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Feb 11, 1998 Minutes


Present: Anderson, Bible, Conroy, Deduck-Evans, Hays, Hunter, Irvin, McGee,
Oliver, Pascoe, Sawey, Simpson, Stimmel and Winek

Absent: Gillis

Guests: Lou Caruana (CLS), Shirley Ogletree (Psychol), John Davis (Psychol),
Pat Cassidy (AVPAA), Cecilia Temponi (Fin/Econ), Mike Moore and Dylan Sides
(Star)

CONTENTS:
Curriculum Committee Report
Faculty Compensation
Election of Vice Chair
University Lectures
Faculty Developmental Leave
LET Proposals
New Business
Research Enhancement Grants
Academic Computing Committee
Minutes of 2-4-98

Chair Bible called the meeting to order at 4:05 p.m.

CURRICULUM COMMITEE RECOMMENDATIONS

The Senate was asked to endorse proposed changes in the university
curriculum. The Psychology Dept. will add a Master of Arts with a major
in Health Psychology. Discussion centered around the issue of overlap with
other disciplines in the health professions. Dept. Chair Ogletree noted
that she has communicated with the affected chairs to avoid problems in
this area. The Senate voted to endorse the proposal.

The Dept. of Mass Communication wishes to change the minor in Mass
Communication by reducing the required number of hours from 24 to 18.
The Senate endorsed the change.

The Dept. of Health Administration proposes to change the Bachelor
of Science in Health Professions with a major in Health Professions-Health
Care Administration to a Bachelor of Healthcare Administration with a major
in Healthcare Administration. The Dept. also wishes to add a minor in
Healthcare Administration. The Senate endorsed both proposals.

FACULTY COMPENSATION

The Senate considered a proposal from the chair of its Tenure,
Promotion, and Compensation Committee that a recommendation for faculty
merit raises exceeding six steps (3%) must be approved by the appropriate
school review group. Several concerns were expressed, e.g., that six
steps is too small a number to warrant the convening of a school review
group and that these groups may not relish the idea of plowing through
the files of all of the faculty in their school who may be up for such a
raise and second-guessing the judgment of the departments. The Senate
voted not to endorse this recommendation. It did, however, endorse a
recommendation to create a system that would permit accurate record
keeping on merit via computer readable files. It would be the task of
the committee to compile the data on merit.

ELECTION OF SENATE VICE CHAIR

Sen. Grant Simpson was elected Vice Chair of the Senate, replacing
former Sen. Gene Bourgeois, who resigned last fall.

UNIVERSITY LECTURERS COMMITTEE

The Senate was asked to consider a proposal from the committee
chair to change the process of selecting lecturers. Chair Temponi asked
that the committee be permitted to make a "main call" for proposals every
Spring to bring in speakers during the academic year. A "second call"
would be made in the Fall subject to availability of funds. The Senate
voted to endorse the change.

FACULTY DEVELOPMENTAL LEAVE

The Senate was asked to consider a proposal from AVPAA Cassidy to
change the leave application process by requiring dept. chairs to document
their plans for funding replacements for faculty approved for leaves. The
Senate approved the proposal and also agreed that the leave application
form should continue to require chairs to state whether 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, or 1
F.T.E. of the academic rank will be required by the department if the leave
is granted. Finally, the Senate agreed that forms should require chairs to
list the courses that the leave applicant would likely have taught during
the leave period.

LET PROPOSAL

At a previous meeting, the Senate expressed its concerns about the
weak communication skills of many SWT students and discussed possible ways
to address this issue. Subsequently, its Learning Excellence Team met to
discuss its role in this effort and came forward with a request that it be
permitted to put together a list of concerns and questions to pose to the
administration and to circulate among faculty. The Senate voted to endorse
this request and will revisit the issue after the list has been prepared
and circulated.

NEW BUSINESS

RESEARCH ENHANCEMENT GRANTS

Chair Bible reported on a Council of Academic Deans discussion of
the grant application and review process. Among other things, he noted the
deans' concern with the number of faculty whose applications were rejected
for failure to follow prescribed application criteria. The deans agreed
that these criteria should be applied rigorously and evenhandedly, but are
also interested in ways to assist faculty to be more viable applicants.
They welcomed the idea of a joint Senate/Deans/Chairs committee to review
the grant application process and guidelines.

The Senate in turn agrees that chairs and deans should be involved
in the process and guidelines review process; it believes, however, that
this process would be far more expeditious if one chair and one dean,
rather than two of each as was suggested at CAD, served on this committee,
and it will forward that recommendation to VPAA Gratz.

ACADEMIC COMPUTING COMMITTEE

A question arose as to whether the Friday, Feb. 13 meeting of this
committee could be in closed session. Chair Bible reported that University
Attorney Fly had advised him that such committees are not subject to the
Open Meetings Act because they do not make policy, but instead put forward
recommendations on policy. After a lengthy discussion, the Senate voted
to require this particular meeting to be in open session, as it did not
believe that factors which might warrant a closed session, e.g., personnel
matters, were present in this instance. The Senate also agreed to consider
later the larger issue of a blanket policy for all of its committees.

MINUTES OF 2-5-98

The minutes of 2/5 meeting were approved.

The meeting was adjourned at 6:17p.m.