Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes
November 16, 2006

Senators: Esther Broughton, Barbara Borst, Bill Tiernan, Ellie Baldwin, Tim Casey, Tim Hatten, Steve Werman, Jane Arledge, Lory Maddox (for Judy Goodhart)

Guests: Tim Foster, Carol Futhey, Cathy Barkley, Merritt Sammons, Matt Raschke

Minutes Secretary: Jessica Cowden

I. Minutes Approval

No minutes to approve.

II. Executive Committee Update - Tim Hatten

" There was some discussion concerning the formation of a group with representatives from Senate, Curriculum Committee, and Department Heads to discuss curriculum related issues (i.e.) volume, possible changes, etc.

" Sabbatical Committee reports due by Friday, November 17.

" There has been some discussion about Kinesiology activity courses that are taken over and above the minimum requirement, counting as electives. They don't currently qualify, but the issue is being revisited. The policy was originally set to prevent students from substituting activity classes such as snowboarding, hiking, and bowling for more academic courses such as Biology. It was determined that this issue should first be referred to Academic Policies.

" External program reviewers will be on-campus after Thanksgiving. Six programs are under review this year. The reviewers have requested to speak to the Faculty Senate.

" Exemplary faculty forms were discussed. They are still soliciting feedback as the forms continue to evolve.

" Agendas for the Department Heads meetings will now be posted on the Academic Affairs website. Questions and concerns can be referred to Carol Futhey.

" The suggestion was made that the Senate invite Andy Breckel and Kristi Reuss to talk about Pandemic Preparations.

III. MyHealth IQ Program and Health Benefit Premiums

" Broughton reported that her department is not overly concerned about the privacy issues. In general, they are in favor of the program.

" Arledge reported that her faculty was initially very concerned, but feel more comfortable after receiving more information. Their main concern is with not receiving any information until the last minute. Perhaps updates along the way could have helped avoid the frustration.

" Cindy Thomas addressed the Senate concerning the events leading up to the coverage changes. This has been a two-year long process of analyzing and comparing the coverage at MSC to options offered by other local employers. The focus recently shifted to attempting to minimize rising costs. She also apologized for the late notice to the faculty concerning these changes. The faculty was, however, informed only two days after the final decision was made.

" Casey expressed some concern about the Salary and Benefit standing committee not being involved in the process. He questioned the need for the existence of some of the standing committees when so many major issues are instead handled by working groups. He also wondered if communication with the faculty would be improved if the appropriate standing committees were invited to work in tandem with the working groups.

IV. Revival of the old faculty development committee

There was some discussion concerning a faculty development fund that was previously housed in Academic Affairs to cover costs that were not available departmentally. That money has since been reallocated to the individual departments in the amount of $600 per faculty member. The question was posed as to whether or not the fund could be reinstated and/or if the $600 amount could be increased. Futhey suggested that, rather than re-instating the fund, that the issue be addressed through the "Year of the Classroom" task force. Once that task force submits their report, the administration will determine which proposals to incorporate into next year's budget.

Casey stressed the importance of faculty members being able to travel in order to stay current in their fields and how that impacts the students and their learning.

Futhey pointed out that the $600 was never intended to cover all costs, but the assumption was that the monies could be rotated every year to different faculty members.

It was agreed that the senators would poll their departments to see how the faculty feel about the issue and report back at the next meeting.

The suggestion was also made to merge the ad hoc Benefits committee with the existing Salary and Benefits subcommittee.

V. Higher Learning Commission Focus Visit

Werman reported that the HLC seemed satisfied with the progress that MSC has made since their last visit both concerning their suggestions as well as the overall growth of the college. The final report from the HLC will most likely be available to the faculty in April.

VI. New Senate Business

Futhey addressed the Senate:

" She thanked the faculty members who went to the GT Pathways conference. All core requirements have now been approved, thus fulfilling the obligations of the Performance Contract.

" The administration is currently exploring the possibility of scheduling a small selection of courses to commence on a late start schedule. Those classes would start meeting approximately four weeks into the semester and would continue beyond the end of the semester. The proposal is aimed at students who struggle early on in the semester and it may also benefit other potential students such as stay-at-home-moms.

" She also asked for feedback about the possibility of offering 100 level courses.

Matt Reschke conveyed to the Senate that some Business students had expressed concern about the lack of course offerings in the middle of the day. Hatten agreed that the increased evening course offerings may have decreased the number of classes offered during the midday and that assured Matt that he would relay the students' concerns.

VII. Old Senate Business

" The online task force will attempt to meet soon. Casey asked for names of potential representatives.

" Exemplary faculty recommendations should be submitted to Department Heads and/or the Executive committee before the end of the semester.

Meeting adjourned at 4:47 pm

Respectfully submitted,
Jessica Cowden
Minutes Secretary