ACADEMIC SENATE MINUTES

 

 

DATE:            March 27, 2008

 

PRESENT:     Jeff Sanders                                          Rakesh Sah

                        Sandie Rietz                                         Bruce Brumley

                        Kay Streeter                                         Lorrie Steerey

                        Gershon Bulgatz                                   Steve Coffman

                        Alicia Esteves (student)                         Heather Wilson (student)

                        Tasneem Khaleel (ex-officio)                Mary Susan Fishbaugh (ex-officio)

                        Karen Heikel (ex-officio)                      George White (ex-officio)

 

ABSENT:       Agnes Samples*                                   Johanna Mitchell*

                        Keith Edgerton*                                   Mark Hardt*

                        Craig McKenzie*

                        David Garloff (ex-officio)                      Gary Young (ex-officio)*

                        John Cech (ex-officio)                          Terrie Iverson (ex-officio)

                        Stacy Klippenstein (ex-officio)

* excused

 

GUESTS:        Susan Balter-Reitz                                Cindy Rossmith

 

PRESIDING: Lorrie Steerey, Chair

 

 

Lorrie Steerey called the meeting to order at 3:47 p.m. in the Missouri room of the SUB.

 

The minutes of February 28 were accepted as presented.

 

I.          ITEMS – FOR INFORMATION

 

Item 16  BS Major in Political Science Teaching Certification Option.  New program.

Item 16.b  POLS 101 Introduction to Government.  Change course number to 200 and change title to Introduction to Comparative Government.

Item 16.e  POLS 321 Public Policy.  New course.

Item 16.f  POLS 347 Legislative Process.  New course.

Item 16.g  POLS 310 Judicial Process.  New course

 

̃ Motion by Jeff Sanders, seconded by Bruce Brumley to accept Items 16, 16.b, 16.e, 16.f, and 16.g.

 

It was noted that all the faculty needed for this program are in place with the hiring of a new political scientist for this year.

 

̃ Motion carried with one abstention.

 

Item 32  AAS in Practical Nursing 70 credit plan of study.  Delete program (replaced by new AAS program as per the BOR and State Board of Nursing).

 

̃ Motion by Bruce Brumley, seconded by Sandie Rietz to accept Item 32.

 

Cindy Rossmith, Director of Nursing, College of Technology, noted that they admitted their last cohort of students into the old AAS program last spring.  There will be two more semesters of teach out which will be completed by Spring 2009.

 

̃ Motion carried.

 

II.         ITEMS – FIRST READING

 

Item 29  SPED 584 Student Teaching.  Change credits from 9 to 6.

 

̃ Motion by Sandie Rietz, seconded by Bruce Brumley to approve Item 29 on first reading.

 

Mary Susan Fishbaugh, Interim Dean, College of Education, stated that all of the student teaching courses are now at six credits, so this change is to match the SPED course up with the other programs.  The programs remain marketable with fewer credits in the program.

 

̃ Motion carried.

 

̃ Motion by Sandie Rietz, seconded by Bruce Brumley to waive second reading of Item 29.

 

̃ Motion carried.

 

Item 34  Academic Senate Bylaws:  Modification of Graduate Committee Bylaws.

 

̃ Motion by Alicia Esteves, seconded by Sandie Rietz to approve Item 34 on first reading.

 

Susan Balter-Reitz, Chair of the Graduate Committee, noted that the main changes to the bylaws include:  extending the term of the officers to two years for continuity, the vice chair rolling into the chair position, and changes to the functions of the Committee to be more consistent with shared governance.  Also, the Graduate Committee will now be the appeal body for the Graduate Faculty appointment process.

 

The question was raised as to the Graduate Faculty criteria proposed last year.  Dr. Balter-Rietz stated that last spring they simplified the nomination process.  The nomination comes from the Department to the Dean and then to the Graduate Committee.  The Graduate Committee intervenes only if there is a dispute.  The approval of the new Graduate Faculty members rests with the faculty.  Present Graduate Faculty members will not be grandfathered in because all Graduate Faculty memberships will have to be renewed annually.  Dr. Balter-Reitz noted that this is not intended to create a lot of work, because the Deans simply submit a list every year of who is on the Graduate Faculty.  Faculty do not have to apply every year.

 

It was noted that this new Graduate Faculty policy has not yet been before the Senate, even though the Graduate Committee has been operating under it for this year.

 

̃ Motion by Sandie Rietz, seconded by Gershon Bulgatz to table Item 34.

 

̃ Motion carried.

 

III.       DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS

 

A.  Budget Committee Bylaws

 

It was cited that the College of Allied Health Professions has been having trouble filling their spots on the Budget Committee.  Dr. Steerey put forth the following revised membership requirements for the Committee (additions in bold):

 

The Budget Committee shall consist of no more than two (2) faculty from the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, College of Education, College of Allied Health Professions, and the College of Technology, (12/99), two (2) students, one full-time staff member or contract professional each from the administrative affairs and student affairs divisions, (11/92) the Provost/Academic Vice Chancellor, the Administrative Vice Chancellor, the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, the Deans, and the Budget Analyst/Supervisor of the Budget Office. Faculty, student, and staff or contract professional members shall have full voting rights. If a college does not fill its positions for faculty, faculty from other colleges will be appointed at-large to fill these open positions.

 

̃ Motion by Sandie Rietz, seconded by Bruce Brumley to approve the above bylaw changes to the Budget Committee membership.

 

It was suggested that the Chancellor also be a member of this Committee.  It was cited that since the Chancellor makes the ultimate decisions on the budget, it does not make sense that he is also a member of the recommending body for those decisions.  However, he is a great resource to have at the meetings.  It was agreed to add “The Chancellor shall be an ex-officio member.” after the statement of voting rights.

 

̃ Motion carried.

 

B.  Provost Position Description and Search Committee

 

Dr. Steerey noted that we are now in the process of starting a search for a permanent Provost.  Chancellor Sexton has a draft position description, which Dr. Steerey distributed, and he would like any changes or additions sent to him by next Tuesday (April 1).  It was noted that eLearning/Online, International Studies, and Graduate Studies are not included in the position description right now.

 

Also, the Search Committee will need members and they will be meeting in the summer, through the end of July.  Bruce Brumley and Lorrie Steerey have agreed to serve.  A faculty member from CAS and COE are still needed.

 

C.  Academic Senate and CQI Annual Program Reviews:  Discussion of appropriate Senate participation in the process

 

Dean Fishbaugh noted that the Senate looking at all the reports every year is apparently not an effective use of the Senate’s time.  It has been proposed that the spring before a program is to go through either an accreditation or Board of Regents review, or both, the members of the program come to the Senate and make a presentation.  Then the Senate could provide a written report with evaluations and suggestions.  For instance, the College of Education will have a NCATE review in Spring 2009 and will submit a seven-year report to the BOR in September 2009.  The Departments of the COE could come to the Senate in early Fall 2009.

 

Tasneem Khaleel, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, noted that the reason we set up an annual reporting process was to make the BOR required seven-year reviews less difficult to put together.

 

It was cited that these annual reports should be included in the Budget Committee’s deliberations.  It was noted that the reports could help us see where to reduce funding for programs that just aren’t cutting it and perhaps increase funding for struggling programs with potential.

 

Provost George White noted that there is a disconnect between the annual reports and the budgeting process because these reports are not telling us anything useful.  He also noted that the BOR has done away with their numerical minimums and they are allowing us to set our own criteria for program success.

 

It was noted that in the big budget cuts of the 1980s, the Senate met with each and every department and from those meetings made the cuts.

 

Dr. Steerey asked for three Senators to join her in a group to study this idea.  Sandie Rietz, Bruce Brumley, and Jeff Sanders agreed to join.

 

D.  Migration of Online Courses to New eLearning Software

 

The Provost has asked for a group of faculty to form some priorities about which courses should be migrated to the new eLearning Software.  The University’s contract with eCollege is up and we will have a new vendor.  It will be a difficult process to convert to new eLearning software.  Faculty participants need to be here at least through May.  Jeff Sanders, Lorrie Steerey, and Steve Coffman agreed to serve.

 

 

The meeting adjourned at 4:47 p.m.

 

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