Meeting, May 5, 2011
Gallagher Business Building, Room 123
Members
Present:
D. Allington, L. Ametsbichler, D. Beck, D. Bedunah, , S. Bradford, J.
Carter, D. Dalenberg, J. DeBoer, A. Delaney, J. Edwards, D. Erickson,
C. Galipeau, A. Glaspey, J. Halfpap, J. Hirstein, E. Hines, N. Hinman,
D. Jackson, R. Judd, P. Koehn, C. Knight, E. Labank, B. Larson, C.
Leonard, N. Levtow, S. Lodmell, M. McHugh, N. Moisey, J.
Montauban, P. Muench, J. Munro, C. Palmer, R. Premuroso, B.
Reider, J. Renz, E. Rosenburg, M. Rosulek, W. Shields, M. Shogren,
R. Skelton, G. Smith, A. Sondag, M. Sontag Bowman, S. Stan, G.
Swaney, E. Uchimoto, N. Vonessen, H. Wandler, P. Williams
New Members
Present
J. Crepeau, J. Eglin, R. Fanning, C. Hahn, K. Harris, N. Kimbell, L.
Gray, S. Mills, M. Raymond, M. Schneider, P. Silverman, M. Stark, A.
Ware
Members
Excused
M. Boller, P. Dietrich, D. MacDonald, D. Potts, P. Sharma
Members
Absent
S. Brewer, C. Charles, A. Duwell, L. Gillison, A. Golbeck, F. Li, K.
Griggs, N. Haddad, D. Hollist, E. Reimer, G. Twigg, A. Wilcox, C.
Work
Ex-Officio
Present:
Associate Provost Walker-Andrews, ASUM President Gursky, ASUM
Vice President Edmunds
Guests:
UFA President Coffin, S. O’Hare- Executive Director, Office for
Student Success, K. James- University Library Committee Chair
Chair Moisey called the meeting to order at 3:13 p.m.
Registrar Johnson called role.
The minutes from 4/14/11 were approved.
Communications:
Chair Moisey announced a change in the order of the agenda to accommodate
schedules.
ASUM President Jen Gursky and Vice President Jeff Edmunds
The primary goal of the new ASUM Leadership is outreach. ASUM will work to develop a
strategic plan with objectives and measures for success. This will clarify the decision
making mechanisms. ASUM intends to collect student voting data in order to identify
outreach targets. ASUM also hopes to improve communication between the city and
university policy makers. This will likely involve working with the City Council to create a
University Relations and Affairs Committee. And of course, ASUM has plans involving
the Board of Regents.
ASUM provides a voice for students as well as services and support. Next year, social
media will make it easier for students to get involved. General Issues will be advertised
in the Kaimin to solicit student feedback. A generic ASUM email will be created. And
internship opportunities will be created for students to work at ASUM. ASUM will
continue to advocate for the University with the legislature, particularly if there is a
special session. ASUM is open to suggestions and hopes to improve collaboration and
communication.
Provost Brown
On behalf of the administration senators were thanked for their service throughout the
year.
Strategic Plan
The Provost referenced the strategic plan booklet that was available during the
President’s Inauguration. It is a condensed version of the document available online.
The University’s strategic plan brings together all the sector plans and provides
additional detail regarding 2020 targets. One target is for the freshmen retention
average to be in the upper quartile of the nation’s public research universities. Priorities
are also identified for fiscal year 2012 and 2013. The assessment report will be
completed in the summer, so the Planning Committee can work on revisions and plans
for the next biennium in the fall. Faculty are encouraged to send comments regarding
the strategic plan. Targets and other components of the plan are still being refined.
Separate committees have been appointed to work on cross-listing and pre-requisite
checking. The technical issues are being discussed and will hopefully be resolved.
Responses to Questions:
There is an agreement with MSU regarding funding reallocation. The timing of the
reallocation will need Board of Regents approval. For the University of Montana
campuses, the total reallocation is in excess of $8 million. For UM only the total is in
excess of $5 million. Recalibration will occur every biennium going forward.
There is concern regarding demographic trends- declining population. The university’s
enrollment management staff have been successful in recruiting a larger market share.
The digital academy is helping to provide students across the state with college
preparatory curriculum. There were 2,000 students enrolled in the fall and 4,000 in the
spring. The national 10 year projections for employment predicts 68-70% of jobs will
require some level of post secondary education.
The salary package for faculty will be discussed at the May Board of Regents meeting.
The administration and the Regents are supportive, but the outcome of the legislative
session is disappointing.
Committee Reports:
University Library Committee Chair James
The University Library Committees’ annual report was posted for senators to review.
Professor Kimberly James, Chair of the Committee highlighted some of the items. The
committee changed its name from the Faculty Library Committee, and updated its
charge and procedures. The Committee has concerns about the future of the library’s
budget because it is reliant on annual inflationary increases to sustain and continue the
development of the collection. A 5% budget cut would actually mean a 12-13% cut for
collections.
Examples of enhanced and expanded services include collection access to the other
campuses at a minimal cost and shelf hold mailings to campus addresses. Currently
98% of journals are available online and back files are on the library’s wish list. The
Library is involved in the migration to Moodle. ERes will be phased out once Moodle is
fully implemented. Moodle is able to provide the same function as ERes. Digital projects
include archiving University websites (Archive- It) and an institutional repository
(DSpace). The Library will communicate the new services to campus once the specifics
have been decided.
Communications Continued:
Sharon O’Hare, Executive Director, Office for Student Success – Freshman Portal
The Freshman Portal, My Academics was demonstrated. All incoming freshman are
registered in core courses, the appropriate math course, and a writing composition
course. Students receive a message from the Office for Student Success with their user
ID and password. There is a welcome letter describing My Academics as their summer
guide to academics at the university as well as a message from the appropriate
academic dean. It includes a “To Do List” that is specific to the student and includes test
requirements, questionnaires, and etc.
The academic interest questionnaire is specific to the major and gives students the
opportunity to inform the university about their high school course work and other
preferences related to the major. Undeclared students have a specific questionnaire
that directs them to explore majors in their interest areas. Students interested in Premed are informed that they must choose a major. Responses are used to build the
students schedules from June 1st through the 22nd. There is also an online financial
literacy course available, but it is not required. Students can see their schedule once
registered and can link to various services from the page.
The College of Technology opted not to use the portal this year, but the offer was made.
Jon Adams, who developed the Freshman Portal, recently received a national award for
campus technology and innovation.
UFA President Coffin
There has not been any progress on collective bargaining since the last meeting. The
Commissioner’s Office is now refusing to bargain compensation until after the May
Board of Regents meeting. The UFA may file another unfair labor practice with the State
Board of Personnel Appeals in the Department of Labor. Documenting the
Commissioner’s Office refusal to bargain in good faith alerts the state that proper
process is not being followed. It may help to assure a future remedy.
There may yet be a special session. The Governor promised that he would block any
legislative attempt for a pay freeze. Still HB 13 does not legally apply to university
faculty. The Board of Regents and the Governor have stated that they support faculty
pay increases.
The UFA will not ask faculty to ratify a questionable contract. This means it is likely that
there will not be a contract in place for July.
Non-compensation issues were passed across and some may be close to agreements.
It is not certain who will bargain for the administration now that Rob Gannon has
resigned.
Chair’s Report:
Amendment of Articles
The amended Faculty Senate Articles were approved by President Engstrom and a
positive vote of 126 faculty.
Board of Regents Update
The Board of Regents will be meeting May 19-20 at Flathead Community College. This
is typically the meeting where the budget is discussed. There will be a live feed of the
meeting. The Montana University System Faculty Association Representatives
(MUSFAR) meets with the Regents over breakfast. Discussions have focused on quality
issues. At the last meeting in Helena, the students and other groups gave testimony
regarding possible tuition increases.
Prerequisite Checking Update
Executive Director O’Hare is chairing a committee to implement prerequisite checking.
There should be a pilot in place for spring 2012.
Annual Report
The annual report is in progress.
Summer meeting
The summer meeting will be July 14th. The summer meetings sole agenda item is
approval of the graduation lists. Please attend if you are on campus. Ice cream will be
available.
Committee Reports Continued:
ASCRC Chair Chris Knight
Film Studies Course Guidelines
In collaboration with the Film Studies Program, ASCRC approved guidelines for film
studies courses. There has been concern over the years that the showing of film was
taking the place of contact hours. The guidelines provide a model for an acceptable
balance.
Curriculum Deadline
The fall curriculum deadline is September 23rd. Level I and level II proposals should be
submitted to the Provost’s Office at least a week prior to the deadline. The deadline
letter includes various updates.
Annual Report
ASCRC Chair Knight highlighted several items in the report. Much of the committee’s
time was spent on curriculum review. It also discussed the Academic Forgiveness
Policy approved in March. ASCRC considered undergraduate program review at the
request of ECOS. It determined that a meaningful faculty review would require
additional resources from the administration. Concerns about winter and summer
session course compliance with BOR Policy 309.1 were discussed with the Dean of the
School of Extended and Life Long Learning. Compressed course discussions will
continue next academic year. A proposal for Police Science was also discussed and will
be resubmitted in the fall. It will give police officers academic credit for the 12-week
training at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy. ASCRC was asked to endorse the
Writing Committees recommendation to replace the UDWPA with program level
assessment. ASCRC would like the Writing Committee to conduct a pilot project to
collect data before it will endorse the recommendation.
General Education Committee Chair- Elect Deboer
Annual Report
The Committee had a busy year. It approved a total of 23 courses for general education
designation and removed two designations. It endorsed the use of the Association of
American Colleges and Universities’ essential leaning outcomes and value rubrics as a
means of assessing UM’s general education program. The Committee was updated
regarding the Big Picture Pilot Project and Accreditation Core themes. A friendly letter
was sent to non-credit heavy programs asking for their rationale for requiring a symbolic
systems rather than a modern or classical language. Next year, the rolling review of
general education courses will begin and sample forms will be made available.
Writing Committee Chair Semanoff
Annual Report
Three writing courses and 8 upper-division writing courses were approved. The
Committee met with a faculty member to discuss a solution to her course being
incorrectly listed in the catalog as a writing course. The committee reviewed and revised
its charge for incorporation into the Faculty Senate Bylaws. It also established several
procedures to help facilitate the review process and other functions. It presented its
recommendation to eliminate the UDWPA to ASCRC. Program level assessment will
provide information about students writing strengths and weaknesses in order to take
steps to improve instructional development and student learning. The Committee will
work on pilot projects in the fall.
Graduate Council Chair Hirstein
The fall curriculum deadline also applies to graduate courses. Please be aware that
your Colleges and Schools may have internal guidelines regarding submission of
curricular forms to the academic deans.
Summer Minimum Enrollment Resolution
Recently programs were notified that summer graduate courses must have eight
students enrolled rather than five. The resolution requests the administration to
reconsider given the various pressures to increase graduate student enrollment and
graduation, as well as provid continuing education for K-12 teachers that can only take
courses in the summer. In the past the cost of low enrollment graduate courses was
supplemented by high enrollment undergraduate courses. Apparently the funding model
for summer school has changed and this is no longer considered. The resolution was
approved unanimously.
TA/RA Tuition Exception Guidelines
The guidelines were presented as information. The Provost has yet to approve the
guidelines.
Co-convening Guidelines
The guidelines were presented as information. The course form has been revised to
accommodate the approval of co-convened courses. Existing co-convened courses will
not require additional review at this time. The Council believes that enrollment numbers
for co-convened courses must match the current requirement for undergraduate
courses. Six hundred level courses may be considered for co-convening with
justification.
Annual Report
Professor Hirstein thanked the Graduate Council for its work this year. The Council
devised a numbering scheme for its procedures. In addition to the guidelines presented
today, the Council made recommendations to the Provosts Office regarding the future of
the IIP and MIS programs.
Unit Standards Committee Chair Carter
Annual Report
Five sets of standards were reviewed this year. The standards are reviewed for clarity
and adherence to the Collective Bargaining agreement. The committee does not pass
judgment on rigor so the process has become very efficient. Service on the committee
should no longer be feared.
New Business:
Outgoing Senators were thanked and the new senators were seated.
Professor Jeff Renz was nominated for Chair-elect. There were no other nominations.
The vote was unanimous for Professor Renz as Chair-elect.
The College of Arts and Science caucused to nominate two members of ECOS.
Senators Ed Rosenber, Chemistry and Alan Psalda-Petree, Psychology were
nominated. The Senate approved the nominations.
Good and Welfare
Day of Dialogue proposals are due May 23rd.
The start of the faculty line for commencement on May 14th will be between the LA
building and Jeanette Rankin Hall.
Communicative Sciences and Disorders will graduate its first group of students (22) this
May.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:55 pm.