Faculty Meetings

Faculty Meeting – May 2, 2025

Presidents Hall

10:00-11:30 a.m.

Announcements & Updates from the Deans

David opened the meeting by reflecting on the busy year we've had, full of many changes, but reflecting on our success to-date. The strategic plan is complete and everyone's participation in that process was so appreciated and so effective. David welcomed the leadership of Radio-Television services and reflected on the very difficult season they are in, as $1.75 million in funding was cut overnight by the nation's administration. Recent legislative changes forebode cuts in federal funding and the possibility of further post-tenure review for our faculty; we will schedule separate town halls and meetings to properly discuss these changes as they are confirmed and enacted. The advice we are receiving from the Provost is to keep focusing on what is core to our School and pursuing those goals. "Do what you're doing, Media School," full speed ahead. We are still doing very well, and to some extent are being held up as a model of entrepreneurial thought for IU.

Ron introduced the new staff who have joined us since December's all faculty-staff meeting.

• Jorietza Noriega – 100% remote advisor
• Logan Johnson – Advisor
• Kaela Laughlin – Advisor
• Stephanie Warner – Academic Advisor & Retention Specialist
• Mallory Elver – Associate Director of Advancement
• Tara Heckler – Director of Student Services
• Ian Fournie – Associate Director of Employer Relations
• Emily Cessna – Administrative Assistant for Faculty Affairs

He also announced that Lorna Butler will be moving from her current role as Accounting Specialist to Financial Administration Specialist.

We have active searches for the Assistant Dean of External Relations, a Student Services Specialist to take over from Sarah Gibson's role, and the Associate Director of the BFCA.

Gerry thanked our retiring faculty, Greg Waller, Jim Kelly, Susan Kelly, and Joan Hawkins, and our retiring student services specialist, Sarah Gibson.

David announced the administrative team members for next year (Andrew Weaver, Jason Peifer, Melanie Sarge, Ron McFall, Katie Higgins, Galen Clavio, and Bonnie Layton), and thanked Gerry and Nicole for their service during their terms.

Dean's Update

David discussed our achievements this year: completing the strategic plan, giving us clearly articulated values and priorities for navigating the possibilities and challenges of the years ahead. He reviewed the work we have already done to begin implementing on the plan, including filling key cabinet roles, preparing to put program directors in place, and pulling together strategic collaborations such as the theater-film incubator, interdisciplinary breakfasts on the topics of global engagement, the new MFA, and service-learning. We successfully hired 7 fantastic faculty who will be starting in the next year: Tricia Whitaker (who has already started), Ico Bukvic, Katina Bitsicas, Taeyoung Lee, Malia Bruker, Laura Marciano, and Debra Tolchinsky. In addition to the Assistant Dean search, we are planning 6 faculty hires next year: 2 TT in Advertising, a TT mediamaker, a TT screenwriter, a sports media NTT, and a TT Law, Policy & Management.

Radio-TV services realigned under the Media School and we look forward to opportunities to collaborate and support one another; we're happy to hear from anyone about their ideas in this area.

Diversity Committee Update

Ted shared that the committee has been working on preparing a climate survey that will go out to all Media School faculty, staff, and students soon. He shared the Committee's efforts to find data on the topic of diversity and shared data on 'Discrimination, Harassment, & Sexual Misconduct Reports and Actions Taken' for the 2023-24 Academic Year.

Brand Identity Development & Awareness Campaign

As part of several of the initiatives spelled out in the Strategic Plan, Audrie and her team in Communications are working to develop and design a messaging and positioning strategy (Phase 1) with the help of an outside group. That contract is being bid out and we should have those bids in the next week. The hope is to kick off the process this summer, with deliverables due in December.Phase 1.5 will take those deliverables and use them to align our website and other in-house communications materials. Phase 2 will be a brand awareness campaign, using the brand identity messaging across all of our media and making sure we're sending a consistent image. Along with this we are planning to overhaul our website, starting this summer, and hopefully line up that timeline with the Phase 1.5 timeline. There were questions about stakeholder involvement and engagement, and there will be two interactive workshops for those who want to be involved in this process.

Faculty Advisory Board Update

John Velez gave an update on behalf of the FAB. This year, we have implemented SEA 202 policies that will meet all legal requirements, giving us a good strategy to respond to changes as they unfold. To date, there have been 3 complaints under SEA 202 at IU Bloomington, two of which were unsubstantiated. Across all IU campuses, there have been 9 complaints.

The MAPT strategic plan process recommended changes to administrative structure. The changes to the Dean's cabinet were approved and those roles have been filled, and we are also looking at appointing program directors soon.

There was a question submitted through Ask the FAB about the People's Involvement Fair that took place a few weeks ago. In response to those questions, we have updated the process for Commons reservations, so that they will route through leadership, allowing for more oversight for these kinds of requests.

Looking ahead to next year, we will probably see more SEA 202 changes. New legislation was passed and could be signed into law that would affect post-tenure reviews, which we will develop policies for. There has been discussion of restructuring the media school and making changes to the unit structure. Nothing is happening yet and the process will take at least a year, but it is worth having everyone thinking about what this would look like and what might work best. We're also discussing the possibility of acknowledging graduate mentoring in the merit review calculations, and establishing clear tenure guidelines for tenure based on creative activity.

RTV

Jay gave an overview of the work of Radio-Television Services. RTV serves the whole state, providing content online, on TV, for the radio, and live. We are very open to ideas for collaboration and integration with the media school.

We have already begun working on curriculum ideas to integrate students and give them practical, hands-on experience. RTV is responsible for over 200 events every year, including IU athletics and any ceremony you've attended that has any kind of recording. We know that we need more content. David clarified that the finances of the media school and RTV remain separate, but collaboration is essential and mutually beneficial.

Each table discussed ideas for collaboration and connection, as well as ways to incorporate RTV staff into the day-to-day activities and community of the Media School.

Shared feedback/ideas:

• There is a history of student/RTV work
• Showcasing student work
• Camera workshops, expert workshops
• Gaming – full-motion video
• D & D Twitch streaming from the studios
• Jacobs orchestras with KIX immersive backdrops
• Fundraising operations for the Media School and RTV are totally separate, but there are a lot of shared donors
• There is a need and opportunity for multimedia reporting – Journalism faculty need RTV expertise for those advanced skills
• IU News Net – 100% student-run; they already collaborate with RTV
• University of Arizona model – curriculum broadcasts on PBS stations
• Premiere Pro, Audio Mixing – these are skills RTV staff have and can help teach to students. The more skills experience our students have, the better.
• Radio shows to discuss and showcase faculty and student research
  • Can work with RTV staff on how to present this compellingly
• Student-produced podcasts, radio, and TV shows
• Internships – closer alignment will help with faculty supervision

David encouraged those who did not have a chance to share out to send ideas and thoughts to David & Jay.

Assistant Dean of External Partnerships

David shared his vision for the opportunities this role might be able to pursue, including partnerships with festivals like Sundance, corporate sponsorships, and internship opportunities. He wanted to hear from everyone what questions the committee should ask candidates, what metrics this person could be judged on, and any other feedback and ideas from the various areas.

Feedback/ideas

• We have an ethical requirement to create future opportunities for our students; this person can help with lining up the kind of partnerships that help facilitate those opportunities.
• Partnerships with festivals, conferences, the Lincoln Center
• Service to state – they could help us develop community partnerships. This is a focus of the strategic plan.
• Interdisciplinary collaborations & programs across campus
• There are already IU offices that focus on external partnerships – this person should connect with those groups and collaborate.
• Courses and experiential/service-learning opportunities focused on community needs – can help identify groups to work with/serve
• Connecting students and faculty to international internships and global media organizations
• Bringing foreign professionals into classes; this can be a proof of concept that grows into broader partnerships
• Media School presence at all key conferences will help us be on the academic map, boosting recruitment and our reputation
• Student employment – helping to navigate both retaining talent locally and placing alumni in key media centers nationwide and internationally
• Possibilities for co-production, like the partnership Black Camera had with a group in Burkina Faso.
• Student bureau for national networks/Indianapolis – help to facilitate getting student reporting on larger networks.
• Question about the timing of the search:
  • Monday May 5, the committee will review the applicants and select their list for initial interviews.
  • The committee will share updates as they progress and request feedback.
• Please send feedback and any unshared thoughts to Ron & David.

Concluding thoughts

Please keep up all of your great work and engagement with our goals and vision.

The admin team is preparing for a leadership retreat sometime this summer – if you have ideas for what we should be discussing, please send those to David.

This has been a big year – there have been lots of big changes, but we're carefully staying up to date with laws and policies and will continue to do so. The strategic plan process went so well, and we're very thrilled with what was generated and with all of you engaging with the process throughout. It's already enabled us to justify requests for resources and the decisions that we're making to the broader campus.

Meeting adjourned 11:25 a.m.

Faculty Meeting – January 24, 2025

FF312 and via Zoom
10:00-11:30am

10:00am – PopKorn, fruit, coffee, and mingling

10:05am – Meeting start

David started the meeting and thanked everyone for coming.

Announcements and Updates from the Deans - David Tolchinsky

David began with an update on the Strategic Planning process, thanking everyone for their thorough and excellent feedback. The Admin team has seen and is excited about a draft of the strategic plan, which is almost finished. The plan captures the specifics of what we want to do, including language about our laboratory environment, grounded in history, and is forward-thinking in the areas of technology and the future of the field. It emphasizes interdisciplinarity and partnerships we will pursue, with ideas for some we might form. While no one will likely love every part of the plan, it represents us quite well, and there’s something for everyone.

Faculty will likely see the plan in mid-February. The larger steering committee needs to review the document, followed by the Provost’s office. It will then be sent out to all the faculty. There will not be additional opportunities for feedback; the document is excellent and already incorporates substantial faculty feedback.

David and the admin team are determined to make full use of this strategic plan, and the recommendations are already beginning to be implemented:

• The MS in Media Leadership in Business has made it through the approval process.
• The KIX Lab is an example of the kind of partnerships we want to form with other schools and UITS. All the candidates for the KIX faculty positions are grounded in what our School does but making important connections with other Schools too.
• RTVS is taking us into interesting partnerships and possibilities in terms of student interaction and pushing out into the wider Indiana environment.
• Working through our Student Media Plan also aligns with the plan’s recommendations.
• We’ve begun discussions on changes to our administrative structure, both in the Dean’s cabinet and in the connection and support of new graduate programs.
  • We’ve been authorized to use David’s ‘slush fund’ from his hire to help fund these additional positions. This will help ease us into this new phase without additional cost.

After the strategic plan, Mapt will provide us with a year-by-year implementation plan. It is possible, but not confirmed, that faculty will be asked for feedback on the implementation plan.

Announcements and Updates from the Deans - Gerry Lanosga

Gerry relayed that the faculty searches are going well. So far, we have made three successful hires:

• Tricia Whitaker has joined us as a new Lecturer and has already started this semester.
• Laura Marciano will be joining the Communication Science unit in January 2026, after wrapping up her post-doc duties at Harvard. She is very excited and plans to start onboarding in the Fall.
• Taeyoung Lee will be joining the Journalism unit in Fall 2025.

The KIX Lab Faculty search is ongoing. Gerry requested that faculty attend the job talks whenever possible. The final search for the BFA Director & Lecturer in Film will be starting visits the week of January 27th.

Gerry confirmed that the new SEA 202 & Merit Policy is now in effect. Gerry and John Velez will be working on one more change regarding SEA 202, involving annual reviews for probationary faculty, as we need to incorporate that language into our governance structure. We have policies in effect for both complaints and annual reviews by the unit directors.

Given recent announcements about changes to DEI policy, Gerry confirmed that it’s likely there will be changes, but none are certain yet. Senate Bill 235 would mandate the elimination of DEI offices and personnel. It’s unclear if this would filter down to the School or Unit level. We are still allowed to consider diversity as a school value, but we may have to be careful about the use of the term ‘DEI’ and its interpretation. SEA 202 actually mandates the creation of a university-wide diversity committee.

David relayed that the Provost called a meeting related to this and confirmed that nothing has been decided yet, but we will respond when it’s time.

Ted Castronova, as chair of the diversity committee, confirmed that he plans to hold a meeting to discuss all these changes and report out to faculty. He is gathering currently available data on our School’s current diversity.

John and Gerry clarified that the language in SEA 202 about diversity includes and centers around cultural and intellectual diversity. Ted added that the focus of the law is on the risks of promoting one group over others and prevents explicit policy in favor of one demographic group.

Gerry asked faculty to pay careful attention to emails from their unit directors about the merit review process. The January 22nd deadline for updating Elements has now passed. Elements does not have a ‘submit’ button; faculty have continuous access, but a ‘snapshot’ was taken on January 22nd of what will be included in the 2024 review. Faculty can add additional items at any time, but anything added after January 22nd will not be considered in your 2024 review.

Supplemental materials – such as items in support of an SEA 202 review – are not tied to the deadline. Gerry encouraged faculty to upload SEA 202 statements if they would like to, or to send these to Liz Sullivan or their Unit directors, but stressed that this should be done soon. These statements should reflect on 2024 performance, rather than looking ahead at what is planned.

Graduate Studies Update – Jason Peifer

Jason reminded everyone about the student-run Common Ground conference, taking place March 7-8. He asked for faculty to please participate by attending a keynote talk. There will be panels and film screenings on Saturday. Showing up helps graduate students feel connected to faculty and creates a sense of community and support. Submissions to Common Ground are not excluded from being submitted to other conferences; it is a ‘lower case c’ conference, focused on workshopping and showcasing.

Jason expressed thanks for all the work many faculty have done reviewing graduate student applications. 125 applications came in, with the majority being PhD (87), MA (20), and MS (17). Faculty help sorting through these applications is critical; since applicants have to pay $70 to submit, we need to give each proper attention and review.

At the end of the month, unit reps will submit rankings for top prospects and lists of declined students, based on faculty feedback. Jason will then synthesize these details with the goal of getting offer letters out in mid-February. Jason may reach out to specific faculty members for Zoom interviews to help evaluate top prospects.

Visitation Days will likely be March 6-7, intended to help convince top prospects to come here. These visits will showcase the campus and offer opportunities for faculty-student meetings. Jason may be reaching out about this.

“Best-of” awards are another way to celebrate what’s happening. Faculty should have received an email, but a reminder that the deadline is February 3rd.

Finally, Jason shared that a Visiting Scholar, Kyung Han You from South Korea, joined us last week. He is located in the office in the Basement across from the ICR. Jason encouraged everyone to stop by and make him feel welcome.

Arnolt Center – Kathleen Johnston

The Annual Arnolt Center Symposium is February 13th this year. Maria Ressa is an incredible keynote speaker. There will be panel speakers from 60 Minutes and lots of newspapers. Kathleen encouraged faculty to attend and to encourage students to attend as well. Registration is required in advance. All events are free.

Registration and detailed schedule can be found on the Arnolt Center’s website.

Kathleen also provided an update that while the Center usually limits enrollment to 45 students, they currently have 54 students working on 8 stories. They completed their annual NewsMatch campaign and raised $66,000.

Bloomington Faculty Council Update – Bryant Paul:

1. SEA 202
   Discussions about implementing SEA 202 policy have dealt more with how to respond to what might happen than deciding how to respond to complaints. The University Faculty Council and VPFAA are offering guidance on compliance, and a presentation is available for review.
   Since SEA 202's enactment in July, there have been 3 potentially actionable claims, though they may not be escalated or acted upon. If a claim arises, it must move through multiple review layers before it could affect a faculty member’s 5-year review. Each School/College is creating its own policy to comply with the law’s requirements.
   The issue remains a moving target, as the definition of non-compliance can be changed by lawmakers. The Board of Trustees may also alter implementation as long as the changes comply with the law. Bryant encouraged faculty to stay alert and calm in response to this.
2. Chancellor Search
   The Chancellor search is ongoing. Three candidates will be visiting campus at the end of February and early March. Bryant will be meeting with them as part of the Executive Committee and encourages faculty to meet with the candidates and attend their presentations when announced.
3. DEI Changes
   Changes to DEI initiatives are expected, though not yet defined. Proposed federal and state laws could require the closing of offices, changes in language, or removal of scholarships that focus on DEI.
4. College Financial Problems
   The College is projected to have a budget shortfall of $17-53 million this year, leading to austerity measures, including cuts of 2-3% to the budget. David clarified that while some services from the College may be curtailed, the Media School remains financially stable. All Big10 colleges are facing similar deficits.
   
   Changes to faculty and retirement plans are anticipated, with the College planning to roll out a new retirement program. Some funding might be shared for College fellowships, and faculty may be asked to delay sabbaticals or consider early retirement offers.
5. Enrollment Cliff
   The Provost shared that even programs claiming growth are mostly maintaining numbers. IU is well-positioned compared to smaller liberal arts colleges, but scholarship programs and affordability will be key in navigating the enrollment cliff.
   
   The Media School’s enrollment has decreased slightly but remains strong, with 2,600 students this year, up from 2,100 in 2,022. The School benefits from being the second choice for many students and has had larger incoming cohorts, which correlates with better retention.
   
   Although the enrollment cliff poses a challenge, the Media School is performing well and retaining students, providing a buffer for the challenges ahead.

Faculty Spotlight – Brandon Wallace:

Brandon shared about his scholarly journey. His work examines the intersection of sports media, social movements, and activism, particularly how power and ideology operate through sports media. His dissertation is being turned into a book titled Sport, Race, and Grassroots Activism: A Contextual Analysis of Colin Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp. He is active with the ‘Know Your Rights’ Camp and plans to explore the Attention Economy’s effects on sports in the future.

Discussion – Strategic Discussions and Collaborations:

David emphasized the potential for interdisciplinary interactions, both within the School and across the University. Collaborative themes could include:

• MFA Education
• Residency around Technology
• Graduate Education and Ethics
• Global Engagement
• Experiential Learning
• Arts & Humanities in Grant-Seeking
• CITL and Service Learning

David encourages faculty to share thoughts on these subjects. The School will assist with hospitality for 2-3 of these collaborative discussions each year.

Meeting adjourned at 11:25am.

FF312 and via Zoom

10:00-11:30am

10:05am start

David started the meeting and thanked everyone for coming.

Announcements and updates – David Tolchinsky

David introduced the Visiting Mediamaker Project, calling for suggestions of potential mediamakers to bring to the school for short visits. This is an opportunity to introduce our students to diverse voices and practices, interact with high-profile and noteworthy individuals whose involvement will attract attention, and engage and vet professionals who might be interested in future faculty searches. “Mediamaker” is defined in the mind of the definer, so long as they are known in their field. David will form a committee to evaluate these suggestions but is looking for input from the faculty network since there are plenty of people he doesn’t know or know about.

David requested that all faculty and staff aim to avoid checking and sending email on weekends. This is to help everyone maintain a healthy work-life balance and separation. For any work done on weekends, David encouraged scheduling emails to be delivered on Monday.

David expressed appreciation for faculty engagement with Mapt and the individual meetings that have been taking place. Key observations:

• Interdisciplinarity is emerging as a major theme and priority, and we have to talk about what that means and will look like.
• Concerns have been heard about pushing into new terrain without properly resolving existing issues.
• There is a lot of anxiety about making changes to unit structures on both sides. David is agnostic about which way we decide to go so long as we are moving towards collaboration. No changes will be made just for the sake of making changes. Galen has suggested an approach that would create groups based on similar practice within the existing unit structure.

Discussion of KIX Lab

David described in greater detail the purpose and plan for the KIX Lab. The crystal wall is an LED-immersive sound stage with camera tracking that allows actors to see the virtual environment as they perform.

The KIX Lab project emerged as a result of research showing student interest in Kinetic Imagery and interest across different Schools and areas of campus in collaborating on the implementation of this tool and developing an ethics-centered approach to cutting edge media. KIX will be a hub for faculty and graduate student research. The crystal wall is a starting point, but the networks formed and approach to media that we are crafting will create a culture and fundraising/partnership opportunities that can be used to keep the Lab up-to-date as technology develops.

Our goals for the Lab will aid in advancing IUB 2030’s three pillars while allowing us to pursue the areas for strategic growth that we’ve already identified (new graduate programs, research opportunities, etc.).

The resources for the installation, the new faculty positions, and the new staff position are coming from the Faculty 100 initiative and are funded by the Provost’s office.

We are estimating being able to begin installation early in Spring semester with ribbon-cutting and full launch in August 2025.

Part of this video was shared as a demonstration.

Visits can be made to the screen and demos set up with UITS.

Opportunities:

• This is a major attraction for students at the recruitment stage.
• There are trained staff that are already familiar with the equipment and can partner with faculty to enact their vision
• David is confident that this will lead to fundraising and partnership opportunities that will assist in defraying maintenance costs. He is committed to not allowing the burden of future unanticipated expenses to fall on the Media School.
• This facility raises our profile while furthering our work within our strategic focuses.
• This equipment is in line with what some of our best competitors already have; however, no one is using it the way we intend to (as a collaboration between many Schools and fields). This will bring us up to speed while giving us a competitive edge.

Concerns:

• The group that currently holds the screen has not been using it. The screen may not deliver on its potential if it was purchased and not utilized. However, the screen was acquired during COVID-19 and the intended implementation did not take place. The current holders are excited to partner with the Schools across the University to fully utilize the equipment.
• It is difficult to understand how this can be used for research. The possibilities are so broad that it’s hard to communicate some concrete ones.
• The technology could become out-of-date quickly. However, this project is about more than the crystal wall. The aim is to create a structure and community of experts, artists, and researchers who are collaborating on this kind of technology and developing an approach to integrating cutting edge technology into the creation of media. This will be applicable to newer technologies as they emerge and the Lab can be used to assist in fundraising for the purchase of future technologies.
• Since the new tenure track faculty positions are “makers” and creatively-focused rather than researchers, it’s less clear what tenure and the tenure review process would look like for them. Faculty are concerned that in a choice between researcher tenure lines and artist tenure lines will require sacrifices and strategic decisions, since tenure lines are so precious.
• There will be ongoing maintenance costs which may fall back on the Media School if anticipated funding does not deliver long-term. As in all areas of higher education, if the project does not yield as anticipated, we will need to adjust.
• The College is significantly in the hole and the Provost is anticipating making cuts of 5-6% across the board. Even if the Provost is excited about this Project, we can’t know that we won’t lose those sources of money and have to pay for things ourselves.

Announcements and updates – Gerry Lanosga

Gerry reminded everyone that the deadline for submitting a sabbatical request form is Monday, October 1^st. He asked that anyone applying verify their eligibility before doing so. The VPFAA can be contacted at vpfaa@iu.edu to confirm eligibility.

New faculty Brandon Wallace, Nicky Lewis, Ted Jamison-Koenig, and Patricia Pizer were introduced, as well as Anne Stichter, the new Executive Assistant to the Deans.

There are 6 faculty searches ongoing, 2 of which are for the KIX lab. David is heading that committee; other search committee chairs are Paul, Mike G, Galen, and Susanne. The deadline for applications is October 1^st and searches need to move quickly so we can make offers on a competitive timeline. Please be responsive when Anne emails you about assembling itineraries.

We are working on drafting our unit’s SEA 202 Policy. So much has been going on that we don’t have any specifics to share at this point. There have been no complaints filed to-date.

Galen shared a reminder about the Student Engagement Roster, reminding faculty to be reporting on attendance in the portal. Not much feedback is coming in that way, which is needed so that the University has a record and can take action. Please be reporting on a week-by-week basis.

Graduate Studies update - Jason Peifer

Jason will be sending out a survey link for the course planning process for Fall 2025 and beyond, looking to hear what faculty are interested in and open to teaching. Jason especially needs to know as soon as possible about summer courses.

We are trying to cultivate a welcoming, warm environment for students across different areas. One way to do that is taking part in the social event being planned for next Friday at 5:30pm, a happy hour at the Vault at the IMU. Will be paying for some appetizers (NOT drinks).

Bloomington Faculty Council and BFC executive committee report – Bryant Paul

Bryant reported that both the Law School and COAS are significantly underwater financially. Cuts of 5-6% across the board are expected. The College can’t increase enrollment because the infrastructure is tapped out. The focus is on raising standards, being more selective about which students are admitted, and trying to increase the percentage of students who come from out-of-state portion. Transfer students are a good pipeline as well.

Some focuses for increasing revenue are an increase in 4+1/5 -year degrees, professional degrees, and certificates. These don’t cost us money in the same way but generate revenue.

There is lots of confusion over SEA 202. No complaints have been filed yet. Anonymous complaints will not lead to any action. Bryant shared the established/suggested complaint review process. There are many levels of potential action that will ensure that most cases are curtailed at the first stage, where the validity of the complaint is evaluated by the unit, and then protect faculty against malicious complaints if the case continues on.

The Chancellor search is still ongoing and the committee is still accepting suggestions for candidates.

There are proposed changes to faculty grievance and review procedures in the works, and Bryant specifically highlighted that salary issues should go to the Faculty Board of Review first.

The University is transitioning to Elements and away from DMAI, and faculty will receive access sometime in November. The process will be gradual and take 2-3 weeks total. Bryant stressed it’s important not to be concerned if some materials disappear temporarily and to avoid repopulating anything that had already been entered to avoid creating duplicate entries. Elements will also automatically import entries from public scholarly databases.
There are trainings available for Elements and lots of FAQ resources for anyone who has questions.

Honors Applications, Classes, and Mentoring: Bonnie Layton

Bonnie shared briefly that we need faculty to get involved in adjudicating applications in early February. This work counts toward Service requirements. We also need faculty to teach honors courses and serve as faculty mentors.

Bonnie has much more information about this process – please get in touch with any questions and to express interest.

Scholarship Selection Committee pitch – Emily Harrison & Laura Dragoin

Emily and Laura shared the need for faculty involvement in selection decisions for scholarship recipients for returning students. Previously involved faculty have found this a very rewarding process. The restricted awards are matched first, followed by awards with less restrictive criteria. The Journalism scholarship committees are well-staffed, but there is a specific need for non-journalism committee members. This is usually a weekend commitment.

Finally, Emily shared that the School is aware of a need for scholarships for non-journalism students, which has been a fundraising priority. More than half of the 4 million we raised in the last year was for non-journalism scholarships. Lots of these are planned gifts, so there will be some delay in that funding being available.

Media School Archives – Josh Bennett

Josh Bennett talked about some of the collections and projects he has been working on (Roy Howard digitization project, Miley collection). He let the faculty know that if anything is being created in the course of their work or teaching that might be worth preserving and archiving, they should contact him. He has archived podcasts, special events, news casts, and visiting speakers for reuse in future years. If anyone isn’t sure if something should be archived, please talk to Josh and he can help make that decision. It’s possible to add restrictions to limit accessibility if security is a concern. If anyone has questions, please come talk to Josh. His office is in the sub-basement, right next to the current construction.

For anyone interested in learning more, Josh shared the following links:

• Media School Collections
• Miley Collection
• RTV
• Indiana Broadcast History Archive

Mapt Solutions Strategic Planning Update

Brittany from Mapt Solutions provided an update on the Strategic planning process. She has been meeting with the many faculty and staff who have reached out for one-on-ones to continue gathering information and feedback for and updated Phase 1 report.

Brittany shared detailed slides summarizing the key takeaways to-date, including items that feedback has revealed as missing from the initial report. She will share these slides.

Brittany shared slides summarizing the topics that were identified as missing from the initial report and checked with the faculty if anything else is still missing or if any conclusions seem short-sighted or unclear. No other suggestions were made.

Brittany then opened the floor for questions.

Key points/takeaways from discussion:

• Multi-disciplinary focus has really risen to the top as a focus and strength. We need to figure out how to hone and use this.
• There is a need for clear and shared vision.
• Faculty felt under-represented in the report – if any faculty are still feeling under-represented, Brittany asked for them to make an appointment with her to share their feedback and input. Staff also felt under-seen in the report. We have since had good feedback and discussion with them.
• There are mixed feelings regarding the question of unit structure, with about 80% of the feedback indicating that the current structure is OK and some improvements could be made, and 20% indicating it’s a huge problem that needs to be fixed. There are opportunities for greater efficiency by allowing those closest to the work to do it well. A big problem is the lack of alignment between degree programs and the unit structure.
• Mapt has received lots of feedback that journalism unit was unfairly singled out in the initial report, which they acknowledge as a very fair point. Brittany clarified that the feedback that prompted these conclusion was stated by peers in a complimentary way: everyone wants their program to be as successful as journalism.
• Student feedback was affected by a small number of responses and the timing of the survey request, immediately following the events related to Student Media last Spring.
• Lots of faculty are concerned about pursuing big, bold vision projects while critical foundational concerns need attention. Mapt knows the importance of striking a balance between the two.
• Questions were asked about what comes next in this process with Mapt. Brittany said her team is working on a strategic blueprint, identifying key pillars and focus areas, which will form the shell of the strategic plan. This will be shared with the strategic steering team in the next week or two and a draft of the strategic plan will be in the hands of reviewers in mid-November. The question of whether the acquisition of WTIU And WFIU would be factored into the strategic plan was raised, but since that timeline is not confirmed it is currently auxiliary to their process. Mapt will provide a range of approaches they have determined could work for the Media School and our leadership will need to determine which to pursue and how that will be enacted.
• Concerns were expressed about making changes and negotiations within an institution that is in transition (shift towards Indianapolis, lack of confidence, etc). Mapt is also conducting a comprehensive review of University-level policies to identify problematic ones and determine how to navigate through them. In short, there is no answer to this question yet but Mapt is aware of the current complexity.
• Mapt has identified 3 high level prioritiesand multiple ‘sub-priorities’ within each. They are looking for input to help narrow the sub-lists to 5-6 per category.
• Brittany shared that after completing this process with Mapt, the Luddy School restructured their units, creating a greater sense of shared identity and reducing the island/silo effect they experienced. They developed better on-ramps for students coming into Luddy from other programs and worked to grow their advising and career services to create the infrastructure needed to accommodate their recent growth in enrollment. They also identified some centers of excellence for research, which helped guide faculty hires, and created better opportunities for advancement among staff.
• Mapt is working on the updates to the Phase 1 report, which will be released to faculty and staff before the strategic plan. It will include the comparisons with other Communication schools that were identified as missing, and focus on 5-6 issues specific to the Media School including schools that have something akin to RTV services incorporated within them.
• Nick Browning expressed concerns about a shift towards external funding becoming an expectation for researchers and a criterium for the tenure review process. Bryant clarified that shift has not taken place yet, though there has been an increase in encouragement to pursue external sources of funding. Not all areas have available external funding, but the administration wants to be sure that untapped sources of funding are being pursued.
• Community service opportunities and goals are very state-focused. Questions were raised about how this helps us achieve our goals in areas of prestige, research, and out-of-state enrollment. There is a tension between our mandated State service and the direction of our vision and geographical tendencies of our fields.

Meeting adjourned at 11:54am.

10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

FF312 and via Zoom

The meeting began at 10:03am. David thanked faculty for coming. During future meetings, we will stick to time limits for each agenda item, so faculty are not kept past 11:30 a.m. Meeting minutes from January 26, 2024, were approved as written.

Research Funding Presentation—Ed Dallis-Comentale and Ana Velasco

Ed Dallis-Comentale, assistant vice president for arts and humanities research, and Ana Velasco, associate director of arts and humanities research development, provided faculty with an overview of opportunities for funding and support. A few key points included:

• Applying for funding takes a lot of time, but the one project-one grant approach is generally disappointing.
• Writing grants provides goals and benefits beyond direct research support, as it encourages faculty to frame their work for new audiences.
• Grant-writing can have an accumulative effect: grant winners get more grants.
• Many IU internal grant programs are under-subscribed! Faculty are encouraged to apply.
• Ed offered to assist via his connections in the media department at the National Endowment for the Humanities.
• In preparation for grant-writing, faculty should register for Pivot.

Graduate studies—Rob Potter

Dates were shared for the faculty/graduate student social (March 29), the MSGA-organized Common Ground conference (April 12-13), and the school’s celebration of graduating students (May 3). Faculty are encouraged to attend all events. Offer letters have been sent to 10 Ph.D. applicants, 7 M.A. applicants, and 14 M.S. applicants. Faculty are asked to contact these applicants to encourage acceptance of our offers.

Faculty profile—Robin Robinson

Robin provided her faculty profile; details can be found in the compiled slides.

Undergraduate studies—Galen Clavio

Galen is working on a network of Media School alumni who are active in media industries, and faculty are asked to send him relevant contact information from their own networks. The intent is to gatekeep access to this list (faculty mentioned concern with the Walter Center providing alumni information with little discretion) and use it to assist our students with career advice and internship opportunities.

The DUS office will reach out to faculty to find out their teaching preferences for Spring 2025, as the build for that schedule opens in April 2024. However, the office needs to reconcile the courses we have promised students we will teach in a four-year period with what faculty want to teach, so that will require some flexibility from faculty on course assignments.

The Bloomington Faculty Council (BFC) voted on and approved a change to the timing of passing periods for Spring 2025 and beyond. This change may alter faculty teaching times but will allow for one additional class period during the day. Faculty were again encouraged to remain flexible with their requested teaching times and locations.

Bloomington Faculty Council update—Gerry Lanosga

Gerry’s term on the BFC is ending. Anyone interested in becoming the next Media School representative should reach out to Gerry. The BFC expects to change faculty activity reporting, which may end use of the DMAI.

Announcements from the deans—Radhika Parameswaran

Nicole could not attend the meeting, but deadlines were provided for summer faculty fellowships and grant-in-aid funding applications. Information was shared about upcoming events, including several for Women’s History Month and a visit by Jad Abumrad as a Patten Lecturer. The final faculty-staff meeting of the year will be on April 26.

The following faculty updates were shared:

• Thanks to Craig Erpelding for his service as BFA director and to Rob Potter for his service as DGS. Both faculty members will be missed.
• Raiford Guins has been reappointed as unit director as CIMS. As Ray will be on sabbatical in Fall 2024, Stephanie DeBoer will serve as interim unit director next semester.
• Because the spring meeting of the Board of Trustees has been moved from April to June, the timing of official tenure and promotion notifications will also be delayed. All other parts of this year’s tenure and promotion process remain unaffected.
• Faculty should share their undergraduate syllabi with Marilyn and their graduate syllabi with Stacy.

Announcements from the deans—David Tolchinsky

David thanked Radhika for her excellent service as Associate Dean. Interested faculty should apply for the open positions of Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Director of Graduate Studies. As we begin the strategic planning process, school structures are open to change. Mapt Solutions is currently collecting data to inform the planning process, and conversations with faculty, staff and students will be scheduled soon. No decisions will be made until the fall semester.

David has received much positive feedback about the KIX Lab. The lab is expected to connect the Bloomington campus to the Indianapolis campus, create new research, creative activity and teaching opportunities for faculty and graduate students, and provide connections to industry and jobs.

David discussed his recent travels. He has explored partnerships with various entities, met students during their internships, and talked to many alumni. In Washington, D.C. David interviewed journalists about mental health, including trauma they have experienced and may have inadvertently caused. Throughout these travels he has also done some of his own creative activity including working on music for a film in Munich. Themes that have arisen during these conversations and travels include mental health, meaningful travel opportunities for students, and media entrepreneurship.

David thanked the Arnolt Center for a successful symposium during which the keynote speaker, Dean Baquet, discussed how organizations represent themselves. With our strategic planning process beginning, David encouraged faculty to consider the foundational principles that represent our school. What are the principles that guide our school now? How might they change in the future? What principles should represent the school in the future? It will be important to discuss not only how our different disciplines can help us become a prestigious school, but also how we can help the world and shape our future. An important question to consider: What does our work do, not just for industry, but also for the common good?

The meeting adjourned at 11:23 a.m.

10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. 

FF312 and via Zoom

The meeting began at 10:03am. Meeting minutes from November 10, 2023, were approved as written.

Facilities and security updates—Jay Kincaid

Security protocols in Franklin Hall were updated in September 2023, following several incidents in or near the building. After a follow-up building safety assessment completed by Associate Vice President Ben Hunter’s team, our school was evaluated to be not just compliant with but well- equipped with security measures in Franklin Hall. We will consider the additional recommendations provided in the assessment report and building safety remains a top priority.

After the ceiling collapse in Franklin Hall 216, other classrooms were inspected and remain safe and intact. Faculty should let Jay know if they see a building issue.

Faculty do not need to wait months for CITO to install software. If faculty are still waiting two weeks after the initial request with no response, they should let Jay know and he will elevate the request.

All classrooms in Franklin Hall, plus TV180, will have IT updates beginning this summer. Faculty will receive a survey to provide feedback about what they like and do not like about the current technology resources. In Fall 2024, classrooms will be taken offline one at a time for upgrades, and we will shift classes into a swing room as needed. Faculty are thanked in advance for their patience.

Media School faculty offices in RTV will be upgraded this summer with new furniture, carpet and paint. Faculty in those offices must box up their belongings by late May and leave boxes in the middle of their offices for facilities staff to access their spaces. If office materials are not boxed up, those offices cannot be upgraded. Darla will provide boxes and more information will be shared with relevant faculty around spring break.

Announcements from the deans—David Tolchinsky

Congratulations to Gerry Lanosga and the Journalism unit committee for a successful follow-up accreditation visit. Thanks also to Gerry for chairing the new student media committee. Brandon

Wallace will join CIMS in the fall; thanks to Galen for chairing that successful hire. Elizabeth has Brandon’s email if faculty would like to send him a note. The expedited tenure review for Nicky Lewis is almost complete; thanks to Paul and the Communication Science tenure committee, as well as the school tenure committee, for their work.

The school was recently informed that it needed to undertake a full Request for Proposals (RFP) process before hiring a firm to begin our five-year strategic plan. We expect this additional process will take a month but work continues in the meantime. The target completion date for the strategic plan is mid-fall. Thanks to Katie Higgins and Ron McFall for pushing the RFP ahead. Faculty should keep sharing their long-term ideas with David.

David provided updates about several program ideas:

• Undergraduate degree in Animation with Eskenazi: discussions continue, as they have for years. The next step should come from Eskenazi.
• Minor or concentration in Writing Across Media: Galen continues discussions with the College. He is working on two versions: a new program utilizing new curriculum and new faculty, as well as a version utilizing current resources.
• Mental health: this area will be tested for interest within the school. David will teach an undergraduate course, “Writing Mental Health,” in Fall 2024.
• Lifestyle Media will be considered during the strategic planning process. This area incorporates not just fashion but politics and culture, and potentially mental health as well.
• Distinct BS degrees in Advertising and Public Relations: discussions continue.
• A new MFA degree could be a version of the Writing Across Media program.
• An accelerated masters program (AMP) in Media and Entreprenurial Practice is a priority for both The Media School and Kelley.
• AMP in Strategic Communication: paperwork has been started.
• AMP in Science Communication: the College is interested and discussions have begun.
• Extended Kinetic Imagery and Virtual Reality Lab (KIX LAB): this collaboration between 6 deans has resulted in a proposal submitted to the provost. The proposal includes space on both the Bloomington and Indianapolis campuses, as well as a TT hire through the Faculty 100. This could lead to possible graduate programs, and will at a minimum connect to gaming, animation, filmmaking, and sports media within the school. The MIT Media Lab is being considered as a model.

Galen reminded faculty that any new programs, at this point, will be considered for 2025-2026 or beyond. Additionally, any new credentials will need to go to the FAB. AMPs can usually be created more quickly than new degrees, as they utilize existing curriculum.

A conversation followed about the business side of media. Our school focuses on the creation of media but does relatively little with the business of media (sales, buying, strategy, management, etc.) We should consider how to combine Kelley’s strengths in its business curriculum with The Media School’s background in media as well as its many alumni who are media entrepreneurs.

Galen mentioned some latent areas in our undergraduate curriculum that are being considered for combination into several new classes for students to add on to their curriculum.

Emily Harrison has done a tremendous job with fundraising. A new goal of David’s is to offer travel funding for any and all students interested in a Media School off-site program.

Additionally, David would like to consider funding students who get unpaid internships.

Announcements from the deans—Radhika Parameswaran

Will Emigh provided an update about the Game Design search. Two candidates will be on campus in late January and early February. Faculty will find all relevant materials in Canvas.

Radhika alerted faculty to recent or upcoming programs with the IU Germany Gateway and the IU India Gateway, in addition to school programming for Black History Month and Women’s History Month. The undergraduate research poster exhibition will again take place in April.

The total solar eclipse is on Monday, April 8. All in-person classes have been cancelled, and faculty are under no pressure to move classes online. Classes can be cancelled that day.

Faculty Advisory Board update—Julien Mailland

Julien will send an email to faculty to vote on the new policy for reappointment and renewal of NTT faculty. Should the vote be positive, the policy will go into effect immediately. However, the renewal and reappointment process in 2023-2024 for relevant NTT faculty has already begun, as unit directors started this work in late fall semester. Therefore, Radhika encouraged all unit directors to follow the spirit of the policy in all reappointment and renewal discussions for the current academic year.

Bloomington Faculty Council—Gerry Lanosga

The BFC is scheduled to approve a new campus policy on promotion and tenure this week, as the campus has been operating under a procedure rather than a policy. The BFC also will consider passing period times to try to fit one extra class period in per day, as well as NTT title changes leading up to the Teaching Professor title. Feedback should be shared with Gerry and BFC meetings are conveniently held in Presidents Hall if any faculty would like to join.

Journalism Reaccreditation—Gerry Lanosga

Gerry thanked the Journalism unit for its work with the accreditation follow-up visit. The program is now in compliance regarding DEI and school climate issues, and the assessment structure is improved as well. Great work!

Graduate Studies—Rob Potter

Rob is arranging Zoom interviews with graduate applicants and will work on collecting faculty feedback about the candidates. We expect another increase in SAA stipends, to $23,000 for 10 months, as well as an increase in SAA funding from four years to five years. Rob, however, will still encourage time-to-degree completion as four years which is very possible due to an increase in credits provided toward dissertation research. The campus expects an SAA strike this semester and is working on contingency plans. Faculty should work toward their own contingency plans considering both pedagogy and grading. All graduate students should meet with their advisor for an annual mentorship conversation and consider specific goals for the future.

Faculty profile— Minejong Kang

Minjeong provided her faculty profile; details can be found in the compiled slides.

Undergraduate studies—Galen Clavio

If faculty give students special permission to enroll in a class, they need to first check to see if the class is already full. If the class is already full, there is no room for that special permssion to enroll. If the class requires prerequisites, students must complete those as well.

Faculty are asked to be flexible regarding class locations. With a scarcity of classroom space, Galen cannot assign everyone to teach in both the desired location and at the desired time. Graduate classes of 75 minutes twice a week, rather than a longer class once weekly, would provide additional flexibility.

Research and creative activity—Nicole Martins

Nicole will send faculty an email with information about summer faculty fellowships and grant-in- aid programs.

The meeting adjourned at 11:34 a.m.

10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. 

FF312 and via Zoom

The meeting began at 10:05 a.m. Meeting minutes from August 25, 2023, were approved as written.

David welcomed the faculty and thanked so many for attending the meeting in person. He also reminded faculty to contact Elizabeth to make an introductory appointment if they haven’t already.

Introduction of new faculty and visiting scholars

• Robin Robinson, Lecturer in Cinematic Arts
• Dr. Rafał Kuś, visiting scholar from Poland

Faculty Advisory Board update—Julien Mailland

Julien thanked those faculty who voted on the last item proposed by FAB – an addition to the governance document regarding automatic recusals for faculty during meetings/discussions/emails/votes regarding their faculty spouse/partner. Julien is now working with the deans and Katie Higgins, director of finance, to upgrade the school’s merit review policy to include considerations of leaves and other matters that affect faculty across the school. Once FAB votes on the revised merit review policy in December, the policy revisions will go to the full faculty for a vote. Additionally, merit review letters will now include faculty raises in dollar amounts, both individual and averaged, rather than just percentages.

Announcements & updates—Radhika Parameswaran

An updated schedule of faculty meetings for the remainder of the year will include faculty-only meetings on January 26 and March 1 and joint faculty-staff meetings on December 8 and April 26. All meetings are scheduled from 10:00-11:30 a.m., with lunches to follow the joint meetings.

We recently welcomed back to the school former graduate student Adara Donald to be the Assistant Director of Student Recruitment. In this role, Adara will work with Matt Gillam in a newly designed recruiting team structure that will report to Ron McFall.

Provost Professor and founding associate dean Betsi Grabe is leaving IU at the end of the semester for a prestigious professorship at Boston University’s College of Communications. We are sorry to see her go but grateful for her outstanding research, service and dedication to The Media School.

Two faculty searches continue. For the Sports Media and Communication TT hire, the first two candidates will compete for one associate professor appointment, and the third candidate could be considered separately through the Presidential Diversity Hire Initiative (for an assistant professor appointment). The final candidate for the associate professor appointment would require an expedited tenure review before the extension of a formal offer. The expidited tenure review will take place early in the spring semester. For the Game Design NTT hire, the search committee has conducted initial interviews and checked references. We hope to invite two candidates for a professor of practice position to campus in early January.

The Media School’s faculty diversity committee and staff diversity committee are co-sponsoring a program for National Native American Heritage Month in November. Dr. Jayne-Leigh Thomas from IU’s Office of the Native American Graves Protection & Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), will talk about the work of her office and the challenges they face in media relations. Additional details will be shared via email.

Announcements & updates continued—David Tolchinsky

David has met with many faculty and staff as well as fellow deans, gathering information about what is working well for our school as well as discussing potential future opportunities. At next month’s joint faculty-staff meeting he will share big picture themes from these meetings, as well as share recent achievements to celebrate our faculty, staff, and students.

Every recent meeting with the provost and other deans has included discussions about the conflict in the Middle East, potential safety concerns, and heightened tensions among students. No credible threats have been received but faculty should reach out to the dean with any concerns. Ben Hunter, superintendent for public safety for all IU campuses, has been an excellent resource. David has also had many discussions about the IDS, as questions have been raised about the publication of op eds and responses. While meeting with Jim Rodenbush, Ruth Witmer and the IDS student editors, David has asked many questions about the publication process. The IDS makes independent editorial decisions. Through this conflict, David is convinced that all journalistic standards have been followed by the IDS, as well as all processes for vetting and fact- checking articles and letters. The provost has requested an external review of the IDS as well as of our student media in a larger context, which David expects to pursue soon, potentially using the Poynter Center or other journalism schools. The Journalism unit has requested to be involved in the external review process.

Another topic for the next faculty/staff meeting is mental health concerns. In David’s meetings with the school’s student advisory council, the students expressed that their main concerns were mental health and diversity. This generation is now considered the loneliest generation, and David mentioned an interview with the USC dean about loneliness that will be shared with the faculty.

Honors Program changes—Dave Groobert

Dave discussed upcoming changes to the Honors Program, particularly a new Academic Honors Program (AHP) open only to currently matriculated students (all majors in their sophomore year). Dave hopes for 25 students in each AHP cohort; more details about the program are provided in the slide deck from the meeting. Faculty who are interested in being faculty mentors for this new program should reach out to Dave for additional information.

Undergraduate survey—Walter Gantz and Mike Gruszczynski

Walt and Mike shared an overview of the results from last spring’s survey of undergraduate students. Full responses were received from 145 students, which is not a representative sample but still helpful to gauge students’ assessments of their experience at the school. The primary conclusion that can be drawn is that we, as a school, are doing very well. The survey results will be shared with all faculty and staff.

Diversity committee—Lesa Major

There has been a lot of recent engagement between the faculty and staff DEI groups. The faculty diversity committee still requests content for the DEI Canvas site; faculty should send content and suggestions to Lesa.

Graduate studies—Rob Potter

The school now offers a new non-degree certificate in data journalism, designed to be a 12-credit online curriculum for journalists at a distance. This could precede the in-person MS in data journalism. Graduate students have been assigned workstations in the stacks, as they continue to request more space. A discussion began about the Supreme Court decision regarding race-based admissions but due to time constraints may continue at the next meeting.

The meeting adjourned at 11:33 a.m.

2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

FF312 and via Zoom

The meeting began at 2:35 p.m. Meeting minutes from April 28, 2023, were approved as written.

Security update — Mike Gray, Assistant Director of Facilities/Building Manager

Doorstops have been provided for classrooms in Franklin Hall where the doors open inward. In these rooms the doorstops can be wedged under the door as an extra barricade. The facilities team will research options for classrooms where the doors open outward, and Mike will discuss options for RTV classrooms with the RTV building manager.

Introduction of new faculty and visiting scholars

• Joe Glennon, Senior Lecturer in Advertising
• Novotny Lawrence, Associate Professor and Director of the BFCA
• George Logothetis, Lecturer in Advertising
• (Robin Robinson, Lecturer in Cinematic Arts, was unable to attend but will introduce herself at the next faculty meeting.)
• Nathan Mishler, Visiting Lecturer in Game Design
• Mark Bauman, Visiting Professor of Practice
• Dr. Yue Tan, visiting scholar from Taiwan
• Dr. Tamta Muradashvili, visiting scholar from Georgia(Dr. Rafal Kus, visiting scholar from Poland, will join us in October.)

Announcements & updates — Radhika Parameswaran

Faculty meetings have been scheduled for both fall and spring semesters. Meetings will continue to be Fridays from 2:30-4:00pm in Franklin Hall 312 with a Zoom option. The dates are as follows:

Fall semester

• Aug. 25, 2023
• Sept. 22, 2023
• Oct. 27, 2023
• Dec. 8, 2023

Spring semester

• Jan. 26, 2024
• March 1, 2024
• March 29, 2024
• April 26, 2024

There may be changes to these dats/times following the start of Dean Tolchinsky's term on September 11, but we will inform everyone about any changes as soon as possible.

We recently welcomed three new staff members (Amy Dowell, Kirsten Kosik and Stacy Zhou) and said goodbye to two staff members, including Linda Johnson who retired after 40 years of service to the university.

Cibgratulations to the two winners of the Restle Teaching Fellowships: Associate Professor Susannah Evans-Comfort and Professor of PRactice Kelley French.

Many thanks to Gerry Kanosga for continuing as the school's Bloomington Faculty Council (BFC) representative this year. Thank you to Julien Mailland, the new chair of our Faculty Advisory Board (FAB). Other committee updates are being finalized and will be shared soon.

Announcements & updates continued — Walter Gantz

Two faculty searches are underway. Will Emigh is chairing the search for a senior NTT in Game Design (ad closes October 6) nf Galen Clavio is chairing the search for a TT in Sports Media and Communications (ad closes OCtober 6). Both committees expect to bring candidates to campus in late October and early November. Elizabeth will share access to the Canvas site for 2023-2024 searches, which will be the primary site for all finalist materials and faculty forum notes. 

Official Census data will be provided after the second week of classes, but preliminary data points for our school look positive. Media School majors are up 13% from last year. Numbers of directly admitted students and underrepresented minority students are up, and credit hours are up nearly 2500 from last fall, a significant increase.

The CITO unit is dissolving and UITS will become the primary support for tech help on campus. As Dave Ernst will transition to being a UITS rather than CITO employee, Media School faculty should no longer contact Dave directly for tech help. Instead, faculty should use the campus' online ticketing system (ServiceNow). The campus deans group has expressed concerns about the CITO/UITS reorganization, and there is still uncertainity about the future structure of tech support on campus. Faculty will be informed as plans are finalized.

Announcements and updates continued — Radhika Parameswaran

2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

FF312 and via Zoom

The meeting began at 2:33 p.m. Meeting minutes from March 3, 2023, were approved as written.

Media School Commencement—Becca Bogenschutz

Becca Bogenschutz, our new associate director of advancement, provided an overview of the school’s undergraduate commencement scheduled for Friday, May 5 at 4:30pm in the Auditorium. Out of approximately 400 graduating Media School students, 300 students plus their guests are expected to attend. Raghav Mehta will be the student speaker. Please direct any questions to Becca.

Announcements & updates—Radhika Paramewaran

The dates and times for school and campus commencement activities for both undergraduate and graduate students were provided. Faculty are invited to join The Media School’s first formal graduate reception on Friday, May 5 at 10:30am in the Commons.

Congratulations to the school’s master’s and doctoral graduates!

Congratulations to our 2022-2023 Trustees Teaching Award winners: Joe Coleman, Julien Mailland, Rachel Plotnick, Susanne Schwibs and Andrew Weaver. Congratulations, as well, to the following:

• Mike Wells for being named Indiana Sportswriter of the Year
• Jim Krause for directing and producing the documentary “The Indiana Theatre at 100: The Evolution of the Buskirk-Chumley"
• Tony Fargo for being appointed to the board of the ACLU of Indiana
• Paul Wright for being named an ICA Fellow
• Akin Adesokan and Greg Waller for the publication of their new books
• The BFCA for winning a National Endowment for the Humanities grant of $326,000

Announcements & updates continued—Walter Gantz

The external review report should be available soon and will be shared with faculty and staff.

Search updates: The deans hope to announce soon the official hiring of the BFCA director. Additionally, both Joe Glennon and George Logothetis have agreed to join our advertising faculty.

Will Emigh is now the permanent director of Game Design; the interim label has been removed from his title.

Announcements & updates continued—Radhika Paramewaran

Barbara Restle Teaching Fellowships were announced as a short-term, 2-year program. Courses created and taught with these fellowship funds must relate to environmental media and/or issues that threaten how the media functions to support democracy. Additionally, these courses must have a public impact. Service learning courses are welcome but purely academic courses will not fit the objective of the fellowship. In the application, faculty should address explicitly how the course will address its public-facing objectives.

New staff: Joy Brown joined the school’s Student Services team as the student services program coordinator. Madhuvanti Karyekar will join us as an academic advisor on May 8.

Faculty meetings have been tentatively set for 2023-2024. The first faculty meeting of the upcoming school year will be on Friday, August 25, followed by September 22, October 27, December 8, January 26, March 1, March 29, and April 26. Elizabeth will circulate these dates once they are confirmed with the new dean.

There is no update regarding the dean search.

Bloomington Faculty Council update—Gerry Lanosga

Gerry thanked Jim Kelly for subbing at the April BFC meeting. Current policy updates from the BFC include changes to SAA mediation and updating the undergraduate admissions policy to bring IU into alignment with Big Ten math requirements. The campus will now return to pre-pandemic procedures for automatic withdrawals. Additionally, the BFC has endorsed a policy on academic freedom.

Research and Creative Activity—Nicole Martins

Congratulations to these faculty for receiving summer faculty fellowships: Jason Peifer, Rachel Plotnick, Ryan Powell and Andrew Weaver. Nicole thanked Research and Creative Activity Committee members for their work through this process, including Gerry Lanosga and Mike Conway who served as additional reviewers as Nicole and Rachel recused themselves from voting on proposals that presented a conflict of interest.

Undergraduate studies—Galen Clavio

The workload of the undergraduate office has exploded in the last five years. This fall, The Media School will offer the third largest number of classes by any school on campus.

Recognizing the need for additional assistance, the deans and Galen created a pilot plan to relieve the burden shouldered by the DUS. Galen will continue as the director of undergraduate studies, focusing on working with faculty, curricular oversight and course maintenance, external academic programs and strategic enrollment. Bonnie Layton will be the associate director of
undergraduate studies, with oversight of course scheduling, adjunct instructors, graduate student instruction and internship program supervision. The deans and Galen thank Bonnie for taking on this new role.

Galen will schedule meetings with faculty to discuss what courses they have taught recently and how the school’s coursework might be expanded moving forward. Overall, Galen would like to reevaluate scheduling by program areas and improve efficiencies balancing both student and faculty needs.

Most summer 2023 courses are in good enrollment shape, with a lot of late-breaking registration. This has been The Media School’s most lucrative summer yet in terms of course registrations. The university has moved registration for summer classes to the fall term, so Galen will plan for summer 2024 courses in August 2023.

Faculty have reached out to the FAB with complaints about those who reply-all to messages distributed via the faculty listerv. Faculty should not hit “reply” to those emails, but instead forward the message to the intended recipient with a response included.

Graduate studies—Rob Potter

Rob asks that faculty maintain a tighter focus on incompletes for graduate students. To give a grad student an I, the faculty member must meet with the student, determine a timeline of work completion, and let the graduate office know. [Galen also asks faculty to let him know if they give an undergraduate student an I.] For an incomplete to be granted, the student must be passing and progressing in the class, and have completed a good portion of the coursework. Graduate students have up to one year to complete the missing work before an I grade turns into an F grade, but that is the maximum not automatic length of time. Faculty should create deadlines for their graduate students that reflect the amount of work still to be completed. For all who teach graduate students, the policy for incomplete grades should be included on every course syllabus.

Once graduate student registration is completed on May 5, the next DGS project is to rewrite the graduate student handbook. Then Rob and Leah Wolfe will assign SAAs and classroom assistants for the fall semester. With SAA lines only given to PhD students, some masters students will be assigned to faculty as classroom assistants to complete 10 hours/week of grading in exchange for financial support.

Campus wants faculty mentors to meet with their graduate students at least once every year. Rob needs to track that mentorship meetings take place, not the content of the meetings. If graduate students do not respond to their faculty mentors’ requests to meet, faculty members should alert Rob.

Finally, Rob provided an overview of the incoming cohort of graduate students, which includes four PhD students, four MA students, and 14 MS students (one in a dual degree program).

President Whitten and Provost Shrivastav

The president and the provost joined the faculty meeting and took questions for approximately 45 minutes. Topics of conversation included the new campus strategic plan (IU 2030), graduate student compensation, funding for the IDS, issues of academic freedom, the dean search, external grant-getting and our school’s vision.

Meeting adjourned at 4:25 p.m.

2:30-4:00 p.m.

FF312 and via Zoom

The meeting began at 2:32 p.m. Meeting minutes from December 9, 2022, were approved as written.

University Communications and Marketing, formally IU Studios —Marah Yankey

Senior Media Relations Consultant Marah Yankey provided a presentation about how her office works with faculty to publicize and share their work. Details are in the compiled slides. Faculty can reach out to Marah at mqharbis@iu.edu with any questions.

IU Cares—DeeDee Dayhoff

Assistant Dean DeeDee Dayhoff, who oversees the Care Team through the Division of Student Affairs, presented about the new Student Care and Resource Center and how to submit a care referral for students. The Care Team functions as a central point of contact and coordination of next steps for students who are distressed. The volume of care referrals on campus has steadily increased over the last four years, with the team currently receiving over 3,000 referrals each semester. The care referral form can be found here, and the on-call response team can be reached at 812-856-7774. (If there is an emergency, faculty should call 9-1-1.) The Care Team’s work is considered an extension of retention support, as it not only supports students in crisis but also works with students experiencing academic, administrative, bias, personal, behavioral, health or wellness issues.

Announcements & updates—Walter Gantz
Brief updates were provided about our current faculty searches:

• BFCA Director (Akin Adesokan, chair): Two finalists interviewed on campus in late January. Any additional feedback about the candidates can be sent directly to Akin.
• Game Design (Will Emigh, chair): The committee, with support from the deans, decidedto focus on a Professor of Practice hire with established professional credentials andstrong industry connections. Several members of the search committee are attendingthe Game Developers conference in March, and will network with other conferencegoers during that time. The search will be rescheduled for Fall 2023.
• Advertising (Bill Schwab, chair): Applications were due in late January. The committeewill meet in early February to review the pool in preparation for first- and second-round interviews. Candidates will be on campus in late February and early March.

External review: The self-study report has been shared with the reviewers, who will be oncampus February 19-22. The report will be shared with faculty and staff. Faculty feedback canbe shared with the deans or with the reviewers themselves. Many thanks to the primary andsecondary work teams, as well as to Radhika for her overall guidance and keeping the entire project on track.Undergraduate student survey: Walt is working with Mike G. on a survey to assess students’experience with our school and its general climate. The survey should be sent in late February or early March, with results delivered later this semester.Arnolt Center symposium: Faculty are invited to join the Arnolt Center on February 23 for theirannual event. Paula Lavigne, from ESPN, known for her investigative work reporting on sexual assaults at Baylor, will be the keynote speaker at the symposium.

Undergraduate student survey: Walt is working with Mike G. on a survey to assess students’ experience with our school and its general climate. The survey should be sent in late February or early March, with results delivered later this semester.

Arnolt Center symposium: Faculty are invited to join the Arnolt Center on February 23 for their annual event. Paula Lavigne, from ESPN, known for her investigative work reporting on sexual assaults at Baylor, will be the keynote speaker at the symposium.

Announcements & updates continued—Radhika Parameswaran

Student Engagement Roster (SER): Faculty have been asked to verify attendance within this online system by February 19. Radhika emphasized the importance of this system: In addition to simply being a tool to track student attendance, it plays a key role in retaining students. Any concerns that faculty note on the SER triggers academic advisors to reach out to students to offer help.

Our school’s first undergraduate research poster exhibition event will take place on Wednesday, April 5 from 12:00-3:00pm in the Commons (tied in with First Wednesday). Faculty can reach out to Nicole and Radhika on nominations.

Upcoming events: Several M600 sessions about diversity are planned for the spring semester, including sessions on the BFCA, what diversity means outside the U.S., and teaching and identity. The Common Ground conference organized by the Media School Graduate Association is scheduled for April 1.

Undergraduate studies—Galen Clavio

The new Studio 9 (still marked Storage, next to Franklin Hall 215) has been transformed from a storage area to a state-of-the art tv studio. Faculty can contact Galen if they have students who want to record in that studio. The Fall 2023 schedule is currently being fine-tuned. Galen will share updates with faculty soon. There is not enough classroom space on campus, particularly between 9:45am-4:00pm, and Galen has had to be creative with some of the course scheduling. The school’s enrollment is up a significant amount from 3 years ago. A total of 68 adjunct instructors were hired this semester to meet that increased demand. Faculty asked several follow-up questions about faculty overloads, 3-day/week courses, summer schedules, and varied class lengths (i.e. 8-week or 13-week). Faculty can reach out to Galen with other questions or feedback.

Graduate studies—Rob Potter

Rob thanked faculty for their great response to the call for SAA feedback as well as to those who provided input on grad applicant files. By the submission deadline, the school received 96 graduate applications, including 71% international students, 31% first generation college students, and 5% domestic URM students (11% URM students in total). These data have been collected in part to improve the digital marketing campaigns for next year.

Diversity Committee—Committee Chair Lesa Major

Leah Wolfe will send notice of the February 24 M600 workshop about exploring teaching and identity, planned by the Diversity Committee. Many thanks to Liz Sullivan for creating the Canvas site that collects DEIJ resources for faculty. Faculty are asked to send their feedback about the site to Lesa by February 28.

Faculty profile—Lesa Major

Lesa Major provided her faculty profile; details can be found in the compiled slides.

Updates from the Bloomington Faculty Council (BFC)—Gerry Lanosga

The Provost expects to “ring the bell” on the pandemic this spring, which will affect the campus’ automatic withdrawal policy. It will revert to the original policy in Fall 2023, which will allow automatic withdrawals until the sixth or seventh week of the semester. Do faculty think that deadline is too early? What about having an attendance policy in classes? Faculty interested in either issue should send Gerry their feedback.

FAB update—Andrew Weaver

Andrew will email faculty after the meeting with FAB updates.

Research and Creative Activity—Radhika Parameswaran for Nicole Martins

Applications for the new summer faculty fellowship are due to Nicole by February 24. Faculty may also be interested in the new podcast interviewing faculty about their research (contact Nicole for details) as well as updates to the ICR website.

Dean search—Ron McFall

The search committee met in late January for a first presentation about initial candidates, both active applicants and additional prospects considered by the search firm. The pipeline indicates that more applications will be received by the March 3 deadline, and the search committee will meet again on March 9 to select semi-finalists.

Walt ended the meeting by mentioning Kim Geeslin, who was an IU treasure to those who knew her. We should all be reminded that life is short and, setting our annoyances aside, try to appreciate each day.

Meeting adjourned at 4:04 p.m.

2:30 p.m.-4:00 p.m.

FF312 and via Zoom

Announcements & updates—Walter Gantz
Spring semester faculty meetings will occur on January 27, March 3, and April 28. The meeting originally scheduled for March 31 has been cancelled.

If faculty would like to contribute to the United Way through payroll deduction in 2023, the online form is available until December 18. Rebecca Stanze is the contact for any questions.

Brief updates were provided about our current faculty searches:

• Cinematic Arts (Craig Erpelding, chair): Two finalists were on campus in late
  November/early December. The faculty forum has been scheduled for December 12 and additional feedback can be sent directly to Craig.
• BFCA Director (Akin Adesokan, chair): Two finalists will be on campus the weeks of January 17 and January 24.
• Game Design (Will Emigh, chair): The committee will meet in mid-December to consider the pool.
• Advertising (Bill Schwab, chair): This process is a little less conventional than the others. In addition to posting traditional ads in traditional journals, the committee has developed other types of ads, including LinkedIn, video, and a web landing page. The committee also compiled a list of all Advertising graduates (over 120 names) and emailed them about the position and networking. Faculty can help by reaching out to their own contacts.
• Elizabeth provided an overview of the Canvas site that will be utilized for this year’s searches. Please see https://iu.instructure.com/courses/2113038

Staff updates: Emily Harrison’s position has been reconfigured and promoted to Director of Development. This allowed for the creation of an Associate Director of Advancement position, which is open now. The function of HR Business Partner has been added to Rebecca Stanze’s role. Jessica Jacques will start in early January as Academic Advisor/DEI Coordinator. The deans finally received approval to add a second archivist for the BFCA to the base budget.

Announcements & updates continued—Radhika Parameswaran

The school’s external review is scheduled for February 19-22. Three faculty have agreed to serve as external reviewers: Prof. Gigi Durham from Iowa, Prof. Richard Lewis from Texas, and Prof. Dave Tewksbury from Illinois. Faculty will be invited to meet with them once the review schedule is determined.

The deadline for the DMAI is Sunday, January 15, 2023. Please reach out to dmhelp@iu.edu with any questions.

Upcoming events: The school is partnering with IU India Gateway to conduct two workshops in January for Indian high school students. Andrew Behringer and Steve Layton will present these workshops on storytelling through cinema and graphic design. IUPUI has collaborated with the Gateway several times already, and ideally we will organize two joint programs per year. Several M600 sessions about diversity are planned for the spring semester, including sessions on the BFCA, what diversity means outside the U.S., and teaching and identity. The Common Ground conference organized by the Media School Graduate Association is scheduled for April 1.

The College and Walter Center have collaborated on a Career Connections fellowship, focused on how to teach competencies in our courses. Radhika or Paul Gutjahr will send out more information soon.

Research and creative activities—Nicole Martins

The deadline to apply for a summer faculty fellowship is February 24. And a note of celebration: Jason Peifer won a $26,000 research grant from IU’s Social Sciences Research Funding Program, the first person from The Media School to get this grant. Congratulations!

Dean search—Nicole Martins

The search is not moving along quickly. The committee had its first meeting on November 14 and received the job posting for feedback just before Thanksgiving. The committee expects semifinalist visits after spring break and finalist visits in April.

Updates from the Bloomington Faculty Council (BFC)—Gerry Lanosga

Final action on graduate student representation on the BFC has been approved. This will give some structural input to SAAs, as at least one will be included on the council. The group is looking at an “evolutionary reform to the gen ed program.” The BFC created a task force to look at the university’s research reorganization and asked for the current process to be paused while the task force coordinates its feedback. The search for the VP of Research is ongoing with a national search. Faculty can read all reports on the BFC website, including about a policy on course withdrawal and attendance. Please email Gerry with any feedback

Diversity Committee—Ryan Powell (on behalf of Diversity Committee Chair Lesa Major)

The committee’s current efforts are focused on creating DEI resources for teaching. The committee will also coordinate an M600 panel on teaching and identity, scheduled for February 24.

FAB update—Andrew Weaver

The group is in the early stages of discussing the unit structure in our school. All faculty are in one of our four units, but does this structure still work for us eight years after the school’s founding? Andrew will send a link for faculty to share feedback about this issue.

Faculty profile—Andrew Weaver

Andrew Weaver provided his faculty profile.

Graduate studies—Rob Potter

The graduate committee is looking for students who are self-motivated, collaborative, creative and diligent. To be deliberate about our future cohorts, the committee will revisit the identification of student descriptors each year. Graduate applications are due December 15. Leah Wolfe will email faculty about how to access the applications they should review. The review of applications should be completed by January 20.

Walt ended the meeting by noting that faculty members can make all the difference in someone’s life. We also know that everyone is tired, and appreciate everything the faculty are doing.

Meeting adjourned at 3:41pm.

2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

FF312 and via Zoom

The meeting began at 2:34 p.m. Meeting minutes from August 26, 2022, were approved as written.

Announcements & Updates — Walter Gantz

Walt thanked the faculty for everything they are doing. We are already to week 5 in the semester and it is good to see students back in the classroom. Three faculty searches are underway: BFCA director (ad closes October 28), NTT in cinematic arts (ad closes October 14), and NTT in game design (ad closes October 28). The two NTT advertising positions will be posted in late fall. If faculty know someone who might be interested in any of our positions, please reach out directly or let Walt and Radhika know. There are no updates on the Dean search, other than hearing that potential search committee names were to go before the BFC for approval. The Provost’s office is aware that we are still awaiting news. The graduate student coalition has recommended that there be no strike, though a formal vote is still scheduled for Sunday. It is great news that so many graduate student needs have been met. We know, however, that this work needs to continue. President Whitten has announced an initiative to hire 100 new faculty. The campus should expect 15-25 to be hired this year, with the rest in subsequent years. Most of these hires will be determined by a new strategic planning process, called IUB 2030. We expect the majority of new lines to focus on mid-career STEM researchers, ideally with strong records of grant achievement.

Announcements & Updates Continued — Radhika Parameswaran

Walt, Radhika, Ron, Rebecca, Audrie, Jay and Darla met to discuss last week’s response to the lockdown of Franklin Hall. Faculty are welcome to share any feedback about the situation with Radhika. Ron and Rebecca are collecting feedback from staff. We hope to learn from what worked as well as improve on what did not (i.e. classroom doors that should automatically lock). Radhika will share information via email about the new Student Care and Resource Center in the IMU. We expect this to be a helpful addition for student assistance. Vann Newkirk from The Atlantic will conduct a workshop next month about how to translate research into media-friendly public outreach. The Media School is co-sponsoring this session; faculty should RSVP directly to Walton Muyumba if they would like to attend. We welcome new staff member Jodi Baker as our Digital Content Manager. Jodi is an alum and most recently worked at the YMCA.

Upcoming events

We are co-sponsoring the upcoming visit by Nikole Hannah-Jones. She will visit a Media School class on Wednesday, October 19 and then hold a larger campus lecture at the Auditorium on Thursday, October 20. Details have been distributed by email. For Latinx Heritage Month, the PBS docuseries Latino Americans will be screened in the Commons next week daily at noon. Arnolt Center — board member Gerry Lanosga for director Kathleen Johnston This is the center’s fourth year. There are currently 40 students working at the center (five graduate and 35 undergraduate) and we are ramping up recruitment efforts. The endowment has enough money to fully fund four graduate students each year, while undergraduates working at the center get credit their first semester and thereafter get paid $15/hour. The center is working on nine large stories in addition to a recently published student piece about buyouts to losing coaches in the Big Ten. Planning is underway for the center’s second Investigative Symposium on February 16.

Updates from the Bloomington Faculty Council (BFC) — Gerry Lanosga

This year the BFC will focus on four main issues: research reorganization (through VP Fred Cate), an interim policy about academic freedom and the First Amendment, Indiana's recent restriction of abortion access, and SAA affairs. Agendas and links to policies are on the BFC website. Faculty Profile—Mike Conway Mike Conway provided his faculty profile; details can be found in the compiled slides. Research and Creative Activity—Nicole Martins The RCA committee (Julien, Sung-Un, Susanne, Harmeet, and Rachel) will coordinate plans for the summer faculty fellowship program, with final details available by late fall semester/early spring semester. Nicole has worked with the unit directors to sponsor outside speakers, the first of whom spoke earlier this semester in M600. That speaker, Dr. Tara Pixley, was the Journalism unit’s speaker. Another outside speaker will visit us on November 3 to speak about “the digital closet.” From now on, unit-sponsored outside speakers will not be scheduled in M600. The M600 structure has been revamped; the September First Faculty Friday session was well-attended. Ray will present at the October session, and the November session will be a thematic panel across units. Thanks to C101 instructors who are supplying students for the Media School’s subject pool. We have over 500 students participating in research and we continue to think about how we can best use them.

Graduate Studies—Rob Potter

Now that the strike seems to have been averted, there is time to reflect on the program. Thanks to Walt, Radhika, Steph and Tatiana for helping our graduate students feel that their concerns are being listened to. Now – how do we foreground the sense of listening and caring? Every unit on campus should have a grievance procedure in place for its grad students, as well as a mentorship process. To those faculty who have an AI leading lab or discussion sessions, please observe your grad students. These observations are an important part of the mentorship process. Rob now meets with the six graduate student IORs monthly as a group to talk about pedagogical issues. More information will be forthcoming about academic mentorship for those grad students who are not SAAs. Faculty are asked to send to their graduate committee representatives words or phrases that describe what faculty most value in graduate students.

IU student media app – Galen Clavio

Our media outlets have struggled in recent years to maintain relationships with campus. How do we get student-produced news and content in front of other students? The new app will help to consolidate student media across different platforms as well as encourage students, alumni and community members to use this the app as a centralized news source. We want to better identify the media we have and put it in front of more people.

Undergraduate Enrollment—Galen Clavio and Ron McFall

IU-Bloomington campus: The fall 2022 first-year class is in the largest, most diverse, and most academically talented in our history: 50,000 applications yielded 9,700 first-year students. Ten years ago, campus received 35,000 applications and yielded 7,600 first-year students. A total of 82% of all applicants are admitted, which is not very selective. Direct admits now comprise 57% of the first-year class. Students arrive on campus with an average of a semester’s worth of credit. Media School: This is also the largest class in our school’s history, with the same admit rate as campus but a higher yield rate. The school has 402 beginning students. We remain majority female (61%F, 39%M) and have increased in-state students while decreasing in non-resident students. Approximately 65% of the beginning class was a direct admit, which changes the credit makeup of our school. Our advisors remain busy as the school offers a large number of freshman and sophomore credit hours. In order, our largest academic programs are advertising followed by sports media. News reporting/editing and film/TV/digital production are tied for third, with PR close behind. All direct admits are automatically enrolled in C101, which starts students on core coursework early and unlocks their upper division courses to keep the process open and flowing. Our school has restructured academic credentials and removed specializations, which provides new pathways for students. Fashion media and social and digital media will be proposed as new credentials, and we have added a PR minor and a sports media minor. This should boost course registration numbers as well as get students outside MSCH into our school (and ideally changing minors to majors). Modernizing the curriculum is an ongoing process. The Provost’s office has provided data about campus retention and graduation rates. The Media School is above campus benchmarks, but that’s not good enough. All schools have recently been charged with significantly improving graduation and retention rates, particularly for students of color.

Question of the day: What can we do to enrich the undergraduate student experience with the result that we see increased retention and graduation rates?—Walter Gantz

While the Department of Education looks at graduation rates over six years, we have been charged by the Provost with considering graduation rates after four years. Our school’s graduation rate is around 70%, higher than the campus average, though our new goal is to increase the graduation rate to 80%. After the first year, we retain 90% of our students but by senior year the rate decreases to 70% with the biggest drop between years three and four. We need to look closely at the data to try to address these issues: Do students run out of money? Do we have enrollment restrictions on some courses that block students from making progress? How do we better involve those students who are not involved? We must think creatively to target students who are slipping by and dropping out. Please send suggestions to the deans. We adjourned at 4:00 pm.

The meeting began at 2:33 p.m.

Meeting minutes from April 29, 2022, were approved as written.

Announcements & Updates—Walter Gantz

This year’s new faculty members introduced themselves:

• Bear Brown, Senior Lecturer in MAP
• Lisa Lenoir, Acting Assistant Professor in JOUR
• Kevin Miller, Visiting Lecturer in MAP
• Mike Wells, Lecturer in JOUR

Faculty meetings have been scheduled for both fall and spring semesters. Meetings will continue to be Fridays from 2:30-4:00pm in Franklin Hall 312 with a Zoom option. The dates are as follows:

Fall semester
August 26, 2022 
September 23, 2022
October 28, 2022
December 9, 2022

Spring semester
January 27, 2023 
March 3, 2023 
March 31, 2023 
April 28, 2023

Ten new staff members have joined The Media School since the last staff meeting. Titles and photos of all new staff were shared, including three new staff at the Walter Center who focus specifically on Media School students, careers and employer relations. Audrie Osterman is now the Director of Communication and Marketing and we currently are working to fill Audrie’s old position.

Many thanks to Gerry Lanosga for continuing as the school’s BFC representative this year.

Committee members for the dean search should be announced in September and we expect that finalists will be brought to campus in the early part of the spring semester. Peg Faimon, Dean of the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design, will again chair the search.

Over the summer the deans met with the school’s hiring committee (the four unit directors, the director of undergraduate studies, the director of graduate studies and the director of research and creative activity) to create a wish list of faculty hires. We need campus approval to hire faculty, even using our own school’s funds. We were initially granted approval to hire only three faculty, but then received approval for two additional faculty. The five expected hires will be a Director of the BFCA (TT), two Advertising NTT, one Game Design NTT and one Production/Cinematic Arts NTT. The searches will be most successful if the search committees reach out to make personal connections with potential candidates. Search committees will draft position announcements. Instead of then soliciting edits from the faculty per the governance document, which essentially slows down the process, Walt would like the search committees to have primary responsibility for the position announcements and will ask the FAB to change the governance document to reflect this change.

Announcements & Updates Continued —Radhika Parameswaran

Our school will undergo a major external review in spring 2023. The review should have occurred more than a year ago, but it was delayed due to the pandemic. The scope of the review will cover June 2014 through June 2022 via a big picture lens. Information shared on this topic included possible review dates (February-March 2023), names of faculty and staff tasked with writing the self-study report, and highlighted topics for that report.

The Media School will coordinate two programs for Latinx Heritage Month/National Hispanic Heritage Month, which is September 15-October 15. One program is a panel of NAHJ alumni, scheduled for September 20th, and the other is a screening of the PBS documentary series Latino Americans, scheduled to run from September 26th through the 30th. Additional details about these programs will be shared via email.

Announcements & Updates Continued—Walter Gantz

The provost has mandated that all SAAs will now get a minimum stipend of $22,000 for the 10 month academic year. Our school will have to absorb the greater costs incurred from the SAA stipend increase. As a result, we will likely reduce our SAA lines from 62 to 45. Rob Potter and the Graduate Affairs Committee have been asked to create a plan for future funding of SAAs, considering options for the overall number of SAAs, class and program sizes, and more. This plan is due to campus by mid-October. The provost has also suggested that the campus can’t sustain its current 75% undergraduate/25% graduate student ratio. The campus will work toward a 70% undergraduate/30% graduate student ratio instead. More graduate students may come through professional masters programs, and the provost is keen on 4+1 and 3+ 2 program designs.

Rob Potter mentioned that in creating these program designs, we cannot resort to split course models, with graduate and undergraduate students in the same courses. We will need to plan for faculty being available to teach standalone graduate courses to ensure that the curriculum for these programs is rigorous. As an aside: It takes roughly two years to get a new degree program (e.g., an MFA) fully approved.

The campus’ Census counts should be available next week. We expect over 9,700 incoming undergraduates, with about 1,900 Media School majors (pre-majors bump the total to over 2100). We had 250 direct admits this year. We receive a blended rate of $450/credit hour/undergraduate student which is what drives our base funding. Great work to Ron and our Admissions team for bringing in this year’s class.

Thanks, too, to Akin Adesokan for so ably serving as interim director position of the BFCA – and to Rob Potter and our finance staff for all the hard work they have done with SAA contracts (which had to be rewritten in August to accommodate the campus’ $22,000 SAA mandate).

Updates from the Faculty Advisory Board (FAB)—Andrew Weaver

The committee is almost complete for this year, except for an at-large member who can be either NTT or TT. Andrew will take nominations next week and then hold elections fairly quickly. Faculty should reach out to any FAB representative if they need a sounding board about policy issues or have questions or concerns.

Undergraduate Studies—Galen Clavio

A calendar of upcoming deadlines was provided for curriculum and course updates. We need to consider adding more CASE/Gen Ed courses and more intensive writing courses. We’re starting to offer 1-credit courses in software programs or production skills that fill up well and also fit into banded 18-credit-hour semesters. The eText system has become more complicated. Please send all text requests through Galen’s office. The Undergraduate Studies team will reach out to faculty soon about spring classes and what needs to be ordered.

Graduate Studies—Rob Potter

Shoutout to Rebecca Stanze for the great work she’s done over the summer months with staff and faculty onboarding.

Please direct graduate students to the student portal on our website, which includes a wealth of information including the graduate handbook and degree requirements. We will be talking more about mentoring and supervision of graduate students – not just SAAs but also for faculty who chair graduate committees. Faculty should let Rob know what undergraduate programs are good fits to feed our graduate programs, and what master’s programs are good fits to feed our doctoral programs. Even though our stipend rates are now above the median in the Big Ten, we still need to focus on personalized recruitment. Rob also asked that faculty think about traits we value in graduate students, and send key words and phrases to their graduate committee representatives. This will help the grad committee identify core values that we want to see reflected in our graduate applicants.

Provost’s priorities—Walter Gantz

The Provost has provided four broad areas on which campus deans should focus:

1. Undergraduate education. Because of the upcoming enrollment cliff, IUB cannot count on continuously increasing the number of incoming students it admits. As is, IUB admits a very high percentage of those who apply – and then only sees a small proportion of those actually enroll. Campus goals are to be more selective, increase the yield (the proportion admitted who attend) and also reduce the tuition discount we provide. Reducing that discount will result in millions of dollars annually that can further support our undergraduate programs. Over the summer, the deans were charged with trying to articulate IUB’s unique strengths in our undergraduate programs – and to identify ways in which we can make the undergraduate experience more immersive. For the most part, our school is slightly ahead of campus retention and graduation rates. This is good. But, we still can – and expect to – do better here.
2. Graduate education. Given stipend increases, the Provost expects the campus will have fewer PhD students. High SAA stipends, though, will enable us to be even more discerning about the students the school admits. At the same time, the Provost expects units to increase the number of master’s degree students.
3. Research. IUB ranks toward the bottom of the Big 10 in grant activity and would like to significantly increase federal funding for research conducted at IUB. The Media School lags in bringing in money so we, too, will be pushed to increase our activity here. We have begun that shift by setting up summer funding opportunities that provide faculty members with the time and money to write externally funded grant proposals instead of teach summer courses. As a pleasant aside: Congratulations to Nathan Geiger on his $600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.
4. Fundraising. IU annually raises tens of millions less than our Big Ten colleagues. Each school’s fundraising goals have been increased. The Media School went from a $1M goal this past year – which we met – thanks, Emily Harrison! – to a $2.4M goal this year.

In all, the Provost expects and will changes in these four areas for the long-term positive outlook the university seeks.

We adjourned at 4:00pm.

2:30 p.m. - 4 p.m.

FF312 and via Zoom

The meeting began at 2:32 p.m. Meeting minutes from April 1, 2022, were approved as written.

Announcements & Updates—Walter Gantz

Emily Harrison provided an overview of our school's undergraduate commencement on Friday, May 6 at the Auditorium. Out of 500 graduating Media School students, we expect 350& students plus their guests to attend. Please direct any questions to Emily.

Faculty meeting dates have been set for 2022-2023. The first faculty meeting of the upcoming school year will be on Friday, August 26, followed by September 23, October 28, December 9, January 27, March 3, March 31 and April 28. Elizabeth will send these dates via email.

Congratulations to our 2021-2022 Trustees Teaching Award winners: Nick Browning, Stephanie DeBoer, Will Emigh, Bonnie Layton and John Velez. Congratulations, as well, to the following:

• Greg Waller for receiving an IU Toward an Open Monograph Ecosystem (TOME) grant
• Betsi Grabe for being named an IU Provost Professor
• Radhika Parameswaran for being elected to the AEJMC Standing Research Committee

Hiring updates: Bear Brown has agreed to join our faculty. We continue to pursue Miriam Petty, who will visit Bloomington soon to look at houses and schools, and we are working with campus to consider her funding and staffing requests related to the BFCA. We interviewed two candidates this week for Lecturer in Advertising and the faculty forum will be Monday at 1pm. We have received one application for Visiting Lecturer in Game Design.

New staff: Steven Braunlin started as our new Lighting and Studio Manager, working primarily

Campus has mandated that all faculty receive a 2% cost-of-living increase, for which campus will provide 1% and we are to fund the other 1%. In addition, campus has determined that all faculty can receive UP TO an additional 2% in merit increases. The Media School will provide an average of a 3.5% raise, which is the 2% cost-of-living increase plus up to 1.5% based on merit. Staff also will receive raises. These increases won't keep up with inflation, but are the larges raises seen in several years. We are working on merit numbers now and then will submit to campus.

Announcements & Updates Continued—Radhika Parameswaran 

We were thrilled to have great attendance at last week's virtual academic alumni event, with 64& attendants including alumni in Lebanon, India, Turkey, and South Korea. Participants asked for an in-person event in the future and we would love to see that, too. Thank you to all who helped with the event, to our junior faculty for presenting, and for the great conversations in the breakout rooms.

Thank you to Steph DeBoer for her three years as DGS, as this is her last meeting in that capacity. Thank you to Dave Groobert for his hard work finalizing next year's new honors cohorts and to Minjeong Kang and Jim Shanahan for being mentors for the new cohorts.

We had an informative session with IU's Proposal Development Services and will hold another session next year. Utilize the PIVOT system (found on One.IU) to help find grants in your area and also help potential campus collaborators find you. Nicole Martins is happy to assist anyone with the system.

Congratulations to all 2022 master's and doctoral graduates and to all the advisors as well. Radhika will ask Audrie to publicize this more.

Some faculty have requested that we minimize responding with reply-all to messages distributed via the faculty listserv. We will look into options and the functionality of reply v. reply-all for the tms-faculty email list.

Announcements & Updates Continued—Walter Gantz

The Provost has met with the deans and will roll out a significant three-part agenda in the fall:

• Improve undergraduate education. IU is often the 2nd or 3rd choice school but we want to become a student's first choice.
• Expand the graduate experience, including moving from a 75/25 undergrad/grad split closer to a 70/30 split. We may look at nontraditional 4+1 or 3+2 programs, as well as creative ideas that cut across divisions to enroll more grad students.
• Increase our grants. Encourage more faculty to seek external grants and seek out large (federal) grants over $100M.

Conversation followed about the new fellowships in place next summer through the Director of Research and Creative Activity, which will be open to all our faculty. Nicole will look into gran cycles that do not align with the timing of summer fellowships and also encourage the inclusion of graduate students in grant writing. Additionally, some faculty asked that tenure criteria include active pursuit of grants, not just active receipt of grants.

Starting in the fall semester, we will provide additional oversight and training for our adjunct instructors, including a significantly updated adjunct handbook. We employ about 50 adjuncts per semester. Thank you to Galen and Radhika for this as well as everything else Galen is doing at the end of this busy semester.

Graduate Student Strike—Walter Gantz

We have 16 courses taught by graduate students as Instructors of Record (IOR). A small number of these courses are proceeding as normal, and some are halted due to the strike; yet our undergrads need to finish their semesters and have their coursework graded. If IORs don't submit grades at the deadline, then we will. We care about our graduate students and are paying attention to what they say. We also care about our undergraduate students. The school needs to improve the support and feedback we give to adjuncts and IORs on their teaching. Our undergrad experience will be better with more well-prepared adjuncts and graduate student IORs.

Updates from the BFC—Gerry Lanosga

The BFC recently passed a resolution expressing support for the graduate students and asking the President and Provost to immediately meet with students to work toward a resolution. There will be a special all-faculty meeting called on Monday, May 9 to discuss and vote on extending the grading period, rewriting SAA policies, and a call for union recognition by the BFC. Other non-strike items discussed recently include test-optional admissions and adding sustainability as a new part of general education courses. Gerry has submitted his name to continue as BFC rep next year.

Updates from the FAB —Lauren Smith

Lauren will send out a ballot to vote on recent changes, including up to two members per unit for the Research and Creative Activity committee and that discussions regarding promotion are strongly encouraged to take place with the unit chair one year prior to review. Josh Malitsky will be next year's FAB chair. Thank you to Lauren for holding the position this year.

Faculty Profile—Craig Erpelding

Craig Erpelding provided his faculty profile; details can be found in the compiled slides.

Updates from the faculty diversity committee—Bonnie Layton

Thank you to the deans for prioritizing diversity, and thanks to the faculty for showing up to this year's diversity sessions. The school's updated diversity report will be posted to the website soon. Our school has done a lot to promote diversity in the last few years, with much more to come. Bonnie will provide updates at a fall faculty meeting from today's M600 session about DEIJ learning outcomes.

Graduate Studies—Steph DeBoer

A form to provide end-of-semester feedback for AIs and GAs will be sent by Steph; please consider your evaluation only up to the strike.

Steph then provided an overview of the incoming cohort of graduate students, which includes 11 domestic and 8 international students. New graduate students will be assigned temporary faculty mentors (not to be confused with advisors) and will track their progress with a checklist of degree milestones. The graduate handbook will be revised over the summer, and best practice documents such as program of study documents, exam statements and research plans will be solicited to create a community of practice.

We adjourned at 3:57 pm.

2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

FF312 and via Zoom

The meeting began at 2:33 p.m. Meeting minutes from March 4, 2022, were approved as written.

Announcements & Updates—Walter Gantz 

Graduate students are expected to strike beginning April 13. We do not know how long the strike will last. The deans recently met with several Media School graduate students who want  to make themselves available to faculty for any questions about the strike. These students will be on Zoom twice (Monday, April 4 and Friday, April 8) to meet with interested faculty members, as faculty may find it helpful to get information about the impending strike straight from the source. All schools have been asked to submit contingency plans for the end of the semester regarding grading and graduate students who are Instructors of Record. A discussion ensued about how and why our units are not providing a collective response but instead allowing faculty members to respond or sign the neutrality pledge individually. FAB did publish a statement. The deans expect our faculty to maintain their relationships with graduate  students and make sure they continue to feel safe both as students and workers. A question arose about possible deportation of striking international students, but most students are on student visas, which are not tied to SAA appointments.  

Congratulations to Suzannah Evans Comfort, Dave Groobert, Jason Peifer, Rachel Plotnick, Rush Swope and John Velez on their tenure/promotion. After the next faculty meeting, we’ll have a celebration of faculty accomplishments. Please join us on Friday, April 29 around 4:00pm on Stack 6. 

Hiring updates: We have two accepted offers (Mike Wells and Lisa Lenoir) for strategic hires  and are continuing discussions with Miriam Petty and Bear Brown. The failed BFA Director  search has been tabled for now. We are beginning two additional searches, one in Advertising  (Rob Potter, chair) and one – for a visitor – in Game Design (Norbert Herber, chair). These areas  both have high needs. We understand this is a difficult time of year to impose even more on faculty, but please contribute to these searches as requested. 

Announcements & Updates Continued—Radhika Parameswaran

The final section of the Faculty Inclusive Excellence Professional Development (FIEPD) series will go to one session instead of two. Please submit your questions for the panelists.  

IU’s Proposal Development Services will offer a session for Media School faculty on writing  grant proposals and other PDS resources. This will be pitched at a very broad level rather than  specifically geared toward humanities or social sciences. Please help spread the word about the  session, which will be on Friday, April 15 from 9:00-10:30a in FF212. Note that this session is  only for faculty, as graduate students have a different resource (GradGrants Center). 

Remember that on April 22, we will hold a virtual event for our academic alumni who are PhDs. Please forward the invitation to your advisees and former students. During the event our junior  faculty will share their research, followed by breakout rooms for discussion. 

Radhika has worked with Galen and Laura Dragoin to update the adjunct handbook. The new adjunct handbook is geared toward providing more information about teaching and  instructional responsibilities, syllabus design, learning outcomes and student evaluations. We  have 40+ adjuncts teaching for us each semester. 

Announcements & Updates Continued—Walter Gantz 

By now, faculty and staff have heard about the failed dean search. Walt has agreed to serve  another year as the interim dean. Radhika, with a three-year appointment, will continue as associate dean. Walt and Radhika will continue to approach their positions as partners. Please know that their door is always open.  

Updates from the BFC—Gerry Lanosga 

Gerry has replaced Rob Potter as the BFC representative for the remainder of this year. The BFC  has just approved a revised policy on faculty disciplinary procedures. The group also will be  looking at a new proposal to redefine the statewide transfer of the general education core. 

Updates from the faculty diversity committee—Bonnie Layton 

In place of M600 on Friday, April 29, the faculty diversity committee is planning a panel to  discuss learning objectives and how to work DEIJ objectives into syllabi and classes. Please join  us from 12:40-1:10p on the 29th. 

Director of Research and Creative Activity (DRCA)—Nicole Martins 

Nicole provided her initial vision for the position; details can be found in the compiled slides. As  DRCA, she will rely on faculty to help shape the role, which she sees as a catalyst for research and creative activity. The first priority will be to listen and learn how the position can best  support faculty. Highlights from Nicole’s envisioning of the DRCA position include:

• The faculty research committee, which should be in place by August, will craft the call  for summer fellowships derived as part of the DRCA budget. The committee will also  select applicants, with the first awards given for summer 2023.
• The DRCA hopes to encourage more collaboration across units and also ensure that we know about each other’s research.
• The DRCA hopes to foreground the research and creative interests of our faculty and then get that out to other schools and other universities. Large grants expect multi disciplinary grant applications.
• The DRCA hopes to collaborate with the Office of Research Administration to make navigating grant processes easier for faculty.
• As a school we can add more events devoted to faculty research, including one M600 program each month and larger-scale school-wide programs.
• Sharon Mayell’s position will be restructured and filled, ideally before August. It will be difficult to replace Sharon’s skillset but the ideal candidate will manage some ICR technology while also acting as a point person to assist faculty with their research and  creative activities. 

Faculty Profile—Teresa White 

Teresa White provided her faculty profile; details can be found in the compiled slides.  

Undergraduate Advising—Rebecca Butorac 

Rebecca provided an overview of the varied work of our academic advisors. Each advisor works  with students through a broad diversity of topics, including course planning and enrollment,  professional development, academic probation, study abroad, financial aid resources, student  accommodations and mental health.  

Faculty Research Spotlight—Harmeet Sawhney 

Harmeet Sawhney provided his research profile; details can be found in the compiled slides.  

We adjourned at 4:03 pm. 

2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.  
FF312 and via Zoom  

The meeting began at 2:35 p.m. Meeting minutes from January 28, 2022, were approved as  written.  

Announcements & Updates—Walter Gantz 

We hope to make up to four strategic hires this spring, after a busy semester with many  searches. Mike Wells and Lisa Lenoir have accepted our offers to join The Media School, both in  Journalism (his area is sports communication, hers is lifestyle journalism). Devon Powers would  have been a presidential hire but accepted a position at Michigan instead of IU. Miriam Petty is  very interested, and we continue to negotiate with her as well as work with the Dean of the IU  Libraries to find a position for her spouse. Bear Brown interviewed this week and we think he is  very interested in joining us as well. Thanks to all who have participated in interviews;  candidates are coming because of you. 

Presentation on health benefits and retirement—Jim Sherman 

Jim Sherman, Professor Emeritus, Psychological and Brain Sciences, serves as a liaison to faculty  regarding health benefits and retirement benefits. He is happy to meet with any faculty  members individually, and can be reached at sherman@indiana.edu.  

Details of the presentation can be found in the compiled slides. Jim’s primary suggestion is that  faculty maximize contributions to their Health Savings Account (HSA), as there is nothing better  for their retirement than an HSA plan with its triple tax benefits. 

Announcements & Updates Continued—Walter Gantz 

Sharon Mooney pulled out of the BFA Director search after we were unable to find a  satisfactory position for her spouse. The deans will speak with Craig Erpelding next week about  other options, including whether we go back to the candidate pool or fail the search. 

We will begin a search for a Lecturer in Advertising to replace Catfish Russ, who was unable to  return to campus to teach face-to-face. His contract will end in May 2022. 

Laura Dragoin has joined our staff as the Scholarship and Honors Coordinator, working with  Emily Harrison, Dave Groobert and Galen Clavio.

The school’s annual budget meeting with the Provost will be on Monday, March 6. Ron McFall  and Katie Higgins are preparing numbers and finalizing the presentation. During the meeting we  will discuss what we have accomplished in the last year as well as look ahead with a five-year  projection. 

After graduate students across campus expressed their support for a union, The College had a listening session that drew hundreds. Walt and Radhika then met with four Media School  graduate students. The deans provided an overview of our school’s finances as well as  answered their questions about stipends and other funding. We are now happy to report that  SAA appointments for next year will go up $1,000, up to $18,000, with top-off funds available.  Every graduate student next year will get at least $18,000. Our graduate students would also  like assistance with conference attendance and travel, historically not one of IU’s strengths.  Due to Jim Shanahan’s careful stewardship, however, we now have money for some things we  did not before. We have created a new fund to last for 20 years, beginning with Fall 2022,  which will set aside $20,000/year for graduate student travel. Logistics of this fund and its  dissemination will be determined by the DGS and the graduate affairs committee. 

If anyone is interested in joining The Media School’s team for the April 2 Jill Behrman 5K/Color  the Campus event, please reach out to Rebecca Stanze. 

Well over 100 students are registered for Saturday’s first-ever Media School Experience Day.  We expect a record turnout. 

Announcements & Updates Continued—Radhika Parameswaran 

Radhika recently met with the faculty diversity committee to exchange updates. The  administration has submitted the school’s diversity report to OVPDI and now is working on an  updated diversity narrative for the Media School website. The faculty diversity committee  would like to share their plans at the next faculty meeting. Radhika then provided a brief review  of Dr. Carmen Henne-Ochoa's session on gender; there was a follow-up conversation about  what further evidence we had about the experiences of women and sexism in The Media  School. Two faculty members brought up the previous 2019 anonymous survey that mentioned  examples of women’s experiences. 

Faculty updates: Rob Potter will be new Director of Graduate Studies after Steph’s term ends  on June 30. Gerry Lanosga will replace Rob as our representative to the Bloomington Faculty  Council. Congratulations to Greg Waller for his project, A Century of 16mm, receiving funding  from IU’s Arts and Humanities Council and the IU Presidential Arts & Humanities Program.

The Common Ground conference will take place on March 25-26. On April 22, we will hold a  virtual event for our legacy alumni who are PhDs, to share the latest on our school’s research  front. We hope faculty are able to attend this “Coffee and Conversation” event. 

Today is the first day of teaching with no mask requirement. A conversation followed about  potential issues, including how to respond to students who are concerned about attending  classes in person now that masks are no longer required. 

Faculty Profile—Joe Coleman 

Joe Coleman provided his research profile; details can be found in the compiled slides.  

Director of Research and Creative Activity —Walter Gantz 

The school’s governance document provides details about this position, though we have not  filled the position in the school’s history. In late January, however, the Faculty Advisory Board  passed a resolution that we needed to appoint someone to the position. After appointing Rob  Potter as the next DGS, there was a hole to fill in the ICR director position. Radhika and Walt  then reached out to Nicole to discuss the ICR position. That meeting prompted our decision to  put aside hiring a replacement for Rob and instead fill the open position of Director of Research  and Creative Activity. We then sent out a call for nominations and met with all who were  nominated. Nicole emerged as the best candidate, agreed to fill the position, and is currently  working through a vision to share at the next faculty meeting. An aside: Out of nine leadership  positions in the school, Radhika is currently the only woman and our next dean will most likely  be a man. Adding Nicole to this position will also help our school improve its gender  representation.  

By filling the position, we will expand our vision of research and creative activity beyond the ICR  to reflect the full spectrum of the school’s faculty activity. The ICR’s current operating budget is  $20,000 per year in addition to compensation for Rob’s position and 30 hours per week of  Sharon Mayell’s position. We have committed to a full-time staff member, as well as one SAA  appointment working with Nicole, and will hire hourly help as needed. The ICR will continue  without pause. The Director of Research and Creative Activity will have an annual budget of  $70,000. This will include four summer faculty fellowships of $8,000 each to spend the summer  writing proposals for external grants. These summer fellowships will be open to both NTT and  TT faculty. Teaching commitments are already made for 2022, so the fellowships will begin in  summer 2023.  

We adjourned at 4:16pm. 

###

2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.  
FF312 and via Zoom  

The meeting began at 2:39 p.m. due to technology issues with Zoom. We apologize for the  delay. Meeting minutes from December 10, 2021, were approved as written.  

Announcements & Updates—Walter Gantz 

Walt provided an update about our recent searches: we are moving forward with strategic  hires. The vote for Mike Wells will be next week, and everyone is encouraged to reach out to  Devon Powers after her recent interview, as she is being courted by other schools. Her vote will  be upcoming as well. The vote for the BFA Director is underway. 

New staff: Tim Jeter has joined Stack 4 as the Student Services Program Coordinator and Zach  Vaughn, whom many may recognize as a past Ph.D. student, is our newest academic advisor.  We are wrapping up a search for another staff position this week and have made some really  good hires recently. 

The Arnolt Center will host a symposium on Thursday, February 10. The event is free and open  to the public; we hope faculty will join. Thanks to Kathleen for organizing this important event. 

Announcements & Updates Continued—Radhika Parameswaran 

Two sessions remain for the Faculty Inclusive Excellence Professional Development series, the  next focused on ability/disability and the final session ending with a Q&A panel. Dates were  shared as a reminder [February 24-25 and April 7-8]. 

Radhika is working with Walt and Emily Harrison on a forthcoming event for our PhD alumni to  hear what we’ve been doing at the school. This virtual coffee and conversation will be Friday,  April 22 from 2:00-4:30pm. We will invite our journal editors, center directors and others to  attend. The program for this event is underway and will be shared closer to the date. A formal  invitation will go out in March to our academic alumni, and we encourage faculty to also share  the invitation with former advisees. 

The external review of the NSJC has been completed, with much appreciation for Galen’s work.  The HSJI will be reviewed this summer, and we are planning a review of CIMLAPS as well.

Thank you to the faculty who presented during our recent research seminar with the India  Gateway on Media and Democracy: Suzannah Evans Comfort, Mike Gruszczynski, Elaine  Monaghan and Jason Peifer, along with graduate students Arijit Paladhi and Shobha SV. 

This is a reminder to faculty to not post anything to social media about grading or students. If  students communicate their stress to you, please direct them to mental health services. We  want students to be resilient but do want to encourage them to get help as needed. This is a  stressful time for students, and also for faculty. Please let the deans know if they can help with  anything.  

Thanks to Jay and his team, along with Akin and the BFCA team, we now have posters from the  BFCA displayed on Stack 2. 

Updates on BFA Director Search—Craig Erpelding 

Many thanks to all involved in the search, especially the search committee and those who  participated in interviews. All candidate materials are on the Canvas site. From Walt: votes are  coming in and we’re contacting references. Thank you to Craig for his leadership!  

Graduate Studies—Steph DeBoer 

Steph presented about several current graduate program topics, including: • The graduate committee voted in November to waive the GRE as a requirement moving  forward. The discussion will continue as a broader question about how we consider our  application materials. 

• Graduate applications are currently being reviewed; more data will be provided about  the applicant pool once students are accepted. The Fall 2020 cycle had 85 applicants,  and Fall 2021 had 136 applications. The Fall 2022 cycle has had 104 applications, which  equates to a drop of 20 international applicants (primarily from China). 
• We do well mentoring our graduate students, but don’t have structure in teaching and  instruction, particularly with providing feedback. We’ve created a new handout with  expectations, guidelines, rights and responsibilities for those serving as AIs, GAs, and  Instructors of Record. This has been shared with those faculty who teach with AIs/GAs  this semester. The next step will be to provide all AIs and GAs with feedback each  semester, including professional service and professional development opportunities.  CITL will be an excellent resource. 
• We should encourage graduate students who are Instructors of Record to request a  teaching observation, which would also provide a letter for their teaching portfolios.
• We will take a schoolwide approach to professionalize our graduate students, including  formal structures for feedback and communication. This should include mentoring,  addressing differences between the units and creating consistency of course objectives. 
• We do well onboarding graduate students and assisting their entrance into the program,  but we don’t do as well tracking students and their milestones. We will continue to  improve in this area with a combination of checklists and conversation. 
• Remember that faculty aren’t alone in mentoring graduate students. Please reach out to  Steph for assistance, as well as the unit reps to the graduate committees. 

Faculty Research Profile—Betsi Grabe 

Betsi Grabe presented her research on visual imagery, politics and visual communication, and  disinformation. Details can be found in the compiled slides.  

Undergraduate Studes—Galen Clavio 

If you are interested in teaching during Summer 2022 and haven’t talked to Galen yet, please  do so. We will shift how teaching assignments are made for Fall 2022, taking more of a front load approach to see what we need to teach to reach curricular objectives. Some things may  

change with several new colleagues potentially joining us in the fall. eTexts may be considered  more, which would save students money and keep textbooks up-to-date more easily. Galen can  assist with course development as needed. We currently are working on a sequence for  audience analysis and adding courses in podcasting and social media. Faculty are asked to send  copies of their spring syllabi to Galen or Marilyn for the syllabus repository. Please make sure  learning objectives are included in your syllabi. This is relevant for graduate courses as well. 

Update on Dean Search—Norbert Herber 

Interview dates were provided and Norbert affirmed the importance of participation. 

Faculty Profile—Rush Swope 

Rush Swope provided his faculty spotlight; details can be found in the compiled slides.  

Question of the day, facilitated by the deans: Pandemic open mic 

The faculty participated in a short discussion about pandemic issues and frustrations, including  COVID exposure, contact tracing, Fall 2022 expectations, and continued difficulties in planning  ahead. 

We adjourned at 4:16pm. 

###

2:30 p.m. - 4:25 p.m.  

FF312 and via Zoom  

Meeting began at 2:35 p.m. Meeting minutes from October 29, 2021, were approved as  written.  

Announcements & Updates—Walter Gantz 

Walt provided news about staff changes. Elizabeth Karon, new Executive Assistant to the  Deans, and Katie Higgins, new Director of Finance, introduced themselves. Reed’s position will  be filled as of January 3 by Liz Sullivan, who joins us from IU’s Center for Exploration of Energy  and Matter. Patsy Ek is retiring after 40+ years at the university, and we are grateful for her  care and skill in managing our budget. Thank you to Patsy! Finally, Barbara Cherry is finishing  her phased retirement. Walt praised her sharp intellect and a wide breadth of experienceswhich she brought both to the classroom and her research. Thank you, Barb! 

We have made some progress in strategic hires for new faculty members, after being slowed a  bit by the university changing direction in their process. We have received many applications  and continue to follow leads provided by faculty. Candidates will start coming for interviews in  mid-January; each will go through a normal interview process, including a faculty forum. 

Announcements & Updates Continued—Radhika Parameswaran 

Steph will provide more details at our next meeting, but the school—in tune with the College— needs to put in place a more systematic approach to mentoring and facilitating the professional  development of our graduate students. Steph has already been in conversation with the  graduate committee about putting this system in place. Our approach will involve several steps:  1) providing graduate students with written information on teaching expectations and their  rights and responsibilities; 2) providing feedback to all AIs about their performance and how  they can improve; and 3) requesting faculty to provide written teaching observations to  instructors of record who are graduate students. 

Three additional sessions of the Faculty Inclusive Excellence Professional Development series  will take place in the spring semester. Please join us (dates will be January 20 or 21, February 24  or 25, and April 7 or 8) for candid discussions. All sessions will be in IMU’s Walnut Room, with  breakfast provided.

All MSCH degree programs will be reviewed in Spring 2023. These are overdue but we are  moving ahead with this timeline after approval from the VPFAA. 

We are working with Galen to formalize how we mentor and monitor our adjunct faculty members’ teaching performance. We have as many as 40-60 adjuncts each semester and don’t  have formal processes in place. 

Updates from Faculty Advisory Board—Lauren Smith 

A ballot will be sent to faculty next week regarding several changes to the governance  document. These changes include: 1) addressing concerns from NTT faculty re: criteria for  promotion to teaching professor; 2) adding language on criteria for “Very Good” and  “Satisfactory/Effective” in research, teaching and service to MSCH tenure and promotion  guidelines; 3) removing FAB involvement with the undergraduate curriculum committee; 4)  changing language re: formation and membership of the undergraduate curriculum committee;  and 5) changing language re: makeup of the student advisory committee. Also, FAB voted  unanimously to approve Brenda Weber (Gender Studies) as an affiliate faculty member of the  school. She will be a great asset to our school. 

Faculty Spotlight—Susanne Schwibs 

Susanne Schwibs provided her faculty spotlight; details can be found in the compiled slides.  

Budget—Walter Gantz 

The school’s budget is approximately $24 million. After university assessments of 29%, we have a working base budget of approximately $17 million. Most (75%) of that comes from undergraduate tuition and 83% of that is spent on faculty and staff salaries. The only way to hire more faculty and staff and acquire more equipment is to increase undergraduate enrollment. We get $450 per credit hour from students. If we increase our majors by 100, we increase our net budget approximately $340,000. We are working with Ron McFall and Eliza Erxleben and their team to strategize getting more students, both those considering IU and  those already enrolled at IU.  

Technology and Equipment—Jay Kincaid 

When Jay joined the team in 2014, the MSCH budget was $5 million for all technology and equipment. After an inventory was conducted, an additional $1.5 million was provided from the College for a much-needed renovation of Studio 5. Jay’s team then worked on efficiencies and saved $500,000 from partnering with companies (Canon, Apple, etc.) and UITS. Thanks to UITS, our game labs have some of the most powerful computers on campus. All classrooms will need their technology updated over the next few years, though Jay’s team has already wired all rooms for the next generation. Two hundred new Apple computers will be ready to go for the  spring semester. Jay’s team is here to serve, support and help. Jay asked faculty to let his team know what faculty need. 

Undergraduate Enrollment—Ron McFall and Eliza Erxleben 

Our school is still young and we’ve never had a more informed consumer (the student population). Nationally we expect to see an enrollment cliff around 2025-26, with up to a 15% decrease in the number of college-going students. We’re working to position ourselves now with early outreach. The Fall 2021 freshman class is the largest at MSCH with 399 freshmen including 166 direct admits. Students joining the school earlier means more money for the school; as soon as students are admitted to MSCH they’re charged program fees, which produce revenue in addition to tuition dollars. 

As of this fall’s census date, there were just under 2,150 students in the school, counting all undergraduates and 300-400 pre-majors. Since 2015 the number of journalism undergraduates has declined but has now stabilized. Media School undergraduate numbers have grown considerably since the school’s founding, and the largest undergraduate degree in the school is  the BA in Media (70%). Game design numbers spiked at first and are now stabilizing.  

Of current MSCH students, only 50% entered IU knowing they wanted to study media. That makes us a discovery school, which gives us great potential. We are planning for growth and systematically finding out what students find most attractive about the school: top facilities, early hands-on experiences and creativity. 

In 2022 we will focus on targeted messaging and social media, getting to prospective students earlier. Two in-person info sessions are conducted each week (Mondays and Fridays), with an additional virtual session each Wednesday. We’d like to feature alumni and use the alumni network to engage with students. We’re also kicking off a new paid media campaign (throughCarnegie Dartlet) and updating the Media School Experience Day to include more hands-on  experiences. 

Faculty Spotlight—Josh Malitsky 

Josh Malitsky provided his faculty spotlight; details can be found in the compiled slides.  

Group Discussion—John Velez 

Question of the day: How do you deal with students who are stressed out about grades?John Velez facilitated a brief discussion on students’ stress over grades. Faculty mentioned the  following methods they use to reduce student stress: including clear and transparent grading structures in the syllabus (and going over those in class throughout the semester); allowing students to fail on minor assignments early in the semester and then giving them feedback on how to improve; providing a variety of assignments geared towards different learning styles; emphasizing the importance of engaging actively with course content over grade obsession; and instructors being willing to acknowledge and share their own struggles and failures.  

Updates from Dean Search and the Bloomington Faculty Council—Rob Potter Dean Search: The dean search committee will meet in mid-January to select and then interview semi-finalists, following which the search firm will check references. Rob speculated that the finalist candidates will be brought to campus sometime in February. He thanked all members of the dean search committee for their service (with their names displayed on a slide).  

BFC: Rob reminded faculty that we will be getting new insurance cards. The BFC meeting in February will be devoted to a discussion about faculty stress stemming from such issues as lack  of support for childcare. The BFC also will tackle how faculty might manage attendance grade struggles during the pandemic—particularly how the VPFAA could provide more concrete guidelines on shifting from evaluating attendance to evaluating engagement. The BFC brought  up the possibility of including the unit’s BFC representative on the unit’s policy-making board  (the FAB in the case of MSCH) and its meetings. The university’s General Education  Subcommittee is reviewing Gen Ed requirements and there is now a proposal to add “Sustainability Literacy” as a goal with sustainability broadly defined as covering natural, human, and economic issues. Rob requested Media School faculty to provide input on this proposal.

2:30 p.m. - 3:50 p.m.
FF312 and via Zoom

Meeting began at 2:35 p.m. Meeting minutes from September 24, 2021, were approved as written.

Announcements & Updates — Walter Gantz

Walt indicated The Media School is close to making decisions on whom to contact for strategic faculty hires, and thanked faculty for their assistance with compiling names offered to recruit possible new faculty members.

President Whitten has announced a campus-wide diversity hiring initiative. We have sent an email to faculty soliciting suggestions and we have also met with the school's standing hiring committee to finalize a list of names. We will forward 2-3 names to VPFAA, which will make the final determinations.

Staff changes: Elizabeth Karon will serve as the executive assistant to the deans and Craig Lyons will serve as the managing editor for the Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism, both starting November 8. Whitney Humphrey joined staff on October 18 as a new academic advisor. Quenshia Graves has been appointed as an academic advisor in The Media School, with 30% of her time spent on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Reed Nelson plans to retire and will be with us through the end of the calendar year. Today is Kristin Martindale's last day with us and we wish her well.

Per Jim Kelly, The Media School is the first Journalism program to be accredited that does not have department status. Four people from the ACEJMC team spent October 23-27 on site. Prior to their arrival, they reviewed our 400-page self-study, interviewed dozens of alumni, and consulted with internship sites that host students. While on site, the team met with all journalism faculty members and the School's deans, 42 undergraduate journalism students, a representative of The College, six local alumni, and IU's vice president for diversity, equity and multicultural affairs. The team attended 26 class sessions and toured our facilities. Finally, they briefed Jim on their findings before delivering their 40-page report to the Provost. We will maintain our ACEJMC accreditation on a provisional basis with a few items to fix within the next two years. Jim thanked faculty and staff for their contributions to this process.

The Media School will need to develop a plan for conducting a review of all degree programs as required by the VPFAA.

Announcements & Updates Continued — Radhika Parameswaran

Akin Adesokan will serve as interim director of the Black Film Center/Archive beginning in January, through summer 2022.

The report on the focus group with underrepresented minority students, conducted by the Media School Staff DEI Committee, is available on the intranet. Please contact Eliza Erxleben for a recording of the session in which she presented the report.

A Media School Holiday Party for all faculty and staff is planned for Friday, December 10. Details to follow.

Faculty Spotlight — Melanie Sarge

Melanie Sarge provided her faculty spotlight; details can be found in the compiled slides.

BFA Director Search — Craig Erpelding

The BFA Search Committee met Thursday, October 28. We have 21 applicants from all over the world. Craig thanked administration for assisting with the search for this position.

Update on Dean Search — Elaine Monaghan

Elaine provided an update on behalf of the committee, which is working with the search firm Isaacson, Miller (IM). IM has published the position description for Dean of The Media School. They are still seeking suggestions and/or nominations of candidates from MSCH faculty and staff. At this point, privacy is key and we will not be informed of specific candidates until later in the process.

Faculty Spotlight — Steve Layton

Steve Layton provided his faculty spotlight; details can be found in the compiled slides.

Group Discussion — Nick Browning

Question of the day: How can we make group projects work more effectively?

For the instructor, group work results in less grading and mimics a professional environment, though may not always function well. Suggestions included: Create groups early to hash out drama early. Make use of informal groups most days in class, which may result in students being more comfortable with each other by the time of the actual group assignment. Introduce the project on day one of class and consider criteria for grading that assignment as well as milestones to achieve. Provide time in class to work on group projects. Have groups provide feedback on other groups, as often as weekly. Make certain the assignment is more conducive to a group project than a single assignment. Provide structure to the groups and make sure everyone within the group knows their job; rotate jobs periodically. Have in-class group project meetings, with each group appointing a leader and informing the instructor of accomplishments. Consider appointing a group leader who is responsible for bringing issues to the instructor, such as group members who may not pull their weight. Give groups the option to ‘fire’ a member who may then transfer to another group or end up with a solo project.

Overview of the Faculty Inclusive Excellence Professional Development Series — Dr. Carmen Henne-Ochoa, Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion in the College

Dr. Henne-Ochoa is a sociologist by training and takes a process-based approach to professional development in higher education. She thanked Walt and Radhika for the opportunity to meet with us and indicated this has been the most fun faculty meeting she has attended in quite some time.

Dr. Henne-Ochoa will return in December for the first session of the Faculty Inclusive Excellence Professional Development Series (FIEPDS) for Media School faculty. The series helps institutions shift the attitudes and behaviors of its members and cultivates an environment supportive of DEI initiatives, especially for organizations that are diversifying and want to engender genuine understanding and respect for social differences. The goals of the series are to develop and strengthen cognitive behavior and affective skills, as well as build and sustain inclusive and equitable attitudes and systems as they apply to specific areas of work. FIEPDS can change how people think, though may not change how people feel. It is important not to come into the sessions with unrealistic expectations. A shift in attitudes and actions does not happen quickly, as there may be deep historical roots in previously established personal perceptions. The facilitator should protect the process, guiding individuals to reflect on and share their own perspectives regarding social identities and experiences, and relationships to systems of power, privilege, inequity and oppression. The process-based approach also sheds light on conscious and unconscious personal bias, prejudice and stereotyping, and provides tools and resources for practicing strategies for positive change. For effective DEI consciousness, participants must commit to the process, while cultivating perspective and empathy, one story and one experience at a time. The series will cover four sessions, connecting across race and ethnicity, gender, ability and status, and culminating with a Q&A panel session.

2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
FF312 and via Zoom

The meeting began at 2:35 p.m. and the meeting minutes from August 27, 2021, were approved as written.

Announcements & Updates – Walter Gantz

Walt shared information on the new staff hires, Rebecca Butorac, Matt Gilliam, Matt Gray, Dan Hassoun, Tatiana Hedrick, Bobbie McCammon, and Ron McFall. Ron was present and introduced himself sharing his past connections with Scott Feickert and his past roles within IU. He looks forward to working with everyone.

Black Camera is in the process of moving to a new space in Franklin Hall, from their current location on stack 2 to the sub-basement. Black Camera will occupy the conference room and the resource center in the sub-basement.

Walt acknowledged Jim Kelly’s work on the journalism unit’s accreditation process and on the self-study document. The accreditation site team will visit the school in late October.

Announcements & Updates Continued – Radhika Parameswaran

The National Sports Journalism Center also has a review coming up and we will have external reviewers visiting the school in December. Galen Clavio was recognized for all the hard work that has been put into this process.

Dr. Rachael Nez will be joining us as a joint postdoctoral fellow with the Race, Migration, and Indigeneity Program in the College. She will be with us one year and most of her fellowship will be online.  Radhika shared information about Dr. Nez and said she will keep everyone posted soon as she knows more about how we can engage with Rachael. 

Unit directors may have reached out to faculty about doing peer teaching observations for our colleagues going up for tenure and promotion. Thanks was given to everyone who is helping conduct these observations.

Director of student services, Eliza Erxleben, and other staff members conducted a focus group with 11 Media School students who identify in an under-represented minority group to ask about their experiences at IU and their experiences at the Media School. Eliza is going to make a presentation the following week where she will share the report and discuss the results.

Radhika shared information on the campus committees that currently have Media School faculty serving on them. She thanked our faculty for their university service.

Casting Portal—Rush Swope 

Rush has created a portal to keep track of all the different media productions going on within the school. It allows those running the production project to post the productions that are in progress at castingportal.indiana.edu Faculty can add the roles they are looking for, designate an email to receive the responses, and set an expiration date. Jacobs School of Music and the Theater department will begin using this as well. If students want to create a production, they should email Rush to ask permission—staff and faculty automatically have access. 

Lauren Smith – FAB Update

The FAB has met twice this year. Based on questions and comments from faculty they are considering some language changes to the governance document. They hope to finalize the changes in October and then will send it out to the faculty for a vote. Lauren also encouraged everyone to reach out to a FAB member if they have questions or comments and shared how to submit questions or comments online.

Faculty Spotlight—Esi Thompson

Esi shared a bit about herself—starting with where her roots are, that growing up she wanted to do music but eventually ended up going to college and studied English. She then went on to get her master’s in communications because she was interested in journalism. She joined a full-service public relations agency where she did a little of everything, but then she found she was most interested in working on community-related projects. Later, she decided to get a PhD and focused on projects about infectious diseases and health risk communications. She continues to work on health risk perception and communication here at IU. When she is at home, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, her prayer group, and she loves to cook. She can frequently be heard singing if you walk by her office as she still cherishes her connections to music.

Dave Groobert – MSCH Honors Program

Dave stated there are three different components to our honors program: honors societies, academic honors program, and our EP and Media Scholars. There are three honors societies that our students are involved in. The academic honors program is where 25 rising juniors are invited into the AHP spring semester sophomore year. It is based solely on overall GPA— students don’t apply or get recommendations. Those who are selected can take honors classes and then complete a capstone project and then graduate with honors cords. There are no trips or scholarships, just graduating with honors. Our best-known programs are the Ernie Pyle Scholars and Media Scholars. The Ernie Pyle Scholars is journalism and PR, Media Scholars is everyone else. These are direct admit students who are invited to complete a selective scholarship application form. Dave will seek volunteers to help with reviewing for the selection process. The scholars program is a four year program, with ten credits of honors classes, a speaker series and student activity requirements, including travel to Chicago, spring break trip their sophomore year, and the option to do Summer in London at the end of their sophomore year. 

Each cohort has a faculty member who teaches the first year 1 credit course (H-110) and then a capstone class for their senior year. Faculty mentor them all four years, including travel with them on spring break trips, Chicago, and London. Dave shared an overview of Summer in London. 

Group Discussion—Radhika Parameswaran

Question of the day: How to get students to do the readings?

Suggested ideas included making it a graded activity, quick quizzes, group activities, Canvas discussion boards with graded participation, assignments tied to the reading, and being more selective about the readings assigned, including thinking more expansively about what counts as a reading (e.g., options like blog posts or videos/clips they should watch). 

Bloomington Faculty Council – Rob Potter

Rob will be The Media School rep for one more year. He shared that the last BFC meeting started with a memorial declaration for Peter Jacobi. Benefits officers from the HR office talked about two important changes. #1. Everyone is going to receive a new benefits card in the mail this month. New federal law required a new number, so faculty will get a new card with a new number. Because of that change, open enrollment will happen earlier this year, in October. There is also an informational series called the Road to Retirement--it’s online and will start up again in the spring. Barbara Cherry seconded that these information sessions on retirement are incredibly helpful.

Faculty Spotlight – Greg Waller

Greg shared the most recent publications and his work-in-progress. He provided lists about where he has lived, places he would love to revisit, kinds of chili he made for his last pre-covid chili party, and recently acquired tastes including 115+ proof bourbon; the number of Matt Damon movies he watched during the first months of Covid (43); Greg and his family’s assessment of their re-watchability; sports he has given up and latest DIY activities; his favorite global gangster films to teach; and the most versions of the same song on his over 41K songs on his i-tunes. 

Dean Search – Sung-Un Yang

Sung-Un provided an update on the dean’s search on behalf of the committee. The committee is working with Isaacson Miller (IM) which is a national executive search firm. The firm held listening sessions in August 2021 with faculty, staff, and other stakeholders. Sung-Un will share contact information if faculty want to nominate someone. The committee is now finalizing the position description and the search schedule. The committee expects that initial interactions with and presentations from candidates will occur in October and November. IM then does more formal interviews and there will be a second round of presentations from a smaller candidate pool.  The committee will select the 7-10 semifinalists to interview in-person. Semifinalist interviews will take place in January and early February 2022. Final in-person interviews will occur in late February after which the committee will then select a slate of unranked finalists to share with the provost.  

Faculty may submit nominations to Stephanie Simon at ssimon@IMSearch.com. Faculty can also reach out to someone on the search committee with nominations: Peg Faimon, Akin Adesokan, Ted Castronova, Stephanie DeBoer, Norbert Herber, Nicole Martins, Rob Potter, Sung-Un, Tom Ackerman (deans advisory board), Nancy Callaway Fyffe (dean’s advisory board), Giffin Gonzalez (junior, journalism), Emily Harrison, and Xan Smith. 

Announcements: Walter Gantz and Radhika Parameswaran

Walter Gantz opened the meeting at 2:35 p.m. by welcoming the faculty. The meeting minutes from April 23, 2021were approved as written.

Gantz welcomed Jim Shanahan, Ryan Comfort and Cheryl Owsley-Jackson to the faculty. There have been a number of staff transitions and there are several more to go. They are getting close to hiring Scott Feickert's replacement.

Radhika Parameswaran announced that there would be two visiting Fulbright Scholars this year: Sasha Yaroshchuk, mentored by Gerry Lanosga, and Xenia Farkas, mentored by Betsi Grabe. They will be sharing an office on Stack 1, FF 0030L. Parameswaran asked faculty to make them feel part of the School.

Gantz reported that several classrooms have been returned to campus management and the decrease in assessments will result in each of our graduate students getting a stipend of $18,000. This will go into effect in Fall 2022.

The BFA Director position has been posted and there are a number of applicants. The members of the search committee are: Craig Erpelding (chair), Galen Clavio, Bill Schwab, Susanne Schwibs and graduate student, Caleb Allison.

The office nameplates on several Franklin Hall offices were updated over the summer. Parameswaran asked faculty to let her office know if their nameplates need to be corrected. She also asked that faculty please update their online bios as suggested by the unit directors. Please add information and sign up for photo shoots where needed.

The list of School committees will be sent out soon.

There have been some complaints of small group meetings with participants not wearing masks. If one person is uncomfortable not wearing a mask, everyone should mask up. Parameswaran asked faculty to help enforce this policy.

Parameswaran asked faculty to make time for the Journalism unit's M600 session on Zoom next Friday, September 3. The speaker is Dr. Aymar Jean Christian from Northwestern University.

Gantz reported that President Whitten spoke to the deans and provosts earlier in the month and said that she had four goals for this year.First is to place students first by ensuring that they are the center of our universe at IU. Second, to be ambitious in expanding excellence across the university in research, discovery, and creativity. Third, to play a leadership role in advancing the quality of life for the residents of Indiana and beyond. The fourth goal is to improve diversity, equity and inclusion. Gantz encouraged the faculty to be better in all of these areas.

Gantz reminded faculty that the Diversity Committee, headed by Ryan Powell, developed a document last year that listed what they wanted to accomplish. The goals were to hire more diverse faculty; provide more support for the BFC/A, Black Camera and minority student organizations; provide more scholarships to graduate and undergraduate underrepresented minority students and provide a minority voice on the website. The website is now telling an inclusive story and in an effort led by Jim Shanahan, $2,500 renewable, top-up scholarships were given to 43 underrepresented minority students. These achievements are well beyond what the diversity committee asked them to do. Even more scholarships were offered, but not everyone said yes. These scholarships will continue to be used for recruitment. Gantz and Parameswaran have begun conversations with Michael Martin about Black Camera and the space that is needed for the journal. Based on the outcomes of the strategic hiring process, the new BFC/A director should be in place by August 1, 2022. The Diversity Committee had also asked that a graduate line be established that is devoted to studying minority issues and Gantz and Parameswaran are working with Stephanie DeBoer. While we already admit and provide funding to students who are working on issues of race and media, we will work on finding top off funds.

Strategic Hiring: Walter Gantz and Radhika Parameswaran (slides)

After meeting with the FAB, outgoing Provost Robel approved four lines for strategic hires. One is for Black film studies and the others are for strategic accommodation, sports communication (social media), and film production in the School. Gantz and Parameswaran met with DEI campus leaders to shape the hiring plan. Four task forces are in place and will meet soon. Faculty should contact task force members with names for possible candidates.

Cinema studies: Akinwumi Adesokan (chair), Joan Hawkins, Michael Martin and Greg Waller. Strategic Communication: Dave Groobert (chair), Suzannah Evans Comfort, Rob Potter and Bill Schwab.

Film Production: Craig Erpelding (chair), Josh Malistky, Susanne Schwibs and Rush Swope. Sports Communication (social media): Galen Clavio (chair), Gerry Lanosga, Mike Gruszczynski and Lauren Smith.

Gantz and Parameswaran also talked about the hiring process which will involve the school's normal campus visit, faculty input and voting processes.

Diversity Committee: Bonnie Layton

The Diversity Committee, chaired by Bonnie Layton, met with Dr. Carmen Henne-Ochoa, assistant dean for diversity and inclusion at the College, to ask her for advice. They discussed the climate in Bloomington, and that these hires are not to be called diversity hires, but strategic hires. The Diversity Committee will meet again on September 16. Layton encouraged faculty to talk to their diversity committee representatives with issues and ideas they would like the committee to pursue. Members of the committee are Craig Erpelding, Mike Gruszczynski, Ray Guins, Bonnie Layton (chair), Lesa Major, Michael Martin, Bill Schwab and Susanne Schwibs.

Faculty profile 1: Anne Ryder (slides)

Undergraduate Studies & Restructuring of Student Organizations: Galen Clavio (slides)

Clavio provided an update on undergraduate studies: Fall enrollment has been positive; one class section was added and only one class section cancelled. There were a surprising number of students making last-minute decisions to attend school this year. Student compliance with mask protocols has been good. Clavio thanked faculty who have sent in their syllabi. His office is maintaining an archive of syllabi across the School. The syllabi need to be in pdf format, not a link to website, so the school can maintain the record. Clavio is already finalizing the schedule for spring and looking closely at enrollment to get a more planned rotation of classes to aid students planning. Registration for Spring 2022 will begin in October. Clavio gave an update on curricular changes. At the tail end of the last academic year the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee and the FAB voted to remove the specialization requirement from concentrations in the School. There are more curricular changes happening with specializations and concentrations. Paperwork for that is due at the end of November. Clavio welcomes faculty feedback given to him directly or through a UCC representative. The FAB approved changes to the honors curriculum today. Clavio gave an update on student media reorganization. IU student media outlets are facing the same challenges as corporate media outlets. Editorial independence is guaranteed. Reorganization won't happen overnight but it is hoped these changes will allow the student media groups to do more and be better.

Faculty profile 2: Nicole Martins (slides)

Graduate Studies: Stephanie DeBoer (slides)

DeBoer thanked everyone who was involved in increasing the graduate student stipends. The incoming graduate student cohort has 25 arriving this fall and 3 deferring to Spring 2022. There were 128 applications which was a significant increase over past years. DeBoer thanked the committee for its work on the applications. Tatiana Hedrick has been hired as the graduate program administrative assistant and will begin on Monday, August 30. DeBoer asked faculty to stop by to say hello to her on Stack 5. The Media School Graduate Handbook was emailed to faculty today. Defenses can still be held remotely. The M600 seminar on Friday, September 3 will be on Zoom, but in-person the rest of the semester. DeBoer asked faculty to find a way to attend M600 more often. DeBoer said she is always glad to receive speaker recommendations. The members of the Graduate Affairs Committee are: Akin Adesokan, Nick Browning, Mike Conway, Joan Hawkins, Susan Kelly, Jim Krause, Nicole Martins, John Velez and graduate student, Anthony Silvestri.

Gantz closed the meeting at 4:35 p.m.

Walter Gantz began the meeting began with announcements. Mike Conway and Joan Hawkins were promoted to full professor; Nick Browning and Lauren Smith received tenure and promoted to associate professor. The winners of the Trustee Teaching Award are: Tim Bell, Terri Francis, Radhika Parameswaran, Mike Sellers, Esi Thompson and Sung-Un Yang. Gantz thanked to Nicole Martins for serving as Honors Director and thanked Dave Groobert for agreeing to serve when her term ends in June.

The March 12, 2021, meeting minutes were approved as written.

Undergraduate Studies

Galen Clavio thanked faculty for their efforts this semester. He said he would be sending out emails over the weekend or early next week about summer classes. Most of the summer classes have already been made and there is still time for the ones that have not. He asked faculty to check the enrollment numbers for their classes and if needed, promote them. Clavio asked faculty to check to be sure their online course descriptions are up-to-date by going to One.IU.edu and searching Manage Class Descriptions or using this link: https://one.iu.edu/launch-task/iu/manage-class-descriptions-instructors. If changes are needed, faculty can update the course descriptions for their courses online at this site. Clavio said that it is too soon to be concerned about currently low-enrolled classes for fall. He asked faculty to start thinking about having clearly defined course objectives in their syllabi. Clavio offered to work with faculty to develop learning outcomes and said that there also are campus organizations that are available to help. He asked that any faculty wanting to change or add a course not use the form created by the university that allows faculty to directly submit new courses or course changes. He said it is better that the changes or additions come to his office first so the editing can be done before it is in the system. This method also makes it possible to be sure that any new courses or course changes have gone through the full process with the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee and the individual concentration coordinators. Clavio said he would be glad to hear about ideas for new courses, or changes to existing courses. Sending him an email is the best way to start the process. The Undergraduate Curriculum Committee is in the process of making changes based on the removal of the specialization requirements. Clavio asked faculty to contact him with any ideas or questions.

Graduate Studies

Stephanie DeBoer began by reiterating Clavio’s request for updating online course descriptions. Graduate students are being encouraged to register before the end of the semester. DeBoer asked that faculty consider hiring graduate students, especially international graduate students, for projects this summer. DeBoer is glad to act as a matchmaker if you contact her with a request. April 15 was the deadline for graduate school acceptances and there are 28 acceptances for the fall semester out of 128 applications.

Diversity Committee

Ryan Powell informed faculty that the diversity section of the website continues to be developed with a calendar of diversity events. Powell thanked Anne Kibbler and her team for their work on the website.

Faculty Advisory Board

Gerry Lanosga reported that Provost Robel asked the FAB to give her three names for the dean’s search committee. The list included faculty, staff and students and has been submitted to the BFC’s executive committee which has the final say on faculty members for the committee. Peg Faimon, Dean of Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design, will serve as chair of the committee. The Provost is planning to announce the search committee members and the interim dean at the same time. The Provost invited the FAB to put together a proposal to take advantage of campus money for four strategic hires across all units of The Media School. This process is on a tight schedule because she would like to commit funding before she leaves her position. The FAB wrote a proposal that will go to her today. In anticipation of funding approval, the unit directors have been asked to start thinking about names for potential hires. Dean Shanahan attended today’s FAB meeting and is supportive of the proposal. Lanosga said his term on the FAB is ending on July 1, and Lauren Smith has been elected FAB chair for the next year. Lanosga serves in the at-large position on the FAB and he asked that nominations for the opening be sent to him by Wednesday, April 28. Lanosga will send out a ballot for the position after the deadline.

Gantz asked if anyone had announcements or comments. Kathleen Johnston shared that USA Today, in partnership with the Arnolt Center published a story today on police use of tasers. Jay Kincaid noted that, as of now, things will be back to normal in the fall with full capacity classrooms. No decision has been made about requiring students to be vaccinated for Covid-19.

The meeting ended at 3:15 p.m.

Dean Shanahan began the meeting at 2:30 p.m. and the meeting minutes for January 29, 2021, were approved as written.

Diversity Committee – Ryan Powell

The Diversity Committee has been meeting frequently and Powell has had several discussions with the dean and associate dean to work on strategies to increase diversity and inclusion. The committee is reviewing the survey and are in the final stages of preparing to circulate the information to the faculty. The current areas of focus are: practicing diversity and inclusion in and out of the classroom; increasing diversity and inclusion for faculty, staff and students; and funding initiatives for diversity and inclusion. Ryan has researched what other areas on campus are doing. It has been a difficult year to identify funding. The Media School’s diversity website is a place to share information and practices for the classroom and will be used as an event calendar. There is a campus diversity and inclusion website with toolkits. Powell urged faculty to review these resources and identify things that might be useful, for example, information to add to a syllabus or how to respond if a student makes racist comments in the classroom. The committee has a goal of developing a handbook on diversity and inclusion as a tool for faculty. Powell said the dean had emphasized strategic hiring as an effective way to increase diversity. He encouraged faculty to discuss this issue with their unit director and thanked the dean for pointing the efforts in that direction. The committee agreed that it’s a good time to implement training, especially in hiring practices. Campus offices have training for faculty hiring. Powell asked the faculty to email him with ideas and suggestions. There was a suggestion that the committee look at the diversity and inclusion efforts at other universities. Shanahan thanked Powell and the committee for their work.

Faculty Advisory Board - Gerry Lanosga

The FAB met today and faculty will soon receive a ballot to vote on three items: approved criteria for promotion to teaching professor, changes to disallow the director of undergraduate studies and director of graduate studies from serving on the FAB and formalizing the procedures for filling the balancer position and at-large position on the FAB. The FAB voted today to approve the elimination of the requirement for specializations in the undergraduate curriculum. Lanosga reminded the faculty that the FAB has an “Ask the FAB” button on the intranet. Shanahan thanked the FAB for their work.

Undergraduate Studies - Galen Clavio

Clavio reported that the undergraduate curriculum committee voted unanimously a month ago to eliminate the requirement for specializations from the remaining concentrations that required them. Going forward, Clavio will work with individual concentration coordinators to discuss what will replace the nine hours of specialization requirements that are in those concentrations. He asked that faculty email him with any questions. Clavio said that they are currently finalizing the fall schedule. He asked faculty to note that while they are trying very much to have everybody teach at the times that they've indicated they're able to teach, there is an obstacle because even though the campus is planning to restore in-person classes next fall, the university has not reverted to the traditional passing period hours. Clavio asked that faculty get in touch with him individually about scheduling concerns. The two-year course mapping will be accomplished in the next month or two, replacing the shorter term planning that has been used in the past. This probably won't have much of a functional change for most faculty in terms of what you're teaching, but it will give a little more predictability as far as what's going to be on the docket from semester to semester. Over the next couple of weeks faculty will receive a request for suggestions and recommendations on what courses they would like to teach for spring of 2022 and beyond. Clavio will also talk to faculty individually about classes they are interested in teaching and classes that could be offered, but aren’t currently.

Graduate Studies - Stephanie DeBoer

The graduate program is currently finalizing recruitment of graduate students for next year, Offer letters have gone out and prospective students have until April 15 to decline or accept the offers. DeBoer thanked the faculty who participated in the Zoom group and individual meetings with prospective graduate students. Faculty may continue to get requests to talk to prospective students. DeBoer said that The Media School has a good reputation for mentoring graduate students regarding their academic progress and the graduate committee is discussing ways to provide additional structured mentorship to the graduate students to support their classroom teaching. Incoming students will have a stipend of $17,000 per year. This amount was reached, in part, by reducing SAA lines to 60. Discussions continue on how to bring the stipend to $18,000 to match departments in the College and above $18,000 to be competitive with other Big Ten schools. The need for SAA lines may be reevaluated to further increase the stipend. The GRE requirement was waived this year primarily due to COVID and the test requirement will be discussed again and voted on by the graduate committee. DeBoer asked faculty to let her know of any concerns. Shanahan thanked DeBoer for her work.

Bloomington Faculty Council - Barb Cherry

As co-chair of the Creation, Reorganization, Elimination, & Merger (CREM) Committee, Cherry commented on a BFC agenda item for the March 16 meeting regarding guidelines for the Bloomington campus in the event of financial exigency. There has been some housekeeping on policies to see if they are up to date and Cherry explained that the agenda item is for the purposes of obtaining feedback as to whether the IUB campus should consider having its own policy. It is a preliminary step for potential consideration of developing a campus policy and there is no draft IUB policy that will be discussed or voted on. https://www.aaup.org/report/financial-exigency-academic-governance-and-related-matters

Updates - Jim Shanahan

Shanahan reported that the Media School is currently working on the budget in preparation for the annual meeting with the provost. The budget is balanced and enrollment numbers are healthy. There is to be a campus mandated 1% salary increase across the board. Any equity concerns can be discussed with the associate dean. A recent Media School salary analysis did not show any gender inequities. This information is available by contacting Scott Feickert. Shanahan said things are looking good for fall and Dr. Aaron Carroll is optimistic about in-person classes. Shanahan interviewed Dr. Carroll recently for a Through the Gates podcast. Dr. Carroll also has a weekly “Ask Aaron” webinar and the recordings are available at broadcast.iu.edu. There are no updates on the dean search. Provost Robel has been invited to talk to the Dean’s Advisory Board at their meeting on April 9, and Shanahan will excuse himself for that portion of the meeting. Shanahan addressed the issue of Michael Martin’s open letter. First he thanked faculty for their collegiality and praised the manner in which they handle internal issues in the School. He stated his belief in academic freedom and acknowledged that colleagues can have disagreements and handle them respectfully within the School. Shanahan made it clear that he disagreed with the assertions in the letter, in particular the criticism of Terri Francis. He affirmed his support of Terri Francis and the BFC/A. Shanahan said there would be further discussions on how this letter violated the university’s code of academic ethics. Shanahan congratulated Terri Francis on the publication of her new book and said faculty should celebrate their colleagues’ accomplishments. The meeting ended at 4:00 p.m.

The meeting minutes for November 13, 2020, were approved with no changes.  

Travel Courses – Kristin Martindale 

Pre-proposals for field experience courses for the spring and summer 2022 semesters are being  accepted. If you are interested in teaching a field experience course in spring or summer 2022, submit a  pre-proposal by Wednesday, February 24, 2021. The deans and director of undergraduate studies will  review the submissions and select some for which they would like to see a full proposal, due at the end of  March. 

Graduate Studies – Stephanie DeBoer 

Three graduate students out of the original six have again deferred their arrival. There are 128 graduate  applicants this year, up from 85 last year. DeBoer thanked the graduate committee and the unit  representatives for assisting with the applications. Offer letters will be sent the week of February 8 andthere will be a series of Zoom sessions the week of February 22 instead of in-person orientation. DeBoer  thanked those who are participating in the sessions and invited faculty to volunteer. Shanahan thanked  DeBoer and the graduate committee for their work. 

FAB – Gerry Lanosga  

The FAB is working on finalizing the language for electing at-large FAB members and the prohibition of  directors of graduate and undergraduate studies serving on the FAB. These revisions will brought to  faculty for a vote. The FAB is working on the proposed promotion standards for the new teaching  professor rank and should have these in place within the next two months. Lanosga thanked the  subcommittee working on the promotion criteria: Jim Krause, Radhika Parameswaran and Rush Swope.  The FAB is also working on the policy for the reappointment of lecturers. Lanosga reminded the faculty  that the FAB is glad to answer questions by email or anonymously using “Ask the FAB” on the intranet.  

Updates – Jim Shanahan 

Shanahan addressed a question the FAB received about security in Franklin Hall, specifically the concern  that the building is in a prominent location and marked “The Media School.” He offered to have the IUPD  come again to provide advice about contingency plans for violent protests and suggested that individual  units contact Dan Brown for more information on the procedures at https://protect.iu.edu/. Lanosga will  

put the security issue on the agenda for the next FAB meeting which Shanahan will be attending. In the  meantime, Lanosga asked faculty to contact him with concerns that should be discussed at that meeting.  Shanahan reported that there are changes on campus due to the new Biden administration that affecttravel bans, DACA, the extension of federal loans, the reversal of the federal ban on diversity training,  with more to come. IU Human Resources is looking at the future of work in light of the pandemic. The  issue of working remotely is being discussed and will be resolved at the campus level. COVID testing is  going well and IU stands ready to play an active role in administering vaccinations. 

Shanahan said that there are budget concerns because of COVID costs and that there is a continued need  to be financially conservative, but The Media School is holding its own on enrollment. He thanked facultyfor their work making this possible.  

Undergraduate Studies – Galen Clavio 

There are some registrar delays on summer planning, but information should be available in the next few  weeks. Fall is expected to be fully in-person, but may also have an online presence. Clavio will be in touch  with individual faculty members to discuss what has and hasn’t worked in online teaching. 

IDS Finances – Jim Shanahan 

The IDS’s financial deficit issues have been exacerbated by the pandemic. The paper had a reserve, but it  has been depleted. As an auxiliary unit, the IDS will be permitted to run a deficit for three fiscal years  beginning July 2021. Shanahan has had ongoing meetings regarding IDS finances and ways to re-envision  student media have been part of the discussions. Shanahan shared a proposal with the Journalism faculty  and they replied with unanimous support. Jim Rodenbush also supports the proposal. If there are no  objections, Shanahan will email the proposal to all faculty following today’s meeting.  

Shanahan announced that this will be his last semester as dean and that he will be a faculty member  beginning August 1, 2021. The provost will designate an interim dean. He thanked faculty and  encouraged them to think about what comes next.  

The meeting adjourned at 4:01 p.m.

Dean Shanahan began the meeting at 2:33 p.m. and on October 16, 2020, meeting minutes were approved as  written.  

Student Engagement - Eliza Erxleben and Kristin Martindale 

Eliza Erxleben reported on student engagement opportunities for pre- and current Media  School students. During the fall semester, we’ve held: a virtual student activities fair; a welcome event for  direct admit students; an in-person Starlight Drive-In event; and several info sessions. Planning to expand and  add more virtual engagement opportunities in the spring is underway. Kristin Martindale talked about ideas  for partnering with faculty to enhance student engagement. They will be asking faculty to participate in  planned events and they welcome ideas. 

Graduate Studies - Stephanie DeBoer  

Stephanie DeBoer described graduate recruitment efforts. There is an info session next week and another one  on December 7. DeBoer will reach out to faculty about participating in these sessions and welcomes  volunteers.  

FAB - Gerry Lanosga 

Gerry Lanosga reported that the FAB discussed the qualifications of the honors director position at their  meeting earlier in the day. Nicole Martins is in the last year of her term as honors director and the governance  document stipulates that the position is to be held by a tenured or tenure-track faculty member. The FAB is  considering a change to the governance document to allow NTT faculty to serve as directors. Gerry asked  faculty to send comments about this issue to the FAB in the next couple of weeks as they will likely vote on  this at the next meeting or sooner by email. NTT faculty are already involved in the honors program with many working as mentors to honors students. Beyond this, FAB approved several curriculum reform packages,  helped by Galen Clavio who attended the meeting and provided needed context. The next FAB meeting will be  in early December. Shanahan thanked the FAB for their work on the curriculum.  

Updates - Shanahan 

Shanahan said that the Provost’s meeting scheduled for yesterday was cancelled so there wasn’t a lot of news.  Campus has asked committee meetings to be minimized and service obligations eased between Thanksgiving  and the end of January. Enrollment numbers have improved since our last faculty meeting and are looking  okay. This year the campus is asking all schools to be involved in aid optimization: financial aid money to  encourage prospective students to attend. While there is some concern as to how effective it is, The Media  School will be more involved in this than in the past. There will not be merit raises this year, but there may be  some value in doing merit reviews. Shanahan encouraged the faculty to continue to make DMAI entries. He announced that Ryan Comfort will join the faculty and thanked the faculty for their participation in the  process. Craig Erpelding will be the new interim director for the BFA. Shanahan thanked him for accepting the  position.  

The meeting ended at 3:12 p.m. 

3:30-5 p.m.
via Zoom

Dean Shanahan opened the meeting at 3:31 p.m. The meeting minutes from the June 11, 2020, faculty meeting were approved as written. Shanahan thanked the Covid-19 Media School committee for their work. Shanahan presented a lot of information updates, starting with a PowerPoint with teaching resources and other information for faculty. He reminded faculty about the guidelines for wearing masks, and to complete the Community Responsibility Acknowledgement (CRA) on One.iu.edu. Access to online systems will be blocked at some point if the CRA hasn’t been completed. Travel will continue to be severely restricted and must have prior approval by the Dean. Fall2020.iu.edu is a collection of information that is updated frequently. There is still a directive for staff to work remotely; the building will be sparsely staffed and Scott Feickert has distributed an on-call list if there is an urgent issue. Masks will be available at the equipment check-out windows in Franklin Hall and RTV. Conference rooms have dots marking positions for participants and classrooms are marked for maximum occupancy. Chairs in the rooms are positioned where they need to stay. Floors are marked where students are to stand if they are waiting. Seating plans in classrooms will be needed for contact tracing. Shanahan thanked Jay Kincaid and his group for all of the work they have done to make the building safe for occupants. He asked faculty to be sure to wear masks and observe social distancing when interacting with Jay’s team. Enforcement information for rules outlined in the CRA will be coming out this week; contact Scott Feickert for staff issues and Walter Gantz for faculty issues. During the day, professors and students will need to wipe down the rooms; it’s up to each instructor to wipe down the lecture station.

Galen Clavio said that the Registrar’s office was still making changes and asked faculty to wait until tomorrow to see how their classes are listed and then email him with any questions. There will be another faculty workshop next week. There are still a number of things that haven’t been finalized. Shanahan asked faculty to communicate with their students before the semester starts and he reminded faculty that they need to be prepared for things to change rapidly.

Stephanie DeBoer provided an update on graduate program. There is an incoming cohort of twenty with 8 international students. Two of the international students will be able to be in Bloomington and 6 will be deferring to spring semester because of visa complications. Advisors will be assigned to all incoming students, including those who are deferring. DeBoer welcomed suggestions about how to support the community of graduate students, especially during this time when it’s harder to stop by an office or run into a faculty member to ask a question. DeBoer has emailed faculty details about Orientation Week that begins August 17. Graduate student assignments will be emailed to faculty next week. Shanahan reminded faculty that some graduate students don’t have the income on which they usually rely. There are some
funds available through the IU Foundation, and faculty should consider using graduate students as hourly workers to assist with research. DeBoer can help with assigning graduate students to work with faculty and she is the contact for graduate students who may need assistance.

There was more discussion on various concerns: the filters in the ventilation system throughout Franklin Hall are being changed. In the studios, everyone who is off-camera is expected to wear a mask. There are still a lot of details being worked out.

Shanahan thanked the faculty for their hard work preparing for the fall semester. The meeting ended at 4:49 p.m.

2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. via Zoom

Updates

Dean Shanahan began the meeting at 2:33 p.m. and the minutes for the September 4, 2020, faculty meeting were approved as written. Shanahan provided updates from recent campus meetings. He reminded faculty that flu shots are required for IU students and employees. There is a link for scheduling flu shots at Fall2020.iu.edu. Shanahan asked faculty to limit hospitality expenses, if at all possible, in order to follow social distancing guidelines and reduce expenses. Hospitality guidelines are on the intranet and a hospitality approval form needs to be submitted in advance. The hiring freeze is still in place, but there hasn’t been a request to implement another 5% budget cut. Shanahan asked faculty to let him know if they are affected by the federal administration’s executive order addressing H-1B visas restrictions. International travel is still on hold, but the Office of International Services has begun approving some essential trips. Study abroad for spring is still not allowed. For The Media School, study abroad has been cancelled for the spring semester and still waiting to learn about summer travel. The campus deans were told at the Provost’s meeting yesterday that the university is not taking a position on the executive order on combating race and sex stereotyping. Implicit biased training, for example, can continue as planned. The Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) Course Share Initiative will be offered again in Spring 2021. It is a program in which students on other Big Ten campuses can take IU classes. Shanahan has a few of these students in his class this semester and he asked faculty to let Galen Clavio know if they are willing to have these students in their classes. Shanahan reported that the numbers for prospective students applying for Fall 2021 are down at IU and the across Big Ten. The Media School’s numbers are down 25%; possibly because students are waiting to apply. It doesn’t mean that the incoming class will be 25% smaller. Right now it is thought that Spring 2021 will look much like Fall 2020, and there hasn’t been an official announcement about in-person classes for Fall 2021. COVID-19 testing numbers have been encouraging since the first weeks of the semester, but there are still a lot of unknowns. Early conversations are taking place to discuss different approaches to an online presence. Shanahan said that the decision has been made that the OCQs will be done as usual. The BFC voted on a resolution regarding whether or not a faculty member would have the option, for the fall semester, to use the OCQs in promotion tenure cases or in other merit evaluations. The resolution passed, but because the vote on the resolution was very close and there are ancillary issues, Provost Robel is encouraging that the OCQs be used thoughtfully. Shanahan asked that the unit chairs and faculty keep this in mind and he said that there may be further guidance from campus. After November 20 students will be online until first week in February and Shanahan urged faculty to use this time to recoup some of time that was spent preparing for online classes and spend it on research. He asked that faculty let Walt, Galen or him know if they have students returning to campus before February 8. Campus needs this information to make plans for testing arriving students. Shanahan thanked the faculty for their efforts this semester. He thinks it has gone well and that all have been resourceful dealing with students. The Media School will host a drive-in movie showing of the movie 42 on Tuesday, October 21, at 7:30 p.m. The event is free and open to students, staff, faculty and the public. Shanahan thanked Eliza Erxleben and Kristin Martindale for organizing the event.

Recruiting (slides)

Eliza Erxleben, director of student services, introduced Leya Taylor, assistant director of student services for recruiting. Taylor gave an overview of the recruiting efforts at IU and The Media School. (slides) There are opportunities for faculty to be involved in the info sessions and virtual visits with high school students this fall and next spring. Some of the info sessions will be on specific subjects in The Media School and Taylor asked that faculty contact her to participate in these recruiting efforts. Shanahan emphasized how important recruitment is, especially with the challenges of the pandemic and thanked Erxleben and Taylor for their work.

 Diversity Committee (slides)

Ryan Powell described the work of the Diversity Committee by telling faculty that the committee started off with a meeting with Dean Shanahan to identify tangible goals that the committee could work on this year. The primary role of the committee is to facilitate and make recommendations to create a climate at the School that is more diverse and a better place for underrepresented minorities to study and work. A Media School Diversity, Inclusion and Climate survey has been distributed to faculty, staff and students to help establish a baseline data. It will be used to track changes from year to year. Powell said a final reminder to complete the survey was sent yesterday. Powell thanked Gruszczynski for his hard work on the survey. The three priority areas for the committee are: complete data collection, formulate and submit recommendations on recruitment and retention and create a regularly updated online information system for diversity focused programming. The committee is working on facilitating and increasing funding and targeting existing organizations, programs and publications already within the school. Recruitment of new faculty is extremely important. The third focus area is development of increased financial assistance for underrepresented minority students and scholarship funds or a fellowship for a Ph.D. student working in the area of diversity. An easily accessible online space will be created by the end of the year to help inform faculty of upcoming events related to diversity in the school and the university with the goal of having these events included as part of the class or extra credit. Powell hopes that having this information available will encourage faculty and students to attend these events more often. The committee is also working with the recruitment team on their common goals. Ryan encouraged faculty to email him or the members of the committee with ideas about implementation and additional priorities. The committee members are: Nic Aguirre, Craig Erpelding, Walter Gantz, Mike Gruszczynski, Bonnie Layton, Nicole Martins, Ryan Powell and Bill Schwab. Shanahan said that the areas where The Media School can be the most impactful in improving diversity are faculty hiring and changes to the curriculum. He thanked Powell, Gruszczynski and the committee members for their work.

Graduate Studies

Stephanie DeBoer thanked the Graduate Affairs Committee and Audrie Osterman for their work on the changes to the graduate studies program page on The Media School website. She provided these links:

New MSCH graduate program page https://mediaschool.indiana.edu/academics/graduate/index.html

“Student Portal,” the link for which can be found at the top of the main page of the MSCH website. https://mediaschool.indiana.edu/student-portal/index.html

A description of Graduate Advising can be found under “Advising” in the student portal: https://mediaschool.indiana.edu/student-portal/advising/graduate-advising/index.html

Courses and registration in the student portal is the access to information and forms for: Planning exams/exam results/plan of study. https://mediaschool.indiana.edu/student-portal/registrationcourses/index.html

Please let DeBoer know if you are miscategorized on the website and she welcomes suggestions for improvements. She reported that the graduate students are doing well, but COVID is restricting their work opportunities. The Student Academic Division has a fund of up to $500 for students who are having difficulty. DeBoer thanked faculty for supporting grad students by using them as hourly workers and reminded them that these hires must go through Scott Feickert and Patsy Ek. DeBoer can help to match students with faculty research projects. Shanahan thanked DeBoer for her work with the graduate students.

Undergraduate Studies

Galen Clavio said that the Spring 2021 schedule is almost set and asked faculty to let him know if there are still problems on the teaching report. Registration begins week after next. Clavio asked faculty to send him an email if they have students who are not participating in classes. He reminded faculty that if a student’s parent contacts them there is a FERPA process that has to be followed to discuss a students with his or her parent.

FAB

Gerry Lanosga reported that the FAB is working on approving curriculum, requirements for honors directors and the criteria for teaching professors. Lanosga reminded faculty that there are links on the intranet to submit questions to the FAB.

Honors Program

Nicole Martins asked for faculty volunteers to review honors applications next February and mentoring for honors students. Martins offered to put faculty in touch with a current mentor if they would like more information on what is involved.

Faculty Search

Rob Potter told faculty that The Media School has been given permission to interview for a lecturer position in advertising. Faculty will receive information early next week and have an opportunity to visit with the candidate soon. This is one of two searches that were approved before the pandemic and permission to hire had to be renewed. The meeting concluded at 4:10 p.m.

2:30 - 4 p.m.
via Zoom

The meeting started at 2:33 p.m. 

Dean Shanahan welcomed the faculty. The minutes from the August 3, 2020, meeting were approved as written. 

Shanahan addressed the issue of mitigation testing in Presidents Hall and asked the faculty to let him know if this impacts their classes. He said that the School could collect information on any issues with the testing, but that solutions may have to come from the Media School. Shanahan regrets that he wasn’t informed before the testing began so he could notify the faculty and he has discussed the matter at length with campus personnel. He said that there is an urgent need for the testing and that few weather-proof locations are available. Jay Kincaid said he would ask again that students be asked to queue outside the building and that there be someone in the front hall making sure they do so. Kincaid said the waiting line is longest first thing in the morning and suggested that faculty and students use other Franklin Hall entrances. 

Shanahan said that there wasn’t a lot of news to convey because there hasn’t been a meeting of the deans with the provost in the past two weeks. His overall feeling is that things are going as well as can be expected and encouraged faculty to send him information about what is happening in their classrooms. 

Galen Clavio said that at the beginning of the semester faculty had been advised to be accommodating to students, but that this is not an excuse for students to go AWOL. Students missing three weeks of classes may need to withdraw from those classes as it would otherwise be challenging for them to successfully completed those courses. 

Barbara Cherry reported that she is now co-chair of the Bloomington Faculty Council’s CREM Committee and a member of the BFC Executive Committee. It is the BFC Executive Committee which sets the agenda for the meetings and that provides her a good opportunity to bring up issues with the BFC. The BFC has been discussing the COVID dashboard. Shanahan added that the IU doctors said there is no single threshold that would cause all classes to go online. 

Shanahan discussed enrollment numbers for the fall semester. The Media School is down 4.8% in student enrollment and 4.2% in credit hours. This is better than an early summer concern that enrollment might be down as much as 10%. The forecast for the spring semester is similar to this fall. The mandated 5% budget reduction has been implemented and the additional 5% cut that was discussed hasn’t been requested. 

Kincaid reported that there is some confusion about classroom cleaning. Students are to use hand sanitizers when entering and leaving the classroom, and to use the disinfectant supplies to wipe down their area when they come into a classroom. Kincaid said that his team is encountering faculty not wearing masks outside their offices. Shanahan said that steps will have to be taken to enforce the mask requirement if it continues to be an issue. Several faculty said that they had not received their IU issued face masks. Barb Cherry asked that they email her. 

Stephanie DeBoer said that of the 20 incoming graduate students, 6 have deferred because of visa complications. Incoming graduate students that received offers had to commit by April 15, and Campus did not allow new offers to be made to fill the places of those who declined. All scheduled graduate courses are being held this semester; there were no cancelled classes. Shanahan congratulated DeBoer on the incoming class and thanked her for her hard work. 

Clavio said there will be no further changes to modalities absent extreme circumstances. Shanahan said there are situations where this may need to be reevaluated, for example, if an instructor tests positive. Shanahan said he is available for a personal conversation with any faculty member who feels that he or she is in a hazardous situation. 

Walter Gantz told the faculty that there is a strategic hire underway that began before the pandemic restrictions. Tony Fargo is leading the hiring process. Faculty will receive Ryan Comfort’s dossier soon. There is limited money for targeted hires, but university still wants to encourage diversity. 

Gerry Lanosga said that the FAB has a lot to do this year, but asked faculty to let him know if there are other issues. Lesa Major will serve as the balancer member on the FAB. 

Shanahan presented Distinguished Professor Annie Lang, in absentia, with a Indiana University Bicentennial Medal. He showed the medal to the group and said that because of COVID restrictions the medals are being awarded online instead of in person. The medal honors distinguished and distinctive service in support of IU’s mission as a public university and is awarded to individuals who have enlarged the footprint of IU or have helped to put IU on the map in unique ways. Shanahan asked the faculty to join him in congratulating Lang on her tremendous career. 

The meeting ended at 3:37 p.m.