Faculty Senate

PRESENT:       Marc Levy, Jon Harbaugh, Lee Ayers, Sarah Ann Hones, Marny Rivera, Dale Vidmar, Connie Anderson, Gary Miller (for Dan Rubenson), Alena Ruggerio, Jean Maxwell, Kemble Yates, Diana Maltz, Terry Longshore, Wilkins-O’Riley Zinn, Earl Potter, Randy Johnson (ASSOU), Sandra Holstein, Peter Wu, Parvaneh Scoggin, John Richards, Kathy McNeill, Claire Cross, Mara Affre, John Whitesitt.

 

GUESTS: Barbara Winkler, Ed Battistela, Elisabeth Zinser, Jackie Schad, Mike Corcoran, Paul Steinle, Cynthia Beckwith, Barbara Scott, Deborah Drost, Sue Burkholder, Laura O’Bryon, Josie Wilson.

 

I.          Approve Minutes from 12/6/04 – Motion – Alena, 2^nd – Dale – Add word “information” to “literacy” in VII.B. Approved with change – unanimously.

II.        Announcements

A.     Gary Miller won election replacing Dan Rubenson as a Social Science rep for one term.

B.     Preview weekend is January 14-15. Part for faculty involvement is Saturday morning, the 15^th.

C.     Zinn has a showing at Rogue Gallery on Bartlett St. in Medford through February 5^th. An excellent opportunity for students – call Zinn for more details.

III.     Comments from President Zinser

A.     Dr. Zinser disseminated a handout of her points (see attachment)

B.     Special recognition for James Sours, former President of SOU who passed away in December – February 7^th at noon – will be naming space above Redford lounge after him.

C.     Introduced Jackie Schad – new VP for Institutional Advancement

D.     Other topics in Dr. Zinsers handout:

                       1.       VP for Finance & Administration

                       2.       Dan Speasl – Interim Director of Athletics and Recreational Sports

                       3.       Ed Hanson – Interim Security Officer

                       4.       Asst. VP for Marketing and Public Relations

                       5.       Director for Health & Safety

                       6.       SOU Implications of Governor Kulongoski’s Recommended Budget

                       7.       Legislative Work

IV.     Comments from Provost Potter – Review Dr. Potter’s recent all_faculty email (Year-end Reflections) dated 12/31/04.

V.       Student Senate Report – Randy Johnson, Student Body President

A.     Higher One transition may have gone easier than was expected.

VI.     Action Item – Oregon Transfer Module – Marny Rivera

A.     See handout summarizing the OTM.

B.     Again, this was proposed by the Interinstitutional Faculty Senate (IFS) as a way of heading off an attempt by the State Legislature to dictate General Education Requirements.

C.     Details of integrating this

D.     Motion to support the OTM proposal – Marc Levy; Second – Zinn.

                       1.       Discussion – Kathy McNeill – it’s not exactly clear what we’re accepting.

a.       Lee – it’s an attempt to establish a general common core that would more easily transfer across institutions and especially from community colleges to 4-year institutions. Helps with the communication about current and actual pre-requisites.

                       2.       Sarah Ann Hones – need to be prepared for students who leave after only one year – and whether our students would be sufficiently prepared to go to other institutions. Potter – this is an interim stop gap so we can have better transferability. This has approval from other institutions statewide.

                       3.       Kathy McNeill – it will be important for us to do the work to ensure that our Gen. Ed. And the OTM come more into alignment with one another. Provost Potter agreed. Kathy – we might want to make an additional statement that we do, indeed, require further competencies in upper division work – so as not to mislead students coming from other institutions.

                       4.       Lee – we’d be simply saying that we buy into the very basic core curriculum that may or may not have additional requirements from specific institutions to which a student may transfer.

                       5.       Vote – Three abstentions and no opposed.

Discussion Items

VII.  University Curriculum Committee (Independent Interdisciplinary Majors) – Barbara Winkler

A.     Refer to IIM attachment from December 6, 2004 minutes.

B.     Today submitted some revised language for SOU Catalog copy (see handout with revised language)

                       1.       Alena pointed out missing ‘or b)’ after “…no major,”

                       2.       Discussion ensued to clarify the minimum GPA issue for programs with majors vs. those with no major, but only minors.

                       3.       Also discussed controversy over the required minimum and maximum number of credits required for applicants into the IIM option.

                       4.       Rather than make this an action item at the February 7^th Senate meeting, this will go back to the Curriculum Committee in order to clarify the language. This language and the IIM Program will therefore be discussed at the next Senate meeting instead.

VIII.         University Curriculum Committee (SOU Course Numbering Policy – discuss new language) – Barbara Winkler – Deferred for future meeting.

IX.     Organization of the Academic Division for Best Advantage – Earl Potter.

A.     Ran out of time. Dr. Potter to check whether he will be available to discuss at Feb. 7^th meeting. If not, Chair will consider calling a special session of the Senate on January 24^th in order to address this important proposal.

 

Adjournment at approximately 5:30.

 

Respectfully submitted by Marc Levy, Senate Secretary