Approved 1

Approved 1-22-04

Thursday
January 15, 2004
2:00 p.m.
MA 211K

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

PRESENT
Tony Allred, Dawn Gatherum, Sue Harley, Michelle Heward, Becky Johns, Wade Kotter, Kathleen Lukken, Laura MacLeod, Ann Millner, Molly Smith, Kay Brown - Secretary

EXCUSED
Diane Kawamura

MINUTES
Dawn Gatherum: Moved to approve the minutes from the November 20, 2003 meeting.
Second: Becky Johns
Outcome: The minutes were approved.

RSPG
Research, Scholarship and Professional Growth Committee – Susan Matt, Chair

The committee had a little over $28,000 total to award; $18,250 was awarded to faculty and staff proposals, and $10,000 was distributed to new faculty proposals. The committee received 14 proposals asking for a total of $29,957.31. The committee voted to fund 13 projects for a total of $27,141.51.

MOTION
Sue Harley: Moved to forward to the Faculty Senate the report of the Fall 2003 RSPG proposals funded with asterisks added for the new faculty proposals funded.
Second: Wade Kotter
Outcome: The motion passed unanimously.

AD HOC
UGRPC
Ad Hoc University Graduation Requirements Planning Committee - The Executive Committee discussed possible members for the implementation committee.

Executive Committee members were asked to email faculty in their college asking who might be interested in serving on the committee. Michelle Heward will also prepare a email to send to all faculty asking who might be interested in serving on the committee. She will also work with Nandi Dyal Chand for a student representative. It was recommended that two faculty members from each college serve, one representative from the library, one dean, one representative from Academic Advising, one college advisor, one student representative, and one representative from Academic Affairs. One of the two faculty representatives from the colleges needs to also represent CG&E, ASSA, TLA/TLF, with a liaison from the Executive Committee. Fran Butler was suggested to represent CG&E and TLA/TLF. Dawn Gatherum will suggest someone from the ASSA Committee.

The chair of the committee needs to be carefully selected and probably from a department who does not have a strong investment in gen ed courses so that they can provide a neutral voice and direction to the committee. The committee needs to have some specific guideline from the Executive Committee.

Dean Phillips is willing to continue to work with the committee, Kathleen Lukken acting Provost is willing to work with the committee until a new Provost is selected. The final selection of committee members will be discussed at the January 22 Agenda Setting meeting.

Charges -

Write a mission Statement
Develop Learning Outcomes
Design Assessment Model
Design the structure of General Education consistent with the University Mission and the Board of Regents standards

The structure should include other degree requirements such as, scientific inquiry, diversity, B.A. and B.S. and university/college tier requirements.

SELF STUDY
It is important to use the Self Study as an assessment tool to help us look at where we are, where we are going and how we can use the information to make what we are doing better. As we review the Self Study see if there are charges that come to mind. The Executive Committee will meet on January 28, February 11, and February 25 from 2:00 to 4:00 in MA 211K to discuss the Self Study.

STUDENT ASSESSMENT
The Executive Committee discussed the January 3, 2004 article in the Standard Examiner, "Faculty Evaluation Hot Topic at WSU," and the editorial, "Place WSU Professors’ Evaluations on the Net," which appeared January 7, 2004 along with a Grondahl cartoon. Michelle Heward is in the process of putting together a letter replying to the Standard Examiner stating where the Faculty Senate is in the process. The comparison in the Standard was unfair. Faculty are evaluated. Faculty do grade and evaluate students, but they do not post student grades on the web. Student grades are private.

The student evaluation of faculty issue was tabled at the December 4, 2003 Faculty Senate meeting. The Teacher Evaluation Ad Hoc Committee was asked to meet and discuss how the information from the evaluation will be disseminated.

The motion to table stated: "Moved to table the vote on the student evaluation questions until the following can be answered: (1) How will the evaluation information be disseminated? (2) Has campus-wide discussion of the questions taken place? (3) Will the evaluation be campus mandated?"

Things to consider -

What if the information/rating from the department course evaluation and the student evaluation of the faculty member are very different?
Does this student evaluation become part of the online course evaluation?
Will the evaluation be done on the web or in paper form in the classroom?
Workload on departments
Cost issue
Who will do the data analysis?
Should the information be restricted from Weber State non faculty and non students access?
Present a dissemination system that is restricted to Weber State and does not allow access other than student access, at least not public access.
Should there be access to the evaluations from the course schedule?
Using class instruction time for department evaluations and student evaluations.
Should there be an aggregate of the two evaluations?

The possibility of holding an additional Faculty Senate meeting to discuss the student assessment issue was considered. However, the February Faculty Senate agenda appears to have few items for discussion. The Senate will be notified at the January 29, 2004 Faculty Senate meeting that this item will be discussed at the February 19, 2004 Faculty Senate meeting.

FACULTY MEMBERSHIP
A memo to the Executive Committee outlined the number of members to be elected this year from each college and the carryover terms of office. College election results will be sent to the

Faculty Senate Office by Thursday, February 19, 2004. Executive Committee members will be elected by the entire faculty via email March 1-3, 2004.

TLA/TLF POSITION
An announcement will be sent campus wide announcing that Fran Butler has been selected to serve as the Chair of the Teaching, Learning and Assessment Committee and as Coordinator of the Teaching and Learning Forum for a two-year term beginning July 1, 2004.

ACADEMIC CALENDAR
Kathleen Lukken presented an item raised in Deans’ Council. They discussed the possibility of adjusting the semester calendar to begin three days earlier on a Wednesday rather than beginning on the Monday following the Open School Meetings. Concern has been expressed that classroom instruction and lab instruction is being robbed of time because of the holidays in Fall and Spring semesters.

The calendar is set by the Registrar’s Office. At the time of semester conversion the length of the semester was set by the Semester Conversion Transition Team. The Executive Committee wanted to look at the history of the "Fall Break." Withdrawal dates are set as a percentage of the semester and will be affected if the semester begins three days earlier. The Executive Committee felt discussion should take place as the Deans meet with their Department Chairs.

ADJOURN
The meeting adjourned at 3:15 p.m.