UAH FACULTY SENATE
DRAFT MINUTES OF MEETING #404
3 DECEMBER, 1998
PRESENT:
ADSC: Floyd, Sherman
LA: Dasher, Enger, Bollinger, Meister, Waring, Hanks, Williams, Bliss, Sitaraman
ENG: Hayes, Leonard, Wells, Landrum, Swain, Wessling
NUR: Hays, McLeod
SCI: Christopher, Lumpkin, Delugach, Richards, Li, Miller, Comfort, Lieu
ABSENT WITH PROXY:
ADSC: Schoening
ENGR: Boykin, Frederick
LBAR: Schenker
NUR: Brookman, Warren
SCI: Hinke, Lawton, Garstka, Kunin
ABSENT WITHOUT PROXY:
ENGR: Nordin
LBAR: McDuffie
LIB: Warren
SCI: Baird, Zhang
0. President Delugach called the meeting to order at 12:35 p.m.
1. Draft Minutes of Meeting #403 were unanimously approved; motion by Dr. Williams, seconded by Dr. Hays.
- The Faculty Senate Executive Committee Report was accepted as presented.
3. A. Senate Committee Reports:
1. Executive: The Senate Executive Committee met Thursday, November 19, 1998. The Committee discussed the bill regarding Mid-semester Progress Reports and passed it at first reading. They set the agenda for today’s meeting. Motion by Lumpkin, seconded by Bliss to approve the report.
2. Faculty and Student Development: Dr. Swain reported the Committee met on November 12 and interviewed Delois Smith. A report will be forthcoming.
3. Finance and Resources: No Report
4. Governance and Operations: No Report.
- Personnel: Dr. Delugach reported Dr. Schenker is out with the Flu. The Faculty Activity Report is on line but few faculty have tried it out and made any comments. It is the plan to use this form this year so the faculty are urged to try it and give comments.
- Undergraduate Curriculum: Dr. Comfort reported the Committee is meeting via the cyber meeting route. He reported the Committee is receiving some business and asked that the members remain after the Senate Meeting today to have a brief meeting to discuss the business at hand.
- Undergraduate Scholastic Affairs: Dr. Bliss reported the Committee has had some cyber meetings regarding some bankruptcy cases and readmits. They have looked at policies and they have a bill on the agenda today.
University Committees: No reports.
Officer Reports:
Ombudsperson: No report.
President-Elect: No Report.
President: Deferred to Dr. Franz and Dr. McManus in order to give Dr. Nash plenty of time for his presentation.
4. President Franz Report:
- Dr. Franz reported there is not much new. He opened the floor to any questions. He announced there is a Board Meeting tomorrow. There is an ACHE meeting next week. The elections were good news.
- He announced we have an offer out for the V. P. Advancement position. There were two excellent candidates for Dean of Engineering. Dr. Morgan had aspirations beyond that of Dean. We ran him through an interview process quickly for the V. P. Advancement. Everyone thought he was outstanding. We have an offer out to him. He has other offers. He will let us know soon. If he does not accept we will do a head hunter search.
5. Provost McManus Report:
- Provost McManus announced he has an activity for the faculty to think about. Each semester he offers a workshop for tenure-earning faculty. Early next semester he will offer a workshop on proposal and grant writing. This year is the year to work on this. There is money available and our office and the Research office will help faculty to write the grants and proposals to get this money.
- At this point Dr. Lumpkin, seconded by Dr. Comfort moved to suspend the agenda in order to allow Dr. Nash to address the group.
- Dr. Nash informed the group that his visit here came about as a result of a question of what the Chancellor and the System Office does. He informed the group that the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs may be the least well known of all the positions. Dr. Nash shared what he does and two or three things that are happening in the state that affect the faculty.
- Viability is an old topic but it is still ongoing.
- Articulation is the ongoing topic.
- Performance Based Incentive Funding is a new topic under discussion.
- Dr. Nash expressed his appreciation for being invited and gave some background of his position and tenure in the System. He has been in his position for six years. He works with the Provost on the various campuses to work on new programs, etc. He is in a service role to the campuses in the Academic Affairs area. There is a Board Rule book available that more fully explains the items that fall under his jurisdiction. He is the chief liaison to ACHE. ACHE is responsible for reviewing and approving new and off campus programs. He provides a link with K-12 programs and keeps the three campuses linked and working together. Cooperating, sharing, and collaborating are part of the job and figuring out whether something should be on one campus are on all three campuses or two campuses or two or three working together.
- Dr. Nash discussed Articulation and General Studies. This issue has been around since 1994 when the Legislation was passed. There has been a Committee working on the details of this issue. Representatives from two year and four year institutions have worked on this. The General Studies Curriculum has involved faculty. The Articulation Plan contained very specific rules and guidelines to make a smooth transition for students for what is appropriate and what is possible in the five general areas. The curriculum for these areas are in place and the plan was implemented in Fall 1998. Area V is still being worked on. The two-year institutions would like students to stay two years and then go to a four-year institution and finish in two years. The four-year institutions would like to get the students as soon as possible to avoid problems. These are ideal situations but do not always work in reality in every case. The question is how much should be taken at the two-year institutions and still be degreed at a senior institution. The Provosts have worked well with the Committee to insure the senior institutions’ interests are protected. The Articulation and General Studies is supported by the STARS program as a web based means for reviewing the information. The Committee is working to have Area V and the STARS process completed in time to be in place by next fall.
- Viability—the basic definition for viability is the average number of students graduated from a program over a five-year period. There is no other definition, no mention of quality. This has been under discussion. ACHE will discuss this next week and will look at it again. There are some programs in the three institutions that are nonviable. The institutions are looking at these. A review will take place in time based on a schedule that is published. The programs are looked at to determine if they should be closed, kept, or worked on to make them viable. Some programs that may appear to be nonviable are required for the institution for other degrees. There have been 129 programs closed, consolidated, etc. over the past five years in three institutions. ACHE will approve the second phase and go from there.
- Performance Based—Incentive Based Funding. A Joint Resolution from the Legislature in 1996 asked should we go from a formula based funding to looking at outcomes and performance based funding. South Carolina—is looking to be 100% by 2000. They looked at 37 factors. Tennessee is beginning this on a trial bases. The Presidents are reviewing a report from the Chief Academic Officers and discussing at their December 14 meeting to decide. The legislation was defeated in the October Legislature. The future is questionable. The Chief Academic Officers believe this should be continued and reviewed as something important.
- There were some questions and discussion regarding viability, duplication, the numbers used by ACHE for viability and their origin and senior institutions working with junior institutions regarding budgets and performance—incentive based funding. There were some questions and discussion regarding ACHE control and the Legislation and the quality assurance of the education under the articulation legislation. There was some discussion regarding the fairness of the System and favoritism toward Tuscaloosa and the measures of assuring fairness.
- Mid Semester Progress Reports for Courses Numbered 0-299 at Second Reading
Dr. Bliss moved the bill to the floor, seconded by Dr. Hanks. There was some discussion regarding poor attendance. There was some discussion regarding the system—letter grade verses S, U or N. There was one friendly amendment to change it to read the "Faculty mark one of the following:" Add "P=passing" and add "marginally". The vote for the bill was 25 in favor, 6 opposed, and 2 abstentions. The bill passed at second reading.
- Dr. Delugach adjourned the meeting at 2:02 p.m.