Faculty Senate Annual Report, 2006-2007

ECOS membership:

Liz Ametsbichler, Foreign Languages, Chair (2007)
Louis Hayes, Political Science, Chair-elect (2008)
Jean Luckowski, Curriculum & Instruction (2008)
Michael Monsos, Drama (2008)
Don Potts, Forestry (2007)
Linda Frey, History (2007)
Jim Gannon, DBS (2007)

Goals of the Senate:

· Active in the selection of a new Provost
Both Chair Ametsbichler and Professor Gannon served on the search committee. ECOS interviewed the three candidates originally brought to campus are meeting with the three candidates coming May 3^rd – 10^th.

· Improve orientation of new senators
Senators were provided with an information sheet on the Senate procedures and Robert’s Rules of Order and invited to a social at Associate Provost Walker-Andrews home after the first Faculty Senate meeting September 13^th.

· Facilitate proposals for improvements to general education and the writing program
A draft model went to the Senate April 12^th. All faculty members were informed via email about a May 1^st faculty forum on general education. The message included the general education model and links to the writing course guidelines and writing-in-large-classes document.

· Representation of the faculty at BOR meetings
Both the chair and chair-elect regularly attended Board of Regents’ meetings.

· Thorough and timely review of centers
Center reviews were completed for the following centers and presented to the Faculty Senate April 12^th.
RiteCare Language and Literacy Clinic-approved
Shafizadeh- approved
Center for Ethics-recommended review in two years
Montana Rocky Mountain West –recommended review in two years
Montana Business Connections –recommended review in one year

New Centers reviewed and approved
Osher Life Long Learning Institute (2/8/07)
Center for Work Physiology and Exercise Metabolism (4/12/07)

· Initiate new and improved electronic process through contract with ITO
Completed for elections and committee preference requests. Evaluation of the Administration will be completed next year.

· Open communication and identification of issues important to faculty with the Administration and the Senate
Issues identified:
Change in Academic Schedule- ECOS drafted a resolution opposed to the schedule change and distributed it electronically to the faculty. Faculty members that responded were in favor of the resolution. At the 12/7/07 Senate meeting the president announced that the calendar would not be changed this year because the last wintersession showed movement in the right direction. He stated that: “The obligation is on everyone to make wintersession work. If it doesn’t, the University will have to change something to be more efficient.”

Continuous Graduate registration of three credit- Graduate Council and ECOS met with the President to request a delay in the implementation. The Senate passed a resolution 2/8/07 calling for a delay of policy implementation. The Graduate Council established a work group to analyze the data. The GSA hosted an open forum and the President announced at the 4/12/07 meeting the delay of implementation until fall 2008. The Council’s work group will investigate best practices and establish an equation for credit corresponding to students’ use of university resources.

Code/Creed of Ethics – The Chair Elect participated in a joint panel discussion with other university governance representatives and the President. A joint governance committee has been formed to explore the issue.

· Monitor BOR transferability and distance education initiatives

General Education Core passed by BOR included issues of transferability.

· Facilitate review of distance education
ECOS met with faculty who teach online courses.
An ad hoc committee of ASCRC met and drafted standards for online courses that have just been submitted to ASCRC for consideration

Additional Business Items

· Committee nominations

· Service Award – ECOS selected Jim Hirstein.

· Academic IT Advisory Committee – instructional technology survey, blackboard issues

· Bachelor's Degree in Communicative Disorders and Master's Degree in Speech and Language Pathology

· Code of Ethics consideration and participation in panel discussion

· Honorary Degree Candidates –approved 2/8/07

· America’s Professor Discussion

· Contested Elections

· SBPC meetings, communications from President Dennison and VP Duringer
Budget shortfall, IT crises
Academic Affairs new budgeting and planning model (Unit Operating Plans) – requests for data from department chairs and deans

· ECOS interviewed candidates for the Journalism Dean position.

· ECOS met periodically, though not regularly, with administrators concerning budgetary, IT, curricular review.

· Article Amendment

Article II Section 3. Membership (approved 10/12/07 and by a 112 affirmative vote by the faculty at large)
(1) The voting groups of the faculty are the Fine Arts, Humanities, Library, School of Business, School of Education, School College of Forestry and Conservation, School of Journalism, School of Law, School of College of Health Professions and Biomedical Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences, the Sciences, the Social and Behavioral Sciences, and the College of Technology, which shall elect their respective quota of members to the Senate.

· Bylaw Amendments:

o Registrar, By Law III and V.B (approved 11/9/06)
III. The Registrar of The University of Montana-Missoula or his or her designee is hereby designated as ex-officio Recorder of the Faculty Senate.
V. Committee Membership and Function:
B. Academic Standards and Curriculum Review Committee
Membership:
(1) This committee shall consist of 12 faculty members nominated by ECOS and appointed by the President for staggered three-year terms, five students appointed by ASUM for one-year terms, the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs or his or her designee (ex-officio and nonvoting), and the Registrar or his or her designee (ex-officio and nonvoting) who shall serve as recorder. The Chair will be elected by the members of the committee.

o Election Procedures, By Law VII.A (approved 12/7/06)
4) The election ballot shall inform the voters whether it is the case that a department or school may not elect one of its members (it will have its maximum of three senators in the next academic year), and the names of all eligible faculty in such departments or schools shall be deleted from the list of eligible faculty. The faculty of such departments or schools shall have the opportunity to vote. Faculty within the schools shall be allowed to vote for candidates within their all schools' voting groups. In the case of the College of Arts and Sciences, only fFaculty within a given voting group shall vote for faculty within that voting group.

• Voting Group Bylaw Amendment, XIII (approved 11/9/06)

XIII. The unit membership of the twelve voting groups of the Faculty Senate shall be as follows:

1. Humanities English Modern and Classical Languages   &    Literatures History Liberal Studies Native American Studies Philosophy Schools ————— 2. Business Administration Accounting and Finance Information Systems &   Technology Management & Marketing 3. Education Curriculum and Instruction Educational Leadership & Counseling Health & Human Performance 4. College of Forestry & Conservation Ecosystem & Conservation   Sciences Forest Management Society & Conservation

5. Journalism Journalism Radio-Television 6. Law 7. Library Mansfield Center Mansfield Library 8. Pharmacy & Allied  Health College of Health Professions & Biomedical Sciences Biomedical & Pharmaceutical xxSciences Pharmacy Practice Physical Therapy & xxRehabilitation Science *Public & Community Health Science Social Work 9. Fine Arts Art Drama/Dance Music Media Arts

10. College of Technology Applied Arts and Sciences Business Technology Applied Computing and Electronics Technology Health Professions Industrial Technology               —————— 11. Science Chemistry Computer Science Division of Biological Sciences Geology Geoscience Mathematical Sciences Physics and  Astronomy 12. Social &  Behavioral     Sciences Anthropology Communication Studies Economics Environmental Studies Geography Political Science Psychology Sociology

• By Law V.G, Committees to Which ECOS Makes Appointments (pending -vote 5/3/07)
  (1) The composition and function of these committees are determined in part by the collective bargaining agreement. The contract terminology "appointed by the Faculty Senate" shall mean "appointed by ECOS.
  (2) All faculty terms are staggered three-year terms.
  (3) No faculty member appointed by the Senate may serve both on the Appeals Committee and the Standards Committee.
  (4) No faculty member appointed by the Senate may be re-appointed until one academic year has passed.
  (5) Only tenured faculty members belonging to the bargaining unit who are not department chairs may be appointed to the University Appeals Committee or Committee on Service.
  (6) The committees shall deliver annual reports to the Faculty Senate and file written annual reports with the Chair of ECOS and the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. These reports shall contain the results of each committee's work and a review of the overall process.
  
  The Standards Committee shall consist of tenure-track faculty members from the bargaining unit (selected as above by the Faculty Senate) and two five students (nominated by ASUM for one-year terms and confirmed by the Faculty Senate). Four faculty shall be from the school's voting groups and two each shall be from the humanities, sciences, and social and behavioral sciences voting groups.