[Approved August 28, 2006]

Minutes of the Executive Committee of the Academic Senate

August 21, 2006

St. Mary’s 113 B; 10:30 AM

 

Present:  J. Biddle, D. Biers (presiding), D. Courte, P. Johnson, W. Luckett, M. Morton, J. O’Gorman, R. Penno, F. Pestello, A. Seielstad, R. Wells

 

Faculty Board Representative:  James Farrelly

 

Roll Call:  All twelve members of the Committee were present.

 

Prayer; D. Biers opened the meeting with a prayer from Mr. Rogers.

 

Approval of Minutes:

August 14, 2006           approved

 

Announcements:

  • Barbara John has agreed to serve in the place of Monalisa Mullins as the representative for full-time, non-tenure track instructional staff.
  • Two student members are still needed.  W. Luckett will inquire about the humanities representative.  D. Biers will consult with the graduate school.
  • The consultant for the EM position meeting with members of ECAS has been rescheduled on Wednesday, August 30 for 1:00-1:45 PM.  Members are asked to try to clear their schedules for that meeting.
  • The chairpersons of the Academic Senate standing committees should set meeting schedules.

 

Old Business

D. Biers has inquiries out to M. Morton regarding an appointment to the Calendar Committee and to P. Meyers regarding an appointment to the Committee on General Education and Competencies.

 

 

New Business:

 

NCA Report:  R. Wells received comments and suggestions on the draft of the report for the NCA Committee.  She will finalize the report.

 

Action items:  D. Biers reviewed the list of items that are before the Academic Senate.  Items include:

  1. What is The Academic Senates role for the following:

            a.         Eval of teaching report -Wilhoit

            b.         Tenure and promotion – Lasley, Provost

            c.         Post tenure review – Meyers

            d.         Faculty workload policy – Untener

  1. Marianist Working Group Recommendations
  2. Conversations on Faculty work life-How do policy recommendations play together? How P &T, Post-tenure review, Evaluation of Faculty teaching, and workload recommendations impact UD culture?
  3. Review of ECAS response to North Central
  4. Role of SAPC – Courte
  5. Other Constitutional Changes – Farrelly, FACAS
  6. Common Sense Solution to Final Exams and Study Days – Westendorf
  7. Publishing Student Teacher Evaluations on Website – Provost
  8. Additions to Senate Membership
  9. Thanksgiving  Break – Student
  10. Issues brought forth as result of new Director of First Year Success job description

a.         Termination of First Year Experience Committee, a senate authorized committee

b.         Possible future “requirement” of participation in First-year academic cohort—until now on trail basis

            c.         Position’s latitude to infringe on academic calendar

  1. Faculty background checks – FACAS
  2. Honor Code – SAPC
  3. Student Photos- use of student photos for course instructors – P. Powers
  4. Bickford’s memo – What is Senate/ECAS role?..or FDC

            a.         Learning Enhancement Workshops—Continuation of STEP in Fall

            b.         Student Course Evaluation Procedures

            c.         Survey of Faculty work life

  1. Update University, Unit Standing Committee Lists-Penno, Biers

 

The Executive Committee had a lengthy discussion about how to best prioritize these issues. 

    • It was agreed that #1 and #3 need to be considered together.  Documents on #1:a-c, should be received soon.  Once those are formally brought to the Academic Senate, they will be assigned to the standing committees.  The Evaluation of Teaching Report will be assigned to FACAS and SAPAS.  The Tenure and Promotion document will be assigned to FACAS and APCAS.  The Post-tenure Review document will be assigned to FACAS and APCAS.  The Executive Committee will ask the chairpersons of these three working committees to attend a meeting of ECAS with the purpose of charging them to develop a mapping of how the three documents are related. Where is there agreement and where are there issues that need to be resolved so as to align the documents and any resulting policies and/or practices? It was also agreed that there should be an over-arching statement about the profession that give guidance to the development of policies and practices.  R. Wells, J. Biddle, and P. Johnson agreed to draft this. 
    • The Marianist Working Group Recommendations (#2) will be assigned to standing committees once they are officially received.
    • The NCA review (#4) is basically completed.
    • #4 and #12 are currently in the FACAS.
    • #7 has been sent to the Calendar Committee.
    • #13 is currently in SAPCAS.
    • #16 is being worked on by D. Biers and R. Penno.
    • Other issues will be discussed further to determine if and when to place them on committee agendas.

 

 

Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 11:45 AM.

 

Respectfully Submitted,

 

Patricia A. Johnson, Secretary

 

Minutes were amended at the September 11, 2006 meeting.  The amendment reads:  “An issue is to be added to the list of potential issues for consideration this year.  That is the issue of staffing by non-tenure-track faculty, how it comprises a significant and growing population of faculty in many departments, and how this must be taken into account in our priorities as well as in any policies regarding teaching evaluation, review and promotion of faculty, consistency with Marianist goals, etc. that we consider.”