ACADEMIC POLICY COMMITTEE
Approved Minutes,
Members Present: J. Biddle, B.
Conniff, C. Duncan, R. Penno, A. Seielstad, S. Singer, R. Wells, D. Bickford (ex officio)
1.
ACTION: Approved Minutes of
2. STUDENT HONOR PLEDGE
We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst.
C. S. Lewis
The APCAS agrees with the SAPAS that the Marianist and Catholic foundations of UD should explicitly inform the value and ethical dimensions of campus culture. Furthermore, we agree that pursuing academic excellence without dealing with academic integrity is a betrayal of Marianist and Catholic values. While we agree that restricting academic dishonesty is important, we recognize stopping academic dishonesty does not necessarily produce academic honesty. And so, the APCAS encourages the exploration of how UD can promote academic honesty and integrity within the broader more holistic frame of an Honor Code. In particular, we encourage the SAPAS to try to actively engage students and student organizations in working toward an Honor Code which reflects UD’s heritage and aspirations.
3. THE FOUR REPORTS
Can UD produce “distinctive graduates” without
Having a “distinctive faculty?”
Much of the recent discussion about academic excellence at UD specifically encourages increasing the quantity and quality of student engagement. We correctly noted that engagement is related to ownership and buy-in; likewise, we assume that activity without engagement rarely results in excellence. The APCAS believes that faculty excellence presupposes faculty engagement. The development of faculty in both the personal and professional realms seems to be a prerequisite for building a particular type of community or growing a distinctive campus culture. As such, the values and expectations inherent in the faculty policies being discussed (workload, P&T, evaluation, and post-tenure review) should be the focus of wide-spread faculty discussion and engagement. Rather than being constrained by implicit fears of deficiency or deficit, faculty policies/systems should set forth positive procedures designed to enhance and develop. Of what value is “hiring for mission” if we don’t “develop for mission?”
Therefore, the APCAS recommendations that the Academic Senate sponsor and direct faculty forums in Fall 2006 designed to engage faculty in the values, goals, procedures, and policies related to the four reports under consideration.
Meeting adjourned at
James Biddle