[Approved 09-18-06]

Minutes of the Executive Committee of the Academic Senate

September 11, 2006

St. Mary’s 113 B; 10:00 AM

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

J. Farrelly (Faculty Board)

Roll Call: Twelve of the twelve members of the Committee were present. The Committee welcomes Matthew Schmitz as graduate student representative.

Prayer: D. Biers opened the meeting with a prayer.

Approval of Minutes:

August 28, 2006 approved

Minutes of August 21, 2006 were also discussed. A. Seielstad asked that they be amended to add the following: “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.” After considerable discussion about the process for approving and amending minutes, the committee voted 6 in favor, 2 opposed, and 4 abstaining to amend the minutes.

Announcements:

· D. Biers announced that we still need to make a Humanities representative appointment to the Academic Senate as a replacement for P. Thimmes. He is working through the list of faculty eligible.

· Kathleen Henderson and Deb Bickford will attend the ECAS meeting on September 18 to discuss the relationship of the new position to the First-Year Experience Program as instituted by the Academic Senate.

Old Business:

Calendar Committee: M. Morton raised a question about the information that has been distributed to some members of the campus community regarding a proposal for changing the scheduling of classes. This has come from a working sub-committee of the Calendar Committee. D. Biers will contact Joe Litko, chairperson of the sub-committee, and Elizabeth Gustafson, the chairperson of the Calendar Committee, to clarify the lines of reporting and consultation for such issues. The concern of the Executive Committee is to ensure that the work of a sub-committee advances along appropriate channels and so receives fair and effective consultation and evaluation. The Executive Committee will discuss this issue further in relationship to Committee structures and its role in relationship to various committees.

New Business:

1. D. Biers briefly reviewed the presentation at the General Faculty Meeting on September 8 regarding the amendment to the Academic Senate Constitution. P. Johnson will ask Judy Owen to add the option of abstaining to the ballot.

2. The Committee discussed its participation in the search process for the position of Vice-President for Enrollment Management. F. Pestello agreed that once the shortlist of candidates was determined (7 or 8) all members of the Executive Committee, including the ex officio Faculty Board representative, would participate in the review of materials. Because of the short time period allocated for this decision (probably less than three days), the work of ECAS will probably all have to take place on one day. Materials will be made available in a designated room for members to review, review sheets will be provided, and a time will be scheduled for as many members as possible to deliberate together. The goal will be to present a collective voice to the Provost and President on the candidates. All information will be held in strict confidence, with members asked to sign agreements of confidentiality. This will probably take place in the last week of October.

3. P. Johnson reviewed a request that the Academic Senate begin using a Quickplace for conducting work in order to reduce the load on the e-mail system. She will meet with Judy Owen to organize that site and will also confer about how to achieve the widest possible distribution of information about Senate meetings. Students need to be notified as well as faculty. This item will be added to the agenda for the Academic Senate meeting on September 15.

Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 11:10 AM.

Respectfully Submitted,

Patricia A. Johnson, Secretary