Emory Report

Feb. 1, 1999

Volume 51, No. 18

Issues in Progress: Faculty Council Chair Virgil Brown opened the Jan. 19 meeting by calling for a moment of silence in memory of Joe Crooks, former general counsel for Emory, who died Jan. 18. Provost Rebecca Chopp addressed the council to explain the two committes that have formed to determine how Emory will use the new Emory West property on Briarcliff Road, and she welcomed any input the council may have. Chopp reported vigorous attendance at the Origins Symposium, sponsored by Yerkes' Living Links Center Jan. 15-16, particulary the turnout for Edward Wilson's keynote address the evening of Jan. 15 in Glenn Auditorium. More than 1,400 people attended the lecture. Chopp used the Wilson lecture to segue into plans for another symposium geared toward fostering intellectual community, this one in the spring of 2000. To celebrate the new millenium, Chopp said, Chancellor Billy Frye will chair a planning committee for the event, and the theme will likely be "reconciliation." Chopp said the topic is one that's on the minds of many Emory faculty and also one that is especially appropriate with the presence of South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu on campus. Tutu, who is a visiting Woodruff Professor in the theology school, chaired the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission following the fall of apartheid in that country. Chopp announced the Faculty Town Hall is rescheduled for March 15, and the topic will be tenure and promotion. Finally, she reported on the Council of Deans' actions concerning the Faculty Council's resolution on faculty mediation. Though the deans approved of the notion of mediation, Chopp said, they were unanimously opposed to the proposal submitted by Faculty Council. This last item caused a great deal of discussion. One of the deans' positions, Chopp said, was that structures for mediation were already in place, with the provost's office serving as mediator. Council members discussed whether these structures were sufficient, under what grounds mediation is called for, what persons inside and outside the University were qualified to serve as mediators, and a range of other related questions. Members decided to form a small group of representatives from Faculty Council, the Council of Deans and the provost's office to further explore the groups' differences. Allison Adams, editor of Academic Exchange, and Susan Frost, vice provost for institutional planning and research, briefed the council on the new publication and solicited feedback for what issues it should address. Adams said her goal was to "balance policy issues, research topics and pedagogical concerns." The council suggested a number of topics and features Academic Exchange might explore. In closing, Bill Cody announced a conference, "Reclaiming Faculty's Role in Governance," will be held April 15-17 in Chapel Hill, N.C., and invited council members to accompany him to the event. The next council meeting is Feb. 16 at 3:15 p.m. in 400 Administration Building. --Michael Terrazas Return to Feb. 1, 1999, contents page