Minutes of the Steering Committee Meeting
8 September, 2010
3:30 p.m., 206 Samford Hall
(by Russ Muntifering, Secretary)

In Attendance:  Nedret Billor, Larry Crowley, Claire Crutchley, Kathryn Flynn, Robin Jaffe, Mary Ellen Mazey, Russ Muntifering, Ann Beth Presley, Jim Wright
Absent:  Andrew Wohrley

--The meeting was called to order at 3:30 p.m.

--The minutes of the 25 August 2010 Steering Committee meeting were approved without change. 

--Claire presented and we discussed a draft priority system for changing the date of a final exam for students who are scheduled to take three or more exams on the same day. Steering Committee will recommend to the Senate at its 21 September meeting that such a student with no faculty member(s) volunteering to change the exam date(s) should take the matter up with the Associate Dean of the major college/school. The Associate Dean would review the student’s final exam schedule and request the faculty member(s) with the final exam(s) between the other two exams to change the date(s) of the exam(s). Calendar and Schedules Committee has proposed mid-semester as the deadline for making arrangements to change final exam dates, except in Fall 2010 only for which the deadline would be October 31.

--Faculty Handbook Committee will be charged with conducting a comprehensive review of codified procedures and historical precedents for making changes to Handbook.

-- An open forum on proposed changes to the Academic Honesty Code was held on Tuesday, September 7 in the Auditorium of the RBD Library. This item will be brought to the Senate at its October meeting.

--Rules Committee will present a slate of nominees for seating on Competitive Research Grants Committee for approval at the September 21 meeting of the Senate.

--OVPR will present an information item dealing with a proposed research incentive plan at the September 21 meeting of the Senate.

--Constance Relihan will present an information item at the September 21 meeting of the Senate on a faculty survey about the Common Book Experience.

--We began preliminary discussion of information items for the October meeting of the Senate, including but not limited to administrator evaluation, emergency response, new building construction and interdisciplinary studies program.

--The meeting was adjourned at 5:00 p.m.