University/Faculty Senate Meeting Recaps
October Meeting of the Twin Cities Delegation of the Faculty Senate
On October 5, 2017, the Twin Cities Delegation of the Faculty Senate held a special meeting on the topic of liberal education. Executive Vice President and Provost Karen Hanson and Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education Bob McMaster gave an overview of the history of liberal education at the University, the reasons behind the decision to re-examine the requirements at this time, and the pre-planning process. FCC Chair Joseph Konstan discussed ways in which faculty governance has been involved and will continue to be involved in decisions around liberal education requirements. The presentations were followed by a robust discussion on liberal education, which yielded a number of excellent suggestions and raised several important concerns. A complete account of the presentations and discussion is available in the minutes. The next step in the process is for the Liberal Education Redesign Committee to make recommendations to the Faculty Senate on whether and how to revise the liberal education requirements.
November Joint Faculty and University Senate Meeting
The November 9, 2017, joint meeting of the Faculty Senate and the University Senate focused on responding to, reporting, and preventing sexual misconduct on campus. President Eric Kaler spoke on the importance of taking action to end sexual misconduct on campus and the President’s Initiative to Prevent Sexual Misconduct. School of Public Health Dean John Finnegan, charged with leading this initiative, talked about taking a public health approach to this problem. Other speakers included Tina Marisam, director, Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (EOAA), Kevin Dostal Dauer, co-chair, Student Sexual Misconduct Subcommittee (pictued left), and Professor Kate Harris, whose research focuses on the importance of the “first responder” in incidents of trauma. Senators then engaged in a thoughtful discussion on the issue. Presentation materials and a video of the meeting are available on the University Senate website; full minutes will be available following their approval at the March 1, 2018, University Senate meeting.