Minutes for February 4, 2013
The Faculty Senate of Eastern Kentucky University met on Monday, February 4, 2013, in the South Ballroom of the Keen Johnson Building. Senator Pressley called the fifth meeting of the academic year to order at approximately 3:30 p.m.
The following members of the Senate were absent:
| R. Cleveland*^ | M. Farley | C. Hagan*^ |
| L. Heath* | S. Hunt | A. Kipp |
| R. Sharp* | J. Spock*^ |
*Indicates prior notification of absence to the Faculty Senate Secretary
^SUB Norman Powell attended for R. Cleveland
^ALT Ed Fredrickson attended for C. Hagan
^ALT Robert Weise attended for J. Spock
Visitors to the Senate: Tina Davis, Registrar; Brett Morris, Admissions; Barry Poynter, Financial Affairs; Sherry Robinson, Provost Office; Judy Spain, University Counsel; Madelyn Street, SGA; Elizabeth Wachtel, Enrollment Management
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
The December 3, 2012 minutes were approved as written.
REPORT FROM THE PRESIDENT: Senator Whitlock
As reported in the news, six of the eight universities in Kentucky were recently approved for agency bond projects. Agency bond projects are ones that institutions generate the dollars to pay for. Eastern Kentucky University was slightly ahead of the curve when approval was received last year for the housing complex on Kit Carson which will open later this fall. The next agency bond project for Eastern, should the decision be made to pursue it, will be the expansion for the Wellness Center which would utilize funds that the students have voted to impose on themselves.
The Board of Regents recently approved a change to the language in EKU’s student code around free speech and expression. As a result of that change, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Education (FIRE) has just issued a news release indicating that Eastern Kentucky University is now a proud exception of one of just 16 schools nationwide to earn a green light and is Kentucky’s first green light school.
One of the things written in the Appropriations Bill in the last session of the General Assembly was something aimed at adult learners in the Commonwealth. There are about 400,000 people in the state with 90 or more college credit hours who have not earned degrees. The original thinking from the CPE staff was to create something called Commonwealth College. The provosts and presidents voiced their concerns to CPE President Bob King last week and asked instead to collectively work together to find ways to better serve adult learners in the Commonwealth.
As noted in the email the campus community received last Friday, the Board of Regents has requested the academic and institutional leadership to free up resources that could be used to advance this institution strategically. While this will not be an easy exercise, the process will be as transparent as possible.
NEW BUSINESS:
New Admissions Process. Admissions Director Brett Morris was in attendance to give a brief presentation on the proposed new Admissions process. The proposal will be presented to Senate in the CAA packet next month for action.
Policy on Evaluation of Non-Tenure Tenure Track Faculty. Dr. Sherry Robinson was in attendance to present the proposed policy and to point out the following changes to the policy:
- Principles similar to the ones in the T&P policy have been added.
- Like Policy 4.6.4, collegiality is considered in teaching, scholarly/creative activities, and service.
- General guidelines for the procedures have been added.
- Procedures for first-year faculty have been clarified by adding procedural steps beyond the dean
- The role of the Department evaluation committee has been changed to provide a recommendation regarding reappointment.
- The policy now clarifies the role of the Department Chair with regard to the evaluation committee.
- The policy now describes what the faculty member must include in the annual evaluation, which is absent in the current policy.
- Like Policy 4.6.4, reconsideration is reserved for the department level and appeal is available at the end of the procedure. A reconsideration will be made by the committee or administrator who made the decision, eliminating the awkwardness in the current policy of having a committee that has never made a decision “reconsider” it.
- The grounds of appeal have been expanded to “include arbitrary, capricious, or not supported by factual data” and “academic freedom.”
- The Faculty Evaluation Appeals Committee will investigate appeals and will provide a recommendation to the Provost.
Senator Pressley stated that the policy was presented for information only and would come before Senate again next month for action.
Report from Council on Academic Affairs - Senator Vice
Program Revisions
College of Arts & Sciences
- Minor in Chemistry
replace CHE 470 with CHE 570 - Chemistry B.A. - Pre-Pharmacy Option
add BIO 378 as a supporting course - Music B.M.
Correct errors in catalog, update required classes with prefixes and course number changes and specify another choice of classes for music industry.College of Business and Technology
- Technology A.A.S.
Expand selection of computer-system based electronic control courses including EET 351 or AEM 352 to EET 253; Expand selection of physics courses in General Education Element 4b (Laboratory Physical Science) beyond PHY 101; Require 1 credit of co-operative education (NET 349); Add a new 0-credit hour course, NET 367a, for the comprehensive exam in the AAS degree in Technology with specialization in Computer Electronics program, so that it can be listed as a program requirement in Degree Works. NET 367a will be used for tracking completion of a departmental exit exam by graduating students. - Network and Security Electronics B.S.
Add a new 3-credit hour technical course NET 344 as a follow-up to NET 343. Expand selection of math courses to include MAT 107 or higher, dropping the specific 3-credit hour Calculus course requirement (MAT 211 or 261 or 124(4)); Expand selection of computer-system based electronic control courses by including EET 351 or AEM 352 to EET 253; Include NET 395 as a required course alternative to NET 440; Include a 1 hour co-operative education (NET 349) requirement. Drop EET 452; Add NET 467; Expand selection of physics courses in General Education Element 4b (Laboratory Physical Science) beyond PHY 101. - Minor in Computer Electronics Technology
Expand selection of computer-system based electronic control courses by including EET 351or AEM 352 to EET 253; Expand selection of networking courses to include NET 343, NET 395, or upper-division NET course approved by advisor, to the existing NET 354; Include an exit assessment for students completing the Computer Electronics Technology Minor; Add a new course, NET 367b. Drop the requirement that no more than nine hours of courses taken for a major may be counted toward this minor. - Technical Agriculture A.A.S.
revise program through the addition and deletion of courses. - Agriculture B.S.
reinsert course that was inadvertently omitted from the degree option - Horticulture B.S.
add a course listed for ACCT - Minor in Soils
Modify the current program through the addition and deletion of courses. Overall reduction in hours needed from 20 to 18. - Communication Studies B.A.
Add CMS 220 Careers in Communication (1 credit hour in Core Requirements) and CMS 335 Advanced Public Speaking (3 credit hours in Foundational Major Requirements, deduct 4 hours from Free Electives and correct prefix COM 210 to CMS 210 - Office Systems and Technologies A.A.S.
Update course number for CCT 303 to CCT 304S; remove CCT 280 and add GBU 101 to major requirements - Management B.B.A.
establish an Entrepreneurship Option in Management
College of Education
- Mental Health Counseling
change name of the degree to Clinical Mental Health Counseling - MAEd Reading/Writing Teacher Leader
Revise Reading/Writing Program Name and Specific Coursework to align with Kentucky’s new Literacy Specialist (P-12) endorsement, as defined by the KY Education Professional Standards Board. - Master of Arts in Education in Special Education Teacher Leader Track Option A and B
Change admission requirements to align with new policies from the Graduate School approving a waived test score requirement when an applicant’s undergraduate GPA is 3.0 or higher or when an applicant’s overall GPA is 3.25 or higher in the last 60 hours completed and to update the required GRE scores when GPA is not met.
College of Health Sciences
- Public Health B.S.
Drop 100 hours of volunteer activities; Drop computer course requirement in support courses: EDF 204 or CIS 212 or CSC 104; Add POL 376 Public Human Resources, to supporting courses for Community Health Concentration. - Nursing A.S.N.
Eliminate PSY 200 and CHE 105/105L as program requirements; allowing students to choose one course from Gen Ed Elements 2 or 4A/B, for a total of 60-67 total credit hours. Also drop NUR 242 to create NUR 240 and NUR 241. Update program description, student learning outcomes, and admission requirements/procedures. - Minor in School Health, P-12 Teaching
remove HEA 490 from the program - Health Services Administration B.S.
eliminate CCT 290 and CIS 300 as support course options and add CSC 314 and POL 376 - Recreation and Park Administration B.S.
drop REC 463 from the core and add REC 473 to the Therapeutic Recreation option and add REC 463 to each option
Program Suspensions
College of Business & Technology
Action Items
- Learning Communities (Z courses), Proposed Catalog text
- EKU Academic Residency Requirement, new Catalog text
Information Item
- New Admissions Standards, Revised Catalog Language
Senator Vice moved approval of items 1-21, seconded by Senator Day. Motion carried.
Senator Vice moved approval of items 22-23, seconded by Senator O'Brien. Motion carried.
Senator Vice moved approval of items 24-25, seconded by Senator Summers. Motion carried.
Item 26 was presented for information only and will be presented for action at a later date.GENERAL & STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REPORT: Senator Pressley
The Faculty Senate Executive Committee met on Monday, January 28th.
Dr. Sherry Robinson announced that drafting teams have been formed and will meet soon to review the following policies: post tenure review, termination of faculty, and evaluation of academic administrators.
Updated drafts were presented for Motor Vehicle Use 9.4.1R and Travel Requirements 6.1.3R regulations. As there were minor revisions suggested for 9.4.1R and significant recommendations proposed for 6.1.3R, the Executive Committee decided to wait until March to place on the Senate agenda to allow for sufficient time for the drafting team to reconvene.
The Task Force met on Tuesday, January 22 and heard from Scott Summers from the Student Outreach Transition Office. Summers gave information on the challenges students experience when they transfer from other schools to EKU.
REPORT FROM FACULTY REGENT: Senator Frisbie
The Board met on January 25. Craig Turner was elected as the new chair. Mr. Turner is a businessman from Lexington and an EKU alumnus. He has served for several years as vice chair of the Board and as chair of the Board’s Finance Committee. He is currently serving as chair of the Presidential Search and Screening Committee.
VP Barry Poynter briefed the Board on the financial status of the University. Indications are that the year will be completed on track budget-wise. While that it is good news, the budget is a spare one and does not contain much “strategic money”.
We heard three interrelated reports: from VP Libby Wachtel about enrollment management, from Provost Janna Vice about retention and graduation, and from Tim Matthews, executive director of e-Campus, about online education.
VP James Street reported on progress with the new suite-style dormitory project. While weather has slowed the work a bit, the project should still be completed by fall 2013. The dormitory is a $21M project and will add 256 beds to campus.
In action items, 30 curriculum items were approved. The bylaws of the Board were amended so that they explicitly state that full-time faculty with the rank of instructor or above may vote in the election of the faculty regent. In addition, an easement was approved that will allow AT&T to run a fiber optic cable across university property and a lease was approved that will allow passive use of 2.63 acres of land--both of these to support operations of Hospice Care Plus. Neither action will impact the university. The VP of Financial Affairs was authorized to act on behalf of the Board in reviewing and complying with the state-by-state tuition refund policies of all states in which EKU has an online student. Also, changes were approved to the Code of Ethics in Computing and to the General Regulations Governing Student Behavior. These changes will earn EKU a “green light” designation from FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights in Education), signifying that Eastern’s policies do not unduly restrict individual speech. EKU is the 16th university in the US to merit this designation.
On the presidential search front, applications are coming in. February 14 is the date by which applications should be received for full consideration. The committee will meet on February 20 to do an initial winnowing of that pool.
The next quarterly meeting of the Board will be in April.
COSFL REPORT: Senator Summers
COSFL will be meeting sometime in April. The exact date hasn’t been determined yet.
The AAUP meeting on Friday, February 1st was well attended by junior and senior faculty in the revamped Faculty Lounge.
The next AAUP meeting is scheduled for March 1 in the Faculty Lounge. Please plan to attend if schedules permit.
PROVOST REPORT: Senator Vice
Senator Vice shared a written report which contained charts and statistics on retention rates, enrollment data and developmental math success rates.
On Monday, February 11, Dr. Larry Abele, Provost Emeritus at Florida State University, will be meeting with the Implementation Team and the Executive Committee of the Chairs Association.
On March 6, there will be an academic symposium with the deans, associate deans, and department chairs to review EKU’s academic progress and preparation for the fall semester.
Senators are invited to join the Provost for lunch on Wednesday, February 6, 12:00-1:00, at the Fresh Food Company. Sign in at either register.
STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION: Madelyn Street
Thanks to all faculty who participated in the rollout of the syllabus index. As of January 16, there were 5,812 searches done by students from October to January 16. Of those, 3,789 syllabi were actually downloaded and reviewed by students. Currently there are only 1,007 syllabi in the index. Please encourage other departments and individual faculty to participate.
Student Government, the Provost Office, and the Dean of the Library funded a 24-hour study area in the library after fall break. If funds are available, Student Government would like to offer this to students again after spring break.
Student Senate is currently reviewing the possibility of changing the grading scale to include “+” grades. Ms. Street encouraged faculty to contact her with feedback on this issue.
In past years, student governments across the state have hosted a rally for higher education in the rotunda at the state capital. This year the institutions have elected instead to host a couple of dinners in February with the state legislators and each school will do a 3- to 5-minute presentation. EKU has elected to do a short student-made video to showcase students, business leaders in Richmond, and alumni.
STRATEGIC PLANNING/FINANCIAL PLANNING COUNCIL: Senator Pressley
The Council met on Thursday, January 24, 2013. President Whitlock attended the first portion of the meeting and gave an overview of the financial challenges EKU will face in the coming year. The Council also heard from Karen Neubauer on the possible budget scenarios that included percentages ranging from 3-6% for a tuition increase. EKU must wait for approval from CPE before increasing its tuition. The Council also heard a presentation from Tim Matthews from E-campus and he shared demographic information about students enrolled in EKU’s online programs.
STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Academic Quality Committee. Senator Marshall reported that the committee will be meeting after Senate this evening for the first time this semester to review charges.
Committee members have been invited to and will be attending the Academic Affairs work group regarding the discussions surrounding the Academic Bankruptcy Policy on February 14.
Budget Committee. Thieme announced that the committee will meet next Monday.
Elections & University Nominations Committee. Senator Johnson reported that the committee is in the process of planning the Faculty Regent election. The election will be held March 18-29 via online voting. The term will begin April, 2013. A call for candidates will be emailed tomorrow to all faculty at the rank of instructor and above. The email will have two attachments. One is the Faculty Regent Nomination petition and the other is criteria and procedures for Faculty Regent Election. Faculty members interested in running for this position must submit a completed Faculty Regent Nomination petition no later than 4:30pm on February 19.
There has been a question raised about whether or not someone who has a relative currently employed at EKU can serve as Faculty Regent. This is KRS 164.360. The statute is under review by the office of the Attorney General and a decision is expected by the end of March.
Throughout the election process, pertinent dates and information will be available on the EKU Faculty Senate webpage. Announcements will also be sent out via email and on EKU Today.
There will be a candidates forum on March 6 downstairs in Keen Johnson from 3:30-5pm. The forum will also be videotaped and made available online for those who will not be able to attend.
Informational Technology Committee. Senator Kilgore reminded the senators that any faculty with technology-type issues may contact him by email.
Rights & Responsibilities Committee. Senator Maloley reported that the committee has compiled the data received from the survey on lecturers. Most of the concerns were divided into three different areas: compensation, job duties, and opportunities for advancement. All of the data will be shared with Dr. Sherry Robinson and her drafting team for consideration.
Rules Committee. Senator Barracca announced that the committee is in the process of updating the language in the Faculty Handbook to reflect the merging of the Elections Committee and the Committee on Committees.
Welfare Committee. Senator Nowak reported that the committee is working on a survey which will help identify faculty welfare issues.
ADJOURNMENT:
Senator Vice moved to adjourn at approximately 5:15 p.m.
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