EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CHARGES FOR

PPM 1-13, Article 5, Section 4.1: The Committee on Academic Resources and Computing shall recommend policies and operational procedures on the acquisition and utilization of computers and academic resource material.

1. Allocate ARCC resources, including Dee Family Technology Grant funds, using consistent, objective, fair, and reasonable criteria.

A. Review funding criteria and procedures for ARCC for possible revision or clarification purposes. (December deadline)

B. Continue to develop funding criteria for and advertisement of the Dee Family Technology Grant.

2. Assess faculty and student computer needs, solicit faculty input, and lobby for the faculty’s computer-related interests.

3. Review (with computing support) standards and policies for hardware and software purchases.

4. Continue to improve the means of submitting proposals and decreasing the amount of paperwork.

5. Monitor the expenditures of all ARCC funds, including those supported through WSUSA funding.

6. Maintain close communication with other computer resource entities on campus, including CE and IT online instruction.

7. Be represented on the IT Council and IT Steering Committee, and routinely invite directors to summarize status of new projects and ongoing IT/CE support.

9. Improve communication between faculty, IT/CE, and administration regarding technology issues and advise said bodies of faculty needs.

10. Sponsor a faculty/staff IT Users Group to share information, ideas, and solutions regarding the use of technology at Weber State.

11. Continue to function as a nexus of information regarding IT issues between faculty, staff, and students, acting in an advisory capacity, and investigate its position as a decision making body.

12. Research ways to strengthen academic computing, specifically in the areas of visualization, simulation, and scientific analysis.

ADMISSIONS, STANDARDS AND STUDENT AFFAIRS

Kathy Herndon, Chair

Shelly Costley,

PPM 1-13, Article 5, Section 4.2: The Admissions, Standards and Student Affairs Committee shall be concerned with standards for admission, retention and graduation from the University and policies pertaining to student affairs

1. Review and align academic policies regarding the appropriate admission status of transfer students with cumulative GPA less than a 2.0. (PPM 6-2 III. 2. B & PPM 4-17).

2. Create policy regarding time limits applied to courses for transfer students or re-entry students into the university.

3. Review the PPM for policies that may be out of date or obsolete.

4. Investigate equivalency of transferred courses.

5. Review PPM 4-19E, Grade of Incomplete, and recommend changes to the policy.

6. In Consultation with the WSU Graduate Council, develop guidelines for new graduate programs including:

$ Credits required

$ Requirement such as a thesis

$ Common core emphasis

$ Foreign language requirement

$ Other

PPM 1-13, Article 5, Section 4.3: The committee on Appointment, Promotion, Academic Freedom and Tenure shall formulate policies and operational procedures on these matters and on due process and merit.

1. Review the intellectual policy draft developed by Richard Hill. If needed, put in place a new intellectual property policy.

2. Review the new work load model of the College of Science for consistency with WSU and Board of Regents policies.

3. Check the consistency of policies PPM 8-20D and 9-17A regarding dismissal of tenure track faculty during the probationary period.

4. Investigate policies at other institutions on vote of no confidence, especially regarding procedures for transparency, protection of affected parties, etc. and bring information forward for discussion.

5. Research policies for term limits of department chairs and deans at other institutions and bring information forward for discussion.

6. Review current survey instrument used to evaluate academic deans and determine whether the Executive Committee should appoint an ad hoc task force to revise the instrument (PPM 1-17, V).

7. Review PPM 1-17, Selection and Evaluation of Academic Deans, and make recommendations.

PPM 1-13, Article 5, Section 4.4: The Committee on Constitutional Review, Apportionment and Organization shall review, update and preserve the integrity of the Constitution and Bylaws of the Weber State University faculty government. This Committee shall study ratios of college representation on the Senate and recommend procedures for electing its members. The Committee shall also be responsible for recommending policies on the organization and operational procedures of the University

1. Calculate apportionment for Faculty Senate representation using the Hamilton Method and present the apportionment figures to the Faculty Senate during Fall Semester. (November deadline).

2. Research questions and make recommendations that are brought to the attention of the CRAO Committee.

3. Establish a subcommittee to review the Program Discontinuance Review Procedure (PPM 1-14a). Some members of this committee should be drawn from faculty who were involved with the Program Review Committee formed during Spring 2010.

4. Write a policy or modify the existing policy with regard to timely and suitable consultation and notification of the faculty when it is deemed necessary to temporarily suspend a policy in the PPM. (passed EC 3/4/2010 – Carried forward)

A. What statutory, constitutional or rule authority governs the suspension of a policy under the PPM?

B. What authority does faculty have to assert themselves in the suspension process of the administration and/or Board of Trustees?

C. What procedure would allow for the most productive discussion and decision making process in determining whether to suspend a PPM policy?

5. In response to PPM changes (primarily the clarification of rank and title) proposed by the APAFT committee and passed by the Faculty Senate on January 21, 2010, determine the impact these PPM modifications have on the Constitution. Special attention should be given to Section 1, the Membership portion of the Constitution.

6. Currently the Constitution Bylaws (PPM 1-13) do not recognize the existence of the Board of Regents. Review and update the bylaws to amend this oversight.

7. Determine a policy that establishes a cyclical review of PPMs. Apportion PPM ownership to the appropriate university entity.

8. Establish the need for a specific policy prohibiting ballot voting in the Faculty Senate. Faculty concerns center on the principle that faculty senate is predicated as a representative government.

9. Review PPM policies (20 years or older) to identify possible action. (Time permitting)

PPM 1-13, Article 5, Section 4.5: The Curriculum Committee (CC) shall study and evaluate the curriculum needs of the University by reviewing program, certificate, and course proposals (including courses proposed to fulfill specific General Education designations as defined in the CC manual), which have been approved by college curriculum committees or programs that report directly to the Office of Academic Affairs.

2. Continue to conduct workshops on an as-needed basis with college curriculum committee chairs to acquaint them with curriculum procedures.

3. Develop new general education approval forms for the core general education areas that incorporate the learning outcomes for those areas as they are approved by Faculty Senate.

4. Incorporate in the Curriculum Committee PPM the guidelines recommended by ASSA for graduate program level courses.

The Environmental Issues Committee shall help facilitate the integration of environmental initiatives into academic affairs, student affairs, and facilities management. The committee shall serve as a local and statewide source for scientifically-based information and for leadership on environmental issues affecting Utah, the Wasatch Front and WSU campus communities.

1. Facilitate the modeling of best practices for economic and environmental sustainability at WSU.

2. Serve as a local and statewide source for scientifically-based information and for leadership on environmental issues affecting Utah and the Wasatch Front.

3. Facilitate integration of environmental initiatives into academic affairs, student affairs, and facilities management.

$ Continuing to consider ways to incorporate sustainability into the curriculum.

$ Working with Facilities Management to participate in the STAARS Program, and working to have WSU included in the Princeton Review’s Guide to America’s Greenest Colleges and Universities.

$ Working with Student Affairs and Student Government to experiment with including a student sustainability fee into the student fee structure.

$ Exploring ideas for tracking university-sponsored air and vehicle travel in order to consider strategies for using carbon offsets

$ Coordinating with the WSU Student Environmental Club to host the Northern Utah Recycling Symposium in spring 2011.

$ Building partnerships with student organizations, the WSU Outdoor Program, alumni, the City of Ogden, other universities statewide, the Teaching and Learning Forum, and more.

$ Continuing to promote across campus the use of “green” copy paper that costs less and also uses less energy, water, and trees than conventional paper. Exploring the installation of “green campus” interpretative signs, idling reduction, and recycling bins in the center of campus.

PPM 1-13, Article 5, Section 4.6: The General Education Committee (GE) shall articulate the mission and goals for the General Education program and University core requirements and review these on a regular basis. The General Education Committee shall define the standards for the General Education program and oversee the assessment of the General Education program and University core requirements.

1. In consultation with representatives from each of the general education core areas, specifically American Institutions (AI) and Quantitative Literacy (QL), oversee the development of mission statements and intended learning outcomes for WSU General Education Core Requirements that are consistent with Utah State Board of Regents policy. (December 2010 deadline; core courses are scheduled to undergo review during the 2011-12 academic year)

2. Form core- and breadth-area working groups to carry out the assessment of General Education classes. Develop and implement a plan whereby the working groups would systematically collect and analyze assessment data and make recommendations for the improvement of those courses. (December 2010 deadline)

3. In consultation with the WSU Student Senate, assess the strengths and weaknesses of the Diversity (DV) requirement. Propose changes that will better accomplish the goals of this requirement.

$ Review the current policies/procedures for the Diversity (DV) requirement. Develop and recommend a process for reviewing DV courses. (March 2011 deadline; DV courses are scheduled to undergo review during the 2012-13 academic year)

4. Work with the Curriculum Committee, as needed, to evaluate the existing General Education courses that will undergo review during the 2010-11 academic year. Based on the results of the review process, recommend clarifications and modifications of mission statements and learning outcomes to the appropriate core- or breadth-area working group. (as needed/ongoing)

5. Explore the development of distinct/separate learning outcomes for the Creative Arts (CA) and Humanities (HU) breadth areas. (April 2011 deadline)

6. Explore the pros and cons of creating a new Applied Sciences category for general education. (as time permits)

7. In conjunction with the Teaching and Learning Forum, help facilitate a campus-wide discussion around the concept of critical thinking.

PPM 1-13, Article 5, Section 4.6: Faculty members on the Honorary Degree Committee shall review the recommendations presented to them and shall act as the faculty representatives on the Committee on Commencement and Honorary Degrees.

1. Meet separately and early as the faculty portion of the committee to discuss representing in a unified manner the constituent needs and interests of the faculty in the deliberation of the larger committee.

2. Ensure faculty involvement in the nomination and selection of candidates for honorary degrees and for commencement speakers through maintaining the important voice of the faculty and the Faculty Senate as a major force on the institutional committee.

3. Consider ways to encourage more nominations from faculty for honorary degrees.

4. Encourage the selection of at least one honorary degree recipient each year who has made an outstanding academic contribution to higher education, preferably a retired WSU faculty member or past faculty member who has left Weber State University. Current faculty members are not eligible.

5. Work to achieve a representation of gender and ethnicity among degree recipients and ensure that all recipients are of stature to enhance the image of Weber State University.

6. See that the criteria for honorary degrees are considered , so that the understandable desire of the administration to cultivate donors and potential donors does not overwhelm the deliberations and pass over otherwise worthy candidates.

7. Provide the larger committee with a way to carry forward information so next year’s committee can benefit from work done this year.

PPM 1-13, Article 5, Section 4.7: The Committee on Research, Scholarship and Professional Growth shall recommend policies on research, scholarship, teaching loads, instructional and faculty development and faculty productivity. It shall facilitate faculty in obtaining grants, travel funds, physical facilities, etc., to collaborative research and scholarly activities.

1. Continue to issue requests for proposals (RFPs) for Research and Instructional Improvement grants, and Hemingway Vitality, Excellence and Collaborative awards, and review the proposals in a timely manner.

2. Continue to coordinate deadlines for submission of proposals with the chairs of the Institutional Review Board and the Animal Care and Use Committee.

3. Review and update as needed the proposal guidelines. Clarify and report the criteria for awarding the grant. Explore ways to simplify the process and broaden the criteria.

5. Continue efforts to publicize the committee’s activities. Seek ways to broaden participation campus wide including adjunct faculty. Explore opportunities to disseminate information about the funded projects, including workshops, in order to provide consistent information and feedback to potential applicants.

6. Work with the Teaching, Learning and Assessment Committee to find non-monetary ways to promote and recognize faculty research and scholarship.

7. Work with the Teaching, Learning and Assessment Committee to help faculty identify new methods of scholarship.

8. Keep in communication and continue to cooperate and coordinate with OUR (Office of Undergraduate Research), CIC (Community Involvement), Hall family, and ARCC (Academic Resources and Computing Committee).

9. Continue to coordinate with OUR to provide faculty with funding for research assistants.

PPM 1-13, Article 5, Section 4.8: The Committee on Salary, Benefits, Budget and Fiscal planning shall study, evaluate and make recommendations on faculty salaries, benefits, budgets and fiscal planning issues.

This Committee shall not exceed nine members with representation from each organization unit. The Faculty Senate chair shall serve as the Executive Committee liaison. A subcommittee shall serve under the direction of this Committee and represent the faculty in salary and related negotiations with the University administration. No two members of this subcommittee shall be from the same organizational unit. This subcommittee shall consist of the Faculty Senate chair, the chair of the Committee on Salary, Benefits, Budget and Fiscal Planning and a third member nominated by the Committee and approved by the Faculty Senate.

2. Revise policy for on-line and overload compensation to make it fair and sustainable. Revision of this policy should include (but not necessarily be limited to):

$ Investigate the difference in compensation between online and face to face teaching

3. Revisit sabbatical leave policy. Is the way sabbaticals are currently administered fair across colleges? Would we be better served by centralizing sabbatical leave administration? Should policies be developed to prioritize sabbatical leave requests for a) newer faculty, b) more productive faculty, c) faculty whose prior sabbaticals have resulted in productive results, or d) faculty with longer lapsed time since last sabbatical? Should teaching of on-line and overload courses be precluded for faculty on sabbatical leaves? Should there be a policy guiding outside compensation for those on sabbatical?

4. Review campus salary levels using CUPA data, turnover data, and data from regional peer institutions.

7. Review the decisions to switch health care providers and its impact on faculty.

8. Examine salary options for compensation increases and prioritize recommendations.

9. Per recommendation from the prior Salary committee, work in conjunction with administration and colleges to arrive at specific faculty salary increase amounts commensurate with the level of degree attained from an accredited body.

PPM 1-13, Article B-5, Section 4.10: Committee on Teaching, Learning and Assessment

The Committee on Teaching, Learning and Assessment endeavors to enhance the learning environment at Weber State University. When the opportunity and need arise, and as charged by the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate, the Committee studies, evaluates, and makes recommendations on issues affecting the teaching environment and the assessment of student learning at Weber State University. It also advises the Chair of the Committee in his or her capacity, as the Director of the Teaching and Learning Forum and supports the activities of the Teaching and Learning Forum.

This committee shall have one faculty Representative from each organizational unit. The chair of the committee shall be selected from a pool of applicants by a selection committee appointed by the Executive Committee and comprised of members of the Executive Committee and the Committee on Teaching, Learning and Assessment. The Committee shall be recommended to the Senate by the Executive Committee. The chair will serve for a three-year term and will be evaluated annually by members of the Committee on Teaching. Learning and Assessment. The chair of the committee shall be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Forum on Teaching and Learning.

1. Continue to provide faculty development of teaching and learning through a range of established forums and opportunities yet to be created. These may include, but are not limited to the following:

$ Sponsor a Teaching & Learning Symposium in conjunction with the Office of Academic Affairs;

$ Sponsor the Last Lecture and Faculty Forum in conjunction with the Office of Academic Affairs and RSPG;

$ Sponsor and promote book discussion groups, small working collaborations, mentoring networks, workshops, and retreats.

2. Experiment with new forms of professional development to expand Teaching and Learning Forum activities, promote more participation across campus, and engage faculty in multiple ways.

3. Explore ways to increase participation in all TLA sponsored events and further promote professional development in teaching and learning.

4. Support efforts of individual faculty, departments, and other groups in experimenting with pedagogical innovation, curriculum design, and assessment and evaluation.

5. Work with various campus entities (OUR, CIC, etc.) to help faculty identify new methods of scholarship.

6. Work with other campus entities (e.g., WSU Online) to further support adjunct faculty.

7. Continue to investigate and implement models for professional development at other campuses and develop a plan for professional development that is incorporated into the general university plan for 2010-2013.

8. In conjunction with the General Education Improvement and Assessment Committee, help facilitate a campus-wide discussion around the concept of critical thinking.