ACADEMIC SENATE November 11, 2004
MINUTES
11:30 A.M.
- 1:00 P.M. ACADEMIC SENATE CHAMBERS
Members Present: Allen, Alva, Arkenberg, Azima,
Bedell, Emry, Erickson, Fidalgo, Fitch, Fromson, Gass, Gilbert, Gordon, Hagan,
Hall, Junn, Kanel, Kantardjieff, Kelly, Klassen, Kreiner, Matz, Meyer,
Michalopoulos, Nanjundappa, Parker, Rahmatian, Randall, Reisman, Rhodes,
Rhoten, Schroeder, Shapiro, Smith, Tavakolian, Vasquez, Vogt, and Walicki
Absent: Buck, Burgtorf, Cox, Guerin, Jewett, Jones, and
Pasternack
I.
CALL TO ORDER
Chair Bedell called the meeting
to order at 11:35 a.m.
II.
URGENT BUSINESS
It was m/s [Emry/Nanjundappa] with consent of the Senate to nominate Jack
Bedell for Faculty Trustee. Motion passed unanimously.
III.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Senator Junn encouraged members
to visit the art exhibit in Pollak Library and passed around a flyer.
Senator Nanjundappa announced
that Faculty Contract Survey questionnaire has been distributed to faculty and
asked Senators to encourage their colleagues to complete and return them.
IV.
CHAIR’S REPORT
Chair Bedell reminded the Senators
of meetings scheduled for the 2, 9 and 16th of December. He noted UPS documents are being returned
from the various committees. He also
thanked Senator Pasternack for his suggestion of using the plus/minus signs on
the cover on the Spring Schedule to heighten the attention that we are moving
to plus/minus grading option in the spring semester.
Chair Bedell on behalf of the
Senate, extended congratulations to Philip Vasquez, president of ASI at Cal
State Fullerton for being selected the recipient of the National Association of
Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Western Regional Undergraduate Rising
Star Award. The Rising Star Award is
presented to an undergraduate student in recognition of his or her achievement,
involvement and potential in the student affairs profession.
V.
STATEWIDE ACADEMIC SENATE REPORT
No report.
Time Certain
11:45 a.m.
Jim Blackburn, Director Admissions and Records
Subject: Resolution
Chair Bedell, on behalf of the
Senate, recognized Jim Blackburn for his 18 years of service to the university
and read the following Resolution. A
framed copy of the Resolution and a brass key chain was presented to Mr.
Blackburn.
Recognition of Dr. James Blackburn
Whereas: Dr.
James Blackburn joined the CSUF family in 1986 as Director of Admissions and Records;
and
Whereas: Dr. James Blackburn has served with distinction on the Academic
Senate’s Academic Standards Committee; and
Whereas: Dr.
James Blackburn has served with distinction on the University Board on Writing
Proficiency; and
Whereas: Dr.
James Blackburn has been a strong and eloquent advocate for Committee and Board
positions with which he disagreed; and
Whereas: Dr.
James Blackburn has toiled assiduously to find students so that CSUF
consistently overshot target (a curious resemblance to his golf game); and
Whereas: Dr.
James Blackburn has been a strong advocate for academic integrity resisting all
attempts to water down admission standards through back door special
admissions; and
Whereas: Dr.
James Blackburn has rightfully earned a national reputation in matters of
university admissions and enrollment no doubt traceable to his courtly, southern
gentleman charm and savoir faire; and
Whereas: Dr.
James Blackburn has finally earned University credibility by joining the
faculty of the CSUF Department of Sociology teaching a graduate seminar in the
Sociology of Education; Now be it
Resolved: That the
CSUF Academic Senate lament Jim’s passing on to the Chancellor’s Office as
Associate Director of Enrollment Management; and be it further
Resolved: That the
Academic Senate extends to Jim many thanks for his help and strong support of
academic governance; and be it further
Resolved: That the
Academic Senate wish Jim many years of good health and continued professional
success.
VI.
CONSENT CALENDAR
It was m/s/p [Fromson/Nanjundappa] to approve the following Consent
Calendar. Chair Bedell noted item #6
under E has been removed and will be referred back to committee for review.
A. ASD 04-159 MS in Counseling [Grad Ed Committee]
B. ASD 04-125 Academic Senate Minutes 9-23-04
C. ASD 04-157 Revised UPS 240.000 Nondiscrimination Policy: A
Commitment to Valuing Diversity
D. ASD 04-158 Revised UPS 240.100 Sexual Harassment Policy Diversity
E. Rescission of UPS documents:
1. ASD 04-130 UPS 285.000 Meritorious Performance and Professional
Promise Award [Faculty
Affairs Committee]
2. ASD 04-131 UPS 330.123 Graduate Admissions Policy [Grad Ed Committee]
3. ASD 04-132 UPS 330.135 Policy Concerning Graduate Degree Programs [Grad Ed Committee]
4. ASD 04-133 UPS 420.102 Visiting Examiners [Grad Ed Committee]
5. ASD 04-134 UPS 411.500 Policy on Reading Skills [University Curriculum Committee]
VII.
RESCISSION ITEMS – FIRST READING
Chair Bedell
explained committees have recommended the following policies are no longer
relevant, viable or necessary.
1. ASD 04-145 UPS 210.004 Contingency Promotions [Faculty Affairs Committee]
2. ASD 04-146 UPS 210.010 Teaching Service Areas [Faculty Affairs Committee]
3. ASD 04-147 UPS 210.011 Secondary Teaching Service Areas [Faculty Affairs Committee]
4. ASD 04-148 UPS 412.005 Departmental Honors [Honors Board]
5. ASD 04-161 UPS 103.003 Security of Computing Facilities and
Privacy of Data [Information
Technology Committee]
VIII. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
A. ASD 04-139 GE Variance for STEP
Chair Bedell reminded the members
at the last Senate meeting a motion had been moved and seconded to approve this
document. Chair Bedell asked Ms. Palmerino to briefly
review the GE Variance Proposal for STEP.
Motion carried to approve
document ASD 04-139 GE Variance for STEP.
Time Certain
12:00 Noon
Dr. Kolf Jayaweera, Co-Chair, Ad Hoc Committee on the Proposal to
Restructure the
Subject: ASD 04-160 Report on
Proposal to Restructure the
It was m/s [Hall/Fromson] for the Senate to receive and endorse the Report
on Proposal to Restructure the
Committee Chair Kolf Jayaweera
thanked the members of the ad hoc committee for their hard work and dedication
in finishing the task within the six week period and according to UPS 100.605. Mr. Jayaweera explained the charge given to
the committee by the VPAA was clear and concise in its scope. The committee was to hold open hearings and
receive written comments relative to Dean Unnikrishnan’s proposal to
restructure CECS by eliminating the Division of Engineering. After considering this input, the committee
was to evaluate the proposal and provide a written report to the VPAA by
November 1, 2004. The committee’s
analysis is based on the written and verbal comments received by the committee
and the testimony heard during the open hearings. A large majority of submitted comments
(email, memo, phone, and letters) to the committee were supportive of the
proposed restructuring.
The
committee recommended to the VPAA and to the Academic Senate that the proposal
submitted by Dean Unnikrishnan to restructure CECS by eliminating the Division
of Engineering and retaining the three departments of Engineering alongside the
department of Computer Science be implemented. The committee concluded that no
valid justification, either administrative or fiscal, was put forward that
convincingly argued for maintaining the division. This committee recognized
that eliminating the division will not resolve personal conflicts embedded
within the departments. Nonetheless, the committee would like to urge that proportional
representation and allocation of resources and support among all four
departments, based on FTES, be maintained.
Chair Bedell then opened the
floor to debate the motion to receive and endorse the report on restructuring
the CECS.
Some comments from Senators and
guests regarding the report:
Ø
Verify
the accuracy of the contents of Dean Unnikrishnan’s letter as well as the
accuracy of the findings of the committee.
Ø
Ascertain
if the process and the spirit of UPS 100.065 were appropriately followed.
Ø
Moving
to a division structure resulted in no positive contributions or gains..
Ø
Eliminating
the division will cut out all unnecessary interference with scheduling,
curriculum, personnel issues and other matters that can be dealt with more
effectively at the department level.
Ø
Decision
making should reside with the department heads.
Ø
Request
reassurance that each department chair receives sufficient release time so that
they can adequately carry out those duties and serve their students as well.
Ø
There
are no problems that require a need for the division level.
Secret ballot vote was taken: Yes
= 32 No = 4 Abstain
= 2
Total = 38
Motion passed to receive and endorse ASD 04-160 Report on Proposal to
Restructure the
Time Certain
12:30 p.m.
Senate Executive Committee
Subject: ASD 04-162 Proposed
Calendar Revisions
Chair Bedell explained that the
proposed calendar revisions allow for a 6-week summer session plus two 5-week
sessions. This permits the due dates for
semester grades to remain unchanged, giving faculty ample time for grading
papers, essays, etc. The longer class
periods in the new Intersession would likely restrict the student to taking
only 3 units in Intersession and thereby avoid unit overload. The proposed revisions are basically how
CSULB manages its calendar and SDSU begins its spring semester around January
15th. The proposed calendar
moves Commencement away from Memorial Day weekend and this could boost
attendance, and starting Saturday rather than Monday will minimize Commencement
and final exam conflicts. Some comments
were raised regarding the proposed calendar revisions:
Ø Opposed to changing to three
weeks of intersession because many faculty do field research and take students abroad
(e.g.,
Ø Concern about how you can effectively
teach a 3-unit course in intersession and the campus should reconsider the
value of these highly compressed courses in terms of student learning. Should survey faculty teaching intersession.
Ø Need 6 weeks to teach calculus
and would rather see 2-six week sessions during summer.
Ø Still would have an 8-week
session and have other combinations within the summer but the total length
would be 11 weeks.
Ø Survey students for their perspectives.
Ø Many students do internships during
Intersession and will be at a disadvantage with a shortened session.
Ø Intersession originally on this
campus was developed not for regular curriculum courses but was meant to be a
period for more experimental, intensive, upper division seminars where students
could engage in just one topic with a small group of students and faculty.
Ø Many students would appreciate
having summer start earlier so that they can search for summer employment.
Ø Graduate students use
intersession to complete their projects.
Ø Presently we are running classes
during Commencement which is a problem.
Ø Shortening Intersession impacts the
Theatre Department’s prep time for the first production and also impacts the
students’ participation at the
IX.
NEW BUSINESS
Due to time limitations, ASD
04-153, ASD 04-140 and ASD 04-156 were not discussed and will be placed on the
Senate agenda for the 2nd of December meeting.
It was m/s/p [Fromson/Michalopoulos] to adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 1:04 p.m.