I. Minutes of previous meetings
II. Report of the Faculty Senate Chairperson
III. Report of the Student Senate President
IV. Report of the Graduate Student Organization
V. Report of the Administrative Officers
Associate Provost Burns indicated that his office will notify departmental chairs of W courses that should be submitted for review according to the proposed schedule from GERC. He also announced that workshops will be arranged to help inform and direct faculty to modify Winter or Spring courses planned as blended courses under the old contract to meet the new requirements.
VI. Reports of the Faculty Senate Standing Committees
Senator West distributed proposed changes to the Incomplete Policy that are recommended for meeting commonality issues for SAP implementation. [see Attachment #1] She highlighted that an I grade should be used only for extenuating circumstances and would need to be resolved by the 10th week of the next regular semester. Any I grades would be changed automatically to an F at that point, but faculty would still be able to request a change of grade. A question was raised about whether the recently revised Incomplete form would still be available as a guideline for faculty to use when clarifying expectations with students needing an I grade. Dr. Prabhu emphasized that faculty would retain the responsibility and authority to assign a different grade even after the default F was registered. A request was made that the 10th week deadline be added to semester calendars as a reminder. Dr. West responded that the Registrar intends to send out a reminder about the deadline to any student and faculty member with a pending I grade. A question was raised about whether this also applied to graduate students. Senator Mowrey responded that the graduate policy on incompletes is different.
A comment was made about the student perception of the recent change in requirements for Latin Honors and that students seem to be unaware of how SAP implementation is affecting policies. Dr. Prabhu agreed that he and Dr. Burns should visit Student Senate to help clarify this and to assure current students that they will not be hurt by the new policies. Dr. West commented that the two student representatives on APC were actively involved in related discussions. It was suggested that an informative piece in the Snapper might be an effective way to disseminate the information to a broader section of the student body.
Another question raised was how the concept of “best practice” among the schools was evaluated. Dr. Prabhu responded that policies were reviewed in an item-by-item manner with input from all provosts and other representatives at the 14 PASSHE schools. He noted that there was some give and take with the collective of schools but reiterated that Millersville policy was often consistent with the best practice.
UCPRC
First Readings
(1) CHANGE IN UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULUM
FORL, BA/BSE/Cert/Transf students. Proposal to require an online placement examination to determine appropriate course placement of incoming students into foreign language courses.
GERC
Dr. Foster-Clark distributed the Review Process and Evaluation Form for FYI courses. [see Attachment #2] He noted a change from UNIV179 to UNIV103 is currently being reviewed. A question was raised about whether the specification of the liberal arts tradition is redundant with General Education.
A question was raised for Dr. Prabhu about the common calendar for 2008-2009 that includes a Saturday class day as the replacement for Monday classes missed on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. [see Attachment #3] Dr. Prabhu indicated that he is open to other suggestions but noted the need to be sure classes meet and rooms are available. A question was raised about why the current weather make-up days and reading days are being eliminated from the spring semester. Dr. Prabhu suggested the calendar should be distributed for faculty to review and discuss at a later point.
VII. Reports of the Faculty Senate Special Committees
VIII. Proposed Courses and Programs
The Guidelines for D Courses, Review Process and Evaluation Form were considered. [see Attachment #4] Concern was expressed about the narrow definition of D courses based on the need to meet all of the guidelines. Previously, an extensive list of current courses that would likely be considered D courses was presented at Senate, but it now seems unlikely that many of those would fit these guidelines. Dr. Prabhu commented that implementation would require flexibility. Dr. Burns responded that we would need about the same number as current P course offerings, 20-25 course sections. It was noted that workshops will be arranged to help faculty develop new D courses. Dr. Foster-Clark indicated that GERC does intend for new courses to be developed as D courses. A clarification was made that current P courses may also carry a D designation.
Another question raised was whether students who study abroad would be able to waive the D requirement based on their experience living in another culture. Dr. Foster-Clark responded that this possibility had not been considered by GERC. Discussion was held regarding whether studying abroad would be sufficient to satisfy the D requirement if the coursework did not include a course that meets the specific D guidelines. A Mowrey/Luek motion to amend the Guidelines for Cultural Diversity and Community (D) Courses to indicate that students completing study abroad for academic credit will have the D requirement waived was made. Further discussion was held, including the comment that online courses hosted in another country should not qualify. Dr. Burns commented that the motion is more relevant to the curriculum itself rather than the guidelines being considered here. It was asked where this type of modification would be more appropriate. Dr. Foster-Clark indicated that the guidelines for the D courses are what were presented in the Revised General Education Curriculum for the faculty vote last spring. Dr. Prabhu suggested that perhaps it could be a graduation requirement. Dr. Mowrey indicated that moving the change to the overall curriculum document would be appropriate. The Mowrey/Luek motion was withdrawn.
The D Course Expedited Review Process, Guidelines and Evaluation Form were approved without dissent.
IX. Faculty Emeritus
X. Other/New Business
Meeting was adjourned at 5:25 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Aimee L. Miller
Secretary of the Senate