Minutes for February 10, 2014

As President Benson was required to attend a Presidents’ Council meeting for the Ohio Valley Conference in Nashville, he was unable to attend today’s Senate meeting.  He shared the following information in his written report to the Senate.

 

On Thursday, the regional comprehensives (NKU, WKU, MSU, and EKU) will present to the Postsecondary Education Subcommittee of the Appropriations and Revenue Committee.

 

The budget as outlined by Governor Beshear is now being considered by the House. The Governor’s proposal included a 2.5% cut for all universities in operating budgets, but there is talk among House members that some of that money needs to be restored. CPE is slated to take a 5% cut. Most state agencies have been told that a cut to operating budgets is to be expected.

 

President Benson met with members of the Administrative Council last week to begin discussions on the budget. Later this week, he will be meeting with the Council of Postsecondary Education to consider tuition rates and the possibility of the Council setting rates for a two-year period time. Also, a possible fee increase for students is currently being discussed with the student leaders on campus. 

 

Work continues with various groups relative to internal equity and merit pay and results of these initiatives will be rolled out in the near future. 

 

Funds for capital improvements and additions come from completely different funding sources (e.g., state appropriations, bonding, donated funds, a proposed student fee for campus enhancements and improvements, etc.) and there has been a significant institutional investment made into fundraising efforts.   This will continue to be a top priority as the “new normal” for public higher education throughout America suggests few state resources and an increased need to develop private funding sources.

 

The proposed cuts in operating budgets were tempered by commitments from the Governor for over $520 million in capital projects and over $700 million in agency bond approvals. EKU’s share of these dollars includes $66.3 million for Science Phase II and agency bond approval in the amounts of $12 million for a parking structure and $15 million for athletic facility improvements, respectively. Also submitted was an emergency request for $25 million to rehabilitate (i.e., completely gut and reconstruct) the Moore Building given the recent failures of that structure. 

 

There are many deferred-maintenance issues being dealt with on campus, with many more on the horizon. While the following list is neither exhaustive nor finalized, it is an outline of what is currently being considered with other potential projects in the works as well. Timelines are fluid, with multiple moving parts in play, and for some of these projects to be realized, other preparatory events need to happen.  These projects fit within the scope and plan of EKU’s current 2009 Campus Master Plan.

 

Those faculty and staff currently in structures scheduled for razing, renovation, or repurposing will be relocated to other renovated spaces elsewhere on campus.  Potential locations include the renovated Moore Building, the remodeled Commonwealth Hall, and other campus locations. The rehabilitation of Commonwealth may be a multi-year process as well. Given the construction and layout of Commonwealth, it can be reconfigured for office space and classrooms, and additional details about this project are still being considered and finalized.

 

President Benson has formed an ad hoc committee on campus improvements and renovation.  The membership of this group is as follows: Michael Benson, Janna Vice, Barry Poynter, Libby Wachtel, David Williams, Ed Herzog, Tom Otieno, Sheila Pressley, Lynnette Noblitt, Sarah Carpenter, Mendi Goble (representing the City of Richmond and the Chamber of Commerce), Matt Roan, and Dreidre de Leon.

 

As improvement, renovation, and relocation plans unfold, further input from each of these individuals and the entities they represent – in addition to community feedback – will be sought through building committees and college/departmental meetings. The ultimate goal of all renovations and relocations will be to improve working and learning conditions throughout campus.

 

Athletic facilities throughout campus will also be improved and enhanced. Current plans include renovations to Roy Kidd Stadium, the softball and baseball complexes, the track and field area, and Alumni Coliseum. Further study is being considered as to what can and should be done to the Begley Building. It is anticipated that these improvements will come through the auxiliary bonding authority proposed by Governor Beshear and paid for through department of athletics revenue, a possible student fee, and private donations.

 

New signage is currently being tested and installed around campus. The sign in front of Keen Johnson is an example of the proposed signage to be installed throughout the University and bears a new, updated logo.

 

Policy 4.6.7 – Annual Review of Tenured Faculty and Post-Tenure Review. Senator Pressley announced that a forum has been scheduled for Monday, February 17 from 2:30pm-3:30pm in O’Donnell Auditorium in the Whitlock Building to discuss Policy 4.6.7. Please encourage faculty to attend so that their concerns can be addressed. Depending on the outcome of the forum, the policy may be presented for action at the March meeting.

 

Policy 4.4.14 – Laboratory Safety. Senator Pressley introduced Policy 4.4.14 as an informational item and asked the senators to share with their colleagues. The policy will be presented for action at the March meeting with the vote anticipated in April to allow time for feedback.

 

Program Revisions

College of  Arts & Sciences

2. Department of Government - Master of Public Administration (MPA)
   To replace the GRD 858g oral and GRD 857f written comprehensive examination exit requirement with the field study capstone exit requirements, POL 870 or POL 871, and also to clarify the elective options for the Community Health Administration, Community Development, and Environmental Health tracks.
3. Department of Government - Political Science (B.A.)
   Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) Dual Degree Program
   Add POL 250 and POL 400W to the 3+2 program curriculum to reflect the current political science curriculum.
4. Department of Physics & Astronomy - Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Physics/Teaching
   To revise the Physics/Teaching B.S. program to drop AST 330 and AST 335.
5. Department of Psychology - Autism Spectrum Disorders University Certificate
   Alter hours for OTS 831 and 846 for OTS majors in the autism certificate program and add 2 additional class choices to the CDS course requirement.
6. Department of Psychology - Psychology B.S.
   Add PSY 399 and PSY 318 as courses that satisfy the Skills requirement, and PSY 419 as a course that satisfies the Capstone requirement for the Psychology degree.

College of  Business & Technology

7. Department of Management, Marketing & International Business - Entrepreneurship Minor (for non-business majors)
   Remove CCT 101; add CCT 270 to Required Courses, Entrepreneurship Minor.
8. Department of Management, Marketing & International Business - General Business B.B.A./ Corporate Communication and Technology Concentration
   Remove CCT 302 and add CCT 270 to the Major Requirements in Corporate
   Communication and Technology Concentration.

College of  Education

9. Secondary Education M.A.Ed.
   Add AED 761 to the MAED in Secondary Education: Art specialization options (Degree Works PSEUDO).

College of  Health Sciences

10. Department of Baccalaureate & Graduate Nursing - Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.), Nursing R.N. to B.S.N. Concentration 
    Add a new course NSC 383, decrease the credit hour for NSC 381 from 5 to 3 and NSC 385 from 5 to 4, and separate out the clinical portion in NSC 486 and 442 from the didactic part of the course. Separating the clinical component from the didactic will allow workload credit to be assigned to both the didactic course faculty and clinical faculty.
11. Department of Family and Consumer Science - Community Nutrition M.S. 
    Change program admission requirements in the following manner: Require a combined GRE score of 290 (verbal and quantitative sections) with a minimum verbal score of 143 and a minimum quantitative score of 140.
12. Department of Occupational Therapy - Occupational Therapy M.S. & OTD 
    Revise the catalog description and credit hours for an accelerated pathway to both the Occupational Therapy M.S. degree and The Doctorate.

Informational Item

13. Department of Occupational Therapy (no paperwork)
    Change the department name of Department of Occupational Therapy to Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy

Discussion Items

14. Academic Credit for Prior Learning through Portfolio Assessment
    Proposal of a procedure to allow credit for prior learning experience through a portfolio assessment process.
15. General Studies B.S. Program
    Allow students with a General Studies B.S. major to declare a minor.
16. Winter Intersession
    Consideration for the creation of Winter Intersession between Fall and Spring terms.

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

Senator Vice moved approval of items 2-12, seconded by Senator O'Brien. Motion carried.

Item 13 was presented as an informational item only.

Items 14-16 were presented as discussion items.

Senator G. Hunter made the following motion on item 16 (Creation of a Winter Intersession), seconded by Senator Day. Motion carried.

The Academic Quality Committee moves that the Faculty Senate appoint the AQC to investigate the possibilities of instituting a Winter term and support the committee in consulting with other entities on campus who would be affected by adding a Winter term in order to report back to Senate in April.

GENERAL & STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REPORT: Senator Pressley

The Faculty Senate Executive Committee met on Monday, January 27th to set the agenda for the February Faculty Senate meeting.

The FBS presentation given by Mark Sandy, Athletics Director, at the December Senate meeting on exploring the college Football Bowl System (FBS) was shared with the Executive Committee. The Budget Committee will review this issue further and seek clarification on the overall financial impact of changing to a new division. Senator Pressley will speak to President Benson about conducting a campus forum on this topic.

The AAUP discussion on Policy 4.6.7, Annual Review of Tenured Faculty & Post Tenure Review will be held on Friday, January 31st in the Keen Johnson Faculty Lounge from 3:30pm-5pm. Senator Pressley will attend.

The Provost and Faculty Senate will host a campus-wide forum on Policy 4.6.7, Annual Review of Tenured Faculty & Post Tenure Review. Senator Pressley will moderate the forum and all faculty members are invited to attend.

Dr. Sherry Robinson gave an update on policies under current review.

• Policy 4.7.3 Faculty Workload is in the review process.  A rough draft was shared with the Executive Committee for feedback.
• The drafting team for Policy 4.6.5 Evaluation of Non-Tenured Tenure Track Faculty will be reinstituted.  With the recent updates to the Lectureship policy and the current review of the Annual Review of Tenured Faculty & Post Tenure Review policy, Policy 4.6.5 should be reviewed again for consistency.
• Dr. Robinson is forming a drafting team to review the Student Absence/Bereavement policy.

Senator Vice announced that the college meetings held to discuss the Faculty Internal Pay Equity Program (IPEP) were well received. Senator Pressley also attended three of the college meetings and indicated that there were good questions from the faculty. For more information on the Faculty IPEP, visit the Academic Affairs website at: http://academicaffairs.eku.edu/faculty-internal-pay-equity-program-ipep.

Senator Pressley reminded the committee that a slate of candidates for Senate Chair and Vice Chair needs to be determined by the Senate in April.

Senator Pressley attended the Diversity Planning Council retreat in Louisville on January 24th and 25th. A number of good suggestions were made at the retreat and follow-up will be provided about the council’s progress.

There will be a faculty workshop with Dee Fink on Friday, February 21, 2014 from 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm in Perkins Quads A, B, C, and D. Register online at: studio.eku.edu/deefinkworkshop. For additional information see: http://academicaffairs.eku.edu/insidelook/dee-fink-faculty-workshop.

REPORT FROM FACULTY REGENT:  Senator Thieme

The Board met Monday, January 13, 2014.  At President Benson's request, the Board meetings are hosted by different colleges throughout the year; the College of Arts and Sciences hosted this meeting in the Foster Building.

• Two new members were sworn in:  Mr. Alan Long & Ms. Holly Wiedemann (who replace Anita Johnson and Gary Abney).
• Reports were presented to the Board:
  • The Finance & Planning Committee and Executive and Academic Affairs Committees presented their reports to the Board.
  • Craig Turner, Chair of the Board reported on the progress of the University over the last year, focusing on the appointment of President Benson, the strategic budget reallocation, and other positive initiatives.
  • Sarah Carpenter, SGA President, reported on SGA initiatives such as EKU Fan Fridays; the change in the evening shuttle service schedule; safety week; installing parking meters in front of residence halls; and working to help improve advising.
  • Dr. Sheila Pressley, Chair of Faculty Senate, reported on faculty concerns such as costs associated with football moving to another conference; salary equity issues; and Post Tenure Review and Financial Exigency Policies.
  • Leah Banks, Staff Council President, reported that staff council will work to disseminate health and safety tips across campus and will be focusing on a day of service for the staff.
  • President Benson reported on EKU’s partnership with SOAR (Shaping Our Appalachian Region); and reported that EKU will host the Kettering Foundation’s National Issues Forum on January 30.
• Following the individual reports, the Department of Music presented several musical performances featuring the talents of their outstanding students.
• Four action items from the morning business meetings were presented to the Board for approval. All action items were unanimously approved.

The Board retreat will take place February 24 & 25.

AAUP is hosting a discussion with the Board on February 21, 2014, from 3:30-5:00pm. Mr. Craig Turner, Chair of the Board, will be there along with other members of the Board. This is a great opportunity to get to know members of the Board, ask questions, and build positive relationships between the Board and the faculty.

PROVOST REPORT: Senator Vice

Below are upcoming faculty development opportunities:

1. “Practical Strategies for Faculty Development and Success” by Dr. Tom Otieno – Wednesday, February 19, 10:30am – Walnut Hall, Keen Johnson Building
2. “Designing Instruction for Significant Learning” by author and consultant Dr. Dee Fink – Friday, February 21, 1-3pm – Perkins Quads. (All faculty are invited and registration is free. The first 75 faculty who pre-register will receive a copy of Dr. Fink’s book.)

On Monday, February 17, 2:30-3:30 p.m. in O’Donnell Auditorium, Whitlock Building, the Office of the Provost and the Faculty Senate will co-host an open, campus-wide discussion regarding the Annual Review of Tenured Faculty and Post-Tenure Review.

Provost Vice will be working closely with the new division of Student Success, led by Dr. Libby Wachtel and the focused efforts of Dr. Claire Good, Dr. Mike Reagle, Dr. Brett Morris, and Dr. Gene Palka, as they pursue ways to strengthen Advising. Two important tools for advising are the Student Success Collaborative and Degree Works. Prior to August 2014, there will be conversations about maximizing the use of these tools to enhance student success.

The 2013 Fall Semester has marked a new milestone for tutoring on campus. The partnership between the Office of Academic Readiness and Testing and the tutoring centers in the academic departments has resulted in a record number of students receiving tutoring. Most tutors have now earned official certifications.

The Faculty Internal Pay Equity Plan (IPEP) review will begin as Institutional Effectiveness provides each dean and chair with their faculty compensation data. The goal is to identify pay adjustments by April 1. The pay will be retroactive to January 1, 2014. The Faculty IPEP documents and the FAQ regarding the Faculty IPEP are available on the Provost’s webpage at http://academicaffairs.eku.edu/faculty-internal-pay-equity-program-ipep.

Thanks to the good work of the Faculty and all the Departments by using assessment data to make meaningful improvements, EKU was one of three schools to receive the 2014 Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) Award for Outstanding Institutional Practice in Student Learning Outcomes. The link to the national announcement is at: http://www.chea.org/news/NR_2014.01.14_2014-CHEA-Awards.htm.

Assurance of Learning is an ongoing focus by faculty to (a) identify what students should know and be able to do when they graduate, (b) assess student progress, (c) and identify needed improvements to align student learning outcomes and curriculum to improve student performance. Assurance of Learning Day provides a gift of time for faculty to review their goals, analyze data, and make needed changes. The Assurance of Learning Day in 2014 will be held Friday, September 19, 2014.

U.S. News & World Report’s 2014 Best Online Education Program Rankings listed EKU’s programs as follows:

• 77th in Best Online Bachelor’s Degree Programs (1st in KY)
• 93rd in Online Graduate Education Programs (2nd in KY)
• 79th in Online Graduate Nursing Programs (2nd in KY)

Join Provost Vice for lunch, Wednesday, February 5, 12-1:00 p.m., Fresh Food Company, Powell, if schedule allows.

STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS:

Department of Anthropology, Sociology, & Social Work - Social Work B.S.W. 
To include two new elective courses: SWK 365 Crisis Intervention and SWK 344, Stress Management & Self-Care, in the program description.

Department of Anthropology, Sociology, & Social Work - Social Work B.S.W. 
To include two new elective courses: SWK 365 Crisis Intervention and SWK 344, Stress Management & Self-Care, in the program description.

College of  Business & Technology

4. Department of Management, Marketing & International Business - Marketing (B.B.A.)
   To - replace the MKT 380 seminar with MKT 456 stand-alone class, and replace CIS 370 with CIS ting Research & Analytics concentration of the BBA in Marketing
5. Department of American Sign Language & Interpreter Education - American Sign Language (ASL) Studies (Minor)
   To revise requirements for the ASL Studies Minor.
6. Department of Curriculum & Instruction - Elementary Education (P-5) Teaching (B.S.)
   To move EDF 319 and 319W to Supporting course requirements; move MAE 301 from Multidisciplinary Content Supporting courses to section that begins “and 3 hours from one of the following areas: Math…”

College of  Business & Technology

4. Department of Management, Marketing & International Business - Marketing (B.B.A.)
   To - replace the MKT 380 seminar with MKT 456 stand-alone class, and replace CIS 370 with CIS ting Research & Analytics concentration of the BBA in Marketing
5. Department of American Sign Language & Interpreter Education - American Sign Language (ASL) Studies (Minor)
   To revise requirements for the ASL Studies Minor.
6. Department of Curriculum & Instruction - Elementary Education (P-5) Teaching (B.S.)
   To move EDF 319 and 319W to Supporting course requirements; move MAE 301 from Multidisciplinary Content Supporting courses to section that begins “and 3 hours from one of the following areas: Math…”

University Programs