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FACULTY COUNCIL MEETING Friday, April 27, 2007
Lipo Room, Third Floor, Sheehy-Farmer Center
2:00 P.M.
Present: Howard Fedrick, Chair; Greg Bassham, Chair-elect; Jayne Klenner-Moore; Dan Ghezzi; Jennifer McClinton-Temple; Joan Coffin; Claire Gilmore; Regan Reitsma; Charlie Brooks; Brian Pavlac; Sheileen Corbett
Administration and Faculty: Nick Holodick, VPAA; Robin Field; Hamid Hosseini; Joe Evan; Kristi Concannon; Margarita Rose; Derrick Boucher; Marc Marchese.
MEMORIAL SILENCE FOR FACULTY COLLEAGUES AT VIRGINIA TECH.
Report of the Chair:
Extended appreciation to Academic Affairs / Nick Holodick, VPAA, for providing end of semester lunch as well as coffee, tea and cookie breaks during the Spring semester.
Drew attention to Faculty Credit Bank (independent studies; internships) being eliminated at the end of the semester (among the various options, faculty may donate to the Faculty Scholarship fund).
Reported on a memo from Senior Promotion and Tenure and Promotion Committee Chairs to Academic Affairs seeking clarification of how grade distribution is being and should be calculated for evaluating for tenure and promotion.
Clarified the status and uncertain history of requiring all full-time faculty to use student evaluations every semester. Nick Holodick, VPAA, noted that faculty council formally address it and encourage it in light of ETS Student Evaluation proposal (See A&P #2 below).
A&P Committee Reports on Jayne Klenner-Moore
1. Proposal on Procedure for Conversion of Professional Specialists to Tenure Track Faculty:
After a few clarification questions and note of the current unfinished state of the standards expected for tenure and promotion (see #4), a motion was made to return to A&P for consideration. Passed unanimously. A&P will meet before the end of the semester.
2. Student Evaluation - ETS Proposal: Pilot Study (From Fr. Ryan and Fr. Looney):
Copies of the Proposal had been distributed by Fr. Tom Looney and by Howard prior to the meeting to provide FC familiarity.
The Chair of A&P Jayne Klenner-Moore and Nick Holodick, VPAA, commented on some of the reasons for pursuing this trial of a standardized ETS student evaluation of faculty instrument: hoping for a broader base of questions, expecting high scores as a selling point, coordinating data to compare with other institutions and to be used for marketing and accreditation. It was noted that the intent was that the instrument would definitely not be used to evaluate faculty regarding contracts, tenure or promotion during the pilot study. After a few clarification questions, a motion was made to accept ETS as a pilot study next year for the entire faculty (and it will not be used in any evaluation of faculty). Passed unanimously.
3. Status and Projected Completion Academic Integrity Report:
Chair Moore reported that an update will be reviewed at last meeting of A&P Committee. (Friday May 4, 2 pm)
4. Triad Criteria for Tenure and Promotion Survey of Department Chairs:
Chair-elect Dan Ghezzi presented a handout on the status of sub-committee work, which has not really been discussed yet by the full A&P Committee. They hope to add specificity. As steps are completed, A&P will assist. Questions clarified that broad-based criteria will apply across college, but recognized that some areas have special interests, so variability might be resolved at divisional or departmental level. No conclusion has been reached on what goes into the Faculty Handbook.
C&T Report on The Core Curriculum Revision Proposal
MOTION was made:
Faculty Council accepts the revised Core proposed by C&T, its administration, categories, and promotion of thematic courses and interdisciplinary studies. Next academic year, C&T, in consultation with Academic Affairs, will form the relevant new project teams, consult with those and current project teams in reviewing and drawing up relevant new goals and objectives, and make other appropriate preparations, so that the revised Core may begin with the entering class of the 2008-2009 academic year. Concerning the revision largely affecting the current Civilization and Social Science categories, C&T must also find a workable compromise in consultation with project teams that best satisfies student needs, faculty interests, disciplinary priorities, major requirements, and institutional considerations. That compromise should be reported to and voted on by Faculty Council before the end of October 2007.
Discussion emphasized points made in the Chair of C&T’s e-mail of late March that laid out reasons why this CORE Revision Proposal is an improvement: FYS emphasis on reading; new emphasis on Fine Arts; syllabi that will truly create interdisciplinarity; more choice for students. Questions and comments further focused on the functionality of some interdisciplinary categories; the role of some business courses either as CORE or exemptions; and the challenge of coordinating transcripts. Also discussed were the ramifications of voting on a simpler motion that would leave out the sentences regarding the social sciences, or more complex motion that might include other issues of concern to some faculty.
Two members of Council expressed the belief that Council should not vote in
favor of the Core motion on the grounds that faculty council has not
discussed the substantive objections against the new core proposal raised by the
faculty vote and very little time was taken for critical engagement with the
document or the content of the faculty responses.
A procedural motion was made to conduct a secret ballot on the main motion, passing by 6-5.
The vote on the main CORE Revision Proposal motion passed 8-3.
Nick Holodick, VPAA, reminded Faculty Council that Academic Affairs intentionally refrained from intervening in the process to allow the faculty the freedom to design their own general education curriculum. He stated he was pleased with and wholeheartedly endorsed the proposal. He thanked Jennifer McClinton-Temple, Brian Pavlac, and the C&T Committee for all of their hard work and accomplishments and noted that he was looking forward to working with C&T during the upcoming academic year.
New Business:
Thanks were made to Jennifer and to Howard for their leadership and service to Faculty Council this year.
Old Business;
Consortium Physics Major Proposal:
Motion: FC supports and applauds the Physics faculty in their continuing efforts in pursing this consortium. Unanimously passed.
Note was taken of the upcoming and final Roving Social of the academic year on May 2nd at the Math Department.
Further note was made of the End of Semester Faculty Celebration being planned for Wednesday, May 16, at Betzler Fields.
The meeting adjourned at 3:40.
Respectfully submitted,
Brian A. Pavlac
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