At its September meeting, the Faculty Council heard news from each of the standing committees, including the Budget Committee, currently vacant; the Distinguished Fac- ulty Lecture committee, chaired by Debra Houry; the Faculty Counselors Committee, chaired by Erica Brownfield and consisting of faculty who sit on committees of the Board of Trustees; the Faculty Hearing Committee, chaired by James Hughes; the Faculty Life Course Committee, chaired by Michael Kutner; the Learning Outcomes Committee, chaired by Hiram Maxim; and the University Research Committee, chaired by Doug Bowman. Bowman also mentioned that the URC is now administratively housed in the Center for Faculty Development and Excellence and will be exploring avenues for poten- tial collaboration with the CFDE. The Council also voted to eliminate the Carter Center Liaison Committee, which had been inactive for many years.