By Brandon Fey, Editor-in-Chief
President Bob Iuliano opened the meeting by stating his appreciation for the work of the faculty on Gettysburg 2.0 initiatives and planning.
Provost Jamila Bookwala then announced that Dean of the Library Robin Wagner will retire in January and will be temporarily replaced by Associate Dean and Director of Research and Access Services Kerri Odess-Harnish as interim dean. Assistant Director of Research and Access Services Meggan Smith will assume Odess-Harnish’s current role. Bookwala said that there will be a celebration of Wagner on Dec. 1 from 4-6 p.m. in the apse of the library.
She then spoke about a potential partnership with a new organization, a leader of which will visit campus to meet with faculty and trustees on Oct. 20.
Motions Vote
The faculty voted on two motions that had been brought to the floor by the Faculty Governance Committee at the meeting on Sept. 10.
The first motion was to reduce the number of faculty appointed to the Events Planning and Coordinating Committee (EPACC) from four to three.
Professor of History William Bowman, who had introduced the motion on behalf of the committee, stated that they had discussed the Sept. 10 proposal to eliminate EPACC entirely, though they decided not to amend the original motion to reduce the size of the committee by one.
The motion passed by a vote of 83 in favor, three against, and six abstentions.
The second motion was to eliminate the two-person Student Enrollment and Retention Committee (SERC) and transfer its responsibilities to the Student Life Committee. This also included that Vice President of Enrollment and Educational Services Robert Schwartz would be made a sitting member of the Student Life Committee.
Professor of Spanish Christopher Oechler stated that he agreed with the motion based on his experience on the committee, and mentioned that there had always been a member of SERC on one of the trustee committees, and asked what would become of this.
Vice President for College Life and Institutional Operations Anne Ehrlich replied that the faculty chair of student life is already a member of one of the trustee committees, though there would be one less faculty representative than before if the motion to abolish SERC was approved.
Oechler then proposed an amendment to the motion that there be a faculty liaison to the Board of Trustees Enrollment Educational Services Committee from the Student Life Committee. The amendment was approved with a vote by a show of hands.
The motion passed by a vote of 93 in favor, zero against, and no abstentions.
Both motions will go into effect next in the fall 2027 semester.
Academic Standards Motion
Dean of Academic Advising and Student Success Josef Brandauer and Sunderman Conservatory Professor Russell McCutcheon, who chairs the Academic Standards Committee, introduced a motion to update the College’s Academic Standing Policy.
They stated the proposed revisions have been part of a two-year effort to make the policy clearer and more helpful for students, faculty and the committee.
The motion would make all policies begin with specific definitions of terms, and will change certain language to be “less threatening” by altering the use of the term “probation.”
Minimum GPA requirements would be listed by semester instead of by year, as they are currently, and course unit requirements would also be listed by semester.
Brandauer added that a major GPA would no longer be considered in terms of academic standing because it is an unhelpful indicator, as it most often reflects general GPA. He said that a minimum of a 2.0 major GPA would still be required to graduate, and academic improvement plans are already automatically instated if a students GPA drops below 2.0.
The faculty will vote on the motion at the next meeting on Oct. 22, and if approved, it would go into effect at the beginning of the spring semester 2027.
Comprehensive Campaign
Vice President for College Advancement Tres Mullis gave a presentation about the public launch of the College’s Comprehensive Campaign, We, Here, Now.
He began by explaining that the name of the campaign was inspired by the Gettysburg Address in an effort to make it unique to Gettysburg College.
The fundraising campaign began on June 1, 2022 and will enter its public phase beginning on Sat. Oct. 17 by which it will be opened to donors beyond the College’s existing trustees.
Mullis reported that the initial Leadership Phase of the campaign exceeded its goal of $130 million, having raised $132,156,084. The ultimate goal of the campaign is to raise $200 million by its end on May 31 2029.
The campaign also includes other goals of 75% solicitable alumni engagement with the College (60.6% was reported so far) and 50% donor participation (29% percent so far).
Mullis stated that the $200 million raised will support various College priorities. This includes $20 million to support “academic excellence,” $44 million for “transformational student experiences,” $50 million for scholarships and financial aid, $22.5 million for “ensuring student success,” $19 million for “vibrant living and learning spaces” and $44.5 million for “flexibility/nimble responses to challenges and opportunities (such as supporting Gettysburg 2.0).
Gettysburg 2.0
Professor of Political Science Lindsay Reid then reported on newly planned aspects of the Gettysburg 2.0 initiative, the details of which remain embargoed from The Gettysburgian.
