WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY FACULTY SENATE MINUTES - Monday, August 26, 2002
MEMBERS PRESENT: Bakken, Bees, Brooks, Behrman, Carroll, Celestin, Chopra, Dawe, DeLillo, deSilva, Edwards, Enns, Goldy, Hershfield, Herzog, Hiltner, Hodson, Johnson, Kahol, Kear, Klunder, Lancaster, Lause, Matson, Mau, May, McDonald, Miller, Muma, Murphey, Parker, Quantic, Ravigururajan, Riordan, Rokosz, Ross, Roussel, Russell, Sheikh-Ahmad, Teshome, Williamson, Withrow, Zhang
MEMBERS ABSENT: Hemans, Moore-Jansen, Wimalesena, Yeager
MEMBERS EXCUSED: Forlaw, Markovich
Ex-OFFICIO MEMBERS PRESENT: VPAARR Kindrick
SUMMARY OF ACTION:
1. Accepted nominations of Robert Ross (for Kraft), David Eichhorn (for Burns) and Twyla Hill (for Wright) as Senators
2. A "sense of the Senate" resolution was approved calling for the Registrar to send printed copies of the class rosters to faculty members this semester as in the past. President Lancaster will confer with the Registrar.
3. A report was made about progress toward next summer's "Kansas Regents Honors Academy," and also about the growth of the Emory Lindquist Honors Program.
4. There was preliminary discussion of President Lancaster's idea of stopping meetings at 4:30, carrying votes over to the beginning of the next meeting.
I. CALL TO ORDER: President Lancaster called the meeting to order at 3:30 pm.
II. INFORMAL STATEMENTS & PROPOSALS:
Senator Hershfield spoke about the memorandum the Registrar has just sent to faculty informing them that class rosters are now available through "Shocker One Stop" on the computer, and won't be sent out in printed form as in the past. He mentioned various problems with this new system, and these were amplified in the discussion. It was said the computerized rosters don't download in alphabetical order and do not provide a workable format for entering grades during the semester, as the past rosters have. Senator Parker moved a "Sense of the Senate Resolution" calling for the Registrar to get the usual printed class rosters out to faculty this semester, as well as leaving them posted on the computer. This was approved. President Lancaster said he will confer with the Registrar.
Senator Klunder also indicated a problem that night classes have an unequal number of sessions depending upon what night of the week they are offered.
III. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES: Minutes of the meeting of the 2001-02 Senate, May 13, 2002, accepted as corrected. Minutes of the Election meeting of the 2002-03 Senate, May 13, 2002, accepted as corrected.
IV. PRESIDENT’S REPORT:
President Lancaster welcomed Senators for the new academic year, with particular welcome to the new Senators joining the body. He thanked Senator Carroll for her service as President last year and indicated that it had been a great honor to work with her.
He told the Senate of various "housekeeping" aspects: initially Senators' presence on the sign-up sheet; how to contact the Senate office; and a reminder that the Senate meets on the 2nd and 4th Mondays each month. He said he will be available in the Senate office from 8 to 9 a.m. each Monday for anyone to see him.
President Lancaster reviewed the matters that will be before the Senate this semester: One of these will be the issue of mandatory external review; and there will be action to be taken based on the report of the ad hoc committee on scholarship and technology. His primary emphasis was on describing the functions of four ad hoc taskforces he has created to follow up on the report by the Ad Hoc General Education Committee last spring. Senator Moore-Jansen will chair a taskforce on "transfer equivalence"; Senator Murphey on "assessment" of Basic Skills and of the General Education program overall; Senator Carroll on "program identity"; and Senator Behrman on "graduation requirements."
He introduced an idea he has had about the conduct of Senate meetings. He has noticed in the past that several Senators have left after 4:30, making votes on pending matters less representative. He raised, for reflection and future discussion, the possibility of adjourning meetings at 4:30 instead of 5 p.m., holding votes over to the beginning of the next meeting.
He also expressed a desire to limit presentations by outside speakers to 15 minutes.
V. COMMITTEE REPORTS:
A. Rules -- Senator Behrman, Chair, presented the following personnel changes based upon recommendations to the committee by the Senators from the respective colleges for acceptance:
Robert Ross, Business, to replace Fred Kraft in the Senate and as a member of the Planning and Budget Committee.
David Eichhorn, LAS chemistry, to replace Dennis Burns in the Senate in the math/natural science area.
Twyla Hill, social science, to replace David Wright.
These were unanimously approved.
VI. OLD BUSINESS: None
VII. NEW BUSINESS:
A. Kansas Regents Honors Academy -- A. J. Mandt, Director of the WSU Honors Program made a presentation about progress being made toward the "Kansas Regents Honor Academy" that will be held on campus between June 8 and July 5, 2003. He indicated that it does not appear that the academy is in jeopardy of a budget cut, since it is provided for as a "line item budget item" that would require action by the Legislature to cut. By statute, Dean Bischoff will oversee the academy. Mandt hopes to see study proposals (for the small-group studies) from faculty throughout the University, including the professional colleges. A copy of Mandt's summary relating to the academy is attached and made a part of these Minutes and available in the Office of the Faculty Senate.
Mandt also presented a summary of the rapid growth of the Honors Program itself this year, a growth that he attributed to the new University advising system. Total students enrolled in 2000 were 115 to 214 in 2002 and total credit hours have gone from 455 in 2000 to 766 in 2002.
VIII. AS MAY ARISE: There was preliminary discussion of the idea of adjourning meetings at 4:30, holding votes over.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:20 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Dwight Murphey, Secretary