Minutes
Faculty Senate Meeting
October 1, 2003
John Douglass called the meeting to order at 1:55 p.m.
Present: Professors Ahrens, Arneson, Burke, Cochran, Douglass, Fagelson, Fantie, Flug, Forst,
Jacoby, Jennings, Karch, Langbein, La Salle, Loesberg, Olmsted, Richardson, Riley,
Rosenbloom, Schaeff, Streitmatter, Swallow, Vogelsong. Provost Kerwin.
Absent: Professor Heintze.
The minutes of the September 24, 2003 meeting were approved.
Report of the President
Benjamin Ladner began his report by commenting, once again, on the exceptional achievements
of the Faculty Senate during its first year under the new governance structure. He said the Senate
had focused on important issues, dealt appropriately with sensitive issues, and collaborated with
other constituencies, very quickly becoming a model for faculty governance.
Dr. Ladner also praised the university’s faculty for the roles they played in bringing to American
a rush of accolades. He noted, as just one example, that The Wall Street Journal had recently
ranked Kogod School of Business as 42nd among the top 50 business schools in the nation. The
recognition that comes to the university, Dr. Ladner affirmed, is a testament to the strength and
quality of the faculty and a clear indication that the AU is on the right trajectory.
Dr. Ladner then commended the Middle States Steering Committee and its task forces for
producing a thorough, focused, and comprehensive draft of the self-study report. He said the
report provided an incredible perspective on the university over the past ten years. The theme of
engagement, which drove the vision of the committee, he concluded, was an ideal canopy under
which to group AU’s academic life and its campus life.
President Ladner then spoke about recent developments in a number of specific areas,
commenting as follows:
The President’s Circle Dinner
The President’s Circle Dinner, which was scheduled for October 16, would officially launch the
new capital campaign. Dr. Ladner said he was convinced that the impressive plans for the
campaign will be achieved, despite the economic downturn, based on the amount of funds
pledged during the quiet phase of the campaign. The chairs of the national campaign are Robert
Kogod, Gary Abramson, and Gary Cohn. Every school and college will also have its own chair,
its own group of volunteers, and its own set of priorities.
Dr. Ladner then elaborated on campaign goals with respect to facilities. The completion of the
Katzen Arts Center in 2004 is the top priority, he noted. Another important project next year is
the renovation of the McCabe Building to create a first-rate Student Health Center. Longer–term
projects include a new building for the School of International Service and the renovation of
McKinley as the new home of the School of Communication.
University Goals for Academic Year 2003-2004
Dr. Ladner also outlined the priorities for the year ahead, as identified by the president’s cabinet.
He said the university goals for the year are first, the capital campaign itself, as the centerpiece.
A second major goal will be to increase efficiency in operations across campus. To that end, a
Process Improvement Team has been appointed and is already working systematically with the
units, asking questions, and beginning to outline a series of process improvement projects. A
third major goal, Dr. Ladner advised, is expansion of the international program and a
concomitant expansion of the university’s presence in Washington, DC. He said American was
exploring the possibility of establishing in Nigeria an institution similar to the American
University of Sharjah. Consideration will also be given to increasing the scope of the
Washington Semester program, perhaps by adding a graduate student component.
The Resignation of Tom Myers
Dr. Ladner announced that Tom Myers, vice president of enrollment services, had resigned from
his post, effective October 1. Dr. Ladner observed that Vice President Myers had made
enormous contributions to the university during his seven years at AU. The search for a
replacement will begin immediately. Cheryl Storie, the assistant vice president, will serve as the
acting vice president of enrollment services.
Issues in Higher Education
John Douglass inquired whether there were issues in higher education that the Senate should
consider in planning its agenda for the spring semester. Responding, Dr. Ladner noted that the
recent Supreme Court decision about race-based admissions would have an impact on
educational institutions across the country. The status of tenure in universities is still under
review and reports are forthcoming from several commissions. In addition, Dr. Ladner noted that
AU, along with other members of the consortium, were formulating a strategy to address the fact
that there are now 45 proprietary schools in the District, as well as a large number of legitimate
universities, that are unlicensed and outside of the regulatory process. President Ladner told the
Senate that he and Provost Kerwin would be glad to go into more detail about some of these
issues at a later session.
Report of the Provost
Neil Kerwin recognized Nick Terzulli, president of the Student Confederation. He also
congratulated the entire student body for the turnout for Mikhail Gorbachev’s speech on the
evening of September 30. Dr. Kerwin said that the Kennedy Political Union had negotiated
skillfully to bring President Gorbachev to AU, and he said the turnout, in light of the timeframe,
was unbelievable, with almost 4,000 students in Bender Arena. He said he was pleased that the
AU had somehow conveyed to its students the fact that Gorbachev, the former leader of the
Soviet Union, had played a pivotal role in the emergence of a democratic Russia.
The remainder of the Provost’s report covered the enrollments; an update on graduate student
stipends; an update on quality indicators for the fall class of graduate students; and a status report
on academic integrity code violations.
Enrollments for the Fall Semester
Provost Kerwin reported that best estimates showed that AU would meet its goals both for credit
hours and for revenue for the fall semester. He said the enrollments, however, were mixed in
terms of categories.
• The freshman class was solid, up by a percent or so over budget.
• The number of transfers was considerably lower than expected. Some of that shortfall may be
made up in the spring.
• Graduate enrollments were up by about 7 percent.
• Washington Semester enrollments were up for full-time credit students but down for
international students, the non-credit component of the program.
• While Study Abroad was up by almost 10 percent, the students, for the most part, were AU
students. The university did not make budget on non-AU student enrollments. Pricing appears to
be a issue in marketing the programs to students at other institutions.
• The response to the trial Mentorship Program was a pleasant surprise, with approximately 4050 students enrolled. The Mentorship Program offers an opportunity for students who were
almost admitted, but missed the mark slightly, to spend the fall semester at Tenley Campus. They
have an internship, work with AU faculty, and may then be admitted to regular programs in the
spring semester.
Graduate Programs
Dr. Kerwin noted that, as promised at the September meeting, he had done research on graduate
financial aid and also on quality indicators for the university’s graduate programs. He provided
the following details about the doctoral programs:
• The lowest stipend offered in a doctoral program is $12,500. The maximum is $15,000. Those
numbers vary across units, depending, in part, on competitive market pressures.
• Admit rates have declined. In some programs, they have declined dramatically.
• Conversion rates in doctoral programs have either improved or held firm.
• GRE scores for programs in the School of International Service and the School of Public
Affairs have improved.
• GRE scores for programs in the College of Arts and Sciences were somewhat mixed, but
overall there had been steady progress and improvement.
Dr. Kerwin indicated that AU was one or two academic years away from raising the level of
stipends for its doctoral programs to meet those offered at competitor institutions. He said the
emphasis in the first round of reallocations was to make an impact across the board. In
subsequent years, more consideration will be given to the circumstances of individual doctoral
programs.
Continuing, Dr. Kerwin reported that the acceptance rate for masters programs ranged from the
low to the high 60 percent. He said with work on recruiting and marketing, the masters admit
rates may in time be aligned with undergraduate admit rates, as a measure of selectivity.
Conversion rates for the masters class have improved or held firm.
Academic Integrity Data
Dr. Kerwin provided statistics on violations of the academic integrity code for AY 2002-2003:
• A total of 72 students were found responsible for violations of the code. Nine students were
found not responsible.
• The most common sanction was an F in the course. There were, however, some suspensions
and dismissals.
• While there were fewer students charged last year than the year before, the number of freshmen
charged with code violations increased.
• The number of plagiarism charges also increased.
• Fifty percent of the all charges involved internet-related violations.
Provost Kerwin said it was important for the entire community to understand the magnitude of
academic integrity, at least to the extent that faculty are discovering violations and entering into
the formal process. He also said it was essential for the community to understand that the charges
are taken very seriously and the consequences for students who are found guilty are substantial.
He commended the Student Confederation for providing assistance in getting information out to
the students about academic integrity.
As a final item, Dr. Kerwin announced that John Richardson, Director of the Center for Teaching
Excellence, had reported that nearly 60 percent of all class sections taught at the university are
now assisted by Blackboard, a 20 percent increase in one academic year. Dr. Kerwin said the
CTE had brought about a transformation in the way faculty teach and in the way students learn,
and he formally thanked Professor Richardson and Lyn Stallings, Associate Director, Teaching
and Learning Services, for helping faculty to provide the best possible education for the
university’s students.
Report of the Chair
John Douglass reminded the senators about the Emeriti Luncheon on October 23. He said he
hoped the senators would put that date on their calendars and plan to attend.
Noting that the Senate acted as its own executive committee and set its own agenda, Professor
Douglass then asked for and received the Senate’s approval to invite President Ladner to return
in the spring to talk about initiatives in higher education.
As a reminder, Professor Douglass noted that the Senate would discuss diversity issues with
Caleen Jennings and Mary Kennard at the November 5 meeting. On December 3rd, Vice
President Donald Myers will give an update on human resources and financial issues. Professor
Douglass said he expected there would also be preliminary committee reports in December.
Election – Additional Nominations from the Floor
There were no additional nominations. Jane Hall, School of Communication, was elected to
replace Larry Medsker as a member of the General Education Committee through 2005.
Discussion of Teaching Evaluations
Laura Langbein, School of Public Affairs, opened the discussion on teaching evaluations. She
reported that she was in communication with the Office of Institutional Research and
Assessment about merging the data on student evaluations of teaching with the data on grade
distribution. There remained, she said, considerable work to be done to put that information in a
form that can be used by a statistical program. Therefore, she said, she would not be able to
report to the Senate on her findings until the spring semester.
She then noted that the Committee on Faculty Relations had been asked to comment on the idea
of putting the student evaluations of teaching online. She said that while the committee did
express some concerns about the impact of that step, they were in favor of making it easier for
students to access the information. The only qualification was that the evaluations be made
available only to members of the AU community.
Anthony DeAngelo then presented the proposal from the Student Confederation, which called
for course evaluation data to be made available from the my.american.edu portal. The document
which he presented to the Senate is appended to the record copy of the minutes. His arguments in
support of the proposal were as follows:
• As part of an “information suite,” evaluations will be a key in enabling students to make better
informed decisions about choosing their courses. The suite will also include course syllabi,
reading lists, as well as information gleaned from meetings with academic advisors and with
professors.
• The course evaluation data is already available online in the Eagle Data Server. It need only be
copied and pasted into the password-protected my.american.edu server for student access.
John Douglass clarified with Laura Langbein that the Committee on Faculty Relations was
endorsing the idea and the motion on the floor was for the Senate to approve the SC’s proposal.
The Senate then discussed the motion. Excerpts from some of the comments follow:
• Wendell Cochran, School of Communication: It would be of benefit if the evaluations of
teaching could be organized both by course and by instructor. The information would then be
useful to rank and tenure committees and others involved in the faculty evaluation process.
• Jonathan Loesberg, CAS/Department of Literature: Students should have access to the
information, but the faculty should be aware of the potential effects of putting the evaluations on
line.The academic units need to be prepared ahead of time to deal with effects created by having
the students vote with their feet, when they choose not to enroll in certain courses.
• Cathy Schaeff, CAS/Department of Biology: Since there have been complaints about the value
of the evaluations for assessing teaching, what exactly are we giving the students? And how do
we expect them to know how to interpret the data?
• Philip Jacoby, Kogod School of Business: Consideration should also be given to putting grade
distributions for every section online, for faculty access. Peer pressure might restrict some of the
grade inflation that the university is experiencing.
• Caleen Jennings, CAS/Performing Arts: Do students have a perception of how difficult it is to
teach a course for the first time? A first-time teacher who has a bad year may grow into being a
fabulous teacher.
• John Richardson, School of International Service: Students are going to take multiple sources
of information to made judgments about courses. Not just one source. The important thing is that
faculty members can improve, and if they have problems and start improving from the first
semester, that will be useful.
Action: The Senate voted unanimously in favor of having the evaluations of teaching added to
the my.american.edu web portal.
Addressing an independent issue, Lyn Stallings, Associate Director, Teaching and Learning
Services, briefed the Senate on plans for the Student Evaluations Committee to begin work on
improving the existing instrument. Professor Stallings said the committee would hold an initial
meeting in October to survey current research and to develop a plan of action. The research will
be posted on a Blackboard site. When the committee presents a final report, perhaps by spring of
2004, the report may include, but not be limited to, the following information:
• How to improve the existing instrument
• How and when to administer the instrument to students
• How to use it effectively to improve teaching
• How to use it effectively in merit, tenure, and reappointment decisions
Professor Stallings noted that the other members of the Evaluations Committee are Robert
Jernigan, Department of Mathematics and Statistics; Bryan Fantie, Department of Psychology;
Laura Langbein, Department of Public Administration; Haig Mardirosian, Director of General
Education; Lynn Fox, School of Education; John Hyman, Director, College Writing Program;
David Hirschmann, Director, International Development; Karen O’Connor, Department of
Government; and David Fagelson, Department of Justice, Law, and Society.
Report from the Committee on Student Learning and Academic Engagement
Wendell Cochran, chair of the Committee on Student Learning and Academic Engagement,
presented the committee’s report. He noted that the first item, with regard to the committee’s
action in granting a waiver for a student athlete, was information to the Senate. The second item,
he said, involved some minor technical changes to Academic Regulation 15.00.00, Athletic
Code. John Douglass noted that the technical changes would be accepted as editorial revisions.
A copy of the report is appended to the minutes.
For the Good of the Order
John Richardson announced that the Center for Teaching Excellence was opening its new
Faculty Corner, a resource for faculty technology needs. The Corner is located on the second
floor of Hurst Hall.
Nick Terzulli thanked the Senate for deliberating the issue of teaching evaluations. He said the
decision to make the evaluations accessible online will go a long way toward improving
students’ lives.
Diana Vogelsong, University Library, reported that the library would have a Fall Celebration of
Scholarship at 3:00 p.m. on October 2nd. She also noted that the library was featuring an exhibit
of faculty works.
Cathy Schaeff asked whether AU had a general non-fraternization policy regarding faculty and
students. Several senators said they believed that information was part of the sexual harassment
policy, which is included in the Faculty Manual. However, if it is not included, perhaps a
statement on non-fraternization should be added.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:00 p.m.
Faculty Senate
Report from the Committee on Student Learning and Academic Engagement
Oct. 1, 2003
1) The Committee on Student Learning and Academic Engagement met Sept. 29 with
representatives from the University Athletic Department to consider a waiver to the University’s
eligibility standards for a current athlete. University rules require students to maintain a 2.0 GPA
in order to play. The National Collegiate Athletic Association requires athletes to maintain a 1.9
GPA. The athlete in question carries, at the end of summer, a 1.91 GPA. After discussion, the
committee unanimously approved the waiver, in accordance with its authority as successor to the
Committee on Athletics. (See Academic Regulations, Section 15.00.00 paragraph B, item 3).
2) In reviewing the Athletic Code the committee discovered several minor, technical changes
that need to be made to the language in the code. Therefore, the committee recommends the
Senate approve the following changes to the Academic Regulations.
a. All references to the “Committee on Athletics” should be changed to the “Committee on
Student Learning and Academic Engagement.”
b. All references to the “Colonial Athletic Association” should be replaced by the “Patriot
League.”