Spring 2008 Core Committee Minutes
March 29, 2008

Chicago O'Hare Renaissance Hotel

Chicago, IL

A summary of actions taken precedes the minutes. Parking Lot items are listed at the end of this summary. Parking Lot items have not been revisited/resolved.

Summary of Actions Taken

Executive Director Report

1. There was consensus that the minutes of Core Committee meetings be prepared and returned to Core for review and approval within two weeks.

2. There was consensus that the Membership Committee work with the executive director to review the relevance of the Carnegie classification of higher education institutions when identifying and tracking types of POD member institutions.

3. Julie-Ann McFann was identified as the new chair of the Membership Committee.

4. The budget request of $1400 to modernize the online conference registration process was approved.

Conference Evaluations

5. There was consensus that a public report of the conference evaluation summary be posted on the POD website. Wayne Jacobson agreed to draft a version of the 2007 summary and send to Core for approval before posting.

6. Furthermore, it was agreed that there be two reports of the conference evaluations: an internal version for use in conference planning, and a public version (same as the public version mentioned in the previous item) presented online by the conference committee, both versions prepared by the person(s) in charge of collecting, summarizing, and analyzing conference evaluations (currently Wayne Jacobson).

Conference Committee

7. The budget request of $1500 for the hiring of one administrative support person to work on-site at the 2008 conference on the day before and the days of the fall Core meeting ($500 total for three days of work, plus travel expenses if the person is not from the local area) was approved.

ECRC Committee

8. The budget request for $1200 for the creation of a Core-only section of website was not approved. Instead, there was consensus that the ECRC investigate alternative web-based approaches (password-protected wiki and/or blog) which might be available free of charge and which might be tied to the POD website.

9. Peter Felten was identified as the new chair of the ECRC.

Publications Committee

10. There was consensus that Kay Gillespie serve in the new position of Website Editor as proposed.

11. It was agreed that the content in the “Members in Action” section of the POD newsletter be more transitional in nature (career changes, moves) than presentational (a summary of presentations, keynotes, etc.) though announcements of new or forthcoming books was considered appropriate; and that each member be limited to 100 words per issue. It was also agreed that the same information may also be posted under the “What’s New” section of the POD website.

12. There was consensus that the Publication Committee review the Magna proposal which would give publication discounts to POD members, in light of giving the same or similar opportunity to other “POD publishers”, and make a recommendation for action to Core.

13. Mark Evans was approved as director of the POD/NTLF project.

14. There was consensus that the POD website should host links to the newsletters of other organizations which would replace the guest column
in the print newsletter.

Governance Committee

15. There was consensus that the guidelines found in the document “Ground Rules for Effective POD Face-to-Face Meetings” shall function as guiding practices for decision-making in future Core meetings, pending proposed emendations regarding recourse for grievance; the role and interpretation of silence; creating a more visible record of dissent; adding a “seventh finger” option which signifies firm dissent and request for greater consideration by Core. NB: proposed emendations have subsequently been incorporated into document.

Grants Committee

16. The budget request of $6790.00 budget (including the unused $790 from last year) for awarding grants during the 2008-09 academic year was approved.

Diversity Committee

17. The budget request, as outlined below, was approved.

Travel Grants: $10,000 (10 grants at $1,000 per grant)
Internship Grant: $5,000 ($1,000 included for travel to conference)
Total $15,000
 

Finance & Audit Committee

18. Requested revisions of Finance and Audit section of Governance Manual were approved by vote in accordance with POD policy. Vote was unanimous, in favor. See proposed revisions in separate document “F&A Gov Manual revisions final.doc” (sent to all Core members before meeting & available by request).

19. It was agreed that POD annual membership dues be increased as proposed beginning June 1, 2008 (see details below). Core reviewed comparable “sister” organizational dues & benefits (NCSPOD, STLHE, AERA, ISSOTL) before approving.

 POD dues                     current          as of 6/1/08

Graduate Student Professional Development Committee

20. There was consensus that the "Program Descriptions" section on the "Resources and Publications" page of the POD website include a separate category for Graduate Student Professional Development.

21. There was consensus to create a link from the Useful Links page to Graduate Student Professional Development Links on the POD website.

22. There was consensus that the proposal “Future Faculty Developers: Growing Our Own” as presented by Kristen Hutchins be referred to the Professional Development Committee for clarification and formal endorsement.

POD Historian

23. The budget request of an additional $898.72 to complete all remaining transcriptions and to also transcribe the 11 Presidential interviews remaining to be done for POD Oral History Interviews was approved and rounded up to $900.00.

24. There was consensus that the POD Historian pursue the development of History Pages for the POD website.

Menges Award Sub-Committee

25. The budget request of $600 for the Menges Awards for 2008 (3 Awards @ $200 each) was approved.

26. It was agreed that the Menges Award be given solely on the basis of research and not as a “best session” award. The Menges subcommittee will draft a new description to reflect this change and submit it to core for approval at the fall meeting.

Small College Committee

27. There was consensus that Carolyn Oxenford serve as chair of the committee and Linda Beane-Kanter serve as chair-elect, each for two-year terms, as recommended.

Executive Committee

28. It was agreed that the Executive Committee will follow up on the international travel grants and recommend a course of action regarding whether or not to offer the grants again and, if offered again, which committee would be in charge. In the meantime, it was agreed that the reference to the international travel grants be removed from the POD website.

29. It was agreed that if a committee member occupies a decision-making position in a committee, that person is not, for the duration that position is held, eligible for funding from that committee.

30. It was decided by vote, in accordance with POD policy, that the Core Committee membership requirements in the Governance Manual be changed so that any Core member who misses any two Core Committee meetings (not just two consecutive meetings) must petition the Core Committee in writing before being able to continue as a Core member. The vote was unanimous, in favor.

31. Executive Committee will work with chair of ad hoc Recognition and Awards Subcommittee between now and fall 2008 Core meeting to determine best course of action in creating new awards; in keeping existing awards relevant and meaningful; and in memorializing POD members.

The 2008-2009 Budget

32. The 2008-09 proposed budget was formally adopted by vote, in accordance with POD policy. The vote was unanimous, in favor.

PARKING LOT ITEMS

1. How can we tie the Core Committee election to the conference in a way that would increase voter turnout?

2. Core should give suggestions and/or engage in dialogue with Conference Committee about the following year’s conference program, based on conference evaluations, at each fall Core meeting. How to implement?

3. Should we develop/clarify a policy regarding the number of invited submissions to To Improve the Academy? Review policies on reviewers & editorial team for TIA.

4. Develop procedures for POD members applying for resources/funding from a committee to which they belong.

Minutes

Saturday, March 29

Members Present: Matt Ouellett, President; Virginia Lee, President-Elect; Jim Groccia, Past President; Hoag Holmgren, Executive Director; Donna Ellis, Chair of Finance & Audit Committee; Tuesday Cooper; Michele DiPietro; Peter Felten; Barbara Millis; Leslie Ortquist-Ahrens; Doug Robertson; Lois Reddick; Wayne Jacobson; Catherine Wehlburg; Kathryn Plank; Leora Baron; Frank Tuitt, Niki Young; Peggy Cohen, Julie-Ann McFann

Members Absent: Richard Reddy; Connie Schroeder; Michael Reder; Dieter Schönwetter

(NB: shortly before the meeting, Nancy Simpson resigned from Core due to a shift in professional obligations and so was not present. Matt Ouellett asked De Gallow, who received the next highest number of votes in the 2006 Core election, to replace Nancy Simpson and finish her term through spring 2010. De agreed and will attend her first Core meeting in the fall of 2008 in Reno.)

Matt Ouellett welcomed the group and provided an overview of the day.

Executive Director Report
The approval of the October 2007 Core meeting minutes was acknowledged.

The E-minutes, detailing the decisions made by Core and/or the Executive Committee from November 2007 through March 2008, were approved.

Acton Item 1

There was consensus that the minutes of Core Committee meetings be prepared and returned to Core for review and approval within two weeks

Membership Update:

• Summary of POD’s membership numbers by year from 1991 to present

• Break-down of current numbers by domestic & international

While there was a slight decline in numbers (1731 in 2008 as compared to 1783 in 2007) the overarching trend is still that of growth.

Action Item 2

By request of the executive director, there was consensus that the Membership Committee work with the executive director to review the relevance of the Carnegie classification of higher education institutions when identifying and tracking types of POD member institutions.
 

Action Item 3

Julie-Ann McFann was identified as the new chair of the Membership Committee.

Financial Update:

POD’s financial reserves remain strong though the Vanguard account has declined in value due to global stock market fluctuations.

Conference site updates:

Hoag negotiated an A/V contract with the Houston Hyatt (more A/V for less money) as well as complimentary wireless for all guest rooms and lobby areas from Wednesday through Saturday for the 2009 conference.

While a joint POD/HBCU joint conference is still a possibility, the four conference co-chairs and the executive director recommend waiting to first assess the value of the 2008 POD/NCSPOD joint conference before agreeing to co-host another conference.
 

Action Item 4

The budget request of $1400 to modernize the online conference registration process was approved.

Elluminate Demo:

Hoag gave overview of Elluminate online voice, video, and text conferencing software
to be made available for POD committees starting on July 1, 2008.

Conference Evaluations

Wayne Jacobson provided a verbal as well as two-page printed summary of the 2007 conference evaluations.

There were many comments from Core members which expressed sincere appreciation for this work.

Action Item 5

There was consensus that a public report of the conference evaluation summary be posted on the POD website. Wayne Jacobson agreed to draft a version of the 2007 summary and send to Core for approval before posting.

Action Item 6

Furthermore, it was agreed that there be two reports of the conference evaluations: an internal version for use in conference planning, and a public version (same as the public version mentioned in the previous item) presented online by the conference committee, both versions prepared by the person(s) in charge of collecting, summarizing, and analyzing conference evaluations (currently Wayne Jacobson).

Conference Committee

Kathryn Plank, 2008 Conference Co-Chair, presented the committee’s report.
 

Kathryn discussed the conference team’s plan to merge the
“Meet the Core” reception and the orientation of POD first-timers.
 

There was discussion on values clarification which explored the following: how to balance the number of sessions to provide optimal participation with optimal time to reflect?; should we track the number of participants per session (identical session, types of sessions) over time?; should we investigate the use of Scantron sheets for individual session evaluations?; should we implement a “best session” (i.e., best teaching) award where lesson plan & proposal are made available as examples of good practice?; how to use individual session evaluations: would we reject someone from a past “bad” evaluation or would that undermine POD’s value of supporting professional development?; How do we balance professional accountability with professional development?; Is there a connection between participation at the conference and presenting? If so, what is it and so what?
 

Action Item 7

The budget request of $1500 for the hiring of one administrative support person to work on-site at the 2008 conference on the day before and the days of the fall Core meeting ($500 total for three days of work, plus travel expenses if the person is not from the local area) was approved.

ECRC Committee
Action Item 8. The budget request for $1200 for the creation of a Core-only section of website was not approved. Instead, there was consensus that the ECRC investigate alternative web-based approaches (password-protected wiki and/or blog) which might be available free of charge and which might be tied to the POD website.

Action Item 9

Peter Felten was identified as the new chair of the ECRC.


Publication Committee
Doug Robertson, chair, presented the committee’s report.

Action Item 10

There was consensus that Kay Gillespie serve in the new position of Website Editor as proposed.

Action Item 11

It was agreed that the content in the “Members in Action” section of the POD newsletter be more transitional in nature (career changes, moves) than presentational (a summary of presentations, keynotes, etc.) though announcements of new or forthcoming books was considered appropriate; and that each member be limited to 100 words per issue. It was also agreed that the same information may also be posted under the “What’s New” section of the POD website.

Action Item 12

There was consensus that the Publication Committee review the Magna proposal which would give publication discounts to POD members, in light of giving the same or similar opportunity to other “POD publishers”, and make a recommendation for action to Core.

Action Item 13

Mark Evans was approved as director of the POD/NTLF project.

Action Item 14

There was consensus that the POD website should host links to the newsletters of other organizations which would replace the guest columns
in the print newsletter.

Governance Committee
Jim Groccia, representing the ad-hoc Core Procedural Guidelines Committee, presented the document “Ground Rules for Effective POD Face-to-Face Meetings”, drafted by the committee.

Action Item 15

There was consensus that the guidelines found in the document “Ground Rules for Effective POD Face-to-Face Meetings” shall function as guiding practices for decision-making in future Core meetings, pending proposed emendations suggested by Core members regarding recourse for grievance; the role and interpretation of silence; creating a more visible record of dissent; adding a “seventh finger” option which signifies firm dissent and request for greater consideration by Core. (N.B.: proposed emendations have subsequently been incorporated into document.)

Lunch Break (with gifts & acknowledgements for departing members of Core)


Grants Committee
Leslie Ortquist-Ahrens, chair, presented the committee report.

Action Item 16

The budget request of $6790.00 budget (including the unused $790 from last year) for awarding grants during the 2008-09 academic year was approved.

Diversity Committee
Wayne Jacobson, chair, presented the committee report.

Action Item 17

The budget request, as outlined below, was approved.

Travel Grants: $10,000 (10 grants at $1,000 per grant)
Internship Grant: $5,000 ($1,000 included for travel to conference)
Total:  $15,000

Finance & Audit Committee
Donna Ellis, chair, presented the committee report, providing background and overview of POD’s types of financial accounts.

Action Item 18

Requested revisions of Finance and Audit section of Governance Manual were approved by vote in accordance with POD policy. See proposed revisions in separate document “F&A Gov Manual revisions final.doc” (sent to all Core members before meeting & available by request). Vote was unanimous, in favor.

Action Item 19

It was agreed that POD annual membership dues be increased as proposed beginning June 1, 2008 (see details below). Core reviewed comparable “sister” organizational dues & benefits (NCSPOD, STLHE, AERA, ISSOTL) before approving.

POD dues                     current      as of 6/1/08

Graduate Student Professional Development Committee

Action Item 20

There was consensus that the "Program Descriptions" section on the "Resources and Publications" page of the POD website include a separate category for Graduate Student Professional Development.

Action Item 21

There was consensus to create a link from the Useful Links page to Graduate Student Professional Development Links on the POD website.

Action Item 22

There was consensus that the proposal “Future Faculty Developers: Growing Our Own” as presented by Kristen Hutchins be referred to the Professional Development Committee for recommendation for action.

POD Historian

Action Item 23

The budget request of an additional $898.72 to complete all remaining transcriptions and to also transcribe the 11 Presidential interviews remaining to be done for POD Oral History Interviews was approved and rounded up to $900.00.

Action Item 24

There was consensus that the POD Historian pursue the development of History Pages for the POD website.


Menges Award Subcommittee
Michele DiPietro, chair, presented the subcommittee report.

Action Item 25

The budget request of $600 for the Menges Awards for 2008 (3 Awards @ $200 each) was approved.

Action Item 26

It was agreed that the Menges Award be given solely on the basis of research and not as a “best session” award. The Menges subcommittee will draft a new description to reflect this change and submit it to core for approval at the fall meeting.

Small College Committee
Action Item 27

 There was consensus that Carolyn Oxenford serve as chair of the committee and Linda Beane-Kanter serve as chair-elect, each for two-year terms, as recommended.


Strategic 5 Year Planning Committee
Virginia Lee presented a report, detailing the committee’s intent to leverage and expand its revenue base, being more proactive than reactive, with transparency to membership regarding why more revenue is being sought and how it will be/is used.


AACU & POD OD Institute
Virginia Lee also reported on the mutual interest of POD and AACU to establish an Organizational Development Institute during an AACU conference.


Executive Committee
Matt Ouellett, chair, presented the committee report.

Action Item 28

It was agreed that the Executive Committee will follow up on the international travel grants and recommend a course of action regarding whether or not to offer the grants again and, if offered again, which committee would be in charge. In the meantime, it was agreed that the reference to the international travel grants be removed from the POD website.

Action Item 29

It was agreed that if a committee member occupies a decision-making position in a committee, that person is not, for the duration that position is held, eligible for funding from that committee.

Action Item 30

It was decided by vote, in accordance with POD policy, that the Core Committee membership requirements in the Governance Manual be changed so that any Core member who misses any two Core Committee meetings (not just two consecutive meetings) must petition the Core Committee in writing before being able to continue as a Core member. The vote was unanimous, in favor.


Recognition and Awards Subcommittee
Michele DiPietro, chair, of this ad hoc subcommittee, presented the report. The subcommittee is working to create a mechanism to propose to Core whereby it can be determined who gets memorialized and how, with the greatest possible transparency.

Discussion of how many awards is too many—the more awards POD has, the less meaningful they are.

Action Item 31

Executive Committee will work with chair of Recognition and Awards Subcommittee between now and fall 2008 Core meeting to determine best course of action in creating new awards; in keeping existing awards relevant and meaningful; and in memorializing POD members.

The 2008-09 Budget
Action Item 32

The 2008-09 proposed budget was formally adopted by a vote, in accordance with POD policy, with unanimous support.

Letter of Interest to Host the 2011 Institute for New Faculty Developers from Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence, Carnegie Mellon
Michele DiPietro discussed the Eberly Center’s intent and interest in hosting the 2011 Institute, which was warmly received by Core.

Future Core Committee Meetings
It was agreed that the next two spring Core Committee meetings will be held in the same place (Chicago O’Hare Renaissance Hotel) and not intentionally aligned with another conference.

Spring 2009 Core dates: March 20 - 21
Spring 2010 Core dates: March 19 - 20

Presidential Transitions
Matt Ouellett presented Virginia Lee with the POD presidential wand, making official the following transitions:

New POD President: Virginia Lee
New POD Past President: Matt Ouellett
New POD President Elect: Leora Baron

Virginia Lee adjourned the meeting.

(Hoag Holmgren, POD Executive Director, prepared these minutes.)