SSE Faculty Meeting Minutes

212 Lavin Bernick Center

February 23, 2011

4:00 PM

Attendance: Agnew, Ahsan, Altiero, Ashbaugh, Aung, Barbarin, Birla, Bishop, Caruso, Chen, Colombo, Cortez, Dancisak, Daniel, Darwin, Dawers, Di, Dohanich, Dotson, Fauci, Flowers, Gasparini, Gaver, Godbey, Golob, Hall, Han, Hebert, Henry, Horwitz, Hyman, Johannesson, John, Kalka, Kaplan, Kim, Lockman, Mague, Mao, McGuire, McPherson, Mitchell, Moll, Moore, Mullin, Muneoka, Nelson, O'Connor, Oertling, Papadopoulos, Parrish, Pratt, Rice, Rosenheim, Ruscher, Schmehl, Schrader, Shakov, Sherry, Sigler, Straub, Tasker, Taylor, Thien, Vasudevan, Walker, Y. Wang, Wee, Wietfeldt, Wilson, Yang

Guest: Cowen, Conwell

Approval of Minutes

The minutes of the meeting of 9 December 2010 were approved.

Announcements and Updates

Dean Altiero welcomed Marko Puljic (Professor of Practice, Center for Computational Science) to the faculty. There are now 116 tenured/tenure-track professors, 26 professors of practice, and 18 research professors appointed in the School of Science and Engineering.

He then drew attention to upcoming events. In particular, he noted that the SSE Research Day events of April 7 and the Health Sciences Research Days events of April 6-7 will be coordinated to allow students to present their posters in both venues. He also noted that this year's Graduate Hooding Ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday, May 11, in Dixon Hall (followed by a reception in the LBC) and the Unified Commencement Ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, May 12, in the Morial Convention Center (followed by the Wave Goodbye party at Mardi Gras World). At the Wave Goodbye party, SSE will have a reception area with a backdrop for group photographs of graduates and faculty.

Strategic Plan input from the departments is now past due and those who have yet to submit their input were urged to do so by the end of the week. The first draft of the School Strategic Plan should be ready by March 4. The full timetable for completion of the School Strategic Plan can be found in the SSE Executive Committee minutes of January 5.

President Cowen

Tulane University President Scott Cowen outlined the 6 institutional priorities that were set at the outset of the current academic year and gave a status report on each. These are as follows:

Academic

• Successfully complete the SACS review, including development of the plan for the Center for Engaged Learning.
• Solidify and enhance the clinical platform for the Medical School.
• Implement Phase III of the doctoral programs growth strategy.
• Revisit and revise the Project 2020 Research Strategy for phased implementation as funding becomes available.

Human Capital

• Complete dean search for the A.B. Freeman School of Business and search for Sacks Distinguished Endowed Chair in Social Innovation and Community Engagement and Teaching.
• Identify and appoint five faculty members to Social Innovation Professorships.
• Transition from hiring freeze to stabilization policy, effective no later than September 1, 2010.
• Continue to rebuild the University Relations/Development and Administrative Services functions, respectively.
• Continue to monitor and adjust, as feasible, compensation levels for faculty and staff.

Development

• Raise at least $65 million in total private support, including $12 million in unrestricted funds.
• Increase the total number of university donors to 17,000.
• Prepare to launch campaigns for Tulane Empowers and Intercollegiate Athletics.
• Continue to prepare for a major campaign in the next two to four years by building the infrastructure, staffing and donor pipeline.
• Partner and engage with New Orleans mayoral administration in areas of mutual importance.

Capital Projects

• Complete renovations of Dinwiddie and Richardson buildings and related moves in time for fall 2010.
• Complete construction of Residential Hall II in time for fall 2011.
• Complete design for the BB/VB Facility and develop firm construction/project costs within budget and allowing construction to begin no later than January 2011.
• Develop viable options for construction of a new Residential College III.
• Complete design for JBJ lab space renovation and obtain NIH approval in order to enable construction bidding no later than June 30, 2011.
• Complete construction of Building 21 at the Primate Center within total project budget.

Financial

• Meet cash flow and Statement of Operations projections.
• Prepare to migrate back to the decentralized management center model (DMC).
• Information Technology to develop a multiple year investment strategy to enhance the university's information technology capabilities.

Community Engagement

• Continue to implement the Tulane Empowers strategy.
• Begin to implement the plan for the Center for Engaged Learning and Teaching.
• Continue to broaden and deepen community efforts in public education, health delivery, public service, social innovation and the physical redevelopment of New Orleans.
• Mobilize resources to mitigate the short and long term impact of the Gulf oil leak on the region.

He concluded by stating that his over-riding concern is that we effectively capitalize on opportunities. During the question and answer period, President Cowen addressed questions about the projected freshman class for fall 2011, the retention and graduation rates, the post-Katrina recovery of the Medical School, the details of the DMC budget model, campus security, administration of doctoral programs including interdisciplinary programs, funding of research, and campus capital projects.

Other Business

Associate Dean Beth Wee reminded the group that Tulane 34 award nominations are now due in her office. Dean Altiero brought the group up to date on the Flower Hall construction project; completion by fall 2012 is anticipated.

Adjourned

The meeting was adjourned at 5:15 PM.

Minutes by Nicholas Altiero.