Faculty diversity, the University's libraries and state-enforced textbook cost restrictions were the main topics of discussion at the last Faculty Senate meeting of the semester yesterday.
In his report, University President John T. Casteen, III, updated the Faculty Senate on various issues including the current progress in the formation of a search committee to find a replacement for Ed Ayers, dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.
Ayers, who announced his resignation earlier this month, will leave the University to become president of the University of Richmond July 1.
According to Casteen, he and Provost Gene Block hope to have a search committee to find a replacement for Ayers formed and underway by mid-January.
Additionally, Gertrude Fraser, vice provost for faculty advancement, and Bill Harvey, vice president of diversity and equity, presented information on the current structure of the University's faculty and plans on how to improve diverse faculty hiring.
Fraser said the University has made progress in its hiring of women and African and Asian-Americans but still has relatively low numbers in terms of Hispanic and Latino faculty members.
"The work of diversity in terms of diversity in scholarship and retention ... begins at the department level," Fraser said.
Harvey agreed, saying the development of a more diverse faculty is dependent upon all members of the University community, including the current department chairs.
"The ownership of this issue has to be taken by senior faculty members in terms of the search process," he said.
Fraser and Harvey then fielded questions from the audience.
Some Faculty Senate members questioned the current level of diversity among non-tenured faculty members; however, Fraser said she has not yet compiled that information, as it involves a much larger pool than tenured faculty.
Diane Parr Walker, associate University librarian for user services, then reported on improvements and plans currently underway within the University Library System.
According to Walker, the University's libraries are currently working to obtain funding for various improvements as a part of the University's $3 billion Capital Campaign. So far, it has raised close to $20 million.
"The library currently relies on state institutional fund for over 90 percent of its budget," she said. "[Our] goal is $100 million. I believe that that is the highest target by any research library in country. Columbia, for example, is set at $50 million."
Walker said priorities for funding include: new endowments to expand and conserve collections, new digital content, the renovation of the libraries and gifts to the libraries in the form of rare manuscripts, maps, etc. Walker believes these gifts will attract scholars to the University.
The Faculty Senate concluded its meeting with the approval of recommended guidelines created by its Academic Affairs Committee regarding faculty procedure for ordering textbooks. The guidelines will be presented to the Board of Visitors next year following the Commonwealth's approval of a bill earlier this year calling for the lowering of textbook costs.
The Faculty Senate will meet again in January.
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