University commissions and committees have continued their work this summer through campus conversations, research and other activities. Here’s an update on the latest developments:

The Committee on Class and Labor

Created to examine issues of class and status at the University through a multi-phase process, the committee held additional focus groups throughout the summer for Emory employees at Grady Hospital and in Campus Services.

A report on the first phase of their work was presented to the University Senate last spring. A final draft and recommendations — now being prepared — will be released for feedback later this fall.

This phase of the study focuses on Emory’s non-academic workforce and the possible of roles of class in promotion, advancement and self-improvement opportunities, as well as the role of sub-contractors at Emory.

The next phase of the study will look at academic labor. The third phase will look at the relationship between academic labor and non-academic labor, and the fourth phase will look at the relationship between students and all labor on campus.

 The Committee on Class and Labor is co-chaired by Nadine Kaslow, School of Medicine professor, chief psychologist at Grady Memorial Hospital, and past-president of the University Senate, and by Gary Hauk, vice president and deputy to the president.

Read more about the Committee on Class and Labor.

Task Force on Dissent, Protest and Community

Created by President James Wagner following student arrests during an April 2011 campus protest over concerns with Sodexo, Emory’s food service provider, the task force was asked to consider how to balance dissent and protest with academic freedom and community.

Wagner charged the task force to "advise us on everything from principle to policy," with the goal of recommending guidelines.

Last spring, co-chair Frank Alexander, professor of law, presented the University Senate with a set of principles on which to begin developing policies. This summer, the committee submitted a report to President Wagner and will be examining what structure is needed to continue and expand a discussion of the topic with a wider university constituency.

Read more about the Task Force on Dissent, Protest and Community.

The Commission on the Liberal Arts

This spring, Provost Earl Lewis appointed a 28-member commission to launch an extensive examination of the future of liberal arts at Emory. The commission’s work will continue despite Lewis’ appointment as the next president of the Mellon Foundation. In May, the commission created four working subcommittees:

• Defining a 21st Century Liberal Arts Education
• Curricular and Disciplinary Structures
• Implementation, Delivery, and Interaction
• Liberal Arts and the Research University

The commission is co-chaired by Steve Everett, professor of music and director of the Center for Faculty Development and Excellence, and Claire Sterk, Candler Professor of Behavioral Science and Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health, and senior vice provost for academic affairs.

Learn more about the Commission on the Liberal Arts or sign up to receive updates by email.

The Quality Enhancement Plan

"Primary Evidence" was selected as the focus for Emory’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), a required component under the University’s reaffirmation of reaccreditation review by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

The University will take the coming academic year to plan for implementation of the QEP, including establishing an infrastructure for programs, engaging in a campus-wide conversation on defining primary evidence and conducting associated research, and identifying action steps to launch the QEP.

The QEP Selection Committee is co-chaired by Sarah McPhee, art history professor, and Rick Rubinson, sociology professor. A final plan will be submitted to SACS by December 2013; SACS will evaluate the University for reaccreditation in 2014.

Learn more about the Quality Enhancement Plan.