Dear Faculty Colleagues,
The rhythm of the academic year provides us with a number of opportunities to come together as a full faculty. In the fall semester, we gather on the first Monday of every month for faculty meetings; in the spring, we shift to the last Monday of the month. We also gather socially at events called “tunks.”
For faculty joining Colgate, “tunk” refers to all-faculty social gatherings, which have historically been held on Friday afternoons. On April 13, 2013, Dan DeVries, Office of University Communications wrote a piece, Hidden Colgate: A year of 13 facts, in which he provided the following explanation of the term:
The term “tunk” is still in use on campus today, usually to refer to faculty soirees. It was originally meant to describe a masculine social occasion, usually in the evening, at which food and non-alcoholic drinks were served. The earliest mention is from 1882, but it had been in use for some time at that point. The term may have roots in Welsh history, meaning “food-rent.”
This semester, I will again add to the tunks a series of divisional gatherings at 9 East Kendrick, the provost and dean of the faculty house, which is a wonderful space for bringing people together. These will be casual opportunities for faculty to connect with one another. Light refreshments will be on offer. Dates below.
Faculty Meetings
Given the renovation of Olin Hall, we will not be using Love Auditorium for faculty meetings this year. Unless noted otherwise, faculty meetings will be held at 4:15 p.m. in the Memorial Chapel. Chenango Nursery School will remain open until 6 p.m. on faculty meeting Mondays.
Please make note of the following faculty meeting dates:
Fall 2023
- September 11
- October 2
- November 6
- December 4
Spring 2024
- January 29
- February 26
- April 1
- April 29
Agenda items for faculty meetings should be sent to Christian DuCumb, associate dean of the faculty, and Adam Burnett, chair of the Committee on Faculty Affairs (FAC) for consideration. These should be sent by 10 a.m. Monday the week before the faculty meeting. Reports and items of information to be included as attachments to the agenda should be received by the end of the workday Tuesday before a faculty meeting. It is especially important that any text of University legislation requiring a faculty vote be included in the agenda.
Gatherings
Fall Tunks
The Office of the Provost and Dean of the Faculty will host two tunks:
Our first tunk will be on Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at Merrill House. In keeping with longstanding tradition, this first tunk is a family event: the atmosphere and food are casual, and there are generally hordes of children rolling down the Merrill House lawn and finding their ways into the trees. This year, with the fall closure of the Merrill kitchen for renovations, we’ll have food trucks on site. For these reasons, and others, let us hope for good weather.
On Friday, Oct. 20, I invite you to convene for a fall tunk, location to be determined, from 4 to 7 p.m., with an earlier start as the days grow shorter for faculty who might be heading home to prepare for Shabbat.
9 East Kendrick Divisional Gatherings
The 9 East Kendrick divisional gatherings described earlier will occur on the following dates:
- Division of University Studies: Thursday, Sept. 7, 4:30–6 p.m.
- Division of the Social Sciences: Thursday, Oct. 19, 4:30–6 p.m.
- Division of Arts and Humanities: Tuesday, Nov. 7, 4:30–6 p.m. (The AHUM Colloquium is not slated for Tuesday this week)
- Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics: Friday, Oct.13, 4:30–6 p.m.
- PERA: Breakfast on Friday, Dec. 9, 8:30–9:45 a.m.
- Provost’s Division (faculty and staff in university libraries, museums, ITS, off-campus study, sustainability, CLTR, OED, grants and sponsored research, entrepreneurship and innovation): Thursday, Aug. 24, 4:30–6:30 p.m.
In addition, the president’s office will provide another occasion for us all to convene at the faculty-staff holiday party in December, date and invitation to come.
I look forward to seeing you in these various settings.
With warm regards,
Lesleigh
Lesleigh Cushing
Provost and Dean of the Faculty
Murray W. and Mildred K. Finard Professor of Jewish Studies and Professor of Religion