Approved 4-13-06

Thursday
April 6, 2006
2:00 p.m.
MA 211K

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

 

PRESENT
Tamara Chase, Gary Dohrer, Dawn Gatherum, Bruce Handley - Chair, Wade Kotter, Gene Sessions, Mike Vaughan - Kay Brown - Secretary

EXCUSED 
Bill Clapp, Becky Johns, Jack Mayhew, President Millner

MINUTES Wade Kotter: Moved to approve the minutes from the March 9, 2006 meeting.
Second: Gene Sessions
Outcome: The motion passed unanimously.

CONFLICT RESOLUTION 
The Executive Committee looked at PPM 4-1 for the placement of the conflict resolution general statement. The general statement on conflict resolution was passed by the Faculty Senate at the March 23, 2006 meeting without a specified location in PPM 4-1. The Executive Committee decided not to place the conflict resolution general statement under an existing category in PPM 4-1, but add a new category as item VIII. Conflict Resolution.

APAFT 
The Appointment, Promotion, Academic Freedom & Tenure Committee is working on defining Instructor and Instructor Specialists, and discussing promotions within those designations. Presently colleges and departments are defining Instructor and Instructor Specialists differently.

Charge for 2006-07 - Review sections of the PPM (primarily sections 8 and 9) for formatting and language. These sections have been revised piecemeal and need to be edited as entire sections.

CGE 
The Curriculum & General Education Committee has written a recommendation for continuing the moratorium on general education breadth courses, but suggests lifting the moratorium on core requirements. The S.I. recommendation from the Ad Hoc Committee on S.I. and Diversity is still under discussion by the CGE Committee and will not be ready for the April 2006 Faculty Senate meeting. The Dumke College of Health Professions has some specific concerns.

Charges for 2006-07 committee - Work with the General Education Improvement & Assessment Committee on an S.I. recommendation, and coordinate with them other curriculum issues.

HD 
The Honorary Degree Committee met once prior to the University Honorary Degree and Commencement Speaker Committee and felt they had great influence on the selections.

AD HOC GEN ED 
The Ad Hoc Committee on General Education Improvement & Assessment is completing a gen ed plan and objectives for each college. Thom Kuehls will report to the Executive Committee on April 13, 2006. Assessment of general education needs to take place prior to the Northwest visit next year.

RSPG 
The Research, Scholarship & Professional Growth Committee extended the deadline for proposal application as they originally received only three applications. The new deadline is April 7.

Funds for refreshments at committee meeting was discussed. The Senate Office has helped with refreshment twice a year for the RSPG Committee. Senate funds are very limited. Executive

Committee members felt that drinks and possibly light refreshments for long meetings is acceptable, but did not feel they could grant funds for luncheon meetings.

Weber Writes will buyout three credit hours of release time to faculty applying for funding. The Executive Committee felt that faculty were not clear on the Weber Writes program, and felt that language explaining the program needed to be rewritten.

SBBFP 
The Salary, Benefits, Budget & Fiscal Planning Committee worked closely with the Administration this year on salary recommendations, and felt the Administration was very receptive of their recommendations.

Charges for 2006-07 - Look at ways to narrow the compensation gap between online teaching and face to face teaching, representation on Medical Benefits Advisory Committee, and input with the Medical Benefits Steering Committee that will draft the RFP.

TLA 
The Teaching, Learning & Assessment Committee has worked hard to put together workshops, collaborative projects, and other initiatives in support of faculty development. The events have not always been well attended by faculty. Faculty need to be encouraged to enhance their teaching. The TLA Committee is working on the New Faculty Retreat which is scheduled for August 15 and 16 in Midway.

CAMPUS PROPERTY 
The Executive Committee discussed the Ogden City/Chris Peterson gondola project and their desire to purchase 150 acres from Weber State. A petition requesting signatures of those opposed to the sale of University property for development purposes is being circulates and has 300 plus signatures to date.

Bruce Handley feels it is important to get a faculty group together, and suggested the formation of an ad hoc committee. He felt the Faculty Senate should guide the process, and that faculty should have strong input. Chris Peterson and Mayor Matthew Godfrey will make a presentation to Weber State employees on April 19 probably using an open house format with two or three presentation throughout the day. This project involves Mt. Ogden Golf Course, the Malan Heights property, and Weber State.

Provost Vaughan said the immediate focus of Ogden City is on the golf course. The city will need to hold public hearing, and rezone some of the area targeted for the project.

COOP VENTURE 
Provost Vaughan discussed the possibility of a cooperative venture with NUAMES Charter School. NUAMES would help fund a building at the Davis Campus and use the classrooms during the day; Weber State would use the classrooms in the evening. NUAMES has six or seven million available presently but would need to come up with additional funds for Weber State to pursue the cooperative venture.

PPM 4-19 
PPM 4-19 states - "Changing grades that have already been assigned and recorded is the sole responsibility and prerogative of the faculty member who taught the particular class and student."

A student has contacted her professor requesting that the class she took last spring and the grade she received be removed from her transcript. The faculty member is concerned about whether or not the "grade-erasing be an all-or-nothing deal, based on a majority vote of her spring 2005 faculty." The faculty member also states: "It does not make sense or seem fair for some faculty to grant her request and for other faculty to deny it.

The Provost asked the Executive Committee if they wished to have a Faculty Senate Standing Committee revisit the policy. The current policy allows the possibility of different faculty granting different accommodations for the same student.

The Executive Committee felt the policy did not need to be revisited and that "Changing grades that have already been assigned and recorded is the sole responsibility and prerogative of the faculty member who taught the particular class and student."

ADJOURN 
The meeting adjourned at 3:30 p.m.