of the Academic Committee of the Board of Trustees;
• Hosted two visits with Diane MacGregor, Noel-Levitz retention consultant
• Recommended two new programs to Board of Trustees; masters in Music Therapy and MA in Teaching with Secondary/K-12 Certification;
• Recommended closing two programs to the Board of Trustees; Bachelors of Church Music and Masters of Church Music
• Closed the Hershey and Great Bend sites as remote sites for instruction;
• Approved revisions to the Undergraduate Excused Absence policy;
• Developed a plan for Academic Affairs for Emergency Planning;
• Appointed a new Director of the Ph.D. Program
• Created staffing plans by college and a list of tenure track positions by college;
• Prepared a report on Distance Education and revised approval process for students requesting DE courses, including those offered by OCICU;
• Developed a survey and final report of 91 faculty on the cumulative scholarship and service activities of current faculty;
• Prepared a report on possible collaboration with proposed NEPA Medical College;
• Established a procedure for deans to request degree confirmation of all newly hired full-time and pro rata faculty members;
• Participated in interviews for presidential candidates and candidates for the Vice President of Academic Affairs;
• Revised and updated Academic Plans for incoming administrators
• Applied for and had a team accepted for the Greater Expectations Institute in June 2007. A framework for implementing greater academic challenge in the UG curriculum was developed by the attending team. (Dr. Diane Keller, Dean Mary Anne Fedrick, Dean Kurt Torell, Dr. Sue Perlis, and Andrea Dematteo.)
Dean Torell participated in the state deliberations held by the Transfer and Articulation Oversight Committee.
The Academic council continued work on issues such as:
• Faculty Teaching Evaluation Policy and procedures
• Intellectual Property Policy
• Continuous Graduate Enrollment Policy proposal
• Establishing college Advisory Boards
• Changes to Commencement ceremony (hooding by colleges)
• Planning for a reduction of 14 support staff within academic affairs in the next three years.
In addition, the Academic council is used as a forum for sharing news across the units in Academic Affairs as well as for information sharing by the Vice President to the units. This council is the conduit for personnel in key roles in Academic Affairs to be kept abreast of planning, discussions and decisions happening in the President’s cabinet.
Submitted by
Dr. Barbara R. Sadowski
Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs
July 17, 2007
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