AGENDA
- Call to Order
- Chair's Remarks
- Discussion of activity checklists and information from Compliance Services
- Announcements
- Masters program - Pal
- Consent Agenda
- Discussion of bylaws
- Committee Reports
- Report from the GSR
- New Business
- Executive Session
- Adjournment
MINUTES
The regular meeting of the faculty of the Department of Mathematics was held in PDL C-38 at 3:30pm PST, November 18, 2025. Max Lieblich, Chair, presided over the meeting. Rose Choi was the recording secretary.
Chair's Remarks
There’s been a delay in committee assignments due to considerations of how departmental staff support may be heavily reduced in the fiscal year 2027. To prepare our department for this possibility, faculty may be tapped to take over certain duties that were once handled by staff. At this moment the core committee assignments have been made: Executive, Personnel, Undergraduate Program, Graduate Program, AAP hiring, Graduate Admissions, and Library. The remaining committees will be determined later on. In the meantime, ad hoc committees can be set up by individual faculty and are encouraged to do so.
The math department as a whole spends about $1.3m per year on grants. More than $1m of that is spent on summer salaries and RAs. Our department has already built up half that amount in revenue from this summer alone. As we build up our summer research program, the various experiential learning opportunities that we can push out to the community, and our fee-based masters program, the more self-sufficient the department will be.
Starting next quarter the department meetings will be at 11am in a different room TBD with catering.
We do not expect to have very many jobs available next summer. However, we are looking into alternative ways to provide teaching opportunities to the graduate students outside of summer teaching.
The operating assumption at this juncture is that there will be no graduate extensions. There will be a process by which students may request one; but one should assume that they won’t be approved. Funding for grad students is still up in the air and we won’t know the budget until much later on.
There is an ongoing investigation of Title VI at the UW (as well as elsewhere). In discussion with the UW Compliance office, we must be vigilant to follow the guidelines in the checklist that was distributed via email in regard to hiring, programs, activities, and admissions. For example, the diversity statement on our website may not be in full compliance; therefore, we will be removing it in its entirety until the UW crafts an official version for posting.
Announcements
There was a faculty committee started several quarters ago to develop a fee-based masters program for the math department (separate from the current state-based masters program). We cannot share the same name nor the same students. A group of five industry advisors was assembled for guidance and feedback. After five iterations of the program, the most recent version was sent out as a document via email and reviewed by the associate dean of natural sciences. An announcement must be sent to the university system alerting them of our intent along with the name of the program (which can be changed later on) and a committee will need to take on the task of drafting the 15-page document which details every element of the program. The School of Continuing Education will need to then approve the document as we provide evidence of its feasibility including sources of funding. Only then can we take steps towards actualizing the program such as building the website, advertising, enrolling students, etc. A motion was made to call the program “Masters in Mathematics of Optimization and Artificial Intelligence.” A vote was held and approved.
A recording studio has been set up in Jenni Taggart’s old office for instructors to use. Please contact Soumik Pal for access.
Discussion of bylaws
The Executive Committee recommends the following amendment to paragraph 2.7 of the department’s bylaws: "The Graduate Student Representative (GSR) is a graduate student serving as liaison between the department's graduate students and faculty. The GSR’s term begins at the start of Summer quarter and lasts for one year. The GSR shall be elected by the graduate students in the Spring quarter immediately preceding the start of their term.
“All candidates in the GSR election must have completed the milestones appropriate for their career stage, as described in the Graduate Student Guide. A job description for the GSR will be maintained by the GSR and the Graduate Program Coordinator and will be available to all GSR candidates during the election period in the Spring.
“The GSR serves as a non-voting member of the Graduate Program Committee and is responsible for informing graduate students of discussions at those Graduate Program Committee meetings at which the GSR is present. The GSR shall not be present at discussions that expose any FERPA-protected information on the performance, funding, milestones, or other aspects of the record of any individual graduate student or group of graduate students, and shall not receive information from the Committee or any of its members about the outcomes of such discussions, with the sole exception of information directly pertaining to the GSR, which shall be communicated to them in the same manner in which similar information is communicated to all other students in the graduate program."
A motion was made, voted on, and approved.
Report from the GSR
As mentioned earlier by Max, there will be an extension process for graduate students; however, there will very likely be no extensions. Advisors are encouraged to have a discussion with their advisees on what their plan will look like and what applications should look like for the extension process.
There will be a departmental chess league running next quarter. All are welcome to join.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no new business, the meeting passed into executive session at 4:37pm.