The Faculty Executive Committee shared progress on its goals at the November faculty meeting Tuesday evening. According to Steven Sloman, chair of the FEC and professor of cognitive, linguistic and psychological sciences, the “primary agenda of the FEC this year is to reduce administrative growth.”
The FEC is currently “looking at Human Resources, whose operation many faculty have expressed concerns about,” Sloman added. Future work will include researching departmental operational budgets.
The FEC also met with the 12-member Board of Fellows of the Corporation, the University’s highest governing body, during its October meeting. Sloman mentioned discussions about expanded research initiatives and new master’s programs, which Provost Francis Doyle discussed in the previous faculty meeting.
“Most of the discussion focused on teaching burdens and how they'll affect our undergraduate and graduate curriculum,” Sloman added.
President Cristina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 spoke about the expanded affiliation between the University and Lifespan.
“We are working to improve patient care in Rhode Island,” Paxson said, adding that she hopes the partnerships help “improve the quality of medical education and expand the quality and amount and impact of the research that is happening.”
The University remains committed to its other partners, including Care New England, she added.
Doyle provided updates on recent negotiations with the Graduate Labor Organization, which is working with the University to reach a new agreement to replace the contract that expired June 30.
“We have reached tentative agreements on a handful of our goals and believe we are close to reaching tentative agreements on many of the remaining articles under discussion,” he added. “However, we have yet to reach an agreement on stipend rates.”
The Committee on Nominations approved Ming Xian, professor of chemistry, to the Committee on Medical Faculty Appointments for a three-year appointment.
The meeting also included memorial minutes for Professor Emeritus of Computer Science and Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences Eugene Charniak, Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies Sumner Twiss and Professor Emeritus of History Lea Everard Williams.
Ryan Doherty is a Section Editor covering faculty, higher education and science & research. He is a sophomore concentrating in chemistry and economics who likes to partially complete crosswords in his free time.
