Dean searches are continuing in the College of Engineering and Information Technology, the School of Law, and the College of Pharmacy, Provost Becker reported at the Faculty Senate meeting Feb. 1.

Four candidates have interviewed for the dean of the College of Engineering and Information Technology: Michael Amiridis, chair of USC's Department of Chemical Engineering; Christine W. Curtis, professor of chemical engineering, Auburn University; Seshu B. Desu, distinguished professor and head of the Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Massachusetts at Amherst; and James F. Ely, head of the chemical engineering department at the Colorado School of Mines.

The University received 60 applications for the position.

Three candidates have interviewed or will interview for the dean of the School of Law. They are David Shipley, the Thomas R.R. Cobb professor of law at the University of Georgia, who visited campus Feb. 2-3; James Chen, associate dean for faculty and the James L. Krusemark professor of law at the University of Minnesota, who visits Feb. 9-10; and Walter "Jack" Pratt, professor of law at the University of Notre Dame, who visits Feb. 16-17.

Applications are being accepted for dean of the College of Pharmacy.

Becker reminded the Senate that April 4 is the deadline for the Faculty Excellence Initiative program for 2006-07. The process has been streamlined and the deadline moved up. For more information about the program, go to www.sc.edu/provost/news.html.

Becker also announced some of his plans for reorganizing the Office of the Provost, including creating an ombudsperson for the University and a vice provost of faculty development; looking at enrollment, retention, and admissions; and examining the role of the Graduate School.

"I've been motivated by making our office as responsive as we possibly can to increase our levels of productivity and cut down on delays when we get requests for processing materials," Becker said, adding that faculty members should send any comments about the reorganization to the Faculty Advisory Committee.

During his comments, President Sorensen addressed several items in the budget the governor presented to the Legislature, including:

• A proposal to increase the state sales tax and reduce property tax would result in a $2.8 million increase in the state sales tax for the Columbia campus
• Although the proportion of the state budget allocated to higher education has remained steady for phe last 10 years, the funding per FTE student has decreased by 26 percent since 1996
• Focus on the cost of tuition is misleading, Sorensen said. Of the freshmen from South Carolina who enroll at USC, 96 percent are lottery scholarship recipients. "We have very heavily discounted tuition," he said.

Sorensen reported that he and James F. Barker, president of Clemson University, recently met with Bobby Harrell, speaker of the House, and Dan Cooper, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, to make "100 percent of our budget requests in the presence of each other. I hope it will be a harbinger of collaboration in the years to come."

Sorensen requested $2 million for the College of the Environment to study the Congaree River. "There are problems with contamination and pollution," he said. "We want to study ways to improve the quality of the river."

Also, the University has reached an agreement with the Guignard family to buy 29 acres of land adjacent to the Congaree River from Gervais to Blossom streets. The University's new baseball stadium will be built on high land in the tract, but "there will be zero construction in the flood plain except bike and pedestrian paths," Sorensen said. "There will be no construction along the Congaree."

Sorensen reminded the Senate that faculty members who write op/ed pieces for publication should follow procedures in the Faculty Manual and include a statement that their opinions are not the opinions of the University.

"I vigorously and adamantly support the right of faculty members to write about any topic," Sorensen said. "But I urge you to consult the Faculty Manual concerning op/ed pieces."

2/06