Minutes for April 5, 2010

The Faculty Senate of Eastern Kentucky University met on Monday, April 5, 2010, in the South Ballroom in the Keen Johnson Building. Senator Ware called the eighth meeting of the academic year to order at approximately 3:30 p.m.

The following members of the Senate were absent:

^*Indicates prior notification of absence
^{^}ALT Mary Whitaker attended for C. Palmer

Visitors to the Senate: Daniel Boggs, IT; Sue Cain, Transition & University Service; Doug Cornett, IT; Lisa Cox, SOTO; Janet Creech, Marketing; Tina Davis, Registrar; Shannon Means, Administration; Sandra Moore, Diversity; Jerry Pogatshnik, Graduate Studies; Sherry Robinson, Provost Office

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

The March 1, 2010 minutes were approved with the following addition on page two, added after the motion to approve moving to a 16-week semester.

Registrar Tina Davis reported that there are a couple of things to remember when discussing a 16-week semester. One, the U.S. Department of Education regulations regarding title IV funding requires that an academic year must consist of 30 calendar weeks of instruction, or 15 weeks per semester. Title IV funding affects approximately 80% of EKU's students. With a 16-week semester, there are fourteen weeks of classes, one week of finals, and one week of various vacation times. Therefore, in order to have a 16-week term with 15 weeks of instruction, finals week would have to be declared as an educational week. This would mean that attendance during finals week would be mandatory and that there would need to be some kind of educational experience during that time. Another consideration with a 16-week term is that class meeting times and the inclement weather schedule would also need to be altered.

REPORT FROM THE PRESIDENT: Senator Whitlock
Senator Whitlock expressed his appreciation to Senator Taylor and the Provost Search Committee for their diligence and professionalism during the search process.

The budget situation in Frankfort remains uncertain. The House and the Senate conferees are at an impasse but hopefully an agreement will be reached when the legislature reconvenes on April 14th. Both sets of conferees have similar proposals for the first year of the biennium, but there are significant differences between the two in the second year of the biennium. Some of the differences include:

• the Senate proposes to cut higher education 1/2% more than the House
• the House proposed cutting two instructional days for elementary and secondary schools and the Senate proposed cutting the SEEK allocation by 1.5%.
• the House proposed a billion dollars worth of projects in their budget while the Senate proposed none except for sewers and water line projects and road funded projects

Senate Bill 127 which authorizes the comprehensive institutions to offer the Doctorate of Nursing Practice has been approved. Senator Whitlock thanked Dean David Gale and Associate Dean Deborah Whitehouse for their contributions during this process.

The statute on Faculty Regent elections has been revised to allow instructors to have voting rights in the election process, but the rank of assistant professor or higher is still required to serve as Faculty Regent. The revision will go into effect in July.

Legislation was recently approved to increase contributions paid into the Teacher Retirement System and the Kentucky Employment Retirement System. It is unknown at this time how significantly this will impact everyone.

The U.S. Office of Education's Office of Civil Rights has concluded that Kentucky has successfully eliminated the duel systems of higher education institutions for blacks and whites in the state. However, this situation will continue to be monitored through a new statewide diversity plan that will most likely be adopted by the Council on Postsecondary Education at its next meeting. In anticipation of the expected approval of this plan, Sandra Moore's role at EKU will be expanded to include a more global sense of diversity planning. She will also continue to serve as our liaison with the Council on Postsecondary Education.

Two tuition forums were held prior to spring break. A third tuition forum is scheduled for Tuesday, April 13th.

The Strategic Planning Council and the Financial Planning Council will meet jointly on Tuesday, April 6th to discuss the budget.

It is anticipated that there will be a significant increase in health care premiums in January, 2011.

Senator Whitlock indicated that if the University Benefits Committee recommends including domestic partner coverage in our benefits plan, he will work diligently to get that implemented.

Senator Whitlock was recently asked to serve on the Board of Directors of the American Committee for KEEP (Kiyosato Educational Experiment Project).

NEW BUSINESS:

Student Outreach & Transition. Lisa Cox was in attendance to inform faculty about a newly formed office, Student Outreach & Transition (SOTO). SOTO was formed to serve as a one stop shop for transfers, nontraditional adult students and veterans. Only one new position was created for this area, an Associate Director for Veterans Affairs, and that position is expected to be fully grant-funded within three years. Brett Morris has been hired for that position. All other staff support for SOTO was handled through re-assignment. SOTO is located in the Student Services Building in room 442.

Vision on EKU Web. Doug Cornett with Creative Services was in attendance to report on the new vision for the EKU web. Drupal, a free, open-source software, has been selected as the new content management system for EKU's web. Knowledge of html, php, and css coding will no longer be required to make content updates. Individuals will simply log in through their web browsers to make those changes. The move to the new system will be a gradual process with six areas (EKU homepage, admissions, financial aid, SOTO, Graduate School, and Housing) scheduled to come online in mid-August. The old and new systems will run concurrently and existing web sites will be replaced only as the new sites are completed and the departments/colleges are ready for the move to occur. There will be no changes made to EKU Direct and Blackboard.

Budget Committee Survey Results. Senator Johnson presented the findings for the Budget Committee Priorities Survey. There were 230 responses. Faculty were asked to respond to two questions: 1) in your opinion what should be the top three priorities for funding at the University given the flat rate of economic growth? and 2) in your opinion what should be the lowest three priorities for funding at the University given the flat rate of economic growth?

The top three priorities for faculty were 1) employee compensation, 2) existing facility maintenance and improvement; and 3) faculty lines.

The lowest top three priorities for faculty were 1) administration at executive, middle, staff support, and non-academic program levels; 2) new construction and land purchase; and 3) athletics.

Senator McKenney moved the following, seconded by Senator Johnson.

The EKU Chapter of the AAUP requests that the Faculty Senate adopt the following motion at its meeting on April 5th, 2010.

MOTION:
Whereas the foremost mission of Eastern Kentucky University is the instruction of students enabling them to successfully complete degrees and become productive citizens and,

Whereas the hiring, retention, and continuing professional development of excellent faculty is the absolutely essential component for realizing this mission,

we ask President Whitlock to initiate clear plans for accomplishing the following.

1. Bring EKU salaries into parity with those at EKU's benchmark universities (preferably through across the board increases) so that Eastern's faculty compensation is no longer below average.
2. Address the imbalance in the ratio of administrators to faculty in EKU's budget to recognize the primacy of faculty.
3. Increase faculty compensation for work-related activities, including, but not limited to, travel and registration for conference attendance that is either for professional development or for the presentation of research

Motion carried.

Report from Council on Academic Affairs - Senator Vice

New Program

1. MPH-EHS Graduate Certificate in Industrial Hygiene

New Endorsement

2. Teacher Leader Endorsement

Program Revisions - Reducing Hours Required to Graduate

3. Globalization and International Affairs (BA) - reduce the number of hours for the BA degree in Globalization and International Affairs from 128 semester hours to 120 semester hours by reducing Free Electives.
4. Minor in Humanities - Reducing the overall required hours from 24 to 18 and changing the courses required for the minor.
5. Accounting (BBA) - Reduce the total number of hours required for a degree in Accounting, to add Accounting Information Systems as a required course, and to make MAT 211 required for all accounting majors.
6. Finance (BBA) - Reduce the total hours required for Finance major to 120, and to incorporate recently approved courses FIN 310 and FIN 311 into the finance program. Edit courses for alphabetizing purposes.
7. Insurance (BBA) - Decrease number of free electives to reduce total number hours required to 120. Revise and increase Major Requirements hours to reflect current course offerings.
8. Insurance (BS) - Decrease number of free electives to reduce total number hours required to 120. Revise Major Requirements to reflect current course offerings.
9. Management (BBA) - Add "or PSY 200 or 200W" to Supporting Course Requirements. Revise the number of total hours required to obtain Management BBA Degree, Management Option and Human Resource Management Option from 128 hours to 120 hours by decreasing 8 hours from Free Electives. Add "W" to CCT 300 in Business Core.
10. Aviation (BS) Area Major - Reduce "Total Curriculum Requirements from 128 to 120 hours. Drop CSC 104 or CIS 212; MAT 107 and 108; MGT 480 or INT 408 from Supporting Courses. Add PSY 200W to Supporting Course Requirements. Drop 8-12 hours from Free Electives. Add AVN 310 to the Professional Flight Option and ECO 231 to Aerospace Management Option. Move AVN 340, 401, 402 from Aerospace Management Option to the Aviation Core. Move AVN 325 from Professional Flight Option to Aviation Core. Eliminate VIII (6 hours) in General Education Requirements - Previous editorial error.

Program Revisions

11. Minor in International Studies - update the elective in the Minor: GEO 200 to GEO 100. Delete ANT 325, ANT 435, SPE 375, TNT 300, and HIS 354 from the electives. Add ANT 250, GEO 205, GEO 302, HUM 350, HUM 360, and CMS 375 to the electives.
12. MAEd in Instructional Leadership - Revise MAEd in Instructional Leadership degree title and components of the program to reflect the requirements and standards for the new Teacher Leader Endorsement. Per an EPSB mandate, all existing Masters degrees/Rank II programs must be closed to new students no later than December 2010.
13. Nursing (BSN) - update catalog copy to reflect revised mission and outcomes, and also department approval process for three prerequisite nursing courses. Specify the time frame as five years for accepting older credits on specific prerequisite/support courses (BIO 171, BIO 273/CLT 209, BIO 301, CHE 105, NFA 201, NSC 232, NSC 242, and NSC 252).
14. General Dietetics - a. Change progression/admission and graduation requirements: - Increase the minimum cumulative GPA required for admission to the dietetics program from 2.5 to 2.75 - Increase the minimum cumulative GPA required to earn the BS in General Dietetics from 2.75 to 3.0; b. Delete CHE 330 as a Major Requirement option.
15. Health Education - Wellness Option - Drop REC 411 and Add PHE 407. Change name of this Health Education option to Worksite Health Promotion

Catalog Revisions

16. Education Introductory Catalog Text Revision - update the College of Education introductory catalog text on page 62; Rank II notification of future changes page 63; Departmental leadership changes pages 63, 64, and 73.
17. Admission Requirements for Associate of General Studies, Catalog Revision.
18. Academic Dismissal Catalog Revision.

Action Item

The Council approved the following item in the March 18, 2010 CAA meeting:

19. First Day of Class Attendance: Use It Or Lose It

Informational Items

The Council on Academic Affairs reviewed the memo from the Department of Technology as an information item.

20. MAED Elementary Education Teaching (B.S.) - revise the program to allow appropriate exceptions for elementary education students who are also in the Honors Program
    
    The Council reviewed the following items in the March 18, 2010 CAA meeting and will take action on them in the April meeting:
21. Clarification for Credit/Non-Credit Coursework, Catalog Revision - The Council requested additional time to discuss the proposal/revision and postponed the vote until the April meeting.
22. New Program - Fire Protection Administration (BS)
23. New Program - Fire Protection and Safety Engineering Technology (BS)
24. New Program - Fire, Arson, and Explosion Investigation (BS)
25. New Program - Occupational Safety (BS)
26. Suspended Program - Fire and Safety Engineering Technology
27. New Program - Certificate in Emergency Management
28. New Program - Certificate in Homeland Security
29. New Program - Minor in Emergency Management
30. New Program - Minor in Personal Finance
31. Progressive Admissions Plan

Senator Vice moved approval of item 1, seconded by Senator Pressley. Motion carried.

Senator Vice moved approval of item 2, seconded by Senator Day. Motion carried.

Senator Vice moved approval of items 3-10, seconded by Senator Wade. Motion carried.

Senator Vice moved approval of items 11-15, seconded by Senator Collins. Motion carried.

Senator Vice announced that item 16 was included as an information item only.

Senator Vice moved approval of item 17, seconded by Senator Walz. Motion carried.

Senator Vice moved approval of item 18, seconded by Senator Hesse. Motion carried.

Senator Vice moved approval of item 19, seconded by Senator Shordike.

Senator Frisbie moved to amend item 19 by changing the following, seconded by Senator Hesse.

Change from:
The new enrollment verification process gives EKU instructors the authority to request disenrollment of a student for non-attendance, but only during the first week of the term.

To:
The new enrollment verification process gives EKU instructors the authority to request disenrollment of a student for non-attendance of the first class within 24 hours.

The motion to amend item 19 carried with one dissenting vote from Senator Farrar.

Item 19, as amended, was approved by the majority with one dissenting vote from Senator Farrar.

Items 20-31 were presented as informational items.

Nominations for Senate Chair. Senator Randles nominated Senator Taylor for Senate Chair for 2010-2011.

Nominations for Senate Vice Chair. Senator Johnson nominated Senator Noblitt for Senate Vice Chair for 2010-2011.

GENERAL & STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS

Academic Quality Committee. Senator Shordike reported that committee members continue to attend the General Education Work Group and CAA meetings and are keeping up on all curriculum changes.

The committee is still unsure how to address the assessment concerns and seeks the senate's advice on developing an assessment survey for faculty. Please send thoughts and suggestions to Senators Shordike and Schmelzer.

Elections Committee. Senator Randles reported that Malcolm Frisbie was elected to serve another 3-year term as the Faculty Representative on the Board of Regents.

For those departing the Senate in May, please make sure the Senate secretary and the Chair of the Elections Committee are notified of replacements.

Faculty Welfare Committee. Senator Ciocca reported that the committee attended the Benefits Committee meeting and were told there will be a sizeable increase in health insurance. However, an amount hasn't been determined yet.

Budget Committee. Senator Johnson reported that the committee continues to meet every two weeks.

With the budget cuts from the state legislature's budget the possibility of a raise for the 2010-2011 year is slim.

The good news is that EKU has reserved a fund from previous cuts so that the university should be able to absorb the cuts sent from the legislature for the coming year.

The state has also raised the contributing funds from the universities to the Kentucky Teachers Retirement System so there may be a slight increase in paycheck deductions for those employees who are paying into KTRS.

Three houses on Lancaster Avenue were purchased recently by EKU. The funding for these houses came from the general fund as well as the cost of renovations.

The new science building is going to be short of funds from the state and in order to complete the project the university will have to find additional funds to cover all expenses.

Please be aware that funding given by the state of Kentucky for the new construction projects on campus happened some time ago and is specifically designated for the new science building and the new performing arts building. This money can only be used for these projects! Funding for the renovation for Walters Hall is budgeted with a bond through housing, and should be paid for through fees for housing.

The Financial Planning Council will meet on April 9th to finalize tuition and other actionable agenda items. The university's budget will not be finalized until May.

On behalf of the Budget Committee, Senator Johnson asked President Whitlock to comment on the budget survey results at the next Senate meeting.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Senator Pogatshnik announced that John Bowes, Assistant Professor in History, received an NEH (National Endowment for the Humanities) summer stipend this year.

ADJOURNMENT:

Senator Vice moved to adjourn at approximately 5:45 p.m.

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