Faculty Senate Minutes - 9/1/2005

Missouri Western State University
Faculty Senate Minutes
September 1, 2005
Blum Union 220

Senators Present: President Mullins (presiding), Andrews, Chevalier, Fulton, de Gregorio, Gregory, Heider, Holian, Hunt, M. Nandan, S. Nandan, Noynaert, Ottinger, Tushaus, Williams.

Senators Absent:

Non-voting and Ex-Officio Members Present: President Scanlon, Acting VPSASA Jeanie Daffron, Past Senate President Larry Andrews

Ex-Officio Members Absent:

Guests: Shauna Hiley, Michael Ducey, Jason Baker, Patricia Donaher


Call to Order: President Phil Mullins called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m.

Approval of April May 05, 2005 Minutes: (Ottinger/Gregory)
Approved unanimously

Approval of Agenda: (Williams/Hunt)

Report from the University President:
• Thank you for participation in the University Week celebrations. We have had an extraordinary response from the community.

• Budget issues: we have had no withholding. However, there are reasons for caution. The state has had to draw on the Rainy Day Fund, although state receipts are said to be good. We have been told that we should prepare for core cuts next year, although there have not been specifics mentioned. There are commitments to add to K-12 education and highways, plus money to replace the Rainy Day Fund. There is also pressure to replace some of the Medicaid cuts.

• There is an effort in Jefferson City to look at revising how higher education is governed in the state. The position of the four-year presidents is that we would like to maintain a coordinating board, not a controlling board. They do not favor a Secretary of Education that controls higher education. Another option is that we should be merged with DESE, however this position seems to be weakening. There are those who believe we should be better connected with K-12 and also with economic development needs.

• Question: What is “Core Funding?” Core funding is funding that can generally be expected to continue from year to year.

Report from the Acting Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs:
• We are implementing our new tenure system. We are trying to make sure that there is good communication with all faculty. The first Promotion and Tenure workshop session was held today.
• Next year we will be requiring Freshmen to live on campus. This is common across the state. There are several exceptions. For example, they are not required to live in the residence halls if they are over 21 or have dependents living with them, or live with parents or a guardian Research has shown that living on campus is a factor in freshman success rates.
• The Policy Guide is not on-line yet. Human Resources is working on it. The Policy Guide is being proofed.

Report from the Senate President:
• Four FS Executive. Committee meetings have been held since the last FS meeting on May 5, 2005. Primarily, these meetings were devoted to working on committee membership and charges.
• President Mullins was also invited by Dr. Nicoson to participate in some of the planning for the events celebrating the official change to MWSU.
• President Mullins met several times with Dr. Daffron and President Scanlon regarding matters such as implementation of the new tenure system and planning for a search for a Provost/VPASA.
• President Mullins participated, at Dr. Scanlon’s invitation, in the fall workshop of the Board of Governors. He identified some issues likely to come to the Senate in 05-06:
1. an ad hoc Graduate Studies Committee will be launched in the fall to explore graduate options and plan implementation. This committee will work closely with the administration.
2. The ad hoc Peer Review Committee will likely produce additional recommendations in 05-06.
3. Although information is anecdotal, it appears there were some difficulties in hiring faculty in 04-05. While the institution has made progress toward parity in the last few years, it may be necessary to re-conceive parity if MWSU is to be competitive. President Mullins also emphasized to the Board the importance of hiring administrators who have solid academic backgrounds and some academic vision. Administrators such as the new Provost/VPASA must be people who appreciate and are eager to be a part of an evolving new university.

Larry Andrews reported that some students have been called up for duty in New Orleans. Dr. Scanlon said that we will do what we can to accommodate these students. We are also reaching out to college students at affected colleges. We have been trying to contact the colleges and universities in the affected areas, but this communication has been difficult.

Informational Items:

Faculty Senate meeting schedule: 9/1, 9/15, 10/6, 10/20, 11/3, 11/17, 12/1, 12/15, 1/19, 2/2, 2/16, 3/2, 3/23, 4/6, 4/20, 5/4, 5/18. All meetings are in Blum Union 220 except the 12/1 meeting. The location of that meeting will be announced later in the fall. The FS Executive Committee meets on Tue. at 11 in JGM 111B in the EDU Department.

Dr. Paul Shang will visit the Senate at some meeting later in the fall to discuss things that are going on in the Residence Halls.

The Distinguished Professor Award Committee is an institutional committee. The 04-05 committee will produce some recommendations that Drs. Daffron and Scanlon will refer back to the Senate as an informational item. The Senate can provide feedback on these recommendations. These recommendations may be available by the 9/15 FS meeting.

At the 9/15 FS meeting, there will be a discussion about the possibilities for revision of the FS Constitution. The ad hoc Bylaws Revision Committee of 04-5 recommended formation of an ad hoc Constitution Revision Committee in 05-06. See Appendix A.

New Business:
• Ad Hoc Peer Review Committee:
Motion: (Fulton/M. Nandan) Add Michael Cadden and Michael Ottinger to the Peer Review Committee. [Existing charges from the 3/10/05 FS meeting carry over to the fall for this FS ad hoc committee. An additional PS committee member is being sought to replace Heider].

• Standing Committee Memberships: [Attached as Appendix B is current membership list]
o Promotion and Tenure: Tim Holian will be Senate Liaison. Monica Nandan (who was originally scheduled to be the liaison) will be recommended to Dr. Daffron to be Senate representative to the new institutional Study Away Advisory Committee.
o Additional standing committee changes may be brought to the Senate in the near future, as resignations and other problems come to Heider. Standing Committee Charges: The ad hoc FS Bylaws Revision Committee of 04-05 recommended that all standing committees review and update sections of the Policy Guide describing the committee. Some standing committees have additional charges as specified in motions below.

Motion(Ottinger/Hunt): All standing committees are charged to 1. Perform duties as specified in the Policy Guide. 2. Review and update (if necessary) the committee purpose, membership, and duties as outlined in the Bylaws of the Faculty Senate.

• Evaluation of Faculty Charges: Motion(Ottinger/M. Nandan)
(1) Provide a report that analyzes variables in student evaluation of faculty such as class size, students' motivation/preparation, general studies vs. majors courses, elective vs. required courses in students' major, department and division means for each evaluation question, relationship of evaluations to grade point averages, etc.

(2) From this report, develop and distribute guidelines to administrators, faculty, and the FS Promotion and Tenure Committee for accurately and meaningfully interpreting current statistical data on student evaluation of faculty.

(3) Explore the feasibility of electronically gathering student evaluation of faculty in order to expedite results of evaluations for faculty review, to reduce or eliminate the consumption of class time, to reduce or eliminate the physical handling of data, and to eliminate the need to type handwritten student comments for use in self-evaluation, promotion/tenure packets, etc. This will involve seeking the cooperation and input of the Information Technology Center and IMC. The final report should outline steps to be taken if the institution opts to implement electronically gathered student evaluation of faculty.

(4) Review and update (if necessary) the committee purpose, membership, and duties as outlined in the Bylaws of the Faculty Senate.

(5) Investigate how the institution can provide a standard error value and n value for every mean value provided on the faculty evaluation form.

• Scholarship Committee Charges Motion (Hunt/Holian):

1. Work with Financial Aid during the fall semester to insure that the necessary information is provided for each scholarship applicant [Follow-up charge for 05-06 from 04-05 final report]. Act with the Director of Financial Aid in determining the distribution of scholarships to individual applicants.[Bylaw-mandated annual charge]

2. Work with the academic departments to facilitate departmentally awarded scholarships. Collect data on the new Western Excellence Award: identify dollars awarded to incoming freshmen in fall 05 for this award in each department; identify dollars awarded for this award to non freshmen. Develop ways for academic departments to communicate with each other about awards. Work with Admissions, Financial Aid, and academic departments to better provide information about this award to potential awardees [Charge developed from creation of new Western Excellence Award].

3. Support institutional efforts to solicit donations for scholarships. The chair should meet with the Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Director of Financial Aid, and the Foundation Development Associate early in the fall semester to identify any issues associated with the committee charges.[Charge implements Bylaw-mandated annual charge].

4. Review and update (if necessary) the committee purpose, membership, and duties as outlined in the Bylaws of the Faculty Senate.

As per the request of the Senate, connections between these charges, Bylaw-mandated charges, and the Scholarship 04-05 report are briefly noted in brackets [ ] above.

• Fringe Benefits Charges: Motion (Williams/Ottinger)
1. Perform duties as specified in the Policy Guide.

2. Review and update (if necessary) the committee purpose, membership, and duties as outlined in the Bylaws of the Faculty Senate.

[It was noted that the Fringe Benefits Committee Report of 04-05 did not suggest new charges beyond those mandated by the Bylaws. The report, however, does propose recommendations for action by the administration such as investigate the possibility of a MO tuition reciprocity agreement. Senators are encouraged to review the 04-05 report in order to consider possible future Senate motions]

Ad Hoc Academic Honesty Committee (Ottinger/Noynaert): Create the ad hoc Academic Honesty Committee [as per the recommendation of the Academic Regulations and Standards Committee Report of 04-05]]with the following charge and membership:

(1) After seeking input from faculty, student, and administration, revise as necessary the working draft of the Academic Honesty and Due Process proposal drafted by the 2004-2005 Academic Regulations and Standards Committee. Bring back to the Faculty Senate by the first meeting in January 2006 a statement on academic honesty and due process for the Policy Guide. Identify where such a statement would appear in the Policy Guide and any sections that might be replaced by this statement.

(2) Consider whether the Faculty Senate should create a Faculty Senate Academic Honesty Committee to hear complaints of violations of academic honesty. If you recommend that such a permanent committee should be established, draft the Faculty Senate Bylaw section that would establish it and present this to the Senate by the first meeting in January 2006.

Membership
Mary Jo Gay – PS - NURS
Greg Lindsteadt – PS - CJLS
Pat Scott – LAS - GSSW
Ann Thorne - LAS – EFLJ--Chair
Dan Trifan – LAS - HPG
Sharon Vestal – LAS – CSMP

Ex-officio Members
Tim Kissock – Risk Management
Evan Noynaert – FS Liaison

Ad Hoc Graduate Studies Committee: Motion: Create the Ad Hoc Graduate Studies Committee with the charges recommended by the FS Executive Committee (Noynaert/Fulton) . See Appendix C for rationale, specification of charges, and tentative membership.

Adjournment 5:10 PM

Appendix A

Potential Revision of FS Constitution Organized
Through an ad hoc Constitution Revision Committee.

In 04-05, the FS set up an ad hoc FS Bylaws Revision Committee. This committee recommended that all FS standing committees be instructed to review and propose revisions to the FS as appropriate, descriptions of their work in the FS Bylaws. They also recommended that the FS in 05-06 set up an ad hoc Constitution Revision Committee to consider several matters. Revising the FS Constitution is a complicated process involving a vote of all faculty, a process that operates on a strict timetable. One issue that the 04-05 committee identified as important was amending the FS Constitution to provide for appointment of someone to serve as past president in the event that a past president is unable to serve. This is a reasonably straightforward issue that it should be possible to work out a constitutional change to address. There are, however, other FS Constitutional issues that are more complex; they are also likely to be more debatable.

The 05-06 FS Executive Committee asked Jennifer Hegemann (VP in 04-05 and chair of the 04-05 ad hoc Bylaws Committee) and Lee Evinger (a VP of the FS about 20 years ago who managed a FS Constitutional revision) to review the FS Constitution and report to the FS Executive Committee on other possible FS Constitution revision issues. They made their report on 8/31/05.

A somewhat complex issue that could be brought before the faculty concerns a revision in the FS Constitution that would provide that the FS Vice President automatically becomes the FS President in the academic year following service as Vice President. Such a proposal has a number of advantages in terms of providing for continuity and experienced leadership. There are, however, also some potential difficulties with mandating that a vice president must become a president. A least some of these difficulties could be met by changing the Senate term from 2 years to 3 years. In a 3-year cycle, a person could become a vice president in the second year (or in rare cases in the first year) and a president in the third year. She/he would remain as a past president in a fourth year and would either be in the first year of a new term or be a non-voting past president. This FS Constitutional change would also require provisions that specify what procedure the FS follows if a vice president unexpectedly cannot become president and/or past president. It may also be possible, without FS Constitutional revision to establish the practice of electing the former vice president to be FS president. In fact, some years ago, the FS did generally follow this precedent.

The FS Executive Committee wants to invite Hegemann and Evinger to a FS meeting to participate in a discussion of FS Constitution revision options. Before drafting a charge for an ad hoc Constitution Revision Committee, it would be very helpful to know something of the disposition of the current Senate regarding FS Constitution revisions. The Senate is likely a reasonable sample of the faculty at large. There seems little point in proposing a complicated Constitutional revision if the Senate does not support it. To bring any proposed Constitutional revision to a vote requires great effort to apprise the faculty at large of the issues and to encourage them to vote; managing the voting on any issue is also complicated.

Appendix B
Faculty Senate Committee Assignments, AY 2005-06
(Last updated by Cindy Heider: September 1, 2005)

* Indicates the chairperson of the committee

Academic Regulations and Standards (2+2+1)
Stephanie Corder PS NURS 2nd year of service
Brandon Neal PS HPER 2nd year of service
Dan Trifan* LAS HPG 1st year of service
Mary Jo Gay PS NUR 1st year of service
Jerry Anderson LAS MUS 1st year of service

Ex-Officio: Registrar, Director of the Center for Academic Support, one counselor
Liaison: Bonnie Gregory


Curriculum (5+5+4) 3-year term expires:
Kaye Adkins LAS EFLJ 5/06
Brian Cronk (replaces Kelly Henry) LAS PSY 5/06
Shauna Hiley* LAS CHEM 5/06
Ramona Moeck PS CJLS 5/06
Deny Staggs LAS CST 5/06
Patricia Donaher – Secretary LAS EFLJ 5/07
Melissa Daggett LAS BIO 5/07
Bryan Lee PS BUS 5/07
George Yang PS ET 5/07
Roger Voelkel(replaces Shiva Nandan)PS NUR 5/07
Nancy Edwards PS EDU 5/08
Martha Ellison LAS GSSW 5/08
Jianping Su LAS CSMP 5/08
Jitendra Tewari PS BUS 5/08

Ex-Officio: Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs
Liaisons: Shiva Nandan, Dave Tushaus



Evaluation (2+2+1)
Cynthia Jeney LAS EFLJ 1st year of service
Mike Ducey* LAS CHEM 1st year of service
Mei Zhang LAS CST 1st year of service
Mike Smith PS EDU 1st year of service
Carolyn Brose PS NURS 2nd year of service

Liaison: Cary Chevalier


Fringe Benefits (2+2+1)
Jim Bargar LAS PSY 2nd year of service
Matrese Benkofske PS BUS 1st year of service
Geo Sipp LAS ART 1st year of service
Cosette Hardwick* LAS BIO 2nd year of service
Earl Haynes PS EDU 1st year of service

Liaison: Kathleen Andrews


General Studies - 2005 (4+4+1)
Mark Mikkelsen LAS HPG 1st year of service
Ken Lee LAS CSMP 1st year of service
Susie Hennessey LAS EFLJ 3rd year of service
Teddi Deka LAS PSY 1st year of service
David Steiniche LAS GSWS 1st year of service
Cindy Heider PS EDU 3rd year of service
Greg Kriewitz* PS HPER 2nd year of service
Marsha Dolan PS NURS 1st year of service
Mark Johnson (replaces Gene Bonham)PS ET 1st year of service

Ex-Officio: Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs, Dean of LAS School, Dean of PS School

Liaison: Cindy Heider



Grievance (5+5+2) 4-year term expires:
Nader Vargha LAS ECON 8/06
RJ Dick* PS BUS 8/06
Earl Haynes PS ED 8/06
Brian Cronk LAS PSY 8/07
Frank Thomas LAS MUS 8/07
Kip Wilson PS CJLS 8/07
Reza Hamzaee LAS ECON 8/08
Jim Estes LAS ART 8/08
Dale Krueger PS BUS 8/08
Larry Andrews PS CJLS 8/09
Betty Sawin LAS EFLJ 8/09
Pat McClear LAS HPG 8/09

Liaison: Randye Williams

Professional Leave (2+2+1)
Bob Bergland LAS EFLJ 1st year of service
Ben Caldwell LAS CHEM 1st year of service
Joanne Katz PS CJLS 1st year of service
Don Vestal LAS CSMP 1st year of service
Lou Fowler* PS BUS 2nd year of service

Liaison: Karen Fulton


Promotion/Tenure (4+4) 3-year term expires:
Jill Miller PS CJLS 5/06 (replaces Mike Cadden)
Robin Findlay LAS CST 5/06
Alicia Sindt PS NURS 5/06
Jane Frick* LAS EFLJ 5/07
RJ Dick PS BUS 5/07
Deborah Bogle PS EDU 5/07
Ali Kamali LAS GSWS 5/08
Stacia Bensyl LAS EFLJ 5/08

Liaison: Tim Holian



Salary (2+2+1)
Jimm MacGregor LAS HPG 1st year of service
Steve Klassen LAS CSMP 1st year of service
Nannette Wolford PS HPER 2nd year of service
Konrad Gunderson PS BUS 1st year of service
Dale Krueger* PS BUS 1st year of service

Liaison: Marilyn Hunt

Scholarship (2+2+1) 3-year term expires:
Frederica Nix PS CJLS 5/06
Deborah Freedman LAS MUS 5/07
Yona Rasis PS ET 5/07
Jon Euchner LAS GSWS 5/08
David McMahan LAS CST 5/08

Non-faculty member: Director of Financial Aid

Liaison: Alicia DeGregorio


Appendix C
Ad Hoc Graduate Studies Committee
Rationale

As a university, Missouri Western will have an opportunity to offer graduate course work. Before any academic departments begin developing specific plans, the institution should carefully consider both the prospects and liabilities of moving into graduate education. To further that end, the Faculty Senate should appoint an ad hoc Graduate Studies Committee composed of academic administrators and faculty who will study patterns by which graduate programs at similar institutions have developed. This committee should outline a reasonable and deliberate process through which the institution can adapt to meet any graduate education needs in our service area.

New graduate programs at Missouri Western need to be structured in a way that will enhance rather than detract from undergraduate education. New graduate programs at MissouriWestern should also complement existing regional graduate programs, providing opportunities that fill deficits in regional offerings. New programs should be designed to accommodate Internet and distance education delivery whenever feasible. New programs should enhance the applied learning emphasis at Missouri Western.The organization of the graduate school should permit the easy implementation of interdisciplinary programs. All graduate programs must meet the highest levels of compliance with academic norms and accreditation standards. The ad hoc Graduate Studies Committee needs to identify basic principles such as these to ground their work.

Charges:

The ad hoc Graduate Studies Committee should prepare a written report to go to the Faculty Senate in spring of 2006. The following are matters to be treated in the report, matters that it seems important for the institution to address (or to begin the process of addressing): (1) What potential graduate programs (including interdisciplinary programs) will satisfy unmet regional needs? (2) What sequence of events will guide the creation of graduate programs at Missouri Western State University? (3) What kind of plan for the organization and administration of a graduate school at Missouri Western is feasible? (4) ) What must the institution do to identify and acquire the resources that will be needed for graduate programs? (5) What kind of guidelines to assist departments in preparing a proposal for a specific graduate program need to be drafted? It is understood that final plans for all aspects of graduate studies at Missouri Western will not be completed by the end of the spring term of 2006; some work of the ad hoc Graduate Studies Committee will thus continue after the spring semester. However this committee should expect to work closely with the President, Dr. Daffron and (eventually) the new Provost/VPASA to complete whatever preliminary materials must be prepared and submitted according to the CBHE schedule.

The ad hoc Graduate Studies Committee should provide an interim report to the Faculty Senate late in the fall semester of 2005. This fall interim report should (1) review accreditation guidelines for graduate programs and (2) outline the organization of graduate programs (and particularly interdisciplinary ones) at institutions similar to Missouri Western. The committee should provide, if needed, campus forums for distribution of information and receiving input from the campus and from the community at large.
Committee Membership:
The committee shall have the following membership: (1) Provost (to be added to the committee when hired); (2)Acting VPASA Daffron; (3) Chris Shove, Director of the Western Institute; (4) Julia Schneider, Director of the Learning Resource Center (library) or designee; (5) the academic deans, (6) Chris Van Ness, Grants Director, (7) Five to eight faculty members appointed by the Faculty Senate. At least one of the faculty members shall be a member of the Faculty Senate (he/she will serve also as the Faculty Senate liaison) (7) The President shall meet with the committee when he sees fit. (8) Other representatives of particular offices (e.g., Admissions) or particular academic programs may be included as needed for particular components of discussion or as members of subcommittees.

[At of 9/1, discussions about who might serve on this committee are continuing. A separate motion naming membership may be forthcoming]

Faculty
Kathleen Andrews – PS - NUR
Jason Baker - LAS – BIO-Faculty Chair
Len Archer – LAS – CHEM
Connie Hecker – LAS - CSMP
Cindy Heider – PS - EDU
John Rushin – LAS - BIO
Denise Smith – PS - BUS
Virendra Varma - PS – ET

Jeanne Daffron – Administrative Chair
Brenda Blessing – PS
Martin Johnson – LAS
Julia Schneider – Library Services
Chris Shove – Western Institute
Chris Van Ness – Grants and Sponsored Programs