Minutes from September 23, 2020

1. Welcome and announcements
   1. Chris Fastnow introduced Katie Ivester, the new representative for Gallatin College, and announced that Colin Shaw offered to fill in as Research Council Liaison.
   2. Megan Lasso announced that BOR met last week and approved MSU’s operating budgets. They are available on BOR website.
2. Approval of minutes from August 26 – approved without corrections
3. Discussion
   1. Review/recommend updated timelines for follow-on planning groups (part 1)
      1. Sustainability Planning (3.3.6) – Kristin Blackler
         1. Kristin Blackler drafted a plan using baseline data from our STARS report.
         2. Campus Sustainability Advisory Council (CSAC) has been conducting campus stakeholder meetings. These were paused due to Covid-19 but should be wrapping up soon.
         3. Sustainability Plan will be presented at Faculty Senate, All Staff Council , ASMSU, and PEC.
         4. The goal is to have the plan before University Council in December for adoption in Spring 2021.
         5. Reporting metrics are aligned with STARS reporting.
         6. Sustainability Plan reporting will be annual and will feed into the STARS report every 3 years.
         7. Students had a lot of input into the plan, and ASMSU has been involved.
      2. Interdisciplinary Scholarship (2.2.4) – Nika Stoop and Dean Adams
         1. Last year, 166 faculty were surveyed about the things that support interdisciplinary scholarship and things that are barriers. This was led by Liz Shanahan.
         2. The Research Capacity Team feels faculty request postponement one semester, bring back to Planning Council in Fall 2021.
         3. Rob Maher asked about faculty engaging in team teaching or group instruction. Chris Fastnow advised that this action focuses on scholarship, teaching will likely follow. Tami Eitle said we are close to having an interdisciplinary rubric. Developing an interdisciplinary class takes a lot of faculty resources, and we need to be cognizant of that. Rob Maher suggested having a point person whose job is to foster interdisciplinary instruction, with necessary resources. Rob Maher and Logan Schultz offered to volunteer to work on this, and Craig Ogilvie would like to meet with Nika’s and Dean’s group about graduate students specifically.
         4. Consensus for presentations to Academic and Research Councils next term and Planning and Universal Councils in the Fall.
      3. Diversity Framework (3.3.5) – Ariel Donohue
         1. The Diversity and Inclusion Framework has five themes and many strategies, which makes developing metrics and measurable outcomes difficult. Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council (DIAC) was a task force that developed a handful of measurable outcomes to track.
         2. DIAC decided to use the five themes and a select few factors from our campus climate survey as the indicators of progress in each of these areas. Replicate periodically to measure progress.
         3. Ariel is maintaining inventory of structural changes, programs, positions, strategies.
         4. By January 2021, a Diversity Council (DC) should be up and running as a governance council. Recommend changing the charge for follow on planning and assessment to DC instead of DIAC.
         5. DC role will be, in part, to maintain assessment, not reinvent it.
         6. Ariel will bring metrics to Planning Council at the November meeting.
      4. Partnerships (3.2.2 and 3.2.3) – Chris Fastnow for Cody Stone
         1. Extension Director Cody Stone has been working with the Outreach and Engagement Council. They would like a one-year extension until fall 2021 and spring 2022. We will discuss more at the next meeting.
   2. Progress report on Goal 2.3 – Chris Fastnow
      1. The metrics can be accessed through the Planning Council website.
      2. VPREDGE and OPA working to identify participants and projects in Grand Challenge areas.
4. Other business
   1. Chris Fastnow:  We are posting fall enrollment data on the OPA website.
   2. Rob Maher:  The roof of Hamilton Hall was completed. The park by Romney Hall is about to undergo landscaping, and concrete is being pouring at the Native American Hall.
   3. Kristin Blackler:  There are now geothermal wells under Romney Oval. The oval is being re-imagined. They are also working on a revised Climate Action Plan. The Native American Hall will have geothermal wells under the old Roberts parking lot along with solar panels. It’s the first building designed with solar panels.
5. Public comment – none
6. Chris Fastnow adjourned the meeting at 2:00 p.m.

Next meeting:  October 28, 1:00-3:00 p.m., via WebEx

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