1.      ROLL

2.      APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES

Motion: Moved to approve the minutes from the March 24, 2011 meeting.

Made: Shelley Thomas

Second: Shelly Costley

Outcome: The minutes were approved.

Certificates of appreciation were given to outgoing Faculty Senate member, Executive Committee members and committee chairs.

4. RECOGNITION OF DAVID MALONE’S SERVICE – Colleen Garside

David Malone was presented a clock and a certificate of appreciation for his service as the 2010-11 Faculty Senate Chair.

5. APPROVAL OF 2011-12 FACULTY SENATE COMMITTEES AND COMMITTEE CHAIRS – Colleen Garside

APPOINTMENT, PROMOTION, ACADEMIC FREEDOM, AND TENURE 2011-12

CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW, APPORTIONMENT, AND ORGANIZATION 2011-12

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES COMMITTEE 2011-12

FACULTY BOARD OF REVIEW 2011-12

HONORARY DEGREE 2011-12

Kathy Sitzman, HP
Mikel Vause, A&H
Ed Walker, S

 SALARY, BENEFITS, BUDGET, AND FISCAL PLANNING 2011-12

Motion by the 2001–12 Executive Committee to approved the above committee members and committee chairs.
Outcome: The motion passed unanimously.

6.     ELECTION OF 2011-2012 FACULTY BOARD OF REVIEW MEMBERS – Colleen Garside

Senate members voted for three from the following list, Brad Carroll, Jonathan Clark, Marie Kotter, David Lynch, and Eric Stern. The four elected will serve two year terms; the other two will serve as alternates. Brad Carroll, Marie Kotter and Eric Stern were elected to serve two-year terms. Jonathan Clark and David Lynch will serve as alternates. Molly Smith will serve as chair of the Faculty Board of Review for 2011-12.

Every NCAA institution has a faculty athletic representative. Craig Oberg is the current faculty athletic representative. His role is to make sure that the student athletes are having a academic experience that is satisfying and effective for them. One way of measuring this is by APR (Academic Progress Report). The NCAA requires each institution to measure the academic progress students are making toward graduation. Students have six years to graduate. 925 is the minimum graduation rate required for institutions to be in good standing. 925 is equivalent to about a 50% graduation rate over six years.

Started a Graduation Initiative to analyze reasons for the current graduation trend and develop programs to assist student-athletes in graduating in four years (GSR-six years). In addition, started a Program to assist former student-athletes to complete graduation requirements and obtain their WSU diploma.

Weber State had 40 student athletes names to the Big Sky Conference 2010 Fall All-Academic terms for football, women's volleyball, women's soccer, women's cross-country and men's cross-country. The Wildcats had 19 football players, nine women's soccer players, four women's volleyball players, six women cross country runners and two men's cross country runners named to the team.

8.     STUDENT EMAIL SYSTEM – Bret Ellis, and Gail Niklason

The current student email system will be replaced on June 26, 2011. The system us 8 1/2 years old , not supported by the vendor, and the system is not liked by the students. Two new vendors were considered, Google's Gmail and Microsoft Live. Both systems allow Weber State to provide the same email addresses as they currently have with access through Eweber. The current student email system will be maintained through December 2011. Faculty and staff email will continue to use the Novell system. 

Based on input from students and some faculty groups, the IT Division is suggesting that Google Gmail be used to replace the current system. Information can be found at: https://www.weber.edu/wildcatmail

One concern was for email software that would interface with those outside our system.

Motion: Charge ARCC to look at faculty/staff options for email.
Made: Shelley Thomas
Second: Michelle More
Outcome: The motion passed unanimously.

9.     CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW, APPORTIONMENT & ORGANIZATION – Allyson Saunders, Chair

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

The Constitutional Review, Apportionment & Organization Committee is recommending the following

1. That the PPM be assigned responsibility to the entities listed in the spreadsheet. (Click on item 8 in the agenda for the spreadsheet.) http://faculty.weber.edu/senate/Minutes10-11/FS14Apr11.htm
2. That the Faculty Senate website contain a link for individuals or groups to notify the Faculty Senate Executive Committee of policy concerns such as outdated policies, policy needs, etc.
3. That the Faculty Senate Executive Committee add a review section to committee charges. As time permits, these policies should be reviewed for possible action. The exact policies to be reviewed are then listed.
4. That no policy is necessary to establish a cyclical review of the PPM.

10.    CURRICULUM – Erika Daines, Chair

Political Science - Course deletion for Practical Politics - POLS 3900

Social Work - New course proposals for Writing in Social Work - SW 3800, Perspectives on Drug Use and Substance Abuse - SW 4140, Professional Development: Human Development in the Social Environment - SW 5010, Professional Development: Social Welfare Policy - SW 5020, Professional Development: Social Work Ethics and Practice Methods - SW 5030

Computer and Electronics Engineering Technology - Program Elimination

Performing Arts - Program change for Bachelor of Arts in Dance; Course deletions for Cooperative Work Experience - DANC 2890, Dance History Project: Development - DANC 3710, and Dance History Project: Performance - DANC 3711

The curriculum above includes a program elimination. There is no conflict in the elimination of the Computer and Electronics Engineering Technology program. No faculty will be adversely affected by this program elimination. The program elimination was unanimously approved by the College of Applied Science & Technology.

Motion by the Curriculum Committee to approve the above curriculum items.

Outcome: The motion was approved unanimously.

Compression Report prepared by Stephen Hill

Base Pay Increases - The Salary, Benefits, Budget & Fiscal Planning Committee recommends base increases for completion of degrees.

Supplemental Pay - The Salary, Benefits, Budget & Fiscal Planning Committee recommends keeping online compensation as it is presently structured, and increasing compensation for face to face on the basis of $35 per student per credit hour beginning Fall 2011.

Discussion

• Concern with smaller classes where faculty might be paid less than $2,700.
• Was there discussion on redistribution of credit hours per college? Should this be a charge and what committee would look at this?
• How do adjunct fit into this model? The model is run by CE. Faculty who teach adjunct and are paid by their department and college dean may or may not be paid under this model.
• No caps? There should be a cap for pay, not enrollment. How do you budget without a cap. CE has a cap. Colleges negotiate with CE. CE bases the cap on past history.
• Faculty cannot exceed 33% of their salary for supplemental pay. If the 33% is exceeded the money can go into a separate account to be used by the department.
• Why favor one class for large enrollment over another class for less enrollment? Department chairs and CE negotiate class size.
• Should there be a charge to look at distribution?
• The model is based on current enrollment.
• This model sets up incentive for faculty to teach overload. Faculty should be focused on the main job, not overload pay.
• Buy outs are based on base salary.
• Do we want to encourage large classes?

Motion by the Salary, Benefits, Budget & Fiscal Planning Committee to recommend the Supplemental Pay Model to the Provost.
Outcome: The motion passed with 30 in favor and 5 opposed.
 

Other Concerns

• Pedagogy - Which committee should analyze pedagogy?
• Distribution of hours - This will quickly become a curricular question, i..e. Do you want students to satisfy the social science requirement with psychology or sociology. Do you want students to satisfy life science with nutrition or botany. This is an important question, but not a salary questions. If this goes as a charge, the Provost thinks it should go to Gen Ed.

Which committee should analyze pedagogy.

Motion: Charge the Executive Committee to charge the appropriate committee to look at distribution of hours.
Made: Stephen Francis
Second: Azenett Garza
Outcome: The motion passed with 2 opposed.

12.    APPOINTMENT, PROMOTION, ACADEMIC FREEDOM & TENURE – Afshin Ghoreishi, Chair

Motion by the Appointment, Promotion, Academic Freedom & Tenure Committee to approve the College of Applied Science & Technology tenure document.
Outcome: The motion passed unanimously.

Motion by the Appointment, Promotion, Academic Freedom & Tenure Committee to approve the Dumke College of Health Professions tenure document.
Outcome: The motion passed with 1 abstention.

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

Report Recommendations

Discussion

• The report is the unanimous opinion of the entire APAFT Committee.
• Dean Ostlie emailed a response to the report and the Regents' policy.
• Report is unclear. What is the report trying to state? Glossary of acronyms.

Motion: Moved to include Dean Ostlie's responses to the APAFT Committee report.
Made: Sue Harley
Second: Michael Hernandez
Outcome: The motion was approved unanimously.

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

Report Conclusions

Discussion

• Provost - There is an important trade off between certainty and flexibility. Looking back over the tenure process for the past three years, there has been one faculty member that was terminated during the probationary period. These recommendations remove the uncertainty, but they do so at the expense of flexibility. If A 1 was in effect this year, nine faculty in the probationary period would have been terminated. Over the past three years, that number would have been twenty.
• Faculty are given a chance to make some changes during the probationary period.
• This recommendation could go to APAFT next year as a charge to look at a change to the policy

Charge 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).

Report Recommendations

Based on our review, we recommend that the Executive Committee appoint an ad hoc task force to revise the current instrument. However, we believe that appointment of this task force should not occur until decisions are made regarding our recommendations for revision of PPM 1-17 (see report on Charge 7). In addition, we recommend the following regarding the task force and its activities:

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

Report Recommendations

Discussion

• Concern if the policy requires a 50% approval rating for deans. Is this a concern in getting good deans? The possibilities listed for updating PPM 1-17 are dangerous.
• How many faculty respond to the survey instrument used for deans? About 40-50 percent of faculty respond to the survey for reappointment.

PPM 8-12

POLICY

Discussion

• Candidates should not suffer the consequences if documents have not been placed in their file by the dean, department, or committee.
• Make language in February 1 stronger.
• Can a candidate add additional information to their tenure file once the process begins? If a candidate wishes to add information after the process begins, for example, an article has been accepted after the process has begun, the information needs to be given to review presently taking place. That information should be placed in the file by the college committee.
• Files should be tracked by the dean's office.
• Committees should be passing information along to the next level of review.
• A candidate is not penalized if items end up missing from the prior committee.

Motion by the Appointment, Promotion, Academic Freedom & Tenure Committee to approve the changes to PPM 8-12 as stated in the entire document linked to the April 14 Senate meeting.
Outcome: The motion passed unanimously.

POLICY

Motion by the Appointment, Promotion, Academic Freedom & Tenure Committee to approve the above changes to PPM 8-23.
Outcome: The motion passed unanimously.

ADJOURN

The meeting adjourned at 5:00 p.m.