I'm accumulating a growing list of things to talk to you about. I'll be scheduling a FAH Chairs meeting for early next term, and I'd like to follow it with a FAH faculty meeting. I may write more on the FAH Blog, but for now:
LIBRARY: A time of reckoning and perhaps change is coming regarding library book orders and departmental book budgets. Right now, the message from both Joy Pastucha (Acquisitions) and Chris Nugent (Director) is this: Make sure you are not neglecting to order books in your discipline in order to keep the library's collection current. Doing so benefits not only student research but faculty research and professional development. ESPECIALLY: Remember that faculty in new and upgraded full-time positions get a budget of $350 for each of the first two years (those of you who are new just got an email from Joy regarding your individual budgets). Use it or lose it. Some new courses get a budget of $300 (also an email from Joy to some instructors). These funds are budgeted, and a real privilege: use 'em!
FIRST YEAR SEMINARS: Gary needs help in planning the first year seminars for the future, which means that we department chairs (and faculty) need to be planning when we will offer these seminars several years out and who will teach. Not easy to plan for the future, but it's something that many of us (me) need to learn how to do better. We'll all benefit. Actually, maybe we can do FYS planning best as a division; we should be able to come up with a list of promised FYS seminars (or instructors at least) from FAH for the next 3-5 years. We'll talk more about this in upcoming FAH chair & faculty meetings.
CCII: Gary, wearing another of his many hats, needs our assistance as he works on the CCII component of the gen ed program. I'll let him take it from here, but again, look for discussion at FAH chair & FAH faculty meetings next term.
ADVANCEMENT, GRANT APPLICATIONS: Carol has been talking to Grant Writer/ Researcher Kelly Christianson, who would like to meet with our division (she's already met with the Social Sciences Division!). The more she knows about us as individuals, as departments, and as a division, the better. Talking with Kelly is one strong reason for having a division meeting next term, and relates directly to the last item on my list.
PHYSICAL NEEDS (now stop it! I'm talking about learning and office spaces.): We made a list, we've conveyed departmental needs to Paula and to PAC, we've affected the strategic planning process, and now we need to continue to develop and refine our most pressing spatial needs. We're about to move into the "Action Plan" stage of the planning process--where the rubber really meets the road, as they say. Department Chairs: Please work with those in your department to identify and articulate (succinctly) your most pressing needs, and please give me what you come up with at our Chairs meeting early next term.
That's all I'll write at this point. I'll paste this on the FAH Blog, too, and may add more. I'll be emailing department chairs to arrange a FAH Chairs meeting soon after we return from break.
Cheers,
Yer Chair,
Graham
Graham Paul
Chair, Fine Arts and Humanities Division
Co-Chair, Department of Theatre
Warren Wilson College
Asheville, North Carolina
phone: 828/771-3041
http://www.warren-wilson.edu/~
http://get.wwtheatre.info
