The faculty met for its monthly meeting on Thursday, and discussed implementation of the strategic plan, strategies for addressing the University's $6.5 million budget deficit and other pressing matters. Provost Steve Goldstein '78 led the meeting in the absence of University President Frederick Lawrence, who was on the West Coast for a fundraising trip.

Goldstein announced that strategic plan implementation groups are being formed, and will include academic leaders, administrative leaders, faculty and staff members.

He said that these groups will be working with Prof. Anita Hill (Heller) and himself to "distill" the plan's "objectives, actions and timelines" and in order to start creating timelines for implementation by the end of this semester. He also noted that many aspects of the plan will require funding to be "fully actualized," and thus will be worked on concurrently with the design of the "case statement" for a capital campaign, which is slated to start with a "quiet phase," or a period in which major gifts are secured before making an official public announcement, in January.

Prof. Faith Smith (AAAS), the faculty representative to the Board of Trustees, also presented at the meeting and shared information from last week's Board meetings.

According to Smith, the University is taking several measures to address a current $6.5 million deficit.

One such measure is a one million dollar savings in procurement. Additionally, she said that the new contract for dining services with Sodexo "will mean significant savings," and that the University is "trying to do something similar" with the recently-announced health services overhaul.

Smith also reported that at the Board meeting there was a discussion about whether or not faculty members are underpaid. She said that it is "distressing" that "what we do has to be defended. ... Some Board members get it but some don't. ... Board members have to be made to understand what we do and what it means and to see that this is vital to the institution's existence."

On another topic directly related to the faculty, Goldstein announced that his office has authorized a set of faculty "cluster hires" on the theme of the African diaspora, and that there are two open positions: one a joint-appointment position in the African and Afro-American Studies and Women's and Gender Studies departments, and the other in the History department.

According to Dean of Arts and Sciences Susan Birren as quoted in an Oct. 10 BrandeisNOW press release, "This is exactly the kind of initiative identified by our faculty in our university-wide strategic planning process as an opportunity to build on areas of excellence through selective use of cluster hires in key disciplines."

Also on the topic of faculty positions, Goldstein announced that three professors were formally approved for promotions to the title of full professor at the Board meeting last week: Profs. Wendy Cadge (SOC), David Cunningham (SOC) and Ann O. Koloski-Ostrow (CLAS).

Chris Bedford, director of the Rose Art Museum, made the final presentation of the meeting. After making several jokes about the difficulties of preparing for the annual dance party "SCRAM Jam," which took place Thursday night at the Rose, he spoke about the ongoing restructuring of the museum's staffing organization and the achievement of forming a Board of Advisors, both of which have taken place since the museum reopened two years ago.

Bedford said that the staff's size has "doubled," that former collections manager Kristin Parker has been promoted to deputy director and that there are plans to add a director of development and a collection manager registrar.

Bedford called the Board of Advisors an "impressive ensemble of people," and said that the museum hopes to add three or four more advisors before the end of the fiscal year.