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October 4 , 2004
Disciplines cross in Henrich studies of human behavior

BY MICHAEL TERRAZAS

In the first University Senate meeting of 2004–05, held Sept. 28 in the Jones Room of Woodruff Library, President Sharon Strocchia welcomed new members and gave an overview of the Senate’s functions and responsibilities.

Strocchia announced that the Senate’s theme for 2004–05 will be “Visioning Emory’s Future,” a reference not only to the University vision statement but also the various planning exercises ongoing, such as the strategic plan, the campus master plan update and the Clifton Corridor transit study.

Attending his first Senate meeting as provost, Earl Lewis talked about the strategic planning effort (he co-chairs the steering committee) and said the initiative will lead directly into Emory’s upcoming comprehensive financial campaign. Lewis said the project has just finished its initial phase of environmental assessments and now will identify the issues and themes that cut across the Emory enterprise. Members of the Senate should not be surprised, he said, if they are asked to serve on task forces that will examine each of these issues in more detail.

As he said to the Facutly Council the week before, Lewis said two dean searches are ongoing (Goizueta Business School, Oxford College), and he also hopes to find a permanent dean for the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Finally, he said he is considering adding two vice provost positions that will be charged with overseeing academic planning and faculty development, and issues of community, diversity and institutional development.

Don Harris, vice provost for information technology, spoke on the EmoryLink project, a collaborative effort among several entities and divisions that is searching for enterprise-wide solutions for e-mail, calendaring and electronic collaboration. Last Thursday, Sept. 30, EmoryLink held a technology showcase in Cox Hall that featured demonstrations of various vendor products available.

Human Resources (HR) Vice President Alice Miller updated the Senate on progress made in complying with the recently amended federal Fair Labor Standards Act (see story, left). Early analysis indicated that, as a result of the regulation change, some 850 employees will move from being paid a monthly salary to being paid biweekly on an hourly wage. HR has hired a consultant to help with its compliance efforts.

To close the meeting, President Jim Wagner asked Senate members to reflect on the past year. “What’s better now than it was a year ago?” he asked, and offered as a first example the University’s now-complete leadership team. “It’s evident that we have a far better provost than we had a year ago,” Wagner quipped, alluding to that fact that Emory had no provost on Sept. 28, 2003.

Wagner also said Emory has a new sense of direction, generated first by the community effort to create the vision statement and continuing through the strategic planning process. “Keep in mind,” he said, “that excellence is about changing the way people think about things. Genuine progress is made in the tension between continuity and change.”

The next Senate meeting will be held Tuesday, Oct. 26, at 3:30 p.m. (note the time change) in the Jones Room.

If you have a question or concern for University Senate, e-mail Strocchia at sharon.strocchia@emory.edu.

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