Approved 2-9-06

Thursday
February 2, 2006
2:00 p.m.
MA 211K

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

 

PRESENT 
Bill Clapp, Tamara Chase, Gary Dohrer, Dawn Gatherum, Bruce Handley - Chair, Becky Johns, Wade Kotter, Jack Mayhew, Gene Sessions, Mike Vaughan - Kay Brown - Secretary

EXCUSED 
President Millner

GUESTS 
Laine Berghout, Dave Ferro, Jim Hutchins

MINUTES 
Bill Clapp: Moved to approve the minutes from the January 12, 2006 meeting.
Second: Gene Sessions
Outcome: The minutes were approved.

MEMORIAL TRIBUTES 
The Executive Committee discussed guideline for memorial tributes and whether or not they be done for all faculty whether or not they are currently teaching. Concern was expressed about having the memorials in conjunction with a Faculty Senate meeting. It seems awkward for families to come to a Senate meeting for five or ten minutes and then leave alone so the Senate could conduct its normal business. The Provost suggested putting a small group together to outline the format. Tributes could be done as part of the Opening School meetings or at the Spring Faculty Awards luncheon.

An announcement will be made at the March Faculty Senate meeting regarding memorial tributes. A group will be put together to recommend how, where, and when, memorial tributes will be given.

TLA 
Jim Hutchins discussed the Teaching, Learning and Assessment/Teaching and Learning Forum chair position and wanted direction from the Executive Committee on how to proceed. The Executive Committee felt that Fran Butler, current chair of the committee, was doing a good job.

PPM 1-13, ARTICLE B-V, 4.9. COMMITTEES OF THE FACULTY SENATE

" . . . Committee on Teaching, Learning and Assessment - 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 two-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."

Dawn Gatherum will talk with Fran Butler about the policy and ask if she is interested in applying for the position again. A position announcement will be sent out next week. March 1, 2006 will be the deadline for applications. The final decision of the chair position will be announced in the March Faculty Senate meeting.

CGE 40 HRS.

UPPER DIVISION In the September 28, 2005 meeting Laine Berghout discussed with the Curriculum & General Education Committee the upper division credit hours policy. In October the BIS Program Director requested a waiver of the required 40 hours of upper division credits when one of the three areas requires the organic chemistry series. Curriculum & General Education Committee members discussed the 40-credit-hour upper-division requirement at that meeting inviting John Allred to give historical background. Laine Berghout, Chair of the Curriculum and General Education Committee researched the other state institutions policy on the number of upper division credits required for graduation. At the January 25, 2006 Curriculum and General Education Committee meeting Laine Berghout presented his findings and the committee discussed their recommendation. CGE Committee members unanimously felt that no exceptions or waivers should be made to the credit hour requirement. CGE Committee members felt that the 40-hour policy increases the level of the student’s education and it was a philosophical stand.

PPM 4-1, I, B-3 currently reads: "A minimum of 40 semester (60 quarter) credit hours of upper-division work must be completed. Departments with a significant number of lower-division sequential classes required for completion of a major may petition the University Curriculum & General Education Committee to reduce the required number of upper-division semester credit hours to no fewer than 33."

The following recommendation was emailed to Curriculum & General Education Committee members and approved. ". . . The University Curriculum and General Education Committee recommends that the faculty senate refer the current 40-credit-hour upper-division baccalaureate-degree requirement to the Admissions, Standards, and Student Affairs Committee to consider eliminating the upper-division credit hour waiver process that is currently provided for in the PPM. . . ." A complete copy of the recommendation and justification can be obtained from the Faculty Senate Office.

A question remains of whether the Chemistry Department policy will be grandfathered in or if it will be requested that they look at their program and make the appropriate requirement changes. The Chemistry is currently discussing the credit hour requirement for the Chemistry major.

MOTION 
Gene Sessions: Moved to send to the ASSA Committee a charge to look at the current policy in PPM 4-1, I, B-3 as stated above, and look at the recommendation of the Curriculum and General Education Committee and present their recommendation to the Faculty Senate.
Second: Becky Johns
Outcome: The motion passed unanimously.

Suggestions were made as to how curriculum proposals could be streamlined when going to the Faculty Senate for approval. It was suggested that all proposal in the packet be presented as a package. If anyone had a question or concern on a particular proposal then that proposal would be pulled from the packet and discussed separately. Bruce Handley will explain the change for handling curriculum items to senators at the February Faculty Senate meeting.

ARCC 
Dave Ferro, Chair of the Academic Resources and Computing Committee presented the committee report which contained an overview of ARCC activities, a project watch list, a report by the State of IT Advisory group, the State of IT at WSU, reports of the IT Open Forum meetings, and a report on where Information Technology decisions are being made at WSU. This report will also be posted online.

ARCC holds two open forum meeting each semester (Fall and Spring). The most recent being today, February 2, 2006. Six people were in attendance. A flyer announcing the open forum was sent to all faculty and staff (1,300).

MOTION Gene Sessions: Moved to forward to the Faculty Senate as an information item the ARCC report by Dave Ferro.
Second: Wade Kotter.
Outcome: The motion passed unanimously.

DISTRIBUTION OF INFORMATION 
The Executive Committee discussed better ways of filtering information to faculty. Ideas included posting documents on Senate pages using Front Page or having Web CT available for downloading items to include on Senate web pages. The Provost talked about the importance of the social aspects of coming together and discussing campus issues. We need to support more interaction. The idea of an "Open Forum" at the Senate meeting was mentioned.

INFORMATION 
Bill Clapp distributed an article from the Academic Leader, December 2005, that discussed the hiring of a faculty member who wanted to teach all his courses online and not move to the area which the campus serves.

GOVERNANCE AWARD 
A flyer announcing nominations for the Faculty Governance Award will be sent out next week. Deadline for nominations is March 1, 2006. It was suggested that the faculty member who received the award one year would present the award the following year. Sue Harley received the award in 2005. She will be contacted and asked to present the award at the March 23, 2006 Faculty Senate meeting.

LIAISON REPORT Executive Committee members gave updates on committee work.

APAFT - Working on Accommodation Policy

ASSA - Cut Score recommendations for Math and English and an admission policy change for international students coming to Senate in February.

CRAO - Separation of curriculum and gen ed. Establish a committee for gen ed assessment and improvement. Electronic balloting phrase included in the PPM. February Senate.

GEN ED AD HOC - Making progress.

RSPG - Marge Balzer has left the University. It was thought that Ken Johnson was on the committee and could represent the College of Health Professions.

TLA - Research symposium in March. Proposals received, 33.

SBBFP - Supplemental Pay policy coming to Senate in February.

S.I. and Diversity Ad Hoc Committee - Recommendation coming to Senate in February.

The Executive Committee discussed the importance of math and English. The Regents are working on a Regent’s Scholar program. If students meet certain requirements (math and English courses are required for all four years), and graduate from high school they will be declared as a Regent’s Scholar and will be entitled to certain privileges. It was suggested that Weber State also offer some additional incentives. The Provost indicated that discussions are taking place to allow in coming freshmen to take remedial math and/or English at a heavily reduced rate (possibly reduced 30%) in the summer.

Statistics for the state of Utah show that ten years ago 42% of high school students used to go to college. That statistic has dropped to 31% and is predicted to head toward 25%. High school graduation used to be near 100%. It is now down to 90%.

LEGISLATURE 
Senator Hickman is proposing a "Small College Enhancement" bill. The rational is that Utah State University and the University of Utah generate a fair amount of grant money for programs and research assistants. Senator Hickman feels that the other state institutions need an infusion of funds to help level the playing field.

ENROLLMENT 
Figures show that enrollment for Spring 2006 is down 4% from Spring 2005. Enrollment figures for Fall 2005 were down 1.6% from enrollment figures for Fall 2004.

ADJOURN 
The meeting adjourned at 3: 40.