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  • Pauletta King (Secretary)
    Phone: (859) 582-1150
  • Lisa Kay (Senate Chair)
  • Phone: (859) 622-1621
  • lisa.kay@eku.edu

Minutes for December 1, 2014

The Faculty Senate of Eastern Kentucky University met on Monday, December 1, 2014, in the South Ballroom of the Keen Johnson Building. Senator Day called the fourth meeting of the academic year to order at approximately 3:30 p.m.

The following members of the Senate were absent:

S. Adams* K. Creech* C. Hagan*
C. Lamb*^ D. Miller* E. Morrett*
R. Mott    

* Indicates prior notification of absence to the Faculty Senate Secretary
^ ALT Evelyn Parrish attended for C. Lamb

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

The November 3 minutes were approved as written.

REPORT FROM THE PRESIDENT: Senator Benson

Senator Benson shared a few notable accomplishments and milestones enjoyed by the campus in the past few weeks.

  • Establishment of the Colonels’ Cupboard, a student success initiative that provides emergency food boxes to currently enrolled students of the University (full or part-time) in need. To refer a student to the service, visit communityservice.eku.edu/colonels-cupboard or contact the Community Service office within the Division of Student Success.
  • EKU was ranked No. 2 Nationally in 2015 “Best for Vets’ Survey
  • EKU had the largest delegation of student presenters (39 Honors Colonels) at the annual National Collegiate Honors Council meeting.
  • Second-year Clinical Psychology student Chelsea Sleep, of Louisville, was awarded the 2014 Student Research Fellowship Award from Section IX (Assessment Psychology) of the Society of Clinical Psychology (American Psychological Association Division 12) for her proposal.
  • A new Interdisciplinary Asian Studies Program was launched which will help EKU students make better sense of the world around them. Housed in the Office of University Programs, the new program is the result of a collaborative process involving almost 30 faculty and staff members from various academic programs and units.
  • The University received one of two Bernease Walters Beautification Awards given annually by the Richmond Chamber of Commerce.

The speakers for December commencement will be Trey Grayson, former Secretary of State, and Jon Carloftis, award-winning garden designer.

Three areas on campus are going through a re-organization process—Student Success, University Development, and Marketing and Communications. More details on the re-organization will be available over the next several weeks.

Senator Benson is in the process of working on a book proposal about the development of higher education in America (and its blending of English and German models into our unique system), its role in developing our local and national economies, and the fact that it remains the envy of the entire world.

During the initial research on the book, he found a letter from President Theodore Roosevelt to newly-inaugurated third president of the City University of New York, John Finley. It underscores the fact that President Roosevelt recognized what – at its core – higher education is all about and the vital role all those involved in this endeavor play on a daily basis.

Education as given in the schools and colleges cannot itself fit us for good citizenship. But the lack of it would assuredly render us unfit. You, and those associated with you, and those in the innumerable other institutions of learning throughout the country are doing work similar in kind if not in degree to yours, all alike make the whole body politic our debtors. Next to the home it is the school, the college, the university, which do most to determine the efficiency of the individual as a citizen in this great, self-governing republic of ours; and therefore these who, for their life work, devote themselves to training aright the people who are to shape our citizenship of the future, put the nation in a special sense under obligations to them.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

Policy 4.6.16 – Dismissal of Faculty. Senator Mololey moved approval of the policy, seconded by Senator Scarambone.

Senator Elliott moved to send the policy back to the drafting team to establish specific timelines in each part, seconded by Senator S. Hunter. Motion carried.

Policy 1.5.1 – Financial Exigency. Senator Elliott moved approval of the policy, seconded by Senator O’Brien.

Senator Maloley noted that on page 2, under the recommendations, number 3, the request to add an elected department chair was not included. Dr. Sherry Robinson stated that the omission was inadvertent and will be added as an editorial change.

Motion carried.

NEW BUSINESS:

Report from Council on Academic Affairs - Senator Vice

New program

College of Arts & Sciences
Department of Chemistry

  1. Minor in Forensic Science
    Create a new minor in forensic science to benefit students majoring in chemistry and biology have already taken many forensic science courses. It will be beneficial to students if a minor can be awarded.

Program Revisions

College of  Arts & Sciences
Department of Art & Design

  1. Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art/Design Studio
    1. Revise the BFA Art/Design Studio Concentrations program description.
    2. Make the following revisions to the BFA Concentration Requirements: Add ARH 390W, 391 and 467 to the Art History Course Requirements; remove ART 432 and replace with ART 433 to the Printmaking Concentration Requirements.

Department of Chemistry

  1. Bachelor of Science in Forensic Science
    Update Core, Concentration, Supporting course requirements and adjust credit hours.

Department of Economics

  1. Bachelor of Arts in Economics
    1. Change major requirement from "A minimum grade of "C" is required in all courses counted towards the" to: "An average 2.3 GPA is required in the courses counted towards the core and concentration courses counted towards the major."
    2. Replace "MAT 107" with "MAT 112 or MAT 114."
    3. Change the 12 hours to 18 hours for the International Economics Concentration in the Supporting Course Requirements.
  2. Bachelor of Arts in Globalization and International Affairs
    1. Replace "MAT 107" with "MAT 112 or higher."
    2. Remove GEO 330, HIS 346, 350, 365, 380, 474, 475, HUM 360, POL 316, 321, 421, 499, 517, 525.
    3. Add ECO 395W, HEA 310, REL 301.
    4. Remove Supporting Course Requirements hours and Free Electives hours.

Department of English & Theatre

  1. Bachelor of Arts in English
    1. Eliminate the foreign language / American Sign Language supporting course requirement. The language requirement has been counted towards the 36 required General Education hours for all EKU students. With this change, students would be free to choose any Element Six courses to fulfill their diversity requirement.
    2. Add COM 320 to the Technical Writing Supporting Course Requirements.
  2. Bachelor of Arts in English/Teaching
    1. Eliminate the foreign language / American Sign Language supporting course requirement for the B.A. in English / Teaching degree, matching the same change for all other English majors. The language requirement has been counted towards the 36 required General Education hours for all EKU students. With this change, students would be free to choose any Element Six courses to fulfill their diversity requirement.
    2. Revise Professional Education Requirements.

Department of History

  1. Minor in History
    Reduce minor requirements from 21 to 18 credit hours while reflecting recently approved course changes.
  2. Bachelor of Arts in History
    Add a core course requirement in introductory world history. Revise program description language and update the major requirements to reflect course additions and deletions.
  3. Bachelor of Arts in History/Teaching
    Revise Core Course Requirements and eliminate remaining hour of Free Electives.
    Adjust credit hours in Supporting Course Requirements to reflect eligibility of supporting courses to be counted toward General Education. Update Professional Education Requirements and adjust total degree hours based on revisions.
  4. Master of Arts in History
    Require that students take the topics course HIS 802A, 802B or 802C as one of the courses used toward fulfilling the department’s area requirements.

Department of Physics and Astronomy

  1. Associate of Applied Science in Science of Engineering
    Add "CSC 174 or CSC 190 (or any departmentally approved programming language course)" and delete asterisk) to the Supporting Course Requirements.
  2. Bachelor of Science in Physics
    1. Increase Physics Concentration hours from 6 to 9.
    2. Add EET 252 as a requirement for the Engineering Physics Concentration, increasing the hours from 16 to 19.
    3. Remove EET 252 from the Supporting Course
    4. Requirements, decreasing the hours from 23 to 20; (5) add CSC 190 and the word "departmentally" to the Supporting Course Requirements.
  3. Bachelor of Science in Physics/Teaching
    1. Drop Required Minor.
    2. Drop CSC 104 or 212 from Supporting Course Requirements.
    3. Add a line indicating Free Electives are 0 hours.
    4. Decrease Total Degree Hours from 128-139 to 120.
    5. Revise Professional Education Requirements.

College of Business and Technology
Department of Agriculture

  1. Associate of Applied Science in Technical Agriculture
    1. Remove ECO 230 and add ECO 120 as a general education requirement.
    2. Remove OHO 366 as a requirement for the Landscape Horticulture concentration.
    3. Remove OHO 115 and 301, add OHO 354 as requirements for Turfgrass Management concentration.

College of Education
Department of School of Clinical Educator Preparation

  1. Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Graduate Certification
    1. Clarify requirements related to initial certification.
    2. Update the IECE Graduate Certificate to include core requirements and supporting requirements, remove special education, child and family studies and update the note for professional education requirements.
    3. Remove SED 352, 436 and 499; add CDF 741 or 744 as core requirements.
    4. Remove ELE 719, NSC 700 and SWK 456; add SED 711 as supporting courses.

College of Health Sciences
Department of Environmental Health Science

  1. Minor in Environmental Health Science
    Remove dropped course EHS 330 and add new course EHS 530.
  2. Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health Science
    Remove dropped courses EHS 285 and 330. Add new course EHS 530.

Department of Family and Consumer Science

  1. Bachelor of Science in Child and Family Studies
    Add PSY 200, 250, and 317 as options for support requirements in the Child Development Concentration.

Department of Health Promotion and Administration

  1. Bachelor of Science in Health Services Administration
    Update the Pre-HSA curriculum and program admission requirements.
  2. Bachelor of Science in Public Health
    Add Accelerated pathway 3 + 2 Dual Degree BS in Public Health to MPH.

Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy

  1. Master of Science Occupational Therapy
    Change the progression policy to include that a student will not be allowed to progress in the program after failing his/her second occupational therapy (OTS) course.

Information Item

  1. Departmental Name Change
    The Department of Geography and Geology will change departmental name to Department of Geosciences.

Discussion Item for Future Action

  1. Repeating Courses Catalog Language
    1. Allow the best grade to replace the lower grade.
    2. Add a statement stating that a notation displaying included and excluded grades will appear on the transcript.
    3. Add a statement "Students seeking permission for a third enrollment shall meet with a professional advisor to review why they have not previously been successful in the course, and to assess whether the student is in an appropriate major."
    4. Update grade options.

On behalf of CAA, Senator Vice moved the following items for approval:

  • Item 1.  Motion carried.
  • Items 2-22.  Motion carried.

Item 23 was listed for information only.

Item 24 was listed as a discussion item but will come forward for action later.

GENERAL & STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS

REPORT FROM SENATE CHAIR: Senator Day

Senator Day shared the following:

  • Volunteers are needed to participate in new student orientation over the summer.
  • Senator Howell shared a report on the Parking Advisory Committee.
  • The policy on Annual Review of Tenured Faculty (4.6.17) is ready for review, but before coming to the Faculty Senate for consideration, there will be a Policy Forum scheduled in early February.
  • The policy on Academic Administrators seems to be following the same general design as the Annual Review of Tenured Faculty – annual conversation, with a formal write up every third year. That parallel construction was seen as important to many faculty members.
  • The policy on Post-Tenure Review is still in development. 
  • On behalf of the Executive Committee, Senator Day sent a letter to President Benson about an on-going series of disagreements between the Senate and the Provost’s Council regarding the date by which faculty members must be notified if they are not going to be offered a contract for the following year. The Senate passed March 15th. The Provost’s Council changed it back to May 15th. A rational middle ground (April 15th) might work for both groups, but presently there is no mechanism in place for conferencing (negotiating) policy differences. The affected policies are Lectureship, Clinical Faculty, and Evaluation of Faculty Not Eligible for Tenure. Senator Day has asked the president to consider a solution.
  • The Provost’s Council revised the Student Absence Policy passed by the Senate. The Council made some language more mandatory, to prevent students from being penalized for certain absences that may be required of them as a condition of joining another university sanctioned activity (such as with veterans, athletic scholarships, mock trial, etc.). The Provost’s Council wanted to assure that students could make up missed assignments.   

Other issues in the works:

  • An effort to revive a Financial Planning Council-type group to allow faculty to provide formative input into the budgetary process.
  • The Elections Committee has recommended a candidate for Faculty Senate Parliamentarian. The Executive Committee will follow up on that recommendation next month.
  • The University Strategic Planning process continues. Input has been received on the first draft of plan. That input is being discussed as refinements are made. The Regents will see the draft in January. Faculty should expect more alterations to the plan as more feedback is received and the committee moves to identifying performance indicators and metrics in support of the plan.
  • Photographs will be updated for the Senate website in the spring. 

REPORT FROM COSFL: Senator Scarambone

COSFL has not met but over the last few weeks there have been a lot of emails exchanged about the situation at KSU. It has been reported that all non-tenured faculty at KSU will be reviewed for effectiveness and contribution to the university’s mission and some contracts will not be renewed. For tenured faculty, a faculty review process is being developed and will be implemented in the near future.

PROVOST REPORT: Senator Vice

Winter Term registration has exceeded expectations. There are 260 students registered for winter term. The faculty brought forward 42 courses and 22 of those have made minimum enrollment.

The following updates are available on Academic Affairs’ Searches:

  1. In response to Dean Allen Ault’s announcement that he will retire in June 2015, Provost Vice met on December 1 with the College of Justice and Safety to review the plan for a national search and to share the procedures for the College to use in selecting the search committee. The model will be similar to that used for the successful national searches for deans for the Colleges of Education and Business and Technology. Dr. Deborah Whitehouse, Dean of Health Sciences, will chair the search.
  2. Stacey Street, Interim Executive Director for Institutional Effectiveness, has also announced her retirement for March 2015. A national search will begin soon to fill this position. Dr. Rose Perrine, Associate Dean of University Programs, will chair the search.
  3. The position of Executive Assistant for Academic Policies and Process is being converted to a Vice Provost position. This new position will have responsibilities for academic policies and process as well as undergraduate curriculum and academic programs. This search will be an internal search. The incumbent may apply for the appointment competitively. Dr. Shirley O’Brien, Department of Occupation Sciences and Occupational Therapy, will chair the search.

Please plan to attend Dr. Saundra McGuire’s workshops on metacognition, held on February 20, 2015, in O’Donnell Auditorium of the Whitlock Building.

Dr. McGuire will lead a morning workshop regarding getting students to focus on learning and a follow-up afternoon workshop to discuss approaches to teaching metacognitive strategies. Both workshops will provide faculty important strategies to help ensure student success at EKU. To register, go to http://studio.eku.edu/saundra-mcguire-faculty-workshop-registration.

On February 19, Dr. McGuire will also give a student lecture regarding using metacognition to improve student success. EKU’s goal is to have 2,000 students attend this very important event.

The Provost will not meet with the senators for lunch on Wednesday in December. Lunch will resume in February.

REPORT FROM STUDENT GOVERNMENT: Kyle Nicholas

Mr. Nicholas made the following announcements:

  • The revised SGA constitution and bylaws will go into effect on January 1, 2015.
  • The student government retreat is scheduled in January.
  • Letters of congratulation have been mailed to all of the newly elected officials of Madison County, and the State of Kentucky asking for their continued support of higher education, and particularly EKU.
  • SGA is in the process of proposing a new parking ticket structure similar to UK where students can donate can goods to the Colonel’s Cupboard in lieu of paying a fine.
  • SGA is working closely with Mike Peddicord in Athletics to find local sponsors for the Colonel Up Program.

STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS:

Academic Quality Committee.  Senator G. Hunter announced that the committee will meet on Wednesday in Dizney 133 with Dr. Burke Christensen of Academic Integrity to learn more about the appeals process.

The committee plans to send a short survey to advisors on the supposed black market for RAC numbers.

Elections & University Nominations Committee.  Senate Johnson announced that Sharon Edwards has been recommended for the Parliamentarian position.  She will meet with the Executive Committee for approval in January.

Rules Committee.  Senator Skubik-Peplaski reported that the committee met to review and prioritize charges.

  1. Conduct a review of the existing Faculty Senate term limits policy and report any recommendations to the Faculty Senate Executive Committee for possible action. The rule committee reviewed and discussed the senator term limits listed in the Faculty Handbook. Although the committee recognizes that some smaller departments may have difficulty meeting the term limits
    • The committee recommends that current term limits remain the same
  2. Regarding video streaming of the Faculty Senate meetings and Executive Committee meetings:
    • In an effort to promote collegiality, transparency and collaboration with the faculty at large, the committee recommends placing a podcast of the monthly Faculty Senate meetings on the EKU website. The committee recommends that the Executive Committee work with the Faculty Senate Secretary and the IT Department to explore the feasibility and then monitor to determine if this is a worthwhile effort.
  3. Review the Faculty Handbook, Faculty Senate and internal practices and report any recommendations to the Faculty Senate Executive Committee for possible action.
    • Section “ ” of the Faculty Handbook needs to be modified to incorporate the new graduation procedures. The committee recommends that the language be such to give departments and programs flexibility in determining faculty requirements for the graduation ceremonies.
    • In Part 7, Section VII B, Lecturers should be included in the list of eligible academic ranks for Membership in the Senate.
    • In that same section, the committee recommends clarification on how the part-time faculty representative is chosen, specifically how and by whom they are nominated and elected. This may actually fall under the next charge in the Committee on Elections and Nominations.
    • Finally, the committee recommends realignment between the handbook and the actual policies (For example, the Establishing Reasonable Accommodations Policy is actually 1.3.4 but is listed in the handbook as 1.4.4. )
  4. Conduct a review of each Faculty Senate committee and report any recommendations to the Faculty Senate Executive Committee for possible action.
    • For the Committee on the Budget, the committee recommends exploring the possibility of a easily accessible, global picture of the budget for the Faculty Senate and how it is being used.
    • For the Informational Technology Committee, the committee recommends that the faculty at large be polled, perhaps online, more frequently and more broadly to determine technology needs and issues, especially concerning computers and online resources such as Blackboard.
    • The committee recommends that each committee review its rules in the handbook and provide feedback if a change is needed.

Ad Hoc Committee on Legislative Forum.  Senator Hatcher announced that the forum has been postponed until the spring semester.

ADJOURNMENT:

Senator Vice moved to adjourn at approximately 4:15 p.m.

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