ACADEMIC SENATE MINUTES

 

 

DATE:            November 1, 2007

 

PRESENT:     Agnes Samples                                     Jeff Sanders

                        Rakesh Sah                                          Sandie Rietz

                        Bruce Brumley                                      Lorrie Steerey

                        Johanna Mitchell                                   Keith Edgerton

                        Gershon Bulgatz                                   Mark Hardt

                        Craig McKenzie                                   Steve Coffman

                        James Ellis (student)

                        David Garloff (ex-officio)                      Tasneem Khaleel (ex-officio)

                        Mary Susan Fishbaugh (ex-officio)        Karen Heikel (ex-officio)

 

ABSENT:       Alicia Esteves (student)

                        Kay Streeter – excused                       

                        Gary Young (ex-officio)                        John Cech (ex-officio) – excused

                        George White (ex-officio) – excused    Terrie Iverson (ex-officio)

                        Stacy Klippenstein (ex-officio)

 

PRESIDING: Lorrie Steerey, Chair

 

 

Lorrie Steerey called the meeting to order at 3:44 p.m. in the Chancellor’s Conference room.

 

I.          ITEMS – FIRST READING

 

Proposed Academic Foundations Courses – Approved by the AFC 10/23/07

Item 7.b  AF Course:  HON 281 Humanistic Thought of the United States to 1877 for Category V.B. Humanities.

Item 7.c  AF Course:  HON 282 Humanistic Thought of the United States since 1877 for Category V.B. Humanities.

 

Ž Motion by Sandie Rietz, seconded by Craig McKenzie to approve Items 7.b and 7.c on first reading.  Amendment to the motion by Steve Coffman to waive second reading as well.

 

Ž Motion carried with two abstentions.

 

Item 9  MS in Public Relations.  Modification of an existing program.

Item 9.a  COMT 420/520 Media Advertising.  Change course description.

 

Ž Motion by Keith Edgerton, seconded by Bruce Brumley to approve Items 9 and 9.a.

 

Steve Coffman noted that there seems to be a demand for an additional option in Mass Communication for this program.

 

Ž Motion carried.

 

Item 14  REHA 594 Counseling Practicum.  Change prerequisite and course description.

Item 14.a  REHA 596 Cooperative Education/Internship.  Change prerequisite, corequisite, and course description.

 

Ž Motion by Bruce Brumley, seconded by Keith Edgerton to approve Items 14 and 14.a.

 

Ž Motion carried.

 

Ž Motion by Sandie Rietz, seconded by Bruce Brumley to waive second reading of Items 9, 9.a, 14, and 14.a.

 

Ž Motion carried.

 

II.         ITEMS FOR INFORMATION

 

Item 31  Minor in Health Communication.  New program.

 

This Item will be postponed to next week because the College of Business has not had an opportunity to review it (The Communication & Theatre program requires a marketing course).

 

It was noted that the Chair of Health & Human Performance also has not reviewed this program.

 

III.       DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS

 

A.  Functioning Senate Representation on the UCC and RACE Committee

 

Dr. Steerey stated that Chancellor Sexton has agreed to add $20,000 to the Fall 2007 RACE grants and $20,000 for Spring 2008.  This brings the total monies for the 2007-2008 year to $50,500.  Dr. Sexton also stated that if faculty will do the reporting he has requested, he is willing to allocate more dollars next year.

 

It was noted that as Senators, we should get the word out about the need to report on these RACE grants.  It was suggested that a sample report would also help.

 

It was stated that the RACE Committee elected to change the awarding schedule, and that proposal was not approved by the Senate before being brought to the administration.  The Senate should have seen it first.  It was observed that perhaps a member of the Senate should be on both the RACE Committee and UCC.  Lorrie Steerey and Johanna Mitchell agreed to go to the next RACE meeting, which is November 6.  It was noted that there are some fiscal liabilities with the proposed RACE schedule (awarding funds before the fiscal year begins).  Dean Khaleel cited that if the funds Dr. Sexton has allotted are not state funds, they can accrue to next year.

 

It was noted that the UCC concern is that the Senate is getting programs that do not seem to be properly reviewed.  It was cited that with the Minor in Health Communication in particular, it had already been approved by the Board of Regents and the UCC members felt powerless to stop it for any reason.  It was noted that on the Outdoor Adventure Leadership proposal last week, the UCC had asked many of the same questions.  Mr. Shaw felt attacked, and the Senate needs to make it clear that the issues are with the proposals and not the faculty.  Dr. Steerey stated that she will meet with the Chair of the UCC to discuss the mission of the Committee and reinforce the idea that their power is beyond a rubber stamp.

 

B.  Position Description Resolution

 

The Resolution (below) went to the subcommittee on Monday.

 

The Academic Senate does not support the continued use of Position Descriptions at Montana State University Billings.

 

It was stated that the resolution was not well received and the subcommittee thought it was not in the spirit of collaboration.  It was noted that this is what the Senators are hearing.

 

C.  Summer School Advising

 

It was stated that faculty have been asked to come in during the summer to advise students, and those faculty are not teaching and therefore not under contract.  It was noted that this is really a union issue, but the Senate agreed this is not an appropriate practice.

 

Dean Heikel noted that last year they asked faculty who would not be around in the summer to leave a message on their phone or computer to let students know they were unavailable.  The Advising Center also requested a list of faculty who would be working in the summer, so they could send students to the appropriate people.

 

 

D.  Provost Council and Chancellor Meeting Reports

 

Dr. Steerey noted that most of the Provost Council discussion this week was confidential budgetary items which cannot be made known until the Deans have spoken with their faculty.  However, last week Dr. White stated that faculty are going to do assessment and there is no way out of it.  He also stated that faculty have to realize this is a 12 month commitment, not a 9 month commitment.

 

Dr. Steerey stated that she is attending both Provost Council and the Chancellor’s Cabinet, and she has agreed to do so in the summer as well.  During summer, she will email the Senate with any and all issues.  Dr. Steerey will also meet with Chancellor Sexton about every other week, and she can bring one or two people with her.  Just let her know if you would like to attend a meeting.  Dr. Steerey and the Vice Chairs will be going to Bozeman to visit President Gamble in December (weather permitting) and Dr. Steerey also checks in with Rolf Groseth, Vice President for Inter-Campus Affairs, on a regular basis.  The next step is to get on the Chancellor’s executive budgeting group.  It was noted that a couple years ago, members of the Faculty Association participated in the Chancellor’s executive budgeting group.

 

E.  CPSLL Summer School Survey

 

Johanna Mitchell recently received an email with a summer school survey, because she is a student.  Dean Heikel stated that this is the same survey they did last year.  They are again surveying both students who have taken summer classes and those who did not.  The survey asks demographic questions, when they took their class, did they use the food services, did they stay in the dorms, and did they go to the advising center.  As a result of last year’s survey, the food service and library hours were expanded.  For those students who didn’t take a summer class, they were asked why.

 

It was noted that the survey also asks about the quality of the course, which is a violation of the CBA.  Only the instrument in the contract can be used, and it is up to the instructor whether the course is evaluated or not.

 

Dean Heikel noted that the survey is anonymous and it is not linked to any class.  The quality questions are in there to ask if the course work is affected by the compressed summer format.  The survey was taken to the Faculty Association last year.

 

Dean Fishbaugh noted that Survey Monkey can scramble the email address the survey is coming from, so we never see which results go with which student.  The Senate will need to check with Information Technology to find out if this was done.

 

F.  Abbreviated Student Evaluation Instrument

 

Keith Edgerton stated that he is on the student evaluation subcommittee.  It has long been known that no one is satisfied with the current evaluation.  The subcommittee hopes to design a new, much shorter evaluation that it will then take to the FACC and eventually get included in the contract.  The subcommittee is working on developing a four to five question instrument, and it must produce results that are reliable and valid.  The group is also asking if we should compare our results to national results and how should we compare results from different disciplines.  It was noted that it is also important to discuss where the results go once the evaluation is completed.

 

It was cited that at the College of Technology, there is absolutely no security for the evaluations.  The evaluations are in a box off the commons area that anyone can get into.  A person could take all the evaluations and burn them, or “stuff the box” with fake evaluations.  What does this say about the validity of the results?  It was noted that some departments (on the main campus) ask other faculty members to collect the evaluations.

 

G.  Senate Member to ASMSUB Meetings

 

Johanna Mitchell agreed to go every other week, as requested by the ASMSUB.

 

H.  Senate Member to CQI Steering Committee

 

The meetings are every other Thursday at 9:00 a.m.  Dr. Steerey agreed to attend.  She also noted that she is off the Senate Budget Committee, as she has too many obligations already.

 

I.  Patent/Copyright Questions

 

Sandie Rietz noted that she met with Vice Chancellor Terrie Iverson.  Ms. Iverson is arranging a meeting with a local patent lawyer, Dr. Rietz, and Dr. Steerey.  The lawyer will then meet with the Senate to answer any questions.

 

J.  Sabbatical Committee Nominees

 

It was noted that we already have seven volunteers.  Gershon Bulgatz and Mark Hardt agreed to be on the list.  Kay Streeter was also added to finish the list.

 

K.  Budget Committee

 

Dr. Steerey noted that she cannot be on both the CQI Committee and the Budget Committee.  Rakesh Sah agreed to take her place as a College of Business representative on the Budget Committee.

 

L.  Bookstore Website

 

It was brought to the attention of the Senate that on the campus bookstore’s website, the faculty password is publicly listed.  Anyone can go in at any time and add or delete books from the course.

 

 

M.  Summer 2008 Schedule

 

The question was raised as to whether the Senate has consented to the Summer 2008 Schedule changes.  Do we let it go as an experiment?  If so, how do we define it’s success or failure?  It was agreed that a discussion of how we define whether the new schedule succeeded or not will be held at the November 29 meeting.

 

 

The meeting adjourned at 4:53 p.m.

 

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