Motion: Moved to approve the minutes from the December 16, 2004 Faculty Senate meeting.
Made: Molly Smith
Second: Wade Kotter
Outcome: The minutes were approved.

3.     GENERAL EDUCATION SURVEY - Lloyd Burton and Michelle Heward

Lloyd Burton and Michelle Heward represented the University Graduation Requirement Implementation Committee and conducted a survey.

This is an activity that the University Graduation Requirements Implementation Committee wants to take place across campus providing broad input from faculty, students and staff to facilitate a collective campus discussion and focus on what we are trying to accomplish as we graduate students.

Senate members were asked to think in their mind of the ideal baccalaureate level graduate. The graduate you are most proud of that exemplifies what a Weber State degree is all about.

As a result of a Weber State Education -

• What is this person like?

• What qualities do they have?

• What does this person know?

• What knowledge have they acquired as a result of their education?

• What can they do?

• What are this person’s attitudes?

Senate members were asked to finish this sentence, "An ideal baccalaureate student should be able to . . ." Senate members wrote their comments identifying four or five major outcomes.

Senate members were then grouped and shared with their group their comments, and then several groups shared with the Senate the outcomes of the free write.

4.    RESEARCH, SCHOLARSHIP, AND PROFESSIONAL GROWTH COMMITTEE – Susan Matt, Chair

Susan Matt, Chair of the Research, Scholarship and Professional Growth Committee presented information on the RSPG Fall awards.

The call for RSPG proposals went to all faculty in September of 2004. Final proposals were due on October 25, 2004, and the committee met on November 1, 2004. The committee had $19,543 of RSPG funds to distribute to all eligible faculty and staff, and $7,500 of Hemingway funds to distribute for Vitality grants. They received 25 proposals asking for a total of $60,907.12. The committee voted to fund 13 projects for a total of $27,042.80. The following projects were funded.

• William Allison - "The Army in Yellowstone" $1200

• Dan Bedford - "Climate-Society Interactions and Utah’s Great Salt Lake" $940

• Mark Bigler - "An Examination of the Integration of the Harm Reduction" $1457.80

• Ron Deckert - "Xerophytic and Holophytic Plants" $3000

• Judy Elsley - "Split Rock Arts Program" $905

• Azenette Garza-Caballero - "Ethnic Differences in Perceptions " $1043

• Greg Lewis - "A Long Echo" $3000

• David Murphy - "Power Imbalances in Police-Probation Partnerships" $1032

• Nicole Okazaki - "Oviparity Determination in the brine shrimp Artemia" $3000

• Thom Priest - "The Effects of Providing Novice Composers" $1975

• Paul Schvaneveldt - "Mate Selection in Bolivia and Service Learning" $2590

• Barbara Trask - "Age Related Changes in the Zonular Microfibrils" $3000
• Yu-Jane Yang - " Performing . . . . at Xian Music Conservatory" $3900

RSPG proposal applications have increased from14 applications Fall semester 2003 to 27 applications Fall semester 2004. Funding, however, has remained the same. The RSPG Committee urges the Faculty Senate to explore ways to increase funding for faculty research.

The RSPG Committee has set new guidelines for conference travel, setting a cap of $1200 per application for total travel related expenses to domestic conferences. They have also set new guidelines for the amount of funding for which applicants should apply. While these are not binding, they make applicants aware that proposals which ask for $3000 or less have the greatest chance of success.

5.   UNION BUILDING PROPOSAL – Rick Sline
Rick Sline presented a proposal to include a small (50-75 seats) quiet, table-service dining room in the renovation program for the Shepherd Union Building. This would be a lunch-only retail restaurant and should be located on th the high traffic 2^nd floor retail section of the proposed renovated building offering a limited menu of sandwiches, soups, salads, pasta dishes, specials of the day, etc. The reason it is not being considered in the Union Building renovation as the Skyroom has consistently lost money.

Faculty would like to have a quiet place where they can gather for lunch with colleagues, where they can entertain guests after they speak to students, where job candidates can be taken to lunch, and a place to take student athletes that are visiting our campus.

Problems and Challenges

• Commuter Campus - Most students leave campus by the lunchtime
• Food service revenue is restricted almost exclusively to lunch business
• Location
• Quality

Bill Fruth, Director of the Shepard Union Building, explained that the decision to not includ the type of food service Rick Sline is proposing is based on financial reasons. Private dining areas will be available, but you will need to go through the food court to get your food and then walk it to the private dining area. The food court will be located on the main level of the building, and be about the size of all the Ballrooms (around 10,000 sq ft.). Currently, they are at 60% of the programming phase of the project.

Motion: Include a small (50-75 seats) quiet, table-service dining room in the renovation program for the Shepherd Union Building.
Made: Rick Sline
Second: Rick Ford
Outcome: The motion passed with 25 in favor of the motion, 9 against and 3 abstentions.

6.   POSSIBLE MORATORIUM ON GENERAL EDUCATION, S.I. AND DIVERSITY – Becky Johns

The Executive Committee recommended that a moratorium be placed on all General Education, S.I, and Diversity course proposals beginning at the conclusion of Spring Semester 2005 and continuing through Spring Semester 2006 when it will again be reviewed and possibly extended through the following year until Spring Semester 2007.

Reasons for moratorium -

The University Graduation Requirements Implementation Committee would be continually looking at graduation requirements that are constantly changing. How do you evaluate a moving target?

Few universities change General Education requirements on an ongoing basis.

The consultants that met with the University Graduation Requirements Implementation Committee last Summer suggested some stability as the committee reviewed General Education, S.I. and Diversity.

Save Department time in revising curriculum when curriculum is undergoing review by the University Graduation Requirements Implementation Committee and graduation requirements may be changed.

Against the moratorium -

• Is a moving target bad?
• We are not changing the guidelines just the courses.
• The graduation requirements that we come up with will not necessarily be based on the current requirements.

It is important to note the recommendation of the Executive Committee, however, it is the Faculty Senate that has the authority to approve the recommendation.

Only a couple of courses proposing S.I. and Diversity are proposed each year, and possibly one general education course each year.

Call for the
Question: Rick Sline
Outcome: Passed

Motion: Moved to implement a moratorium on all General Education, S.I. and Diversity course proposals beginning at the conclusion of Spring Semester 2005 and continuing through Spring Semester 2006 when it will again be reviewed and possibly extended through the following year until Spring Semester 2007.
Made: Warren Hill
Second: Bob Hogge
Outcome: The motion passed with 17 in favor, 14 against, and 5 abstentions.

7.   CURRICULUM & GENERAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE – Rob Reynolds, Chair

Curriculum Proposals

Health Promotion & Human Performance, deletion of Human Performance Major.

Motion: Moved to approve from Health Promotion & Human Performance the deletion of the Human Performance Major.
Made: Lauren Fowler
Second: Molly Smith
Outcome: The motion passed unanimously.

Telecommunications & Business Education, program proposal for A.A.S. Degree in Business Systems Technologies, program proposals for Business Education, Business Systems Technologies Emphasis, program proposal for Business/Marketing Education Teaching Minor, Business Education Teaching Minor.

Motion: Moved to approve from Telecommunication & Business Education the program proposals for A.A.S. Degree in Business Systems Technologies, Business Education, Business Systems Technologies Emphasis, Business/Marketing Education Teaching Minor, and Business Education Teaching Minor.
Made: Warren Hill
Second: Laura MacLeod
Outcome: The motion passed with 1 opposed.

Communication, Communication Teaching Major and Teaching Minor.

Motion: Moved to approve from Communication the Communication Teaching Major, and Teaching Minor.
Made: Rick Sline
Second: Yu-Jane Yang
Outcome: The motion passed with 1 abstention.

Political Science, program changes for Political Science Major and Teaching Major

Motion: Moved to approve from Political Science the program changes for the Political Science Major and Teaching Major.
Made: Wade Kotter
Second: Richard Greene
Outcome: The motion passed unanimously.

Psychology, course change for Group Dynamics - Psy 3560 changing the name to Group Dynamics and Counseling and increasing the credit hours from 2 credit hours to 3 credit hours.

Motion: Moved to approve from Psychology the course change for Group Dynamics - Psy 3560 changing to Group Dynamics and Counseling, and increasing the credit hours from 2 credit hours to 3 credit hours.
Made: Lauren Fowler
Second: Rick Ford
Outcome: The motion passed unanimously.

History, B.S. course proposal for Investigating History - Hist 3000. This is rigorous, elective, methodology course that is recommended to students who are desirous of obtaining advanced degrees.

Speaking in favor of the proposal -

• The main objectives of this course are to teach students the skills to analyze primary sources and to draw conclusions from those sources. Historians create hypotheses about causes or implications of past events and then gather data from primary sources and critically analyze those events and sources to see if the evidence supports their hypothesis.
• You don’t have to have advanced knowledge to understand scientific inquiry.
• Historical data can be analyzed and evaluated to form hypotheses

Speaking against the proposal -

• How do you do what you do with no prerequisites?
• Could not find evidence in text to support scientific elements.
• Knowledge of statistics not required.
• We should be directing students toward courses that are obviously scientific inquiry to satisfy the requirement.

Call for the
Question: Tamara Chase
Outcome: Passed

Motion: Moved to approve from History the B.S. course proposal for Investigating History - Hist 3000.
Made: Susan Matt
Second: Michelle Heward
Outcome: The motion passed with 1 abstention.

ADJOURN 
The meeting adjourned at 4:50 p.m.