Approval of minutes. The minutes for the meeting of December 18, 2002, were approved as submitted.

Remarks by the Secretary. Professor Kingsland reported on the April 8 evening meeting. There was a discussion about changing the Council by-laws so that one-year members would be elected by Council. The consensus was that would be a good idea. As far as permanently inviting the Vice Dean for Faculty and Academic Programs for the Krieger School and the Associate Dean for the Whiting School, Council members decided to wait to see what happens in the School of Engineering, but that inviting them for the 2003/2004 could be voted on when Council members felt ready. The third topic discussed at the evening meeting was teaching evaluations and the charge to the Appointments and Promotion subcommittee. Council members decided that it was too large an issue for a subcommittee to take up. Professor Kingsland said she would summarize the discussions of the evening meeting and the Appointments and Promotions subcommittee and make them available as an information item. Council members suggested forming a faculty committee perhaps with student representatives to take up the larger issues next year. Council suggested that the committee report back to Council as well as to the Deans offices. Council would like the committee to have the Council's summary comments so they understand how the Council was thinking. When Dean Busch-Vishniac asked if a Council member should be on the committee, Professor Lattman said he thought it was a good idea. Dean Weiss added that he thought it was crucial to have a Council member on the committee. Professor Bryan suggested having a person from the tenure policy review committee on this committee.

Consideration of ex-officio Council members. A motion to make the Vice Dean for Faculty and Academic Programs in the Krieger School and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the Whiting School ex-officio Council members for 2003/2004 academic year was approved.

Professor Lattman, Chair of the Appointments and Promotions subcommittee reported that the appointment of Lea Ybarra as Adjunct Professor in Sociology for 7/1/03 - 6/30/04 was approved. The Council then turned to discussion of the report of the Ethics Policy Committee and proposed changes to the Ethics Board Constitution. Dean Weiss explained that the Ethics Policy Review Committee had been formed when the strategic planning process identified academic ethics as a problem area. Professor Chirikjian reported that the Joint Curriculum Committee had endorsed the findings of the Ethics Committee with the exception of the "two strikes and you are out policy".

Regarding the proposed changes to the Constitution of the Ethics Board, Dean Douglas provided some background information. A few years ago administration of the Ethics Board was changed from the Office of Academic Advising to the Office of the Dean of Students.

Mr. John Tiberi, Chair of the Undergraduate Academic Ethics Board, joined the Council meeting and outlined the changes being proposed to the Constitution as follows: 1) the incorporation of a new officer position, that of educational chair, who would coordinate extra activities and delegate responsibilities, 2) the inclusion of student representatives in preparing evidence for hearings, 3) increase the number of Board members to eighteen, and 4) transfer the responsibility of scheduling hearings from the Associate Dean of Students back to the presiding official. Mr. Tiberi left the meeting. The proposed changes to the Constitution of the Ethics Board were approved.

The Council then turned to a discussion of the Conflict of Interest/Conflict of Commitment statements. Both the Whiting and Krieger Schools are clarifying their policies on Conflict of Commitment and Conflict of Interest. Associate Deans for Research Marc Donohue and Gary Ostrander joined the meeting at 4:55 p.m. Dean Donohue explained that the reason for revising these documents is that there have been changes in Federal regulations at the National Science Foundation and at National Institutes of Health that require some changes to the Hopkins policy. A lengthy discussion ensued. Dean Busch-Vishniac commented that while changes could easily be done on a school by school basis, since the Whiting and Krieger Schools share a campus, she would hope that effectively the same policy would apply to faculty on the same campus. Dean Ostrander said he seconded that. Deans Ostrander and Donohue left the meeting at 5:40 p.m.

The promotion of Dr. James Spicer to Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering effective July 1, 2003 was approved.

The promotion of Dr. Richard Jasnow to Professor in the Department of Near Eastern Studies effective July 1, 2003 was approved.

The promotion of Dr. D. Howard Fairbrother to Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry effective July 1, 2003 was approved.

The proposed change to the Academic Council Procedures (Bylaws) regarding Section VI. Vacancies in Council Membership was approved.

Remarks by the Chair. Provost Knapp reported on the status of the State budget negotiations. The cuts in the Sellinger Aid program will be significant, but not as deep as had been feared. The Provost thanked Council members who were actively engaged in talking to legislators. He said that this did make a difference. The capital projects like the Chemistry building are "over and done with" and not subject to further reductions. A bit of good news is that the formula has not changed, and the legislature has agreed to bring Hopkins back up to 16% of the State appropriation per student. In the past, they had reduced the formula to 14% of the State appropriation per student: the increase is supposed to go up over two year steps. There is no talk of eliminating the program and there is no talk any longer of restricting the formula to in-State students. This does not produce any huge volatility in the budget for this year. However, there are other pressures on the budget. Endowment payout has been reduced because of what has happened in the stock market and benefits costs have increased because of health insurance.

Remarks by the Deans. Dean Busch-Vishniac commented that four of the last five years in the Whiting School the external research funding in the departments remained roughly flat. However, overall external funding of research within the School went up by 65%. In the fifth year the departments funding went up a little bit and overall there was a 75% increase. By and large all of the growth in research support has come from centers. Roughly one center is reviewed each year. Most of the centers get significant external review, some of the older more mature centers do not. The Center for Language and Speech Processing was reviewed recently using the Academic Council model. A copy of the report will be provided to Council as an information item.

Dean Falk reported that the Tenure Policy Review Committee has made its report. There is a town meeting scheduled in the School of Arts and Sciences and following that a recommendation proposing a change to the tenure system would be brought to Council. If Council approves it, the Deans would then develop an implementation plan during the summer for presentation to Council in the fall.

The meeting adjourned at 5:55 p.m.

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Last updated 18Sep03 by dgips@jhu.edu