Present: Susan Coultrap-McQuin (presiding), Michael Ameigh (recording), Mary Beth Bell, Tom Darvill, Kathy Evans, Lanny Karns, Rhonda Mandel, Linda Rae Markert, Mehran Nojan, Walter Opello, Yvonne Petrella, Mary Schoeler, Sara Varhus.

First session (deans) 9-10AM:

Travel grants: The Office of International Education is revising procedures for awarding travel grants to faculty.  The Provost and deans explored a variety of options for increasing awareness of available funds and defining criteria for making awards.  Suggestions were made and the provost will discuss them with the director.

Hiring practices: We discussed procedures related to hiring.

Academic Equipment Replacement fund: Provost asked that deans not forward requests that would involve new remodeling projects at this time.  This does not preclude items for the current space being remodeled.  An excel spreadsheet has been distributed for use as a form to file requests. Also included is the 1996 SUNY memo that identifies qualified expenditures from the fund.  This year's allocation is $117,775.

Second session (all members) 10-11AM:

Information flow: Provost announced the new Academic Affairs website will be online soon.  She asked the Council to describe types of information currently being distributed within Academic Affairs and to suggest where information flow can be improved within the division. 

Student travel grants: Sources of funding and access to student travel grants were discussed. We discussed ways of supporting and encouraging students to make presentations.  We would like departments to discuss procedures for supporting travel. 

Temporary service:  We are finalizing temporary service expenditures for the current academic year.  Deans were alerted to the fact that no additional funds are available to cover student minimum wage increase beginning in January. 

Announcements: CourseSpace training for Fall '05 is underway; faculty web page development system is in pilot phase, to be rolled out in '05-'06 academic year. Provost's Council retreat agenda will be distributed a week before the retreat (January 19th, Rich Hall conference room).

-Adjourned