Present: Bible, Bourgeois, Caverly, Ford, Hays, Horne, Hunter, McGee,
Parkin-Speer, Pascoe, Sawey, Simpson, Stimmel, Weller, and Winek.
Guests: Mike Alden (Athletic Director), Dana Craft (Assoc. Athletic Dir.),
Meg Murray (Athletic Academic Coordinator), Dr. Susan Griffith (Asst. VP
IRP), Prof. Rebecca Bell-Metereau (English & Special Asst. to Pres.); Mike
Moore and Ms. Shirley Pilus.
CONTENTS:
SCH ISSUE
AD HOC COMMITTEE ON EVALUATION OF ADMINISTRATORS
NORTH AUSTIN INITIATIVE
INSTITUTE FOR FRESHMAN LEARNING (Prof. Bell-Metereau)
GRIEVANCE COMMITTEE and OTHER COMMITTEES
RECENT CAD MEETINGS (Report by Prof. Pascoe)
PAAG AGENDA FOR 9/4/96
MINUTES OF 7/31/96
NEW ITEMS
The meeting was called to order at 4:02, Chair Bible presiding.
The Senate congratulated Senator Hays on her well-deserved award
for leading SWT's acclaimed dance program for three decades.
SCH ISSUE (Dr. Griffith)
Department chairs have updated the baseline data for the SCH
proposal, e.g. verifying FTE, etc. Friday, August 30th, the proposal goes
to the Executive Planning Council (EPC is composed of PC and CAD). [See
Senate minutes of 7/31/96 for a summary of the proposal.]
A number of questions were raised. According to a TACT
representative the Regents may be considering a $2,500 biennial raise and
what would that do to the SCH plan--which is based on increasing SWT
faculty salaries to the median of the top quartile of our 13 sister schools
in Texas by A.D. 2003? [Reply: If all Texas system schools get these
raises, this will not change our relative position. Also we have to keep
in mind that Texas schools are near the bottom nationally in pay.] What
about the possible effects of our extension at Round Rock taking away from
student enrollment on campus? Is distance learning factored into the
equation? What about disciplines (e.g. Music, Art, Rec. Athletics, etc.)
which cannot have large enough classes to generate SCH? [Reply: If
implemented properly, some departments will be "held harmless" for these
special conditions. Students at Round Rock will count. Distance learning
is not yet a reality and will be considered when it happens. The goals set
initially may have to be altered as we see what works well and what does
not.]
Quality of education in ever larger classes was raised again.
Prof. Parkin-Speer pointed out that some things, such as correcting
freshman essays (one every week and a half) can only be done by humans.
Others pointed out similar labor-intense requirements in their fields--the
evaluation of creative work, field research, and lab work. [Reply: While
innovative technology can sometimes help--and the University plans to set
aside some funds to research models in these areas--some areas in various
disciplines will have to be excepted from general SCH averages and other
areas more amenable to larger classes will pick up the slack.]
Another caveat, raised by Prof. McGee, was the question discussed
by the Liberal Arts Council (LAC) this summer that departmental data on SCH
might be used to lop off faculty lines or even whole disciplines, as the
University of California did a few years ago. A worthy, even noted,
program could be axed on the reasoning that it was not generating enough
income for the school. [Reply: This can happen when a "productivity by
SCH" program is improperly implemented. Again, "held harmless" for special
cases is a key phrase.]
AD HOC COMMITTEE ON EVALUATION OF ADMINISTRATORS
After discussion motions were passed and carried that: (1) The
Committee should be reconstituted; (2) It should reexamine PPS 8.05
regarding how to evaluate administrators; (3) It should consider the idea
of renewable terms for chairs. Chair Bible was instructed to reconstitute
the old committee and invite one suggested new member.
NORTH AUSTIN INITIATIVE
Questions will be asked about this at the coming PAAG meeting.
INSTITUTE FOR FRESHMAN LEARNING (Prof. Bell-Metereau)
Prof. Bell-Metereau explained a handout containing the Freshman
Experience Team's August 1996 Report. Pedagogy and freshman learning is
the overarching theme. The main focus will be on four areas: (1)
collaborative learning techniques; (2) using technology; (3) using service
learning (e.g. students, possibly working in groups, will involve
themselves with some community activity or agency and write about the
experience); (4) continuous assessment and improvement.
Faculty who wish to participate will attend attend several
workshops and breakfast sessions throughout the year. Fall sessions are
expected to include collaborative learning, service learning (sponsored by
Billy Moore's office), and a FAC workshop. A grant proposal writing
workshop will be one of the Spring 1997 sessions. [No budget was submitted
with this report, but an earlier version in July appeared to need about
$80,000 and grants are being sought.]
A second handout, from the University of South Carolina's
innovative freshman retention program, outlined some of the structural
problem freshmen encounter and suggested some approaches a university might
use to overcome some of the problems. A few of these have been initiated
at SWT (freshman seminar, a residential college with block classes,
assigning mentors, etc.); some others we are doing but perhaps not in a
systematic way.
GRIEVANCE COMMITTEE and OTHER COMMITTEES
Motions were passed and carried to appoint the top two faculty vote
getters from the previous election to serve and Chair Bible was instructed
to invite an administrator and a dept. chair nominated by the Senate. As
you recall the Grievance Committee was decimated by retirement from the
Committee and resignation because of two members who went into other
University positions which created possible conflict of interest.
No chair has been appointed for the Academic Governance Committee.
A motion was passed that Prof. Sheila Hargett be appointed president
pro-tem to call a meeting of the Committee, at which they could elect a
chair.
RECENT CAD MEETINGS (Report by Prof. Pascoe)
Prof. Pascoe attended the CAD meetings this summer for Chair Bible.
The following were some of the areas covered:
(1) The Strutters are going to China to do a fashion show [Some
Deans expressed concern regarding what U.S. fashions would be shown.]
(2) Several program changes were presented [Some Deans would like
to see how program changes fit into the Dept.'s and University's long-run
plans.]
(3) Deans were allerted to the tenure question arising around the
country and in the TX legislature [While tenure is currently viewed as
"private property" and protected under the 14th amendment, there is a
movement afoot to abolish it for new hires.]
(4) A strategic initiative want-list of about 3 pages was given
CAD, but it came with the warning that funds would probably not be
available for "new starts" because of initiatives already underway.]
(5) The question of faculty outside employment has been raised [We
should all read a copy of the Regents' Rules on this--apparently they are
stringent.]
(6) A faculty salary equity analysis will be done by the Deans.
(7) 12th day rosters are not being turned in and a new policy will
be developed to keep the auditors happy [As you know, the policy has
arrived.]
(8) CAD received a feasibility study for Round Rock.
PAAG AGENDA FOR 9/4/96
VPAA Gratz has asked to present the Regents' drug use policy. The
Senate would like to discuss the national and state situation of tenure,
the question of merit in the last cycle, the adequacy of $3,000 per Round
Rock graduate course for the professor, departmental budget spreadsheet
possibilities, the missing $72,000 promised the Honors Program (to
compensate depts. for the use of their faculty). Other issues may arise by
meeting time.
MINUTES OF 7/31/96
The minutes were approved as read.
NEW ITEMS
Prof. Bible was instructed to discuss parking with Police Chief
Megerson and request again that SWT return to its former policy of allowing
faculty to park in any color zone.
Meeting adjourned at 6:13 p.m.
Ramona Ford
Secretary
