The meeting was called to order at 4:10 p.m. All departments were in attendance except Business Administration, Interdisciplinary Studies, and Philosophy.
I. Minutes of previous meeting
Introductions were made for the 2011-2012 year.
II. Proposed Courses and Programs
(1) NEW UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULUM
Entrepreneurship minor. Proposal to create a minor program to foster entrepreneurial potential was approved without dissent.
(2) NEW UNDERGRADUATE COURSE
ENGL460: Teaching ESL Listening and Speaking, 3 credits. Proposal for a course focusing on understanding the nature of spoken English and approaches to teaching ESL listening and speaking skills was approved as amended with one abstention.
Senator Labant requested that the notice regarding the course not counting towards the BSE Chapter 49-2 ESL requirement for certification be added to the catalog description. It was also noted this specification should be made in the registration notes.
(3) CHANGE TO UNDERGRADUATE COURSE
HIST308: Topics. Proposal to designate HIST308 as a G3 course was approved without dissent.
(4) CHANGE TO UNDERGRADUATE COURSE
HIST334: Victorian England. Proposal to add the General Education G3 and W labels and add a pre-requisite of ENGL110/110H was approved without dissent.
(5) NEW UNDERGRADUATE COURSE
HIST365: The Nightmare Years: America 1954-1974, 3 credits, G3, W. Proposal for a course to study in depth the great social movements in America between 1954 and 1974 was approved without dissent.
(5) CHANGE TO UNDERGRADUATE COURSE
HIST406: Senior Seminar. Proposal to redefine pre-requisites as HIST105 with a grade of C- or better; junior or senior status, or permission of the instructor was approved without dissent.
(6) CHANGE TO UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULUM
BA History, major. Proposal to allow 3 credits of HIST489: Independent Study and HIST499: Departmental Honors Thesis to replace HIST406: Senior Seminar for completion of the major, including specification that a grade of B or better in HIST489 & 499 would earn Advanced Writing credit was approved without dissent.
(7) CHANGE TO CURRICULUM DOCUMENT
Proposal to revise the language describing the guidelines for Writing courses within the General Education program with no change to the criteria for a W label was approved without dissent.
III. Report of the Faculty Senate Chairperson
IV. Report of the Student Senate President
V. Report of the Graduate Student Association
VI. Report of the Administrative Officers
Dr. McNairy reminded faculty of the Fall Convocation & Garden Supper on Friday, September 9. The supper will be held in the SMC Recreation Center due to expected rain, and faculty families are invited.
Provost
Dr. Prabhu reported on a successful orientation and reviewed enrollments, including increases in transfer students, part-time graduate students, and diverse populations. He emphasized efforts to open sections of courses with significant waitlists. Dr. Prabhu noted that about half of the disciplines have approved Transfer Articulations and encouraged MU faculty to serve on the PACs if invited. Dr. Jeffrey Adams was introduced as the Associate Provost for Academic Administration.
VII. Reports of the Faculty Senate Standing Committees
First Readings
(1) NEW GRADUATE COURSE
EMGT629: GIS Applications for Emergency Management, 3 credits, web. Proposal to create a course to introduce Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with an emphasis on their use in emergency management.
Dr. Mowrey also noted that a graduate-level course parallel to ENGL460 that was passed today will be coming soon with distinctions between the courses clearly noted. She reminded faculty of the mandate from the Chancellor’s Office that graduate requirements be distinct in courses that are cross-listed or taught in tandem.
Dr. Mowrey reported that UCPRC and GCPRC will be working on how the course approval process can be possibly expedited and allow faculty to follow documents through the approval process. A key to possible options is dependent on the choice MU makes in a new electronic workflow product to replace Singularity.
VIII. Reports of the Faculty Senate Special Committees
IX. Faculty Emeritus
X. BA in Interdisciplinary Studies
XI. Elections
Senators and committee chairs were asked to review committee rosters to identify any new vacancies that will need to be filled for the upcoming year.
Previous nominations for the third regular election were distributed and additional nominations were accepted from the floor. A Cardwell/Cook motion to close nominations and cast a unanimous vote for each unopposed candidate was approved without dissent.
Previous nominations for all remaining seats were distributed and additional nominations were accepted from the floor for at-large members. An Anderson/Cook motion to close at-large nominations and cast a unanimous vote for each unopposed candidate was approved without dissent.
XII. Other/New Business
Meeting was adjourned after elections (5:30 p.m.)
Respectfully Submitted,
Aimee L. Miller
Faculty Senate Secretary