Team Meeting Minutes: Budget Updates and Strategic Planning Discussion

The team aims to improve meeting minutes by excluding names from search committee recommendations for confidentiality.

### Team Meeting Minutes: Addressing Recommendations and Budget Updates
* 📝 The meeting began with the approval of the minutes from the last meeting, where a suggestion was made to **exclude the names of individuals recommended for search committees** to **maintain confidentiality**.
* 📧 Minutes were sent via email and uploaded to the team site, but there was confusion regarding whether the **names had been removed from the document**.
* 💬 After discussion, it was agreed that an **email vote would be conducted to approve the amended minutes** once the names were properly removed.
* 💰 Eric provided a budget update, revealing an operating budget of approximately **$143,000**, which includes additional funds from a grant and support for **startup costs for new faculty**.
* 📊 The budget update highlighted that some funds could be used **flexibly for various departmental needs**, including travel and supplies, **without strict reporting requirements**.
* 🖨 There was a discussion on the need for **additional office supplies**, such as whiteboards for new faculty, and the potential **costs associated with travel for conferences and events**.
* 📅 Eric emphasized the importance of faculty contributions to the university's strategic plan, urging members to think about how the mathematics department can support **teaching, research, and community engagement initiatives**.
* 🤝 The meeting concluded with a call for ideas on how the department can **align with the university's strategic goals**, with further discussions planned for future meetings.

### Addressing DFW Rates and Faculty Concerns in the Department
* 📉 The discussion centers on the need to **decrease the DFW (Drop, Fail, Withdraw) rate** for critical courses to **20%**, a specific target that has not been provided in the past, which raises questions about its **feasibility**.
* 📊 Current DFW rates for courses like Calculus 1 and 2 hover around **40%**, prompting suggestions for **improved teaching strategies** and possibly **increasing admission standards** to mitigate the issue.
* 🔔 The faculty considers implementing early alert systems and midterm grading to assist struggling students, although some express concerns about **discouraging students with midterm grades**.
* 🤝 Community engagement efforts, such as high school math competitions, are discussed, along with the need for **better communication regarding alumni activities** to **enhance community ties**.
* 🏢 Faculty members propose the establishment of dedicated seminar rooms and a lounge for the math department to **facilitate collaboration and community** among research faculty, particularly as the department has **expanded**.
* 📅 The possibility of a survey to gather faculty input on what constitutes exemplary teaching is introduced, with an emphasis on **aligning expectations with university goals for national prominence**.
* 🗣 The meeting concludes with plans to engage the entire department for further ideas and to address office assignments for new faculty, emphasizing the **challenges of accommodating all tenure-track faculty in one building**.
* 📧 Follow-up emails will be sent to **gather suggestions** and inform the department about the **ongoing discussions and future meetings**.

DFC Meeting Sep  20, 2024 20240920 135930 Meeting Recording

DFC Meetings

The team is discussing the minutes from the last meeting, with a suggestion to remove the names of individuals recommended for search committees.

There was confusion about the modification of the minutes on the team site, and the names are still listed in the version being viewed.

The team plans to have an email vote to approve the amended minutes once the names are removed.

The main operating account has seen an increase in the budget to $143,000, thanks to a grant from the Army Research Office and additional funding from the Office of Research for new faculty startup costs.

The grant's salary savings and the Office of Research's support have provided the department with extra flexibility in spending.

The department is also covering research expenditures for faculty and has been proactive in managing its own budget.

Cow's research trip, leasing Reiko machines, and office supplies.

There's a plan for a new high-speed color copier and additional copy machines due to increased faculty.

Other expenses include I Clicker support, textbook requests, copy print charges, VoIP phones, and visa reimbursement for UK Kang.

Update on Operating Budget and Faculty Requests

The operating budget as of the 16th is $57,988, with faculty requests for travel and job slots adding to expenses.

Additional costs for whiteboards and Overleaf license expansions are estimated at $3,600.

The approval process for purchasing items, especially those requiring power, is challenging, and a brief budget update will be provided at the upcoming department meeting.

Contributing to the University's Strategic Plan

The college's strategic initiative plan is due by November 1st, with the CFC reaching out to departments for input.

The strategic plan focuses on teaching, research, and community engagement, with the mathematics department encouraged to contribute ideas.

The research enterprise committee and curriculum optimization committee are also working on related initiatives, with a goal to reduce DFW rates in critical courses.

Improving Student Success in Math Courses

Math course pass rates are consistently around 40%, with variations from year to year.

Recommendations for improvement include increasing admission standards and encouraging early alerts and midterm grades, although some faculty are hesitant to implement midterm grading.

The department is also considering engaging the entire faculty for input on the strategic plan and community engagement activities, with a goal to submit ideas before the college's deadline.

Discussing Faculty Performance Ratings and Surveys

The DFC members discussed the need for faculty input on defining a "five" in teaching performance.

A survey will be sent out to gather ideas and comments from faculty, aiming to include them in the conversation.

Charles will assist in sending out the surveys, with the plan to announce them at the upcoming department meeting.

Faculty Concerns and Suggestions for Department Improvement

A faculty member raised concerns about the need for a dedicated seminar room in Building D, as the current room scheduling system has made it difficult to hold seminars.

The faculty member also suggested the creation of a lounge room for the math department, which could serve as a space for lunch, collaboration, and housing the math library.

Additionally, there is a desire to have all new tenure track faculty offices located next to each other in Building D to facilitate better integration into the department.

Office Allocation and Tenure Track Faculty

The suggestion is to move lecturers out of Building D to accommodate the growing number of tenure track faculty, but this may not be feasible as the department continues to expand.

The speaker believes in a natural office turnover and thinks it's unnecessary to compartmentalize faculty by track.

They also highlight the challenges of moving offices and suggest reminding people to consider giving up unused offices for a flex office plan.

KSU offered limited-term faculty the option to forgo an office, providing them with basic needs like chairs, printers, and computer screens instead.

The university is flexible in accommodating individual requests for equipment, but does not cover expenses like internet service.

The DFC's role is to make recommendations to the chair regarding faculty concerns and needs, with meetings scheduled as necessary to address ongoing issues.