Millersville University, Faculty Senate
MINUTES
FACULTY SENATE MEETING
22 April 1997


Reports
..| Chairperson |
Business
| Gen Ed Revision Plan

Chairperson D. Eidam called the special meeting to order at 4:10 p.m. in chryst Hall, Room 210. All departmental senators except those from Art, Business Administration, Geography, History, Political Science, and Sociology and Anthropology Departments attended.

Faculty Senate Chairperson

Faculty senate chairperson D. Eidam announced that senate had agreed to vote on the General Education Revision Plan by 5:15 PM of today's meeting. He also announced the official list of eligibility for the Women's Studies Curriculum (see Attachment A). Senator S. Thompson of the Geography Department could not attend today's meeting because he recently injured his foot. He asked for senate's approval to cast an absent vote at today's ballot. A S. Peters/C. McLeod motion to permit Thompson's absentee vote passed. Senator M. Margolis announced that his Economics Department colleague, Andres Hau, died of cancer last night. No details of the funeral were known.

Business

General Education Revision Plan

The only business of today's special meeting concerned the General Education Revision Plan (see the report of the Task Force on the General Education Curriculum and Its Resources of 15 April 1997, Attachment D, that was distributed to all faculty and at the last senate meeting). R. Wismer/C. McLeod moved that senate endorse the General Education Revision Plan of April 15, 1997. Senators noted that a general faculty referendum on the General Education Revision Plan will be held April 30 during the day that APSCUF will hold annual elections for union and uiversity committee openings. In addition there will be an open forum on Thursday, 24 April 1997, at 4 PM on the General Education Revision Plan.

Professor J. Sheridan, the chairperson of the Task Force on the General Education Curriculum and Its Resources, spoke in favor of the plan. He made an analogy between education and health care. Health care consumes a large share of the nation's resources as does education. When health care costs exceeded inflation, private providers found a way around a health care establishment that said it could do nothing about the costs. Sheridan said that health care costs are no longer out of control as a result. The education establishment shares the same predicament.

Senator A. Borger-Reese said she was not clear about what funds would be saved under the new plan. She was not happy with the proposed changes.

Sheridan responded that the goal was to contain costs. Even if the cost savings were only 5 percent of a $70 million budget, the savings would amount to $0.5 million. That would provide five full professorships. He said the changes would serve to simplify the general education program and permit a process that everyone can cope with more easily.

When senators did not wish to discuss the motion anymore, senate passed the motion to endorse the plan.

Senate adjourned at 4:30 PM. The next meeting will be Tuesday, 6 May 1997, from 4:05 - 5:45 p.m. in Chryst 210.

Respectfully submitted,

Marvin Margolis, Secretary
Faculty Senate


Reports
..| Chairperson |
Business
| Gen Ed Revision Plan

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