Faculty Senate Minutes, 21 February 1995

MINUTES

FACULTY SENATE MEETING

21 FEBRUARY 1995

Chairperson D. Ediam called the meeting to order at 4:05 p.m. in Chryst Hall, Room 210. All departmental senators attended except Political Science. C. Coveleski, J. Haugh, E. Kobeski and H. Tang attended for the student senate while M. DiNofia attended for the Snapper.

Minutes

Senate approved the 7 February 1995 meeting minutes with the following changes: Chairperson D. Eidam submitted changes for the Report of the Vice-President for Academic Affairs on page 3701. On page 3701, second paragraph, last sentence, change "MU is trying to get the faculty an infrastructure in the departments." to "MU is trying to build more support for the faculty." In the third paragraph, last sentence, change "MU does not have a way to bring in, retain, and graduate students without pain in some departments." to "Institutional Research will enable the University to admit, retain, and graduate students and also minimize pain in some departments." Finally in the last paragraph of the Vice-President's report, delete the last sentence, "MU wants to make more sense out of what it does in the academic affairs division." Also on page 3703, University Course and Program Review Committee Report, for the course PSCI 231, strike out the words "...Liberal Arts Core Course..."

Reports

Chairperson's Report

Chairperson D. Eidam recognized several senators who requested changes in today's agenda. Senator F. Erickson asked that senate withdraw Item XIII from the agenda. Senator R. Wismer asked that senate place Item XI ahead of Item X. Senator B. Nakhai asked that senate place Item XII ahead of Item X. Senate agreed to all changes. Finally Eidam submitted two reports (see Attachments A and B).

Student Senate

Sbustituting for student senate president, J. Haugh, E. Kobeski greeted senators. He said that last week, student senate had two referendums involving revisions to its constitution. If anyone would like to see the revisions, Kobeski can arrange to send them. The shuttle bus referendum passed. Student senate held committee elections at its last meeting; it will notify senate committee chairpeople of their new student members. Last week was the first meeting of the Spring semester with the Board of Student Governor Presidents. MU sent three members; two attended the Chancellor's meeting.

Administrative Officers

Associate Provost for Academic Administration

Associate Provost for Academic Administration J. Stager prepared and distributed two reports (see Attachments C and D). They concern tables about enrollment, average class size, number of sections, etc. Please share the information with the departments. Some of the highlights follow.

The total Spring semester enrollment is 7143 students although that number is not final. MU froze the data last Friday, but still must do more editing. The enrollment is up from last year. Last year's 400 student drop overall caused a financial impact on the University. The graphs indicate that we are recovering from the impact.

MU is still concerned about the decline in part time enrollments. A look at the chart on page 7 in the reports (Attachment C) shows the history of part time enrollments in the Fall and Spring for undergraduates. It includes downtown and on campus students. There has been a steady decline for some years especially for the last three years. However, the decline this Spring is less severe than it had been. The ACE program with its 200 students is helping out although some of those students would have attended MU anyway as part time students. MU needs to develop some policies and procedures to recover more part time students.

MU also needs to recover more summer school students. Summer enrollments over the last five years have declined steadily. We need to market Summer School more aggressively. MU's funding is based on the academic year FTE. Full time equivalent students represent the total credits taken in the Fall and Spring semesters divided by 30. Students take 15 credits in the Fall and Sp[ring; 30 credits are a full time load on the average.

The Fall FTE is always higher than the Spring because the Fall enrollment is always about 400 higher than the Spring. The charts show that 25 year history. The academic year FTE is somewhere in-between. Board of Governors policy constrains us in that we cannot exceed enrollments bands of the academic year FTE. We cannot go higher than 5743 nor lower than 5293 or our funding is adversely affected. We aim to get the academic year FTE up as high as possible, but still below the upper enrollment band. The goal is to raise the 5532 that exists this year up to 5743. Another 200 FTE students would maximize our revenues.

The second packet (Attachment D) is a 7 year history of the number of sections, seats, and average class size. Stager can, if you would like them, produce similar graphs for every department. For sections, notice that the number that MU has offered in the Fall and Spring have steadily increased for the past three years. For seats, every student takes five seats approximately per semester. MU generates about 27,000 on campus seats in any one Fall semester. The seats do not include independent study and special instruction classes. Divide the number of seats by the number of sections to get the average class size. the average class size is lower in the Spring than it is in the Fall.

When questioned about the MU calendar, Stager said that in the Fall of 1997 there is a possibility that classes might start after Labor Day. Commencement would be Sunday, December 21, 1997. Grades would be due 24 December at 4 PM.

Acting Assistant Provost for Academic Affairs

Acting Assistant Provost for Academic Affairs K. Gregoire distributed a resport (see Attachment E). She said that over Spring break on Thursday and Friday, there will be a statewide general education conference. Millersville participated in putting together the conference. MU can have 10 people there. MU already has some people from the General Education Committee who have expressed an interest in attending. If you are interested in attending, please contact her.

Committee Reports

University Course and Program Review Committee

Committee chairperson C. McLeod introduced one course under the one meeting rule:

BIOL462:

General Education Review Committee

General Education Review Committee chairman R. Wismer said the committee met last Tuesday. It is examining various definitions of courses. The committee will assemble for an extended weekend meeting in March. It will strive to formulate some questions for senate because it needs more senate guidance. It does not want to waste senate's time.

University Theme Committee

University Theme Committee chairperson J. Piperberg said the committee had received four proposed themes for the 1997-1998 academic year. The committee will attempt to meet with the individual theme proposers.

Piperberg mentioned some theme events for this semester. Tonight's event is the second part of the nuclear energy series. The speaker will discuss superconductivity high level nuclear waste. Future events include: on March 10 a specialist from NASA will talk about space films. On March 14 at 8 PM in Myers Auditorium, there will be a talk on low level nuclear wastes. The theme committee will assist the Sociology/Anthropology Department in bringing to campus and publicizing a speaker, Cyril Wecht, a forensic specialist. He will speak on March 28 although Piperberg did not know the exact time nor location.

Cooperative Education Committee

Cooperative Education Committee chairperson, W. Dorman, said the committee will meet tomorrow at noon in the SMAC and will schedule another meeting later in the semester.

Faculty Grants Committee

Faculty Grants Committee chairperson, R. Fulmer, reminded senators that the deadline for applications for faculty grants is March 1, 1995.

Proposed Courses

Under the one meeting rule, senate approved four courses:

ELED371:

EDUC430:

PSCI231:

BUAD455:

Business

Elections

Chairperson D. Eidam called for nominations for a School of Social Science replacement representative to the Academic Policies Committee to fill a term that ends August 1995. The nominee could not come from the Sociology/Anthropology department since S. Casselberry now serves on the committee. Senator R. Fulmer nominated A. Gantt from the Social Work Department. With no other nominations seate elected Gantt by acclamation.

General Education Review Committee Proposal

The General Education Review Committee proposed that CQ courses be separated into C and Q courses (see Attachment D of the 1 November 1994 minutes). Committee chairperson R. Wismer spoke in favor of the motion. He said the current practice puts two categories (C and Q) into one category (CQ). He said that the committee is not contemplating proposing any requirements that students must have two C and two Q courses. After more debate, senate passed the motion.

Proposal for an International Business Certificate Program and Revisions to the BS Secondary Education Social Studies Major

Senate considered a proposal for an International Business Certificate Program to be first offered in the Fall 1994. See B. Nakhai for the proposal. He spoke in favor of the proposal; it requires 18 credits of interdisciplinary courses mainly in social sciences. It has already recruited students. He listed the three components: Business and Economics, foreign language, and Liberal Arts. The motion passed.

Next senate considered revisions to the BS Secondary Education Social Studies major to be first offered Fall 1995. See C. Geiger/H. Fischer for the proposal. Senator C. McLeod spoke for the prposal. Under the revision he said a department would become the major and social studies would become an option. Senator S. Luek noted the University does not have a separate Department of Social Studies. After considerable discussion, Senator R. Fulmer noted he was hearing three different issues. A R. Fulmer/O. Iglesias motion to postpone action on the proposal until two senate meetings from now passed. Senate will consider the proposal at the first meeting after the Spring Break.

Motion Concerning Completion of the Major

Senate resumed debate on the Admission to-, Retention-in-, and Completion of the Major policy motions (see Attachment F for the chairperson's latest amended statements of the first two motions). Since senate vice-chairperson S. Luek and chairperson D. Eidam wished to speak to the motions, senator B. Nakhai volunteered to preside temporarily.

Senate resumed debate on the Admission to the Major motion first at the point where it adjourned at the last meeting. The D. Hutchens/R. Wismer amendment would delete the sentence, "Admission to the major must be based on multiple selection criteria." from the motion. Senator D. Hutchens said some senators object to the lack of meaning of the words "...multiple selection criteria." Senator G. Yelagotes said the multiple selection criteria needed to be spelled out.

G. Yelagotes/D. Eidam moved the previous question. Parliamentarian C. Scharnberger said that the Yelagotes/Ediam motion required a two-thirds majority vote and was not debatable. Scharnberger said the previous question comprised the Hutchens/Wismer amendment and the Admission to the Major motion. If the Yelagotes/Eidam motion passed, it would force an immediate vote on the amendment and main motion. The Yelagotes/Eidam motion failed by one vote, 15 in favor to 9 against.

Debate on the Hutchens/Wismer amendment continued. After considerable debate, senate passed the amendment. Debate on the Admission to the Major motion as amended resumed. To be consistent with other sentences in the motion, senate consented unanimously to adding the words "special" to the sentence, "All (special) departmental admissions requirements must be in writing and kept constant." A C. Stameshkin/M. Margolis motion to move the previous question passed with more than the required two-thirds majority. The Admission to the Major motion then passed.

Chairperson D. Eidam replaced temporary chairperson B. Nakhai. Senate began debate on the second motion, Retention in the Major, as amended and as stated in Attachment F. It resumed debate at the point where it adjourned at the last meeting. D. Hutchens/B. Nakhai had moved to amend the main motion to delete the fifth paragraph beginning "A Student who has met..." The Hutchens/Nakhai motion to amend passed.

Senate returned to the main motion as amended. B. Nakhai/R. Wismer moved to amend by changing the second paragraph of the motion as follows: In the first sentence change the word "...new..." to "...additional..." Senate consented unanimously to the change. Senate then passed the Retention-in-the-Major motion.

Senate returned the third motion, Completion of the Major, to the agenda for the next meeting. It also returned BS Secondary Education Social Studies Major to the agenda until the first meeting after the Spring break. Senate adjourned at 5:40 p.m. The next meeting will be Tuesday, 7 March 1995, from 4:05-5:45 p.m. in Chryst 210.

Respectfully submitted,

Marvin Margolis, Secretary
Faculty Senate

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