Faculty Senate Minutes – Friday, October 14, 2016

LSF 002, Westville Campus

Voting Members Present:

M. Block, D. Detmer, T. Dobrowski, J. Duzinkiewicz, T. Elmendorf, M. Fathizadeh, J. Garwood, J. Hack, P. Hecht, E. James, G. Jin, J. Kuhn, Y. Lee, S. Mo, N. Nemeth, N. Patel, L. Pelter, J. Pula, S. Rezak, C. Roper, P. Rose, R. Rupp, G. Schultz, K. Scipes, S. Smithson, J. Thomas, F. Wang, E. Weber, D. Whitten, D. Wilbur.

Voting Members Absent:

A. Angriawan, C. Boiarsky, R. Brusca-Vega, C.V. Chandramouli, B. Chen, A. Kokalov, S. Nakayama, V. Quinn, J. Spores, L. Tan, S. Trekles, N. Zeytinoglu.

Non-voting Members Present:

S. Lerner, R. Biddings-Muro, R. Mueller, C. Panlilio, S. Turner, T. Winders.

Others present:

C. Arroyo, P. Bailey, D. Barrier, R. Clark, T. Clark, J. Colwell, M. Davis-Ochi, K. Falzone, C. Farrell, L. Goodnight, D. Haydell, E. Hixon, D. Krill, B. Law, M. Lynn, W. Lukoshus, J. Manahan, P. Riesmeyer, J. Shires, S. Steele, K. Tobin, M. Watson, Z. Jakubowski.

1. Determination of quorum

   A quorum was declared at 10:07 A.M.

2. Call to Order

   The meeting was called to order by Chair D. Wilbur.

3. Approval of the Agenda

   J. Hack asked that the informational policy statement on Experiential Learning be removed from the agenda. She said the statement was inappropriate because standing committees had not discussed the proposal. D. Whitten said the statement was for informational purposes only. P. Hecht said agreed with D. Whitten and said the General Education Committee would discuss the statement at its meeting later the same day. F. Wang then asked that the agenda be amended to consider for discussion under new business a resolution to create a standing committee for intercollegiate athletics. He was attempting to introduce the resolution from the floor on behalf of the Executive Committee. C. Roper moved to amend the agenda with D. Whitten seconding. J. Duzinkiewicz opposed the motion to amend because there had not been sufficient time to read the proposed Intercollegiate Athletics resolution. T. Elmendorf also argued against the motion. G. Schultz explained that the proposed resolution was the result of discussions with the chancellor, provost and athletic director. The existing committee had been a subordinate committee of the Student Affairs Committee. The desire was to create a standing committee to provide proper oversight for the intercollegiate program in light of its acceptance as a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II member. J. Pula worried about setting a precedent of acting too quickly without having sufficient time to comprehend the document. D. Whitten proposed that the document be listed for information and considered for discussion in November with the intention to move it for action. The Intercollegiate Athletics document was added as an information item by voice vote. J. Hack moved to remove the informational item about Experiential Learning from the agenda. S. Mo seconds. F. Wang said the policy statement was made at the request of the Executive Committee and that the chairs of the Curriculum, Educational Policy and General Education committees agreed to work on it. P. Hecht said the desire was to get a sense of the Senate’s viewpoint on the subject. The Experiential Learning document was removed from the agenda in a show of hands by a 13-11 vote. The decision means that the statement would be removed from the agenda and discussed among the three committees before any document would be offered for discussion.

4. Approval of the Minutes of the September 9, 2016 meeting

   F. Wang moved to approve the minutes of the September 9, 2016 meeting. D. Whitten seconded. Discussion ensued about the distribution of staff reports discussed by C. Panlilio, vice chancellor of enrollment management and student affairs. It was agreed that the information would be placed on the R drive once the Senate’s folders are operational. P. Rose asked that asked that the minutes note her inquiry about the staffing of the standing committees and that a list of committee assignments be appended to the minutes. The revised minutes were approved by voice vote.

5. Remarks by the Chair

   The chair reviewed the recent efforts to collaborate with the administration on concurrent enrollment, and promotion and tenure. S. Lerner, the Senate’s new parliamentarian, distributed a summary of motions and procedures from Robert’s Rules for managing meetings.

6. Remarks by the Chancellor or Invited Guests (R. Biddings-Muro, R. Mueller)

   R. Bidding-Muro discussed the recent activities in Institutional Advancement, emphasizing work done on websites of the colleges and academic departments. The unit hosted recent meetings in an effort to improve communication with students. A new magazine is being designed and a new alumni affairs board has been organized. She reported that recent surveys indicated that nearly all alumni were satisfied with their education and that 85 percent would recommend PNW to high school students. McDonald’s is providing $20,000 in donations this year. The Purdue Day of Giving is scheduled for April 26, 2017. In response to questions, P. Riesmeyer indicated that personal websites are available for faculty members and that efforts are being made to publicize faculty achievements.

   R. Muller informed the Senate that the chancellor was not in attendance because he was at the Board of Trustees meeting. He shared the chair’s viewpoint that efforts to collaborate were productive. B. Law described the Academic Affairs units that report to him as interim associate vice chancellor: concurrent enrollment/dual credit program, International Affairs office, the AOCT program and the graduate program. M. Lynn reported on the creation of a center for excellence and the search for an executive director. He said the newly advertised faculty fellow position will aid in the transition of new faculty members to campus and in the promotion and tenure process. A committee is working on the creation of a Center for Faculty Development.

   In response to a question, P. Hecht said that work is continuing on revising the bylaws to reflect the changes approved at the September meeting, though the effort has been slowed by the need to more clearly define the Senate’s relationship with the graduate program.

7. Unfinished Business

   None.

8. New Business
   1. Curriculum Document Approval

      No documents.

   2. Senate Documents For Action

      No documents.

   3. Senate Documents For Discussion

      FSD 16-01, PNW Curriculum Procedures (Curriculum) (DOCX)

      D. Whitten introduced the document for discussion. J. Hack wanted the status of the academic schools addressed in the proposed curriculum process. Her desire was to avoid subjecting the schools to an extra level of approvals for curriculum documents. She also suggested that the proposed document address the status of concentrations. A desire was also expressed to be able to append plans of study to curriculum documents rather than insert the information as provided in the proposed document template. It was agreed that these issues would be considered at the Curriculum Committee meeting later in the day.

9. Documents and Reports for Information

   FSD 16-02, Intercollegiate Athletics Committee (Executive Committee)

   G. Schultz said the Senate had an obligation to act and a draft of the proposal was sent to the Executive Committee. The chair and vice chair met with the chancellor, provost and athletic director. The only change in the proposed document was to the membership of the committee, which needed gender balance in the selection of senators and athletes to meet NCAA requirements. Feedback should be sent to the chair or vice chair.

   G. Schultz said the bylaws drafting committee members did not agree on the need for the proposed standing committee during the summer, but the approval of PNW’s application for NCAA Division II status and the Senate’s constitutional obligation to oversee the athletic program requires a change now. Discussion ensued about the population of subcommittees and whether the current subcommittee dealing with athletics, wellness and intramural programs would continue. G. Schultz said the subcommittee could continue, since it deals with issues that are significantly different than the intercollegiate athletic program. F. Wang supported the vice chair’s statement and the creation of the standing committee, noting increases in the number of athletes, increased travel and the need to have a policy for athletes who miss classes. T. Elmendorf said that the PUC Senate approved an attendance policy last spring and that the provost’s office issued a form, but that a policy for the unified PNW is under consideration by the Student Affairs Committee. The proposal for an Intercollegiate Athletics standing committee will be considered for discussion at the November Senate meeting.

10. Remarks by the Representative(s) of the Student Government(s)

    President Z. Jakubowski of the Westville campus SGA apologized for “unprofessional” conduct by some association members. He said concerns expressed in September about the food service and the pinning ceremony for nurses had been resolved.

    J. Duzinkiewicz questioned the recent increase in food prices, the perceived decline in the quality of the food, and the negative impact on students on the Westville campus. S. Turner said the changes in Westville were the result of a unified food service program under the control of Chartwells, which received a one-year contract extension to serve PNW. The previous food service in Westville had been operated by local restaurateur who could not be expected to handle the increased demand. He suggested that some of the problems stemmed from users’ unwillingness to pay for the quality of food offerings that they desired.

11. Remarks by the University Senate/Intercampus Faculty Council Representative(s)

    F. Wang reported on record number of freshman applications on the West Lafayette campus and increases in diversity in those who enrolled. A University Senate committee was formed to study the issue of grade inflation. Resolutions discussed at the September meeting sought continued support for students who do not have English as their first language and reaffirmed the university’s nondiscrimination policy regarding immigrants, international students and scholars.

    He said the Intercampus Faculty Council is recommending changes to the university code that will combine the PUC and PNC representation on the council. The council is requesting the president appoint a faculty coordinator for the council. The Faculty Affairs Committee is recommending the elimination of overall ratings for the instructor and course in evaluations, since such statements have been found to have a bias against female and minority faculty members.

    In response to a question about course evaluations, M. Block said the Faculty Affairs Committee is studying the issue and recognizes its importance in promotion and tenure decisions.

12. Open Discussion

    J. Pula said that some deans were pressuring primary promotion committees to meet before members had received documents from their colleagues and that the committee members had insufficient time to reflect on the contents of the documents. He asked that the deans refrain from pressuring the primary committees. The provost said the request “seems obvious.”

13. Adjournment

    Meeting adjourned at 12:18 P.M.