The Graduate U-Council

MINUTES

Minutes of a meeting of the Council of the Princeton University Community held Monday, September 25, 2000, 4:30 p.m., Dodds Auditorium, Robertson Hall, Woodrow Wilson School. Present were members: Mr. Amaya, Professor Babby, Vice President Dickerson, Mr. Dressner, Ms. Fallon, Ms. Friedman, Mr. Glass, Ms. Goodman, Professor Groth, Ms. Hale, Dr. Halliday (secretary), Mr. Hillegas, Mr. Kiczek, Mr. Kim, Professor Ma, Dean Malkiel, Mr. Miller, Professor Muldoon, Mr. Nemeroff, Provost Ostriker, Mr. Owen, Mr. Ramakrishnan, Mr. Salvatore, President Shapiro, Professor Socolow, Mr. Spies, Mr. Studley, Mr. Vere, and Mr. Wright.

Opening Business

The President opened the meeting by extending a special welcome to new members of the Council. He referred first to the Order of Business that listed meeting times for the year^Òs Council meetings and described various practices with respect to process for Council meetings. The Council approved the Order of Business which had been brought as a motion by the Executive Committee (attached as Appendix A). The Council also approved the Executive Committee recommendations on Council Committee assignments (attached as Appendix B).

Search for the Next President of Princeton

There were no questions from Council members, and the President turned to the subject of the search for his successor. He had announced at the Friday, September 22, Board meeting his intention to retire at the end of the current academic year, to return full-time to teaching and research at Princeton. At his request, Mr. Wright, the Vice President and Secretary, who was the secretary to the Presidential Search Committee, described the search process. While the final selection of the president is made by the Trustees, the Board had appointed a Search Committee composed of 9 Trustees, 3 students, 5 faculty members, and a staff member. The chair of the Trustee Executive Committee, Robert Rawson, who chairs the Search Committee, had asked that the CPUC Executive Committee make nominations of four staff members from whom one would be elected by staff to the Committee. In addition, the chairs of the Undergraduate Student Government and Graduate Student Government had been asked to serve, and the USG was selecting a second undergraduate. Faculty members to represent the four divisions plus one non-tenured faculty member would be elected by the faculty from nominations made by the Committee on Appointments and Advancements. Letters from Mr. Rawson soliciting members of the University community and all alumni for comments and suggestions had been sent, and the Committee would seek out other ways to communicate with the University community and reach out for nominations and ideas.

President's Report: Looking to the Year Ahead

The President then gave a brief overview of the year ahead. Construction and renovation projects were very noticeable this summer, and the pace of such facility improvements and additions would remain high for the next 4 to 5 years. Projects included renovation of Little Hall; the construction of a new dormitory next to Scully Hall and planning for a new residential college. In addition, major facilities, Firestone Library, Dillon Gymnasium, and the Engineering School among them, were due for substantial renovation. With respect to the operating budget, last year had ended with a slight surplus, and it was expected that revenues and expenses would be in line this year, although, as always, unanticipated expenses and sources of revenue (higher energy costs or higher rates of sponsored research, for example) would have to be factored in as the budget planning process went forward. Finally, exciting new initiatives were beginning this year, such as the new program in Finance.

Frist Campus Center

One of the new facilities that would open this year was the Frist Campus Center, and the President invited the Center^Òs Director, Paul Breitman, to report on the first weeks of the Center. Mr. Breitman described campus reaction to the Center as overwhelmingly positive. The Center offered a variety of dining options, and was open almost 20 hours on average each day. The aim of the Center was to be not just a building but the living room of campus. As in any new major enterprise, feedback and suggestions were welcome and would be the basis for improving the Center. Already comments were leading the center to improving signage and to reviewing the pricing structure for dining.

There was discussion, with the director of Dining Services, Stuart Orefice, answering questions, about how to improve the dining options from menu selections to price structure to the"point" system. In response to one question the president said that the cafe at Chancellor Green would close along with the entire East Pyne complex during the summer as part of an extensive renovation program. The rotunda would be restored to its original use as a library, but a café would be created below the rotunda area. Overall response was very positive.

Visions of Princeton

Mr. Kim, chair of the Undergraduate Student Government, described how the USG intended to use the findings of a survey conducted by the group last spring called Visions of Princeton. The objective of the survey was to ascertain student opinion about what was right and wrong about Princeton and what the future of the University should include. The USG was focusing on several key areas that seemed to offer opportunities for further discussion, including athletics, health services, student organizations, performing arts space and relationships among the diverse groups on campus. The President said that it would be helpful to see drafts of the report the USG was preparing regarding their findings.

Mr. Kim had begun his remarks by welcoming the new Vice President for Campus Life Janet Dickerson, and by expressing thanks on behalf of the student body for the work that Paul Breitman and Stuart Orefice and their staffs had accomplished to make the opening of the Frist Campus Center go as smoothly and as successfully as it did. Students were expressing enthusiasm for the opportunities that the new Center offered.

There being no further business to come before the Council, the President concluded the meeting at 5:50 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Ann Halliday Secretary