Faculty Senate Minutes
Thursday, May 1, 2008
3:15 PM to 5:00 PM, Chesapeake 105
1. Attendance: Please check-in on the attendance roster.
2. Review the Agenda for the 5/1/08 meeting.
The agenda was approved.
3. Review the Minutes of the 4/17/08 meeting.
The minutes were approved as written.
4. Calendar
Mark Hubley announced that the Academic Council would meet on May 22, and there would be a
discussion and possible vote on Quality Matters.
Spring 2008 important dates
A. College closed or no classes
i) Presidents Day, no classes, Mon. 2/18
ii) Spring Break, college closed, Mon. 3/17—Sat. 3/22
B. Other important dates
i) Last day to withdraw from 15-week classes, Fri. 4/18
ii) Final exam week, Thu. 5/8—Wed. 5/14
iii) Grades due, Fri. 5/16 by 4:00 PM
iv) Commencement, Thu. 5/22
April/May important dates
E. Senate meetings
i) Thu. 4/3, 3:15—5:00 PM, Chesapeake 105
ii) Thu. 4/17, 3:15—5:00 PM, Chesapeake 105
iii) Thu. 5/1, 3:15—5:00 PM, Chesapeake 105
F. Board of Trustees meetings
i) Thu. 4/10, 7:00 PM, Kent 262
ii) Thu. 5/8, 7:00 PM, Kent 262
G. College-wide Forum
i) Wed. 4/2, 2:00—4:00 PM, LSC Community Room B
ii) Wed. 4/16, 2:00—4:00 PM, LSC Community Room B
iii) Wed. 5/7, 2:00—4:00 PM, LSC Community Room B
iv) Wed. 5/21, 2:00—4:00 PM, LSC Community Room B
H. Academic Council
i) Thu. 4/10, 3:00—5:00 PM, LSC Conf. Room 6
ii) Thu. 4/21, 3:00—5:00 PM, HTC 133
iii) Thu. 5/8, 3:00—5:00 PM, HTC 133
iv) Thu. 5/22, 10:00 AM—12:00 PM
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5. Attachments
A. Minutes from the 4/17 meeting
B. Memo from LCCC
6. Reports
A. Senate President, including report from Academic Council
Hubley met with Lark Dobson and asked for data on faculty salaries. Dobson expressed concern that the
Salary & Benefits Committee might work at odds with Hendricks & Associates, who would be conducting
the college’s salary study. Hubley suggested that members of the Salary & Benefits Committee should
plan on meeting with Hendricks so that they can work together. Mr. Hendricks had said that he was
willing to meet again with faculty. Hubley requested the data by May 14. Eldon Baldwin suggested that
Hubley specifically obtain electronic data, rather than a printout. Hubley said he would update members
of the Senate over the summer.
B. Senate Vice President
C. Nominating Committee
D. Representative from President’s Leadership Team
Baldwin said the President’s Leadership Team will meet on the 14th of May.
E. Enrollment Management Team
F. College-wide Forum
i) Representative from Faculty Organization
ii) Human Resources Committee
iii) Budget Advisory Committee
iv) Campus Culture Committee
v) Learning Committee
vi) Technology Steering Committee
vii) Strategic Planning Committee
viii) Assessment Committee
ix) Facilities Committee
G. Chairs’ Council
H. Adjunct Faculty
I. Representative from the Student Governance Board
7. Old Business
A. Update on old business
C. Other old business?
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8. New Business
A. Discussion with the Learning Centered College Committee
Elaine Kass, a member of the Learning Centered College Committee, presented a report on some of the
committee’s work to date. Kass said the committee tried to create a concise definition of learningcenteredness. The working definition of the committee was as follows: “Learning-centeredness is a
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warm, welcoming, and intellectually challenging institutional culture that encourages all stakeholders to
share responsibility for learning.” Kass then asked for opinions from the members of the Senate.
Kathi Linville questioned use of the word “warm,” saying that every student is different and we need to be
flexible in how we relate to our students. Baldwin suggested that the working definition is more “studentcentered” than learning-centered. Meanwhile, the college itself generally acts in employee-centered
ways. Baldwin continued that if we are to truly become learning-centered, it has to come from the top.
The Senior Team needs to do something meaningful with the concept, or it is dead. Christie Wright said
that we do not need “learning-centeredness” to adapt to the changing needs of our students. We need to
recognize that students today are different from when we were in school. We do need to let students
know that we care about them. Nicholas Plants observed that the definition is short on the principles of
learning-centeredness, and focuses more on the resulting culture. Hubley suggested that a classroom
may very well be warm and welcoming, but have little or no learning going on. Baldwin noted that
“learning-centeredness” is in the vocabulary of Middle States. At some point Middle States is going to
want evidence that our students are learning.
B.
Discussion of Facilities Master Plan
Rich Watkins and Bruce Manger of CSD Architects gave a presentation and answered questions about
the facilities master plan. They were in the process of speaking with various groups on campus to both
present information about proposals in the plan and to gather information to improve the plan. Various
faculty mentioned that temperature control on campus is bad in many areas. Rooms may be 10° too hot
or 10° too cold. A suggestion was made to incorporate windows that can be opened into new
construction and renovations. Marlboro Hall has numerous problems, and Lanham has a noticeable
“hum” from electrical equipment. Rosanne Benn raised concerns about traffic safety, such as no areas
for dropping off/picking up passengers. Parking is often disrupted when lots are closed for various
activities. Christie Wright noted that it seems there are not many bicycle racks available on campus.
Greg Weiss suggested that the dozen-or-so spots reserved for members of the Board of Trustees should
be made available for regular parking. Linville mentioned that there are very few quiet places where
students can study. Some designated “quiet areas” are very noisy. Alan Mickelson noted that adjunct
faculty need better office space. Someone asked if adjunct faculty have offices. Various members of the
Senate noted that some departments offer small, group offices. Hubley said that the campus does not
look very attractive from Rt. 202; this view is highlighted by the backs of various buildings and trash
dumpsters.
With regards to instruction, Baldwin suggested that the college have a discussion about technology and
standards for the classrooms (e.g., smart workstations). Also, whenever classrooms are being designed,
there needs to be discussions with faculty. It often seems that classrooms are designed without any input
from instructors. Someone noted that faculty were consulted regarding classroom designs in the new
High Tech Center, and those classrooms seem to be designed very nicely. It was also noted that there is
a lot of room for improvement at UTC. Are the extension centers considered in the Master Plan?
Anyone wishing to contact CSD Architects should contact David Mosby in facilities.
C.
Other new business?
Hubley said he was trying to gather information about faculty salaries, and he would attempt to schedule
another meeting with Hendricks & Associates. He noted that Hendricks had no plans to evaluate
individual faculty salaries. Rather, he would be looking at the different levels (assistant, associate, and
full) and how they compare to competitive institutions. Hendricks may look more specifically at various
staff and administrative positions.
Janet Carlson noted that 150 faculty voted in the spring elections. Hubley commended Carlson for her
efforts and said this number was considerably higher than previous elections.
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9. Agenda Items for Upcoming Meetings
A. Program Mentoring?
B. Other items?
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10. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 5:05 PM.
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