2004-2005 Year in Review

 

SENATE GOALS FOR 2004-2005:

 

1.    General Education:  Determine whether changes are needed in the General Education requirements, and, if so, the nature of those changes (General Education Subcommittee). 

 

        Accomplished / continuing:  The General Education Committee was created as a subcommittee of ASCRC in September 2004.  The committee was staffed in October 2004, and met semi-monthly.  OCHE released Montana Legislature Transfer Audit in January 2005, with special attention to the transferability of general education credits.   The Board of Regents seated several work groups to deal with concerns raised in Audit.  Due to the unsettled situation, the General Education Committee concentrated on drafting a preamble to set the direction of its work.  See ASCRC year end report.

 

2.    Online courses:  Determine what role, if any, the Senate should play in establishing academic standards in online courses (ECOS/ASCRC/Graduate Council subcommittee).  Online education is one of the Board of Regents Leadership Initiatives, so this is an important issue.  There are related compensation and intellectual property rights issues of concern to the union.

 

Continuing:  Awaiting committee report.

 

3.    Writing curriculum: Monitor efforts to enhance writing proficiency (ASCRC).

 

Accomplished / continuing:  Upon the recommendation of ECOS, ASCRC established a Writing Subcommittee to address concerns.  The Provost’s Writing Committee has been disbanded.  See ASCRC report. 

           

4.    Bachelor of Applied Sciences: Assure the establishment of a mechanism for monitoring the Bachelor of Applied Science (ECOS work group). There was a motion to establish the Bachelor of Applied Science that was postponed in May.  A revised version will be coming to the Senate in October.

 

        Accomplished:  The Bachelor of Applied Sciences committee was turned over to the Provost’s Office, as more appropriate to the nature of the committee, since it would function more like a department.  ECOS nominated members to the committee.  See October FS minutes.

 

5.    Campus committees:  Increase communication with Senate representatives on campus committees by designing a report structure (ECOS work group).  A big part of faculty governance is faculty members input on committees.  So ECOS is asking faculty that serve on committees to inform ECOS and/or the Faculty Senate of any issues that would have an impact on faculty or that we might have an interest in understanding.  Thus a report/communication structure will be refined.  

 

Accomplished:  An MS-Word report form was designed with spaces for input from faculty nominated by ECOS.  Faculty will be contacted by email and asked to fill in the form each year, with telephone follow-up.

 

6.    Centers:  Annual review of centers scheduled for review. 

 

        Accomplished:  See reports for details.

Bolle Center:  Continue

Public Policy Research Institute:  Continue

Montana Business Connections:  Continue, but review in two years.

Center for the Rocky Mountain West:  Continue, but review in two years.

English Language Institute:  Review postponed due to change in director.

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research:  Continue.

 

 

7.    Administration evaluations:  Review and revise administration evaluation procedures and instruments (ECOS work group).  There was some concern that the evaluation procedure was not methodologically adequate.  So we will be reviewing the procedure as well as the instrument.

 

        Accomplished:  New evaluation survey was drafted and forwarded to the Administration for comments.  ECOS is still awaiting response from several administrators.

 

OTHER ACTIVITIES:

 

Shared Leadership:  The Board of Regents established three initiatives that would combine the skills and energies from the academic and business communities:  Access and affordability, Distance Education, and Workforce Development.  Chair Winkler served on the Access and Affordability group, while Chair-elect Crepeau served on the Distance Education group.  The reports from these groups are available on the BOR website.

 

Transfer Audit:  See above under General Education Committee.  During its March 2005 meeting, the BOR approved two policy changes on outdated coursework and system controls; more will be addressed at the May meeting, including the rules and procedures governing transfer of of general education credits and minimum course grades.  See BOR minutes.

 

Athletic Oversight:  Chair Winkler served on the President’s committee to review oversight of Athletics and the charge of the Athletics Advisory Committee.  The final recommendations are available in the Senate office.

 

Background Checks:  ECOS met with the Provost, Kathy Crego, and David Aronofsky to review the requirement and procedure for background checks for new hires.  ECOS member Ralph Judd did further research into the matter, and reported that there had not been any situations where a faculty candidate was not hired because of a background check.  It was decided that the Senate need not do anything until an instance arose that required deliberation. 

 

Bylaw Revision- Elections Committee:  Eliminated due to technology changes that made the committee unnecessary.

 

MAJOR ISSUES AT FACULTY SENATE MEETINGS:

 

 September

            Senate Goals

            General Education Committee established and bylaws changed.

            Grades entered now through Cyberbear

 

October

            Writing Assessment now offered on computer

            Background Check

            Bachelor of Applied Science

            Athletic Oversight

 

November

            Summer FTE shortfall

            Plan to change summer schedule to 4 days postponed, optional this year

            Campus Beverage Marketing

            Curricular Items Approved

            Bylaw amendment- elimination of election committee

 

December

            President Dennison – Budget Legislative/Bargaining year & new Governor

            VP Duringer Coke contract

            Curricular Items Approved

            Faculty Library Committee Report

            Human Rights Network spoke against Coke

 

February

            Academic Naming

            “College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences”

            Shared Leadership Initiatives

            Legislative Transfer Audit

            Masters in Public Health approved

            Review of Centers

 

March

            Technology presentation- multiple video streams

            Draft BOR policies

            Deanships

            ASCRC – Writing deliberations, establish writing committee    

            General Education – draft preamble

            Review of Centers

            New Center- Paleontology

            Honorary degree

 

April

            President – Legislative session/ budget

            Provost- Accreditation visit

            Graduation lists

            Electronic theses and dissertations

            Draft BOR policies

            ASCRC- Writing recommendations –Must have a C to pass ENEX 101

            Gen Ed – final preamble approved

            Posthumous degree