Dean Nelms began the meeting by introducing Mr. Tim Wood from the University of Florida Foundation to the committee members.  Mr. Wood explained the basic structure of the Foundation as a separate, non-profit corporation, which reports to a Board of Directors responsible for policy, but which solely exists as support for the University of Florida.  The Foundation has three primary functions:  (1) Alumni relations, funded by alumni dues and presently handled for the College of Education by Jimmy Ebersole; (2) Development, involving fundraising; and (3) Operations, which serves as a bank for money received for the College.  Mr. Wood introduced the new Director of Development for the College of Education, Mary C. Driscoll from Olean, New York.  Ms. Driscoll noted that she would like to meet with the department chairs individually to learn more about the College in order to become a better spokesman and ambassador for the College.  Dean Nelms welcomed Ms. Driscoll to the College of Education and suggested to Dr. Stephen Smith that the Faculty Policy Council invite her and Jimmy Ebersole to a meeting for introductions.

The College of Education Report to the Presidential Task Force

Dean Nelms reported that he talked to Provost David Colburn about the Task Force report and emphasized that the College of Education already collaborates well with other colleges, as demonstrated in the effort to work with CLAS in developing Pathways to Teaching.  The Provost will continue to meet with Dean Nelms on Task Force issues.  It also may be possible for the Provost to attend a meeting with the Dean’s Advisory Committee, the Faculty Policy Council and/or faculty to discuss University of Florida reorganization issues.  Instead of emphasizing budget cuts, the Task Force is striving to uplift good programs and make them even better.  Dean Nelms noted that he hopes to improve stipends provided for doctoral students but will need additional resources to accomplish that goal.  It was noted that the University of Florida, as a land grant institution, is very comprehensive compared to other top institutions in the number of programs being offered.  The University also receives political visibility through the Opportunity Alliance partnership.

College Calendar for March

Dean Nelms noted three major meetings that will be held after spring break.

1.  The meeting between Provost David Colburn and the Dean’s Advisory Committee and Faculty Policy Council, as noted above, may be scheduled on short notice, but Dean Nelms will try to keep members informed.

2.  The Budget Advisory Committee will be meeting to discuss budgeting for 2002-2003.

3.  A faculty forum will be scheduled at two different times with faculty for the purpose of listing programs for evaluation.

Update from the Faculty Policy Council

Dr. Stephen Smith reported on four items from the Faculty Policy Council.

1.  The Faculty Policy Council is currently considering a recommendation from a standing committee.  Dr. Smith noted that he would ask for written departmental responses as well as individual responses to the recommendation.  The item that will be on the agenda for discussion at the March 18 meeting will be a recommendation by the Student Recruitment and Admissions Committee for admissions to be handled within the departments.

2.  The Elections Committee, chaired by Dr. Larry Loesch, has completed detailed procedures for upcoming elections.

3.  The Council is working to clarify ambiguities regarding the Undergraduate Admissions and Petitions Committee.  Constitutional revisions may be necessary to accomplish this goal.

4.  Dr. Smith will remain in contact with Dr. Paul George, chair of the Dean’s Search Committee, to ensure that faculty will have more access to the candidates during their campus visits.  Possible suggestions may include a round-table discussion without an agenda or a social event to provide an atmosphere for more informal discussions.

A suggestion was made to keep flexibility in the Constitutional language to prevent it from hindering tasks being completed.  Regarding an inventorying of present policies, Dr. Smith stated that a compendium would be completed by the end of the semester.

Report of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

Dean Webb discussed four College projects.

1.  The work on NCATE continues to move ahead with writing planned for the summer.  Mock visits for NCATE are being planned for Fall 2002.  The first database developed will be a faculty database accessible from the web.  When completed, the database will require less faculty time and will be useful in retrieving data in many different forms.  Currently, there is a mock database for inputting and retrieving information, but the final database is projected to be ready for use in March 2002 for the next annual report.  There will be a different format than the previous web-based version.

2.  Work is continuing on a web presence for courses in the College of Education.  The question of including syllabi on-line will need to be explored.

3.  Regarding the College building projects, all of the old classrooms in Norman Hall will be off-line for the summer in order to be ready for Fall 2002.  The expected completion date for the terrace fill-in is the end of summer 2002.  Committee members were reminded that noise levels will be high and entrances to the Norman Hall Annex may be different during the construction.

4.  Work is continuing on the International Media Union.  The Advance Group will soon be ready to proceed with the Planning Team.

Report of the Interim Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research

In the absence of Dean Kranzler, Dean Webb reported on the following projects.

1.  Dean Kranzler is compiling data for the Presidential Task Force by looking at other infrastructures for supporting faculty in their research.

2.  Dean Kranzler is working on a website for his office with information on fellowship awards.  The transition for OS is scheduled to take place during spring break.

3.  Due to time constraints, questionnaires will be distributed to faculty about research, instead of placing the questionnaires on the web.

Report of the Assistant Dean for Educational Outreach and Communications

Dean Vernetson reported on the following items.

1.  The IPEP Report is near completion and lacks only one college section on Reading.

2.  The UF Day in the Legislature will be held on Wednesday, March 6, 2002.  Faculty interested in attending may contact Dean Vernetson by email.

3.  The spring meeting for the Florida Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (FACTE) will be held on March 21-22, 2002 at the Sheraton Gainesville Hotel with the University of Florida acting as the host.  Dean Vernetson will email registration information and the agenda to the committee members.  A reception will be held poolside at the Sheraton on March 21^st with faculty invited to be present.

4.  A reception for University of Florida alumni will be held in the home of Joe Beckham in Tallahassee, Florida on April 4, 2002.  Faculty members will be invited to attend.

5.  Dean Vernetson is currently working with the Office of Student Services on the Title II Report for 2001-2002.

Report of the Dean

Dean Nelms discussed the following items.

1.  Regarding the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), Dean Nelms requested that faculty consider submitting proposals for presentations at the 2003 annual meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, in order to further College recognition.  He distributed two handouts entitled Call for Papers 2003 and Call for Reviewers 2003. Dean Nelms also distributed a handout, Governmental Relations Update, regarding the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Public Law 107-110, containing information on partnerships with public schools.  He noted that a discussion has been initiated on hiring only “highly qualified” teachers, who have already been certified by the state.

2.  Related to the Dean’s Search within the College, it was noted that the budget situation is not as bad as seen in other states, but candidates have expressed a concern about governance under the Board of Trustees.

3.  The following items were noted from the Provost’s meeting with the Deans.

·  Regarding budgetary considerations, it now appears that

o There will be an increase for graduate and out-of-state students.

o PECO funding and matching funds will still be forthcoming.

o Enrollment growth will be fully funded.

·  No college should cut summer classes to the point of decreasing enrollment.

·  There will be emphasis on the 150^th anniversary of the University of Florida this year with special recognition given to the history of the University.

·  Since general graduations will be discontinued after this year, each college will need to prepare for the change.

4.  The Community College Distance Learning Consortium is compiling a list of courses that could be used by teachers during the summer session 2002 to renew their Florida professional certificates using an online catalog as a base.  Dean Nelms distributed a handout entitled Pro-Class Initiative: Connecting Professionals With The Classes They Need.

With no further business, the meeting was adjourned.