At its first meeting of the 2008-2009 academic year, the Faculty Council—the 18-member governing body of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences—introduced its five new members.

Dean of the College Evelynn M. Hammonds and Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Allan M. Brandt were present to welcome the newcomers: former Graduate School of Arts and Sciences dean Peter T. Ellison, former History department chair Andrew D. Gordon ’74, zoologist Farish A. Jenkins Jr., former Earth and Planetary Science department chair Michael B. McElroy, and former Classics department chair Richard J. Tarrant.

“We really just got acquainted,” said English professor and Council member Louis Menand in an e-mailed statement. “The wine and cheese were good.”

The Council also selected the members of the Docket Committee, which directs the proceedings of Council meetings and plans the agenda for meetings of the full Faculty.

FAS Dean Michael D. Smith will chair and Jenkins will vice-chair the committee, which includes Ellison and art historian Robin Kelsey.

“I’m hoping for a relatively uneventful year,” said history professor Gordon.

Though Gordon wishes to see a smooth transition into a new general education curriculum, he said he is otherwise “not coming in with a particular set of goals and concerns.”

—Staff Writer Benjamim M. Jaffe can be reached at bjaffe@fas.harvard.edu.

—Staff Writer Esther I. Yi can be reached at estheryi@fas.harvard.edu.