Governance Task Force/minutes 091216


 * Posted to the intranet on Tuesday, January 19, 2010 by Abby Ferguson

Governance Task Force Report December 16, 2009 Hampshire College

Present: Yaniris Fernandez, Marian MacCurdy (co-chair), Shelly Ruocco, Andrew Hart, Susan Tracy (co-chair), Josiah Litant, Laura Sizer, Lee Spector, Jim Wald, Shelley Carey, Dee Dee Desir.

Excused: Laura Nasir, Stephan Jost.

Proceedings: I. The meeting was called to order at 11:07 a.m.

II. The November 19 minutes were approved by consensus. The updated December 3 minutes were reviewed again and approved by consensus. The December 3 report was approved by consensus. The December 11 minutes were disseminated and tabled for further review and subsequent approval.

III. Audit reports were continued. Laura Sizer continued to report on the Personnel subcommittee matrix and narrative pertaining to faculty reappointments and the College's Committee for Reappointment and Promotion (CCFRAP). Professor Sizer reported on the first reappointment, second reappointment, and subsequent reappointment processes. Discrepancies between the language in the Faculty Handbook and some practices were discussed. Contradictory and confusing language in the Faculty Handbook was discussed, including lack of adequate definition of terms. Past practices and current practices among the five schools were discussed. The roles of the school deans and the Dean of the Faculty were discussed. Faculty Handbook language that relates to professional fitness, faculty grievances, and financial exigency was discussed.

Andrew Hart reported on staff policies, including letters of employment, grievance policies, the Benefits Advisory Committee, nondiscrimination policies for staff, and the process for staff reductions and layoffs.

The next meetings of the Governance Task Force will be on Friday, January 8 at 1:30 - 3:30 p.m---; Wednesday, January 13 from 11:30 - 1:30 p.m., and Tuesday, January 19 from 12:00 - 2:00 p.m. in the Bradford College Room.

---Please note--the January 8 meeting is canceled. The first Gov TF meeting of the new year will be on Wednesday, January 13 in Cole Science Center.