Faculty Senate Minutes, 2 April 1996

MINUTES

FACULTY SENATE MEETING

2 April 1996

Chairperson D. Eidam called the meeting to order at 4:05 p.m. in Chryst Hall, Room 210. All departmental senators attended. Student Senate President E. Kobeski, M. Harnish, T. Miskelly, and H. Tang attended for student senate.

Minutes

Senate approved the 5 March 1996 meeting minutes without corrections.

Reports

Chairperson's Report

Chairperson D. Eidam reported on courses approved by President J. Caputo (see Attachment A). In the future Eidam suggested that senate create a new category in the action summary. notification of Course Approvals. Eidam said that he has mailing labels for senators to use for faculty senate purposes. He needs three to four days advance notice before producing them.

There are nine departments that need to elect new senators between 1 April 1996 and 30 May 1996. Eidam has already notified the department chairs. Annual Reports are due the day before senate's last meeting in May. Eidam has requested that the reports be on disk. Eidam will give them to senator M. Warmkessel who will put them on senate's Web homepage. library Dean D. Zubatsky sent a memorandum indicating the MU index includes nearly 60,000 citations to faculty senate minutes. On behalf of the senate, Eidam expressed gratitude to the Ganser Library staff.

At its last meeting, senate discussed the need for a new course approval form. eidam sent senators a proporsed new form before Spring break. Eidam asked for and received feedback on the proposed form. Eidam has taken the feedback and produced a slightly modified form. He sent the modified form to senators during spring break. Eidam asked for either approval of the form or amendments to it. A T. Woo/W. Dorman motion to approve the new approval form passed. After senate receives final approval, Eidam said he would send a copy to every chair.

Since senators received a copy of the course proposal for Education 576 sometime after November 29, 1995, Eidam asked that it be put on today's agenda under the one meeting rule.

Student Senate

Student Senate President E. Kobeski said student senate met last thursday and discussed the plus/minus grade proposal. Student feelings were mixed about it. Student senate will not have a referendum on the plus/minus proposals later this semester at the time of the general elections. Student senate elections begin soon. Shuttle bus ridership is up several hundred this semester compared with last semester. On 21 April 1996, MU will host a SSHE rally. pennsylvania State Legislature Representatives Sturla and Barley will attend. Kobeski encouraged the faculty to attend.

Administrative Officers

President

President J. Caputo discussed the basketball program. MU takes all the accusations very seriously and will carefully investigate the matter. A small committee will assist in the investigation. To maintain rigor, depth, and objectivity, a local legal firm with appropriate expertise, Stephens and Lee, will assist the investigators.

Caputo discussed the moratoirum on new general education courses. The principle reasons for establishing the moratorium are largely accommodated. The moratorium gave two task forces the opportunity to take a look at curricular issues with all other things equal. MU needs to define a role for the deans at the department and school level and for the provost in the faculty senate--in making a resource assessment about various curricular proposals and other administrative matters. The administration does not desire to extend the length of the course approval process. The faculty has an absolute role in the content of the curriculum. caputo asked if MU should life or sustain the moratorium for another year. Several senators advised President Caputo to life the moratorium.

Vice-President for Academic Affairs

Provost F. McNairy presented copies of the complete reports from last Fall's task forces minus the appendices 9the reports are not attached because of their length). The reports plus appendices are available to faculty through the deans and department chairs as well as the library. On 7 May 1996 both task forces will report to senate. The provost urged senators to review carefully the conclusions of the reports.

McNairy discussed the informatioin that the administration sends to chairpersons concerning courses and policies. From time to time the administration may seek to change senate recommendations. it may want to recommend a revision of language or share some other observations. For example, there may be a better way to phrase a policy that makes it clearer to students. When this occurs, the administration will put its requests in writing and ask senate to consider the recommended changes in a thirty day period of time. The administration will not rewrite a policy without senate's knowledge.

Chairperson Eidam said that when he receives the administration input, he will inform the senate secretary who will immediately put the changes on the senate agenda.

Vice-President for Student Affairs

Vice-President for Student Affairs G. Reighard said that MU is taking the basketball situation seriously. MU is in constant contact with the NCAA but does not know which way the situation will go. F. Erickson is in charge of the investigating committee. MU will share the committee findings with the faculty and the general community. MU is embarrassed by the incident; it may hurt the athletics program.

Because it is Springtime, MU is planning massive events for students on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday later this Spring.

The Council of Trustees has a student member. When a current student member graduates, MU goes through an elaborate process to select a replacement prior to the graduation. This year a student member of the Council of Trustees graduates after three years of service. Currently ten students are either nominated or volunteered to be interviewed. A committee will interview the student applicants. The committee narrows the ten down to three and forwards those names to the Board of governors. They interview the three and determine who will become the new student trustee.
Vice-President for Advancement

Vice-president for Advancement G. Eckert said he tries to keep senators informed about the Capital Campaign through printed reports to senate as well as published reports in the Exchange. Still he wanted to make himself more visible at senate meetings. It all began in January 1993 with an announced $24 million capital campaign--$16 million for facilities, $5 million for endowment, and $3 million for annual programs. Of the $24 million, $11 million will come from the state of Pennsylvania in a matching grant that is strictly for facilities. MU needed to raise $13 million publicly or $5 million for facilities. Toward the $13 million privately, MU is at $10.6 million in cash and pledges. Eckert worried that costs are escalating as it moves throug hte various state agencies.

MU has learned that the public will support the public universities with private dollars. The public sees it as an investment in young people and also faculty. In the campaign ninety-five percent is for academic endeavors. There will be another campaign after this one is completed. MU's projection of faculty and staff contributions to the campisgn is a little under one-half million dollars. Eckert uses the figure with private donors to indicate that those closest to the University are investing in it. If faculty have not invested in the campaign, there is still plenty of opportunity.

In the public relations area, Eckert said that his office is working with the admissions office on a new admissions viewbook. Together the two offices have held focus groups with prospective students, freshmen that are here, students of color, and present and former parents. MU has come up with a new approach with a theme--students have dreams. The consumer is definitely interested in their investment. There is increased information that they want about faculty. In the admissions viewbook and in the Millersville Review publication, MU is doing more profiles on faculty as well as on alumni. The senate needs to be aware whenever there is a change in the way MU markets the University.

Finally, Eckert said his office is working more with faculty on grants. It is seeking money for faculty and students to do things such as research. The office is trying to get equipment grants to the Unviersity as state money declines. MU will need more faculty who will be willing to work on applying for grants.

Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs

Associate Vice-President for Academic Affairs J. Stager said that MU had now received over a hundred inquiries and requests for admission applications through its Web site. The last senate minutes incorrectly reported that students had applied for admission directly throug hte Web. Apllying for admission through the Web will occur at a later date. In the meantime, fifty different units are working on Websites. MU has taked with kiosk vendors about installing about a half dozen kiosks on campus in the future.

Committee Reports

Undergraduate Course and Program Review Committee

Undergraduate Course and Program Review Committee chairperson, T. Woo, introduced two new courses under the two meeting rule:

ESCI320:

Roads West: Geology, Technology, Society and the American Experience, a new three credit hour General Education and Perspective course to be in effect Fall 1995 and to be first offered Fall 1996 if approved.

HPED350:

Sport in America, a new three credit hour General Education and Writing course to be first offered in Spring 1996 if approved.

Woo asked that the secretary put the following item on the senate agenda for the next meeting.

Retention-in-the-Major Policy for earth Science Majors

Graduate Course and Program Review Committee

Graduate Course and Program Review Committee chairperson, F. Erickson, introduced two new courses:

EDTE591:

Experiences in the School-to-Work Transition, a new three credit hour course.

MATH536:

Statistical Methods II, a new three credit hour course to be first offered Spring 1996 if approved

University Theme Committee

Chairperson J. Piperberg said the committee met with two proposers of themes for the 1999-2000 academic year theme. After the committee meets two other proposers, it will make its selection. M. Houlahan suggested two themes: exploring world cultures and the role of arts in society. J. Hibberg in Industry and Technology suggested another theme: technology, everything is the result of manufacturing. Dr. Smith and others proposed: leadership in the twenty-first century. A student who is graduating proposed the last theme: achievements throughout the twenty-first century. The last proposal has no faculty member to shepherd it through to completion. if anyone is willing to act as overseer of the theme, please contact Piperberg who will put you in contact with the student. The committee is likely to propose a recommendation during a summer meeting.

Joint Senate Conference Committee

Chairperson J. Piperberg said the committee met in March and began discussing the four years to graduate contract with students. the committee has been given a list of information that it can investigate. the committee will meet regularly and try to have a report and recommendations by December. the committee will meet in the next week.

Academic Standards Committee

Chairperson J. Piperberg said the committee set the dates for its summer meetings, June 4 and 5, 1996, following the end of the Spring semester. the committee will hear student appeals of dismissals.

Co-Operative Education Committee

Chairperson W. Dorman said the committee met last week and expects to meet again before the next senate meeting. It is discussing changing guidelines for what it expects students in the Co-Operative Education program to do.

Faculty Emeritus

An F. Erickson/J. Lynch motion to recommend Associate Professor Donald J. Rudy of the Educational Foundations Department for faculty emeritus status passed unanimously (see Attachment B).

Proposed Courses

Senate approved four undergraduate courses and one graduate course:

Undergraduate

PSCI327:

Canadian Government and Politics, a new three credit hour Perspectives course seeking credit retroactive to Spring, 1995.

AFAM201:

Introduction to African American Studies, a new three credit hour liberal arts core course to be first offered in the Fall of 1996.

AFAM401:

Senior Seminar in African American Studies, a new three credit hour nongeneral education course to be first offered in the Fall of 1996.

AFAM496:

Topics in African American Studies, a new three credit hour nongeneral education course to be first offered in the Fall of 1996.

Graduate

EDUC576:

Strategies for Classroom Management, a new three credit hour course to be first offered Fall 1996.

The following courses have one more meeting to be challenged before senate approves them:

BUAD201:

Introduction to International Business, a new three credit hour course to be first offered in the Fall of 1996.

BUAD344:

International Finance, a new three credit hour course to be first offered in the Fall of 1996.

Senate passed the following four agenda items:

Minor in Statistics,

Curriculum Changes in Biology,

Admission to Biology Major Requirements,

Changes in Prerequisites toB IOL254 and 255,

Business

Senate Elections

The following senate committee positions are currently vacant:

Humanities and Fine Arts representative to the Academic Policies Committee; Social Sciences representatives to the Academic outcomes Assessment, Academic Policies, and the UCPRC, and an Alternate to the International Selection Committee.

The Millersville University Grading System

At its previous meeting, senate postponed a vote on a Y. Soong/C. Stameshkin motion to change MU's grading system to introduce plus/minus grades for B and C grades and an A- grade until today's meeting. Y Soong/C. Stameshkin moved to amend their previous motion to include an A+. However, the A+ would be only for citation purposes; the QPA calculation for the A+ would still be 4.0. Student Senate President E. Kobeski said that grading is subjective. Would a student with all C-s be unable to graduate? Kobeski thought the +/- system is a good idea; sutdents would be graded more accurately. On the minus side, he said students would be graded more accurately. Students expressed concern about subjective grades of the faculty.

MU student senator M. Harnish opposed the amendment as well as the +/- proposal. He said an A+ with no points is unfair and pointless. To give points for an A- but not an A+ is unfair. Harnish was concerned that MU was raising grades for graduation. A student receiving C-s could not graduate. Students feel that grading is arbitrary among professors. When many different professors teach the same course, one professor's A- could be another's B+.

After a long discussion, the amendment failed. Senate returned to the main motion. J. Piperberg/O. Iglesias moved to amend the proposed grading system to add D+ and D- grades. Piperberg said he had checked the grading systems of 30 different schools with plus/minus grades. Most had plus and minus D grades. After some discussion the amendment to the main motion passed 17 votes to 12.

Senate returned to the main motion as amended. C. Counihan/J. Piperberg moved to amend the main motion again to decide the numerical values of each grade for QPA purposes before voting on the amended main motion. After considerable discussion, the motion to amend the amended motion passed. A M. Rosenthal/W. Dorman motion make +/- grades mandatory was not recognized. Because of the late hour, senate moved to adjourn and to return the twice amended motion to next meeting's agenda.

Proposal for a Change in MU's Withdrawal Policy--Returned to the Agenda

The Academic Policies Committee has recommended changes in MU's withdrawal policy (see Attachment A of the 5 March 1996 senate minutes).

Senate adjourned at 5:45 PM. The next meeting will be Tuesday, 16 April 1996, from 4:05 - 5:45 p.m. in Chryst 210.

Respectfully submitted,

Marvin Margolis, Secretary
Faculty Senate

Return to Faculty Senate Home Page
Return to MU Home Page