Provost Peter Lange's remarks about potential joint-degree programs with other universities were the highlight of a May 6 Academic Council meeting otherwise dominated by committee reports.
The Fuqua School of Business will not establish a joint degree with Frankfurt University at this time, Lange said, noting that too many aspects of the degree were unclear to justify approving the program. The MBA program would have been the University's first-ever joint degree.
"I do believe that the Fuqua proposal raises broader issues for Duke to think about in terms of academic partnerships with other universities, which we will eventually have to make," Lange added, specifically mentioning the terms of potential joint-degree programs.
The annual reports of two newly-revamped committees comprised the bulk of the rest of the meeting.
The University Priorities Committee gained a clearer focus while discussing ethical investing, internationalization, strategic indicators, debt coverage and other concerns, Chair James Cox said. UPC serves as the faculty voice on strategic development and long-term budget concerns.
Cox, who is also the Brainerd Currie professor of law, noted that the agenda for the committee could be more closely directed at the immediate concerns of the University than they are at present. For example, items the Board of Trustees will discuss could come before UPC ahead of time.
"The first issue of information is finding out exactly what is being talked about on the second floor of the Allen Building and when we need to discuss that," Cox said. He added that despite the openness of the administration, it is still difficult to predict what agenda will be most relevant.
Several pecuniary issues, such as financial aid and potential capital campaigns, were delayed from this year's agenda but are slated for discussion next year, Cox said. The committee wanted to wait for President-elect Richard Brodhead to take office so he could comment on such items first.
Cox admitted that many of the topics UPC covered were not directly related to the University budget because it took the committee time to navigate the financial landscape of the University and determine what topics were relevant.
Several people noted that the lack of budgetary discussion was due to difficulty understanding the financial affairs of the University. UPC members and administrators agreed that because of the long learning curve when dealing with the budget, the turnover rate for UPC members--who serve a three-year term--would have to be low.
Tim Strauman, chair of the Academic Programs Committee and professor of psychology social and health sciences, did not attend the meeting, but he submitted a written summary of APC's activities.
APC--the new incarnation of the Academic Priorities Committee, with a jurisdiction limited to academics--discussed interdisiciplinarity and internationalization at the University as well as external reviews from six departments and other academic topics.
In addition, APC recommended departments coordinate external reviews with chair searches to prevent contaminating the review with politics as faculty jockey for position.
It also suggested refining the purpose of reviews and examining related departments in the same year.
IN OTHER BUSINESS:
In response to a faculty question, Lange clarified the authority of the provost to augment the search process for hiring faculty. He said most hiring is the departments' prerogative but occasionally the provost will step in to advance the goals of the University. Even in such cases, the potential new hire is still subject to departmental scrutiny and approval.
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