Emory Report
February 11, 2008
Volume 60, Number 19

   
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February 11, 2008
University governance roundup

By leslie king

Employee Council learns about governing bodies
Continuing with the Employee Council’s theme for this year, “Discovering Emory,” the group met at the School of Nursing on Jan. 16. Dean Marla Salmon welcomed the group and spoke about the nursing school’s past and where it plans to go in the future.

Secretary of the University Rosemary Magee described the way the University is governed, giving an overview of the various governing bodies.

The Feb. 20 meeting will be on the Oxford campus. “We try to meet once a year there,” said Iruka Ndubuizu, council president. Scheduled to speak are Dean of Oxford Stephen Bowen and Emory Vice President and Deputy to the President Gary Hauk.

In March, the Employee Council hosts its annual town hall meeting. To be held at the law school, this meeting will feature President Jim Wagner and Vice President of Finance Mike Mandl on the topic, “First Steps,” about the University’s growth and where it is going. Staff members will have the opportunity to ask questions.

Faculty Council looks at tuition benefit, employee retention
Dashboard issues, such as the diversity of the faculty, staff and students and entrance exam scores, were out front at the January Faculty Council meeting, according to Faculty Council President Nadine Kaslow.

President Jim Wagner led a “very engaging discussion on where the University stands, where we want to go and how to engage the University community,” Kaslow said.

A hot topic, said Kaslow, was a dialogue by some faculty working with the administration on a portable tuition benefit. “We need to put some strategy” in place to consider the issue for faculty and staff, she said.
Kaslow said many benchmark institutions have the tuition benefit wherein they pay either all or a portion of an employee’s child’s tuition at another institution.

A priority topic this year for the Faculty Council, she said, is faculty retention. Council members plan to add questions to a survey on the subject, set to go out this spring. Kaslow described the effort as a more in-depth look at what factors contribute to retaining faculty, what faculty or potential faculty members look at to come to an institution or to leave it

Kaslow described the effort as a more in-depth look at what factors contribute to retaining faculty, what faculty or potential faculty members look at to come to an institution or to leave it.

University Senate explores diversity effort, trustee links

The chairman of the Board of Trustees, Ben Johnson III, spoke to the University Senate to underscore the value that the Board places in connecting to all members of the Emory community, said University Senate President Nadine Kaslow.

This was the first time in memory a board chairman had spoken to the Senate, she said. Kaslow noted that the Board of Trustees has “really welcomed faculty” members on trustees’ subcommittees.

A second major activity at January’s meeting was the hour spent discussing how the Senate could be actively engaged in campus initiatives related to diversity.

Members of various key diversity groups on campus attended the meeting and participated in a roundtable discussion on diversity.

Kaslow said the goal is to forge a blueprint for the Senate to work with others to move forward on participation in diversity initiatives.