Minutes for April 7, 2014
The Faculty Senate of Eastern Kentucky University met on Monday, April 7, 2014, in the South Ballroom of the Keen Johnson Building. Senator Pressley called the seventh meeting of the academic year to order at approximately 3:30 p.m.
The following members of the Senate were absent:
| S. Barracca* | K. Chang | L. Heath* |
| M. Holbrook* | B. Karolich* | A. Kipp* |
| P. Kopacz* | A. Lewis*^ | S. Lippman* |
| E. McClees* | D. Miller* | J. Montgomery* |
| C. Sommer* | J. Spock*^ | C. Velotta* |
*Indicates prior notification of absence to the Faculty Senate Secretary
^ ALT Dawn Jackson attended for A. Lewis
^ ALT John Bowes attended for J. Spock
Visitors to the Senate: Autumn Littrell, Student; Ashleigh Livingston, Student; Blake Phillips, Student; Sherry Robinson, Provost Office; Katelyn Tracy, Student
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
The March 17, 2014 minutes were approved as written.
REPORT FROM THE PRESIDENT: Senator Benson
President Benson shared the following in his written report to the Senate.
As was summarized in the note to campus last week, the end of the legislative session marked some significant appropriations and approvals for our campus. Sincere thanks go to all those who supported our lobbying efforts and exercised their First Amendment rights on our behalf (see Huffington Post blog http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-benson/a-redress-of-grievances_b_4932228.html).
Even though all public higher education institutions will face a 1.5% reduction in operating expenses, significant capital investments were made by the Commonwealth (over $540 million) as each campus received funding for its number one priority.
In summary, EKU received:
- $66.3 million for completion of Phase II of our Science Building
- $2 million for capital investments into our aviation program
- $136 million in operating funds (for the biennium)
- $75 million approval for a potential P3 (Public-Private-Partnership) for University Housing
- $15 million for agency bonds to expand and renovate our athletics facilities
On Tuesday of last week, President Benson attended a CPE-sponsored discussion on the possibility of developing a new funding model for higher education institutions in Kentucky. Presentations were made by those who had helped shape such policies in Tennessee and Indiana and a “working group” has been established to continue this dialogue. As opposed to a model driven primarily by enrollments, the majority of states across America are leaning toward “outcomes-based” policies where a whole host of factors are considered and weighted (e.g., degrees completed, research and grant funding, student transfers, degrees per 100 FTE, graduation rates, etc.).
The campus-wide forum on athletics was well-attended last Thursday. Both the video of the presentation as well as the PowerPoint President Benson used are available for review at: http://president.eku.edu/campus-updates.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
Policy 4.4.14 – Laboratory Safety. Senator Pressley stated that the recommendations made at the last Senate meeting are now included in the policy.
Senator Pogatshnik moved to approve Policy 4.4.14, seconded by Senator Shi. Motion carried.
NEW BUSINESS:
Policy 4.7.3 - Faculty Workload. Senator Pressley stated that the recommendations made at the last Senate meeting are now included in the policy.
Senator Pogatshnik moved to approve Policy 4.4.14, seconded by Senator Shi. Motion carried.
Policy 9.6.1. - Tobacco-Free Campus. Senator G. Hunter moved to approve Policy 9.6.1, seconded by Senator Frazer. The majority of the Senate was in favor, and the motion carried.
Policy 4.6.11 – Clinical Faculty. Senator Pressley introduced Policy 4.6.11 as an informational item. There will be a campus-wide forum scheduled in early fall to discuss the policy before it comes back to Senate for action.
Nominations for Senate Chair/Vice Chair. Senators Day and O’Brien were each nominated for chair and vice-chair. Whoever receives the most votes at the organizational meeting will serve as chair and the runner-up will serve as vice chair.
Report from Council on Academic Affairs - Senator Vice
Program Revisions
College of Arts & Sciences
- Department of Chemistry - B.A. Chemistry
Revise the current B.A. Chemistry Program to add BIO 273 as an option for supporting course for pre-pharm. - Department of Computer Science - Minor in Informatics
Adjust the minor to reflect recent prefix changes to identified courses replacing “CSC” prefix with “INF” prefix. - Department of Computer Science - B.S. Computer Science
Increase the number of hours in the core and adjust the options so there are more hours in the core than in the options; Update the Computer Forensics and Security Option, in preparation for seeking FEPAC accreditation; The option is also being reduced to 120 hours; Update the courses in the major electives to reflect new and changed courses. - Department of Geography and Geology - Minor in Earth Science/Teaching
GLY 304 was renumbered to GLY 104, this should be reflected in the program. - Department of Geography and Geology - B.S. Earth Science/Teaching
GLY 304 was renumbered to GLY 104, this should be reflected in the program; Remove the minor requirements. - Department of Psychology - B.S. Psychology
Create Concentrations within the Bachelor of Science in Psychology degree program to offer students a clear path toward exploring areas of interest or preparing for a career.
College of Business & Technology
- Department of Applied Engineering & Technology - B.S. Aviation
Add AVN 470-National Air Space System as an “or” option to AVN 340-Airport Management in the Core Courses as required by the FAA to facilitate the new 1000-hour ATP (Airline Transport Pilot) certification. - Department of Communication - B.A. Broadcasting & Electronic Media
Reflect the change in BEM 491 from one credit to two credits; reduce the number of required BEM 343 or 349 or 398 credits to 1 in the ACCT requirement; require CMS 210 for BEM majors; add BEM 396 and 453 to the acceptable BEM electives in the BEM General Option. - Department of Communication - B.A. Communication Studies
Require CMS 100 for CMS majors; Remove CMS 300 from major requirements and add CCT 201. - Department of Management, Marketing, and International Business - B.S. Business and Marketing Education/Teaching
Remove CCT 101; add CCT 270 to Major Core Requirements, Business and Marketing Education/Teaching. - Department of Management, Marketing, and International Business - Entrepreneurship Minor
Revise Entrepreneurship Minor to eliminate possible redundancy and include recently developed courses focusing on current trends in Entrepreneurship in business.
College of Education
- Department of Special Education - Minor Special Education (Non-teaching)
Revise required courses in Special Education Minor and update electives to reflect the core courses in Special Education. As a result, elective courses need to be edited. - Department of Special Education - M.A.Ed. Special Education with Teacher Leader Option B
Dropping GRD 877 requirement. Both ETL 804 and SED 897 have key assessments that are used for program and candidate assessment. These two courses more fully measure what students have learned and can apply to practice. - Department of Special Education - M.A.Ed. Communication Disorders
Clarification of admission and background check requirements while bringing Professional Education admission requirements into align with regulations. - Department of Special Education - Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Certificate (Graduate)
Changing IECE graduate certification programs so that all coursework may be done at the graduate level. Involves removing three courses from the program (SED 704, SED 777, and SWK 456) and using two new courses SED 711 and SED 730). Adding SED 811 as an option to substitute for SED 352 and SED 436. - Department of Special Education - Communication Disorders B.S.
The emphasis of content in CDS 487 no longer provided a best measure of AACT for the program, replacing this with CDS 475. Courses reorganized to equalize hours by semester. Including speech/language/hearing screenings provides students the opportunity to experience an activity they will conduct in professional practice. SED 104, as a supporting course for the program, also meets Gen.Ed. Element 6, allowing students to take other courses related to their field. Add CDS 571W (the writing intensive version of the same course). - Teacher Education Services - Admission to Professional Education
Updating the cumulative GPA requirement for admission to professional education to include the GPA statement as identified in regulation. Removal of the College of Education math requirement as a single indicator. Praxis CASE exam measures math skills. Updating the Professional Code of Ethics, Character Fitness Declaration, and Professional Dispositions section with current language represented in regulation. Updating the Student Behavior section. And, adding Clinical Experience performance-based assessment as a condition for admission. - Teacher Education Services - Clinical Placement
Updates to the catalog to reflect current policy, regulation, and to remove repetitive wording.
College of Health Sciences
- Department of Family and Consumer Sciences - M.S. Community Nutrition
To 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.
College of Justice & Safety
- School of Safety, Security & Emergency Management - B.S. Occupational Safety
Add TRS 225 Basic Fleet Management Safety Principles and TRS 395 Marine Transportation Safety as Supporting Courses for OSH. To add OSH 420 Environmental Law & Management as a Major Course. OSH 420 will be substituted for EHS 345 Advanced Industrial Hygiene which is currently a Supporting Course. To add PHY 101 Concepts of the Physical World as Supporting Course in place of PHY 131 College Physics I.
University Programs
- Environmental Sustainability & Stewardship - Environmental Sustainability & Stewardship Certificate
Add Certificate in Environmental Sustainability & Stewardship and (D) minor text changes in program description for clarity.
New Programs
College of Justice & Safety
- Department of Institute for Social Intelligence & Leadership - Social Intelligence and Leadership Minor
Create a new minor in Social Intelligence and Leadership. Program includes two courses to enhance students’ knowledge and skills in creative and critical thinking in furtherance of the University’s strategic and QEP plans. Two courses are also included which focus on the knowledge and skills students can use to develop positive communications and relations in college and the workplace that can positively affect performance and success. The program concludes with two courses that show students the life skills and science of effective leadership. Students and parents have expressed interest in this program and have commented on its value.
Informational Items
- Office of the Provost - Academic Credit for Prior Learning through Portfolio Assessment
Action Items
- The Graduate School - Conditional Admission for International Students
Proposed policy is intended for international students who do not meet the English Language Proficiency Requirement but may be eligible for the proposed ELS program. - Office of the Provost - Dual Credit Admissions Criteria
Proposed change to the admissions criteria for the dual credit program
Senator Vice moved approval of items 1-21, seconded by Senator Scarambone. Motion carried.
Senator Vice moved approval of item 22, seconded by Senator Scarambone. As no one was in attendance that could answer questions about the courses for the minor, Senator Vice withdrew the motion until the next meeting.
Item 23 was presented as an informational item but should be an action item. Senator Vice announced additional changes made to the proposal after CAA's approval. This is for undergraduate credit only and the $50 per credit hour fee is paid by the student to Student Accounting. Senator Vice moved approval, seconded by Senator Palmer. Motion carried.
Senator Vice moved approval of item 24, seconded by Senator Scarambone. Motion carried.
Senator Vice moved approval of item 25, seconded by Senator O'Brien. Motion carried.
GENERAL & STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS
REPORT FROM SENATE CHAIR: Senator Pressley
The Faculty Senate Executive Committee met on Monday, March 24th to set the agenda for the April Faculty Senate meeting.
Dr. Sherry Robinson was in attendance to provide an update on policies under current review.
- Policy on Termination of Faculty. The drafting team should have a draft of the policy by the end of spring. It will be in the fall before the vetting process begins. When the policy is ready for review, another campus-wide forum will be scheduled to provide ample opportunity for feedback.
- Policy 4.6.7 - Annual Review of Tenured Faculty and Post Tenure Review. The drafting team is working on separating the policy into two separate policies. A rough draft of what is being considered will be presented to the Executive Committee at the April meeting to allow more feedback.
- Policy 4.1.6 – Student Absence from Class. The drafting team is working on this policy and should submit it for review to CAA soon. It may be in the fall before this policy comes before Faculty Senate.
In the fall, the Executive Committee recommends that one of the charges to the Rules Committee should be to review the section on Senate Representation in the Faculty Handbook. Should Lecturers be included in the count for an election unit? Below is the current language:
Determination of Delegate Representation
(1) An election unit with one 1 - 14 faculty members during the fall semester shall be entitled to one delegate for the academic year, and an election unit with 15 - 29 faculty members during the fall semester shall be entitled to two delegates for the academic year.
(2) An election unit with 30 - 39 faculty members during the Fall semester shall be entitled to three delegates for the academic year; an election unit with 40 - 49 faculty members during the Fall semester shall be entitled to four delegates for the academic year; and an election unit with 50 - 59 faculty members during the Fall semester shall be entitled to five delegates for the academic year, and so on.
The IPEP process is now complete and the recommendations have been forwarded. The campus community will hear more once the recommendations are finalized. Co-chairs Pressley and Noblitt will continue to advocate for the IPEP program to be an on-going process.
The Strategic Planning Steering Committee met on March 24th. Two additional faculty members were added to the council: Dr. John Wade, Dean of Arts and Sciences, and Dr. Matthew Winslow, Professor in the Department of Psychology. The committee will be reaching out to the campus over the next few months to obtain feedback from various input groups on campus (faculty, chairs, deans, staff, students, alumni, etc.) The input group for faculty will be co-chaired by the current Senate Chair and the incoming Faculty Senate Chair for 2014-2015. Co-chairs of the various input teams met on Friday, April 4th for an orientation on SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis, and to discuss the membership and timeline for the various input groups. The results of the forums that took place across campus will be shared at the next Strategic Planning Steering Committee meeting on Monday, April 7th.
PROVOST REPORT: Senator Vice
Based on the discussions regarding the pros and cons of a Winter Session, EKU will launch a pilot 2014/2015 Winter Session. While the course offerings and student/faculty participation may be limited, this session will allow faculty who choose to participate an opportunity to provide an enriched learning experience for the students.
For faculty who may want to consider offering a Winter Session course, the Faculty Senate Chair, the Registrar, and Provost Vice will co-sponsor a workshop with the assistance of the TLC to showcase courses for this first Winter Session and to provide a Q&A session regarding faculty compensation, expectations, and support. The date is soon to be announced.
Provost Vice recently announced the calendar for the 2014 Spring Semester, which retains the current 17-week semester. Because a number of faculty have expressed a desire to move to a 16-week semester, Provost Vice has asked the Academic Quality Committee of the Faculty Senate to continue reviewing the academic calendar and to work with the Provost’s office to fully engage the campus in the discussion as the calendar is formulated for future years.
On Friday, March 21, the Council of Chief Academic Officers (CCAO) of Kentucky’s pubic four-year institutions, including the Chancellor of KCTCS, held an all-day retreat facilitated by the Education Trust and the US Education Delivery Institute. We examined the student success trends for Kentucky and each of the institutions for the past decade. While Kentucky has made progress in degree productivity, retention rates, and graduation rates, there has not been enough progress made in closing “gaps.” The same trend is true for EKU. While our student-success rates of our overall student population have improved, we still need to improve the success rates of our underrepresented minorities and low-income students.
The Chief Academic Offices have committed to focusing this coming year on how to close these gaps. When the CPE meets in Murray on April 28-29, the CCAOs will meet the morning of April 28 to discuss how to enhance cultural competency on our campuses.
The following events are scheduled on Friday, April 18:
9:30 a.m. – University Scholars Assembly, Library Grand Reading Room (Breakfast begins at 8:30)
1:00 – 4:00 p.m. – Undergraduate Presentation (UP) Showcase, 1st Floor Library (Refreshments begin at noon.)
1:30 p.m. – Phi Kappa Phi Spring Induction Ceremony, Grand Reading Room
A link to the registration and a complete schedule of the week’s events are available at studio.eku.edu/scholarshipweek2014.
To follow up with what Senator Pressley mentioned about the IPEP, Provost Vice met with HR this morning and with Barry Poynter via conference call to discuss the timeline. An email will probably go out from the President before the end of the week detailing the overall process. All faculty should expect to receive a letter from their dean around April 25th stating whether or not an equity adjustment was made.
Please join Provost Vice for lunch on Wednesday, April 9, 12-1:00 p.m., at the Fresh Food Company in Powell, if schedules allow.
STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Academic Quality Committee. Senator Hunter announced that the committee sent a note to every department chair asking for feedback on the 16-weeks versus 17-weeks academic calendar and on aligning spring break to coincide with Madison County schools. There were 23-24 departments who responded, as well as several individuals. From an academic standpoint, the data collected indicates that faculty prefer to keep spring break in the middle of the semester as it is now. However, there wasn’t a consensus on the 16-weeks versus 17-weeks. Senator Hunter encouraged the Senate to continue the conversations with their colleagues.
The committee will write a detailed report of their findings to share with the Provost and the chairs and will submit the report to the Senate in May.
Budget Committee. Senator Hatcher reported that the committee will be sending out a short survey on the athletics funding issue to faculty within the next week.
Elections & University Nominations Committee. Senator Johnson reminded everyone that the election for vacant positions will be held at the organizational meeting on May 5th. This meeting begins approximately 10 minutes after the regular meeting concludes. Please encourage new senators to attend the organizational meeting.
Only two new senators have been identified at this point. New representatives are still needed from the following areas: Art, Associate Degree Nursing, Bacc Nursing, Biological Sciences, Communication, Counseling & Educational Psychology, English & Theatre, Government, Library, Mathematics & Statistics, Model Lab School, Occupational Therapy, and Psychology.
The university committees’ self-nomination survey has been distributed to all tenured and tenure-track faculty; and the deadline to respond is May 2nd. If there are any issues, please contact Meagan.Murray@eku.edu.
Information Technology Committee. Senator Kilgore reported that the committee met this afternoon and reviewed some of the Blackboard initiatives. The committee is also researching the idea of having a standardized template for personal webpages for faculty.
ADJOURNMENT:
Senator Vice moved to adjourn at approximately 4:20 p.m.
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To include two new elective courses: SWK 365 Crisis Intervention and SWK 344, Stress Management & Self-Care, in the program description.
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
- 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 - Department of American Sign Language & Interpreter Education - American Sign Language (ASL) Studies (Minor)
To revise requirements for the ASL Studies Minor. - 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
- 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 - Department of American Sign Language & Interpreter Education - American Sign Language (ASL) Studies (Minor)
To revise requirements for the ASL Studies Minor. - 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