The University of Iowa

Faculty Senate

Charter Committee Annual Report to the Shared Governance Council

Committee: Council on Teaching
Report Year: 2024

Committee Chair(s)	Matthew Arndt, Associate Professor of Music Theory
Committee Members	Members: Faculty: Alicia Ambler, ESL (interim) Matthew Arndt, Music (2022–25) Erin Barnes, Counselor Education (2023–2026) Michelle Fravel, Pharmacy (2023–26) Elke Heckner, German (2022–25) Richard Peter, Finance (2021–24) Yolanda Spears, Social Work (2021–24) David Stewart, Mathematics (2023–26) Hanna Zembrzuska, Internal Medicine (2021–24) Staff: Eric E. Ensley, Special Collections (2023–26) Students (one vacancy): Maria Volkman (2023-2024) Anushka Gupta (2023-2024) Amanda Behles (2023-2024) Administrative Liaison: Tanya Uden-Holman, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education and Dean of the University College Affiliated (non-voting): Anna Flaming, Director, Center for Teaching Administrative Staff: Erin Foster Hartley, Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost
Committee Charge	The Council on Teaching provides a forum for discussion of present and future needs in the area of teaching; reviews procedures regarding evaluation of instruction and experimental programs; and advises on development of proposals for outside funding to promote teaching. The council also serves in an advisory capacity for the Center for Teaching.
Current Year Meeting Dates	9/12/23 11/6/23 12/11/23 1/23/24 2/21/24 3/28/24 4/16/24
Please indicate the typical frequency of meetings (e.g., first Tuesday of month at 4 pm). If there are subcommittees, please indicate the frequency of those meetings, too.	About once a month
Current Year Activities	The Council on Teaching sought, evaluated, and selected candidates for the following university-wide teaching awards: Hubbard-Walder Award for Excellence in Teaching - recognizes faculty who have participated in a rich variety of university teaching (e.g., undergraduate, graduate or professional, classroom, one-on-one) and who have contributed to curriculum and/or program development. Outstanding Teaching Assistant Awards - recognizes teaching assistants who have demonstrated outstanding ability as teachers at the University of Iowa. President and Provost Award for Teaching Excellence - recognizes outstanding University of Iowa faculty with sustained records of teaching excellence. Teaching in Higher Education Conference Award - support to attend a conference related to teaching in their discipline or in higher education in general. The Council received updates on the Center for Teaching from Anna Flaming.
Topics your committee will address during the coming year	The Council will again evaluate applications for the awards named above and select recipients. Other items will be discussed as suggested by members.
Other issues of concern	N/A
What should we tell applicants for this committee regarding expectations of members (anticipated workload, existence of subcommittees, etc.)?	Applicants to the Council must understand the importance of its mission and the intensity of its workload and be dedicated to carrying out its functions. All members are expected to complete all assigned evaluations in a timely and professional manner and to participate in all meetings. Members must be ready to devise strategies for evaluating voluminous applications efficiently, fairly, and consistently. There are no subcommittees.
Does your committee have a website? If so, what is the URL?	https://cot.org.uiowa.edu
What is your process for passing on previous agendas and minutes to the new committee chair(s)?	All Council materials are housed in a Sharepoint site.
Recommendations, if any, to the shared governance groups.	None