COMMITTEE:            Academic Awards Committee

MEETING DATE:            12/06/01

PERSON PRESIDING:            Karl Wuensch, Chair

REGULAR MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE:     Ellen Arnold, Rose Allen, Chuck Boklage, Jessica Christie, Lou Everett

EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE:     Mark Taggart

OTHERS IN ATTENDANCE:     Dot Clayton, Lori Lee

ACTIONS OF MEETING

Agenda Item:  Approval of November minutes

Discussion:  None

Action Taken:  Minutes approved as stand

Assigned additional duties to:

Agenda Item:  Karl Wuensch reported on his presentations to the Faculty Senate regarding the recommendations made by the committee in respect to 1) Teaching Awards, and 2) Research Awards.  The Senate approved the recommendations on the Teaching Awards, with one modification:  a rule that no member of the selection committee may vote on a nominee whose portfolio they have not read.  Recommendations for the Research Award were accepted without modification.

Discussion:  None

Action Taken:  None

Assigned additional duties to: None

Agenda Item:  Karl Wuensch reminded the committee that the teaching portfolios are already in; research portfolios are due on Friday.

Discussion:  The committees have already scheduled meetings to begin the selection process.  Lori Lee pointed out a problem that will need to be corrected for next year:  nominees have been having their letters of support sent to her or to Dr. Wuensch, creating unnecessary problems for them.

Action Taken:  Next year instructions will need to be revised to instruct nominees to have letters sent to them for inclusion in the portfolio.

Assigned additional duties to:

Agenda Item:  Karl Wuensch made the committee aware of the Oliver Max Gardner Award, to be given to the faculty member “who has made the greatest contribution to the human race.”  The Chancellor sees problems with the vagueness of selection criteria and has requested that the committee take the selection process for this award under consideration for next year.  No award will be made this academic year.

Discussion:

Action Taken:  This issue will be taken under consideration for the next academic year.

Assigned additional duties to:

Agenda Item:  Possible change in SOIS report format for teaching awards

Discussion:  There was a lengthy discussion of possibilities for reducing the number of pages allotted in the teaching portfolios for SOIS scores, and the value of the scores in general for determining award winners.  There was general agreement among the members that the detailed breakdown of scores is the least helpful piece of information in the portfolio, given that scores are usually in a very similar range. 

Action Taken:  A motion was made to accept the summary chart of selected scores proposed by Dr. Wuensch, and the motion was seconded.  After further discussion, the motion was withdrawn, and a motion was made, seconded, and voted in to table the discussion until February, until the selection committee members have had a chance to review this year's portfolios with this decision in mind.

Assigned additional duties to:

NEXT MEETING:            February  7, 2002

ITEMS TO BE DISCUSSED:            Decision regarding revision of SOIS score format in teaching portfolios,  nomination and selection procedures for the Oliver Max Gardner Award.