EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

PRESENT 
Shannon Butler, Tamara Chase, Dave Ferro, Bruce Handley, Ron Holt, Wade Kotter, Jack Mayhew, Gene Sessions, Mike Vaughan, Jim Wilson – Kay Brown Secretary

EXCUSED 
Ann Millner

WELCOME 
Bruce Handley welcomed members of the Executive Committee and expressed his appreciation for the strengths committee members bring to this group.

CHARGES

ARCC 
Dave Ferro presented charges for the ARCC Committee.

1. Allocate ARCC resources, including Dee Family Technology Grant funds, using consistent objective, fair, and responsible criteria.

• Review funding criteria and procedures for ARCC for possible revision or clarification purposes. Continue to develop funding criteria for and advertisement of the Dee Family Technology Grant.

• Assess faculty and student computer needs, solicit faculty input, and lobby for the faculty’s computer-related interests.

2. Review (with computing support) standards for hardware and software purchases.

3. Continue to improve the means of submitting proposals and decreasing the amount of paperwork involved.

4. Monitor the expenditures of all ARCC funds, including those supported through WSUSA funding.

5. Maintain close communication with other computer resource entities on campus, including WebCT/Vista.

6. Be represented on the IT Council and other critical technology oriented committees and routinely invite directors to summarize status of new projects and ongoing IT/CE support.

7. Improve communication between faculty, IT/CE, administration regarding technology issues and advise said bodies of faculty needs.

8. Sponsor a faculty/staff IT Users Group to share information, ideas, and solutions regarding the use of technology at Weber State.

The Executive Committee discussed IT issues and the possibility of having ARCC act as a clearinghouse for all IT faculty issues. Also discussed was the difference between Academic Computing versus Administrative Computing, Graduation Evaluations, and Identity Management (How do you manage access and identification?). Revisions will be made to the charges and they will be reviewed at the September 7, 2006 Executive Committee meeting.

ASSA 
Jack Mayhew presented charges for the ASSA Committee.

1. PPM sections dealing with student employment and Wildcat cards were still under discussion at the end of this semester. The definition of who is a student had not been finalized.

2. Look at statistics about the success of the placement policy, such as correlations between ACT scores and Math 1010, the new developmental English course etc. Monitor procedures for helping students who were admitted prior to Spring 2006 and have not completed their developmental courses.

3. Work with the administration to increase the number of working days for entering online grades. The committee received a petition to that effect, but we could not work out a solution. During an Executive Committee meeting, the Provost mentioned some options which might be helpful.

4. Look at the maximum number of hours for 5000 level courses in a master’s program.

The following charge was recommended by John Allred, Registrar’s Office:

5. I would like ASSA to look at the graduation sign off policies. Advisers review a student file to determine if they are ready to graduate and then the Graduation office re-reviews the file to post the degree. I would like to propose that we edit the policy so that the department signs off on the whole degree and then the graduation office moves forward and posts the degree rather than the duplication of work.

It was suggested that charge 5 read: Review and make recommendations to the current graduation sign off procedure.

APAFT 
Wade Kotter presented charges for the APAFT Committee.

1. Review PPM 8-23 and other pertinent policies to clarify who can start the process of delaying tenure decisions. Allow for delaying the process for up to two years. [2005-06 APAFT report indicates that work on this charge was not completed]

2. Research the practice of administering course evaluations across campus and consider policy that facilitates the distinction between course and program evaluations. [recommended by committee]

3. Investigate standards for the evaluation of electronic publications as part of the promotion and tenure review process. [recommended by Dean Phillips]

4. Investigate methods for communicating the new accommodation policy to the faculty. [recommend by committee]

5. Recommend revisions to PPM 8-12 (Dated Guidelines for the Ranking Tenure Review Processes) regarding the timing of reviews by the University Ranking Tenure Evaluation Committee. The current guidelines essentially require that the Committee meet during Spring Break. [recommended by Provost Vaughn]

6. Consider proposals from the APAFT subcommittee created last year to investigate and recommend revisions to the intellectual property sections of the PPM. [per 2005-06 APAFT report]

7. Review PPM 8-1a (Degree Requirements) to clarify the process by which contract, tenure-track or tenured faculty who wish to seek an advanced degree can determine if the institution in which they wish to enroll is appropriately accredited, and if the degree itself is acceptable. [recommended by Warren Hill]

8. Review PPM 1-8 (Duties of Department Chairs) and make recommendations to bring it in line with current practice. [recommended by Warren Hill]

9. Consider raising the standards (PPM 8-11, Evaluation of Faculty Members) for a rating of Excellent in scholarship. [recommended by Richard Greene]

10. Re-think the types of publications and associated standards that should be taken into consideration when reviewing and rating a faculty member’s scholarship (PPM 8-11, Evaluation of Faculty Members). [recommended by Richard Greene] (could be combined with 3 above)

It was suggested to combine charges 3, 9, and 10 and to look at vanity publications. Also suggested was to have the committee review PPM’s 8 and 9 for formatting and language.

CRAO 
Ron Holt presented charges for the CRAO Committee.

1. Calculate apportionment for Faculty Senate representation using the Hamilton Method and present the apportionment figures to the Faculty Senate during Autumn Semester.

2. Look at the language in the Faculty Senate Constitution regarding the membership of the Executive Committee and whether or not a faculty member from the library should always be included.

3. Research questions and make recommendations that are brought to the attention of the CRAO Committee.

An additional charge was added - Review PPM 1-13, Article C II, Section 3, 3.3 Student Members, and make a recommendation on the voting rights of student representatives to the Faculty Senate.

CURRICULUM 
Tamara Chase presented the Curriculum Committee charges.

1. Review and approve curriculum and program proposals.

2. Continue to conduct workshops on an as-needed basis with college curriculum committee chairs to acquaint them with curriculum procedures.

3. Develop forms for core and breadth course proposals.

4. Review and recommend language in PPM for workshops.

5. Work with the new General Education Assessment and Improvement Committee to develop an efficient and complementary working model that allows each to fulfill its part of the University's General Education evaluation needs without unnecessary duplication of effort.

Dan Bedford, chair of the General Education Improvement and Assessment Committee will serve as an ex officio member of this committee. Laine Berghout will be given quarter time release to serve as chair of the Curriculum Committee.

GEN ED 
Jim Wilson presented charges for the Gen Ed Committee.

1. Learning outcomes: Oversee completion (i.e. faculty senate approval) of learning outcomes for all GE breadth and core areas. This has already been accomplished for some areas, but not all.

2. Assessment tools: Oversee establishment of assessment tools for all GE breadth and core areas. This probably need not be as formal as the learning outcomes, as flexibility at the college and department levels may be necessary. Begin consideration of how individual courses can be held accountable.

3. General Education Program objectives: Revise the statement of General Education program objectives to improve clarity and concision. Consider how well the existing Gen Ed program fits with the reworded statement of objectives. Consider how well the existing WSU Gen Ed Mission Statement describes the reworded statement of objectives, and recommend changes to the mission statement as necessary.

4. Committee procedures: Now that the Gen Ed Assessment and Improvement Committee is no longer ad hoc, basic procedures to meet the committee’s mission are needed. Specifically, we need to establish (and codify) procedures for assessment of new courses intended to meet Gen Ed requirements. This will include consideration of relationships with other committees, most obviously the curriculum committee. We also need to establish and codify procedures for review of Gen Ed (incorporating results of assessment tools).

5. SI and Diversity: These are not strictly part of the Gen Ed program as outlined in the WSU catalog, but certainly seem to be part of the committee’s area of concern. The relationship of these requirements to Gen Ed should be clarified and codified. Learning outcomes and assessment tools may need to be developed, as appropriate.

Charge 6 was deleted as the Northwest report will come from the Provost’s office.

Dan Bedford will be given quarter time release to chair the General Education Improvement and Assessment Committee. Laine Berghout will serve as an ex officio member of this committee.

HD 
Gene Sessions present charges for the Honorary Degree Committee.

1. Meet separately and early as the faculty portion of the committee to discuss representing in a unified manner the constituent needs and interests of the faculty in the deliberation of the larger committee.

2. Ensure faculty involvement in the nomination and selection of candidates for honorary degrees and for commencement speakers through maintaining the important voice of the faculty and the Faculty Senate as a major force on the institutional committee.

3. Consider ways to encourage more nominations from faculty for honorary degrees,

4. Encourage the selection of at least one honorary degree recipient each year who has made an outstanding academic contribution to higher education, preferably a WSU faculty member.

5. Work to achieve a representation of gender and ethnicity among degree recipients and ensure that all recipients are of stature to enhance the image of Weber State University.

6. See that the criteria for honorary degrees are considered , so that the understandable desire of the administration to cultivate donors and potential donors does not overwhelm the deliberations and pass over otherwise worthy candidates.

7. Provide the larger committee with a way to carry forward information so next year’s committee can benefit from work done this year.

RSPG 
Dave Ferro presented the charges for the RSPG Committee.

1. Continue to issue RFPs for Research and Instructional Improvement, Hemingway, and Weber Writes grants and review the proposals in a timely manner.

2. Continue to coordinate deadlines for submission of proposals with the chairs of the Institutional Review Board and the Animal Care and Use Committee.

3. Review and update as needed the proposal guidelines. Clarify and report the criteria for awarding the grant. Explore ways to simplify the process and broaden the criteria.

4. Provide feedback to authors why proposals were not funded.

5. Continue efforts to publicize the committee’s activities. Seek ways to broaden participation campus wide. Explore opportunities to disseminate information about funded projects including workshops in order to provide consistent information and feedback to potential applicants.

6. Develop a proposal for additional funding to support faculty research.

7. Work with the Teaching, Learning and Assessment Committee to find non-monetary ways to promote and recognize faculty research and scholarship.

8. Work with the Teaching, Learning and Assessment Committee to help faculty identify new methods of scholarship.

9. Look at the committee description and membership regulations listed in the Faculty Senate Bylaws, PPM 1-13, for possible revisions and updates.

10. Continue to coordinate with the office of undergraduate research to provide faculty with funding for research assistants.

An additional charge was suggested to evaluate Weber Writes grants. Revised charges will be discussed at the September 7, 2006 Executive Committee.

SBBFP Bruce Handley presented the charges for the SBBFP Committee.

1. Look at a proposed change in the PPM related to sick leave for faculty.

2. Recommend a tiered award structure for degree completion, say $500 for an associate, $750 for a bachelors, $1,000 for a masters, and $1,500 for a doctorate.

3. Equity Adjustments - Look at dollar amounts each year.

4. Look at salary comparisons in the inter mountain area, and cost of living for various areas.

5. Have a member of the SBBFP Committee sit on the Medical Benefits Advisory Committee.

6. Have the Chair of the SBBFP Committee sit on the Medical Benefits Steering Committee.

7. Narrow the gap between online teaching and face to face teaching.

The Executive Committee felt that the Classified Staff Advisory Committee and the Professional Staff Advisory Committee should address the degree completion compensation mentioned in charge 2.

Two additional charges were added:

8. Update the committee and discuss the process and status on rebidding medical insurance coverage.

9. Discuss how to communicate more effectively to faculty their contract period and how long their salary and benefits continue once they have tenured their resignation.

TLA 
Shannon Butler presented charges for the TLA Committee.

1. Continue support for faculty development of teaching and learning strategies by working on the following:

• Provide assistance to the Office of Undergraduate Research as needed
• Work with the Office of Academic Affairs to increase professional development for adjunct faculty by sponsoring an Adjunct Retreat
• Continue the online format for workshops and other professional development activities.
• Provide assistance to WSUSA in re-organizing the Last Lecture Series
• Sponsor a 3^rd Annual Faculty Forum in conjunction with Academic affairs and RSPG.
• Continue to promote faculty professional development through book discussion groups, workshops, and retreats. (It is recommended that the committee pursue some of the ideas mentioned above to increase faculty attendance at committee sponsored events.)

2. Begin the compilation of a database of faculty and others who have expertise in various aspects of teaching and learning. This database could serve as a resource when planning professional development activities.

3. Consider re-instituting a quarterly newsletter outlining TLA projects and events in an effort to raise faculty awareness of the opportunities that exist.

The Executive Committee discussed changing charge 1 so that it did not appear as a check list. Other changes were also discussed. Shannon will meet with Fran Butler and revisions to the charges will be discussed at the September 7, 2006 Executive Committee meeting.

ADJOURN 
Lunch was served and the meeting adjourned at 1:00 p.m.