Approval of minutes. The minutes for the meeting of March 31, 2004 were approved as amended. The minutes of April 7, 2004 were distributed for information, but not proposed for approval.

Remarks by the Secretary. Professor Ditz reported that the evening meeting on Tuesday, April 13, devoted to the revised tenure policy transition procedures went well. Dean Falk and the working group brought a preliminary draft to the meeting. Council members provided feedback and the working group will bring the document back to Council on April 21. Dean Falk added that he hoped to also present data on the number of faculty impacted by the transition.

Open Discussion. A Council member raised the issue of lack of transparency of Council proceedings for the faculty at large. He suggested that perhaps department chairs could observe Council meetings for a few weeks or a semester to better understand the workings of the Academic Council. Another Council member said he shares the concern and suggested having a meeting with the department chairs so they could ask questions. A third member reminded Council of the practice of having lunches with department chairs in the Spring, noting that these meetings were not held this year. It was noted that the most difficult issue is understanding promotion and appointment procedures, and a Council member said that he did not feel that confidentiality would be a problem if the visitation is formalized and the chairs understand their role. Another Council member spoke in favor of inviting chairs to lunch and/or evening meetings. After a bit more discussion, including mention of the Whiting School lunches for new department chairs and center directors, Provost Knapp suggested discussing the issue at an evening meeting.

The promotion of Dr. Kyle Cunningham to the rank of Professor in the Department of Biology effective July 1, 2004 was approved.

The promotion of Dr. Matthew Roller to the rank of Professor in the Department of Classics effective July 1, 2004 was approved.

The promotion of Dr. Denis Wirtz to the rank of Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering effective July 1, 2004 was approved.

The Council then discussed the upcoming Council election of two one-year members. Provost Knapp asked Council members to consider the list of eligible candidates in light of trying to balance out various forms of diversity, including field, gender, and race. He reminded Council that it would be helpful to ask candidates if they would be willing to serve.

The Council turned to further discussion of the proposal for changes to the tenure policy and procedures for their implementation. Dean Falk said that the most recent versions of the tenure policy were on the table, and suggested that Council members read them as potentially final versions. The transition policy working group will have something for Council next week.

Remarks by the Chair. The Provost noted that the legislative session is over, and Hopkins received more money through Sellinger aid than Governor Ehrlich had proposed. However there is an $850 million deficit in the State's budget that the Governor is saying will be fixed through cuts. The two million dollars (capital project) from the State for the library's offsite storage facility shared with the University of Maryland appears secure. This is being built on the APL campus.

Remarks by the Deans. Dean Douglas reported that the Westgate fellowships, full-tuition scholarships plus some stipend for top engineering undergraduates, have been awarded to three women and one person of color for 2004.

The meeting adjourned at 5:16 p.m.

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Last updated 23Apr04 by dgips@jhu.edu