Notes on Chair's Development Session and AAC Meeting, August 17th, 2005

8:30 to 10:10 Chair Development Workshop. Workshop leader: Susanna Maxwell, Vice Provost for Academic Personnel. Susanna reviewed the latest Personnel Actions Dates and policies associated with promotion, tenure, faculty review, non-tenure track faculty review, and position hiring. She answered questions and facilitated discussion from 8:45 to 9:45.

9:45 to 10:10 Chair best practices: Chairs and Program Directors with 5 or more years in position related a key best practice for all to consider. A good discussion ensued.

ACC Meeting

10:30 to 10:45 Bill Grabe, Executive Director, ACC: Announcements were made regarding follow up on last year’s memos to the Provost and other issues that arose over the summer. These memos were regarding the chair’s compensation package (the Provost is still studying this issue); the ombuds office (the Provost is sympathetic to the need for this office, but does not have the resources to support it); and the raises (which largely followed Faculty Senate and ACC recommendations).

10:45 to 11:00 Bill Grabe and Ramona Mellott (Educational Psychology): Bill and Ramona introduced the goal to explore financial concerns and financial costs of Distance education for the Flagstaff campus. This past summer, EC ACC had decided that a more modest goal concerning financial issues and Distance Education would be a good first step in examining the overall impact of Distance Education on departments. Five Chairs signed up to be members of a sub-committee Co-Chaired by Ramona and Bill.

11:00 to 11:15 Rod Parnell (Evironmental Science), and Cindy Kosso (History): Bill began by introducing some of the events from a summer meeting of the EC ACC that first involved NAU planning for future faculty salary raises, and then the role of faculty merit review in future planning for faculty raises. Rod introduced a plan for a sub-committee to gather information on faculty merit review policies across campus. Discussion raised the issue of whether or not the ACC should engage in a review of merit review policies across campus. It was agreed that an e-mail ballot would go out to Chairs to decide if such a sub-committee should be formed. A ballot will go out before this weekend.

11:15 to 11:40 Dan Kain, Dean, College of Education: Dan explained the impact of the NCATE accreditation process on the campus overall and on departments that are involved in one way or another in K-12 education. He answered questions and clarified issues that would impact departments.

11:40 to 11:55 Roy St. Laurent (Mathematics and Statistics) and Mike Malone (Philosophy). Following a discussion of the EC ACC with the Provost, the President, and Ron Gunderson, the EC ACC decided that a sub-committee should be formed to provide John and Liz with suggestions for future plans to provide faculty raises (2006 and 2007). A good discussion followed the introduction by Roy and no objections were raised to forming this sub-committee. Six faculty signed up to form a sub-committee led by Roy and Mike.

11:55 to 12:25 Diane Verkest, Cindy Castro, and Becky McGaugh, Human Resources, and Jesse Ochoa, NAU Chief of Police: New policies on Background Investigation and Sex Offender Notification were explained to the ACC. Many questions and scenarios were raised by Chairs about implications of the policies. Diane agreed to return to the ACC in September for a follow-up discussion.

12:35 Meeting was adjourned.