CAS Transition Satellite Teams
Satellite Teams Update
January, 2008
Last spring, we established small Satellite Work Teams to deal with specific issues. Each Satellite Team has a Team Leader and membership that includes faculty and staff from across campus. Satellite Teams were charged to make recommendations to the Core Team and, in some instances, to initiate specific changes. (Below is the original list of teams, team leaders, and team charge.)
Of the 15 Transition Teams, the following have completed their work, made recommendations, and been disbanded:
- Information Systems – The CAS files are established, sorted, and old files archived.
- Facilities – The team made recommendations to the Core Team and the Chairs’ Council. Their report was forwarded to the Provost’s Office for consideration in all campus planning.
- Finances – Many of the recommendations are being implemented by the Dean, Chairs’ Council, and Finance & Administration. Chairs, in particular, are much more involved in the budget process as we move to an open and transparent process on many levels.
- Curriculum – This team suggested a new CAS Committee to oversee curricular changes. The Chairs’ Council was concerned that this would replicate the efforts of the Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee and we forwarded these issues to them.
- Communications – This group established the CAS web site and a g-drive to share documents. They discussed initial plans to gather information from departments and some of these ideas are being used to get updated information for marketing. We are looking forward to working with the new SOU Marketing Director for further work in this area.
- Contract and By-laws – One of the teams that worked extensively over the summer, this team proposed major and minor revisions for the Faculty Senate By-laws and the Collective Bargaining Agreement. During the fall, the team leader proposed needed changes to the Faculty Senate and in the CBA negotiations.
The following teams continue their efforts and are making significant progress in completing their charge:
- Culture - The group sponsored an all-CAS faculty gathering in November 15 to discuss “The Three R's - Rethinking, Redesigning and Reclaiming Our Academic Culture.” The event was a great success with almost half the faculty attending, enjoying cross-disciplinary brainstorming and connections. They have organized the Friday Science Seminar into the new CAS Friday Seminar with a weekly schedule of faculty and professional presentations. In addition, this team is working with Dean Geoff Mills on an all-campus spring event to highlight research and scholarship of faculty and students.
- Grants – They have preliminary results from focus groups with experienced and new faculty researchers. The date for the final focus group is set, after which they will conduct an all faculty survey. Preliminary recommendations have been drafted based on data obtained thus far and will be finalized upon analysis of the results of the 2 remaining activities.
- Graduate Programs – During the fall, this team reviewed and developed a comprehensive policy and procedure manual for CAS interdisciplinary graduate programs. Currently, they are in the midst of a major curriculum review and revision and the creation of a new program description to bring the old School Area Masters Degree Program into line with the structures of the new College of Arts and Sciences.
- Catalog and Schedule – Last spring this team worked quickly to revise the catalog copy for CAS and newly merged programs. They were closely involved in selecting the new campus-wide scheduling software during the fall and continue with this process.
The following teams disbanded because their charge either was not sufficiently clear or was taken up in other parts of the organization:
- ECP Transitions – This group made preliminary inroads in dealing with the changes in Summer Session and ECP. The charge is now being accomplished by the Director of Summer Session, the deans, and others.
- Morale – This team initially met with the President and informally assessed the emotional pulse of the campus. Since fall they have felt that the campus was settling into the reorganization and that the Culture Team was taking next steps.
- Student Issues – Focused initially on policies and procedures for scholarships, student exceptions, complaints, advising, and enrollment issues, this team disbanded after many of these concerns were addressed by other units.
- Technology and Equipment – Because the Technology Council addresses many of these concerns, this transition team seemed redundant and was abandoned.
- Fund Raising – We never clearly established this team. Currently, the deans are addressing fund raising issues and are eagerly awaiting new leadership in the SOU Foundation.
