Service Professional
Advisory Council
SPAC Minutes
November 20, 2014
8:30am - 10:00am
Location: Extended Campuses (Bldg 16, True Blue Room)
Hosted by: Kathleen Carpenter and Shari Miller, EC
Present:
Shari Miller, Andrea Graves, Kathleen Carpenter, KC Dragoo, Felice Jackson, Patricia Nelson, Leah Heffelfinger, Stephanie Gerharter,
Dylan Rust, Trevor Luttinen , Mark Young, Justin Hagin, Suzanne Siler, Yael Bernstein, Alice Jackson, Cheryl Goldberg
By Collaborate:
Stephanie McCarthy, Bernadette Presloid, Stephanie Mayer, Mary Kate Wolter, Sharon Tewksbury-Bloom, Susan Lauer, Cori Gordon
Absent:
Justin Hagin, Kim Knowles
8:30am
Call to Order & Introductions
Suzanne Siler, Chair
Called to order by Suzanne Siler and introductions w/ names and roles at NAU
Those on collaborate introduced
8:35 – 9:00am
Personalized Learning
Dr. Corrine “Cori” Gordon, Lead Faculty of Liberal Arts &
Personalized Learning in EC
 Powerpoint presentation on Overview of NAU’s Competency-Based Learning, available at the Agenda on the website.
 Pres. Haeger, Fred Hurst, Allison Brown – developed the Liberal Arts Program.
 See Personalized Learning website for more detail http://pl.nau.edu/
 Launch 2013, currently 583 students, 3 degree programs – CIT, Small Bus Admin, LA (BA/BS), 2 new BS coming soon in
Management and MS CIT.
 Completely Online and Self-Paced, in 6 mos subscription models ($2,500 all inclusive).
 Based on captivating students early in their area of focus, general education is concurrent with major.
 Faculty roles: Lead Faculty are “Chairs”, all students have a Faculty Mentor (50% advisor/50% Faculty Coach) serves as a
first resource for all needs academic and services related; Subject Matter Faculty (PT at 52 weeks/yr) in all disciplines
provide tutoring, instruction materials and help in the self-paced process and assessment; GA/Graders provide grading and
assessment throughout.
 Credit to Competency: BA in Liberal Arts has 40 courses. Ex “analysis” in PSY, CCJ, Writing, etc. Deconstructed syllabi from
cross-disciplines, then created inter-disciplinary syllabi with connection points like “social conflict”, guide students to
multiple resources to make connections.
 “COLT” model: Lesson Guide, Pretest, Topics, Post-test, Mastery (Topics: readings, exercises, multimedia, presentations,
assignments, discussions). Mastery level is required for “A” in course; one attempt for pretest, 85% is benchmark for
passing lesson for entry in Mastery level and tracking of deficiency, referral to tutoring and targeted work with Subject
Matter Faculty
 Dashboard: award winning in-house design, navigation is intuitive and organized point of entry for “LMS” Learning
Management System.
 Q&A:
o Did you develop the program with Employees of the State in mind? / Not specifically, but industry in the Phoenix
were used such as Motorola in the early research; ultimately designed for the non-traditional student – already in
the workforce, already taken some higher education courses, not geared to the 18-24 learner. Takes a selfmotived, task-driven learner to success, good fit for some, but not all.
o Any tuition discount offered? / yes.
o Who to direct about enrollment / admissions? / anyone at EC PL can assist, website is helpful.
o Average time to complete? / Variable but have to graduate in the track.
o Transfer credit allowed? / yes.
o Financial Aid offered? / yes.
o Students allowed to continue track after subscription ends? / Can’t be co-enrolled in NAU regular and PL,
dashboard is de-activated if not paid up
Service Professional
Advisory Council
9:00 – 9:10am
Update on Tri-University Conference
Suzanne Siler, SPAC Chair
 Classified and Service Professionals attend from all three campuses.
 2014 Conference was hosted by NAU – state-wide issues discussed include action items headed for proposals:
*Short-Term Disability as standard instead of elective (to consider – Rates? Cost to state?)
*Career Path Challenges – new degrees earned not helping to increase wage, no reward; (to consider – NAU HR is reviewing
hiring practices)
*Employee Performance Evaluation – forms, practices (streamline and increase productivity in the process)
*Employee tuition rates – not currently extended to Certificate programs (draft is created and will be reviewed at Jan 2014
SPAC)
Q & A:
o Business Certificate is now currently included in tuition discount? / yes, but this is one a only a few, variable at
each campus.
o How are you assessing the NAU staff about this? / tba, welcome any ideas on how best to disseminate.
 Budget: $160 of SP Fund was used for this conference. Balance: $1,600.92
9:00/9:10 – 9:20am
HR Update
Diane Verkest, Associate VP – Human Resources
 Normally policy changes are reviewed at SPAC Executive level, then decide which to focus on, but this meeting did not have
time – so here are the details:
*eROA – policy language streamlined for current and future practices. Appointed staff – reporting of non-renewal changes
from President to delegation at VP level, general procedure does not change – President will review, but letter to staff
comes from the VP. HR will still manage any violations or issues that arise, all protections of rights of employees remain.
 Q&A:
o Why the change? / mainly procedural, streamlines and creates more practical process, HR website offers access to
all documents, tabled for future review and discussion by voting members of SPAC.
o Credit for Insurance Health Screen begin when? / Jan 2015.
9:20 – 10:00am
SPAC Business
Approval of Minutes (previous mtg)
 Change Andrea Graves’ departmental affiliation from E-Learning to Student Learning Centers
Voted to approve
SPAC Committee Updates
 Supervisory Training (Brown Bag Lunches):
*Greatest Gift 12/15/14 12pm at Union Havasupai B: send to list.serv Mon 12/1
*Cheryl with ideas on Spring 2015 for Cassie at HR: Feb considered, date tba
 Publicity (Newsletter/Website):
*Fall Newsletter – looking for ideas for content (consider note from the Chair, Brown Bags, Service Projects - Adopt and
Avenue, Christmas Giving Project / Wrapping Party, Tri-University. Former newsletter files likely not available. Target
publication – Dec 15, 2014, submissions due Dec 5, 2014.
*Format - consider upload process as separate document, not in HTML.
 SPAC Ambassadors:
*SPAC cards in progress; awaiting list of new SPAC employees, plan at each SPAC Board Meeting to distribute the welcome
process among Board Members, commit to set interval process hereafter.
 Service Projects:
*Adopt and Avenue Cleanup – Sat Nov 22, 2014 – corner of Windsor and Sawmill 9:30a (plan for about 1 hour), notice out
to list.serv
*Adopt a Family – target notification of adopted family is mid-Nov, planning for usual gifts plus utility donations, Google doc
will be created to facilitate donations record keeping, monies collected will be delivered directly to City Hall and distributed.
 Annual Meeting/Mixer:
*April 16, 2015 set date, details ongoing.
 Leadership Award:
Service Professional
Advisory Council
*No new details to report.
University Committee Updates
 President’s Cabinet: Dylan for Suzanne –
*Cigarette disposal new process – considering move to better location on campus.
*Provost – interview process ongoing for EMSA VP, at phone interviews currently.
*K-12 State Budget – concern over university budgets to cover court mandated re-imbursement.
 President’s Strategic Planning & Budget Council: Yael for Justin
*Post-election economic model, federal expectations for continued efficiency from states – no bail out.
*More student involvement for representation.
*Regulatory reform – considering models for streamlining.
*Sustainability – Gold Ranking institution, moving forward – see Green NAU.
*Capital Assets – the new wrap around building, plans for academic development.
 Academic Standards Committee:
*Academic Appeals, Misconduct in Research – faculty now vetting amongst themselves.
 Employee Development Day Conference:
*no report
 Classified Staff Advisory Council:
*CSAC Warm Clothing Drive ongoing
*Spring Mixer is March 25th or 26th, 2015
 Commission on Ethnic Diversity:
 *no report
 Commission on the Status of Women:
*Focus on Faculty based on recent survey on tenure/non-tentured faculty, Dan Kane reported, strong feelings expressed on
the validation of the data, survey may be posted on Provost Website “Coach Survey” http://nau.edu/csw/
*Facilities is creating more space for baby changing and lactation gender neutral family rooms.
 Faculty Senate:
*Astrid Clock, President discussed how to streamline and facilitate recruit transfer students, highly competitive (Grand
Canyon University).
*Budget – K-12 settlement may equate to $1 billion deficit, impact to NAU yet to be determined, even with increase to
benefits – NAU employees very fortunate.
*Faculty Rights and Responsibility – fair rights in teaching and evaluation, alternatives to the SETI System.
*CIE – international travel should be better documented for all faculty through CIE.
*Gene Mohn, Faculty Ombudsman – how to include Distance Faculty more, now included in Senate meetings, movement is
towards inclusiveness.
 Benefits
*no report.
 Commission on Disability Access and Design: Parking and Transportation:
*no report.
 Portal Steering Committee:
*Committee not met yet.
 LGBTQA
*New Inclusion and Multicultural Services Director hired, fundraising ideas considered for scholarship.
*General inclusive floor on campus in progress.
*Gender Neutral bathrooms on campus in progress, mobile app to follow.
*Preferred name reviewed by Itendity Mgmt at IT, Registrar sex change registration form in progress but tricky at PAIR
reporting.
Good of the order: no report.
Meeting adjourned 10:00am
Next Meeting: December 18, 2014: ARD (Bldg 56 large pod), Mark Young