EC#16
Approved
January 30, Minutes
Indiana State University
Faculty Senate 2006-07
Time: 3:15 p.m.
Place: Hulman Memorial Student Union 227
Present: Chairperson S. Lamb, Vice Chair B. Evans, Secretary C. Hoffman,
S. Davis, B. Frank, A. Halpern, J. Hughes, M. Miller, T. Mulkey
Ex-Officio: Provost Maynard
Guests: H. Hudson (Faculty Affairs Committee)
I. Administrative Report – Provost Maynard
1) Has just attended a Chairs' Council meeting which addressed various topics, including
Program Prioritization
2) Exec. Committee will be asked to identify a faculty member for nomination to the
nominating committee to select a faculty member to serve on the Commission for Higher
Education.
3) Attended Ways and Means budget hearings in Indianapolis on 1/29. As a result of
impressive work by President Benjamin and G. Goode, ISU's presentation was well-received.
Legislators were cordial, interested, knowledgeable, and asked good questions. ISU is requesting
an increase of 3% overall + $3M for "quality improvement" (to fund salary increases and faculty
positions).
4) ISU hosted a conference titled "China – A Two-Way Street" in Indianapolis on 1/25.
Alumnus Paul Lo (MBA), who has been very successful in international banking and is a strong
ISU supporter, was very much involved. A significant number of our College of Business faculty
and students attended his presentations in the College the day before. The conference was most
successful and contributed significantly to establishing a positive image for the University.
5) Prioritization Report will be released 1/31. The time line has been extended: two
months will be allotted for responses.
II. Chair Report - S. Lamb
A university curriculum is more than just a collection of majors dictated by student
interest. It is based on principles of intellectual inquiry and academic disciplines
constituting bodies of knowledge that are recognized world-wide. Not offering a major in
philosophy or physics would diminish ISU as a university. It would be to accept a lower
standard, lesser quality. We'd look worse to ourselves, and to other people
too, whether other educators or the general public.
Philosophy is a foundational discipline. The body of knowledge it encompasses is
encountered in other disciplines. The writings of philosophers underlie literature and literary
theory; art and aesthetics; analysis of historical events and political, economic, and social
systems. Physics, too, is foundational. Bodies of applied knowledge, like Engineering and
Technology, are based on physics, not to mention its relevance to other sciences. I hope that the
faculty and administration in Arts and Sciences will do everything possible to enclose these
majors into existing departmental structures. I have heard that several departments have been
approached, and that the primary hurdle has been the title of the composite department. Frankly,
I find this mindset disappointing. Again, let us save these cornerstone majors and retain the right
to refer to ourselves as a University.
On another matter: I was disappointed that while the College of HHP did conduct a
faculty vote on the creation of the College of Nursing and Health and Human Services, that vote
occurred without a meeting. I think a significant opportunity to establish some level of
credibility, some level of buy-in, was missed. A thorough public discussion of the issues,
including the frustrations, would have allowed the College not only to conduct a vote, but also to
forward a position statement on what that vote was predicated on, what assumptions,
expectations (or at least hopes), were the basis for the vote. Shared governance takes due
diligence.
III. Fifteen Minute Open Discussion
1) Support for the new laptops has not been as promised.
One faculty member has been waiting nearly two weeks for a replacement power supply.
2) Physics + Philosophy – update and discussion
-- Provost is meeting with chairs of the two departments to identify alternative(s)
to elimination of the majors/departments. Changes are still possible.
-- Reported: An important plan to strengthen our physics program (development
of a 3+2 articulation agreement with the U of Evansville which had been strongly
recommended by the external program review consultants), had been approaching
completion when discussions were summarily discontinued, presumably in anticipation
of the elimination of the ISU physics program.
3) Nursing + HHP – update and discussion
-- HHP held no meeting of the faculty but conducted an email vote to approve.
No open discussion occurred. Is this allowed under the HHP Constitution?
-- Nursing did have an open meeting, then voted electronically. Nursing accepted
the Task Force Report (9-5-1) on condition that adequate resources be made available.
-- Grad Council supported the entirety of the Report, including the noted concerns
about resource allocation.
4) Veterans' attendance reports: Why is an additional form necessary? Cannot necessary
information be extracted from existing reporting to the Registrar's Office? Apparently, military
reporting requirements are separate and different from those of government programs such as
financial aid.
IV. Minutes – Minutes #15 (1/16/07): APPROVED (acclamation: 9-0-0)
V. Old Business – FAC Response to Provost's "Proposal: Rewarding Faculty Excellence"
H. Hudson was invited to the table and summarized the FAC recommendations.
Points addressed:
1) The proposal came from the Provost via R. English. Goal is to encourage national
(rather than just local) recognition of the awards and their recipients.
Response: These are traditional, local awards, and the recipients are peer-selected.
They should remain so.
2) What is "broken" that changes are necessary?
Response: This has never been clearly articulated, though some persons assert that the
meaning, focus, prestige, and standards have deteriorated over the years.
Members offered suggestions to codify and improve the awards processes.
Motion: To accept, with appreciation, the well-written FAC report and to ask H. Hudson to work
with the appropriate provost-selected administrator to produce a mutually-acceptable
revision which will be returned to the Executive Committee for action (Davis, Miller 9-0-0).
VI. New Business
Discussion: Resignation of Don Smith from Board of Trustees.
AAUP will be writing to Governor Daniels, requesting that Mr. Smith's replacement
be an emeritus/a faculty member. Should the Exec. Committee also write?
Consensus: A. Halpern and J. Hughes will draft a letter.
VII. Standing Committee Reports
FAC – University College proposal and Academic Integrity Policy revisions are next
items.
-- Question of voting rights for students on faculty committees will come later.
The Committee went into executive session (Hughes, Davis 9-0-0).
The Committee came out of executive session and adjourned at 5:43 p.m. (Mulkey, Hughes
9-0-0)
Respectfully submitted,
C. Hoffman, Secretary