Faculty Council
Minutes of the meeting of December 14, 1992
0. Meeting called to order at 4:02 p.m. by Chairperson Stephen Warner.
1. Motion (T.Loughlin/T.Schwalbe): to approve the agenda as reordered. Motion passed.
2. Motion (K.Mantai/F.Krohn) to approve the minutes of the November 9, 1992 meeting as published. Motion passed.
3. President Donald A. MacPhee announced that faculty would receive reports from Vice President Burdette on the status of current year's budget. He said that 1993-94 budget news from Albany was ambiguous, but that there was nothing to get upset about yet. The President expressed appreciation to Stephen Warner on the occasion of his completing his year's term as Chairperson of the Faculty Council, and to the Executive Committee, for their leadership and for adding civility to a very difficult year. He said he looked forward to working with Chairperson Elect Ted Steinberg during the coming year.
4. Chairperson Stephen Warner conducted the election for College Senate Secretary. On behalf of the Executive Committee he nominated Thomas McNeil for the office, then called for other nominations. There being none, he asked for, and received, consensus to enter a unanimous ballot for the candidate. Thomas McNeil was elected College Senate Secretary to serve through calendar year 1993.
Warner thanked the Faculty Council for a very interesting and agreeable year.
5. Vice Chairperson Theodore Steinberg had no report.
6. Faculty Senator H. Joseph Straight had no report.
7. Nancy Boynton representing the Search Committee for Dean of Arts & Sciences reported that the committee had met several times, but had not yet started reviewing the 90 applications. She said about 10% of the applicants were women, and some minorities had applied. She said the committee planned to read the applications before second semester begins. The committee hopes to begin bringing candidates to campus near the end of February through early April. She said the committee had met with the chairs, and with interested faculty for input.
8. Robert Jordan, chair of the Affirmative Action Committee reported that during the past semester, some measurable gains and some less measureable gains had been made. He said the committee had taken a distinct turn prompted by the dramatic, but perhaps unrelated, loss of four minority faculty in one year. He said measurable gains include the new policy to distribute the minutes of Affirmative Action Committee meetings campus wide. He said less measureable gains were represented by a change in the tone of the campus indicated by a heightened awareness that affirmative action is not the domain only of the person of color, but something we all must be involved in. He said there seems to be a heightened sensitivity to these issues and that denial has become unfashionable. Jordan said the Affirmative Action Committee is embarked on a program of community outreach. He said Ann McCarron Burns and Mark Neal had met with members of the Chamber of Commerce to discuss the college's concerns with affirmative action, bringing new awareness to them. He said the committee is proposing a new subcommittee for community outreach, to establish a dialogue. He said next semester the committee plans to advertise its meeting dates, which are open to the public, in the Leader. Jordan commented that the two-day workshop visit by the Bennetts represented a step forward and demonstrated that the campus is willing to examine the issues. He reported that there was good news in that new hires had included eight white females, one hispanic female, and one white male. Jordan said that equally as important as recruitment is retention. He said the committee had been asked by VPAA Hess to list suggestions to enhance retention of minority faculty; the committee has done this, generating some very good ideas which will appear in the published committee minutes. He reported that many people have asked what they can do to advance Affirmative Action goals. He related a personal anecdote to illustrate that off-color jokes cannot be seen as witty anymore. Ronald Ambrosetti asked whether the committee was aware of what the departments were doing in attempts to recruit faculty under Albany's Under-represented Faculty Initiative. Jordan answered, yes, but encouraged chairs to keep in touch with the committee on their efforts. Pres. MacPhee added that he had received the Bennetts' report, including recommendations for next steps, which will be distributed to the campus soon.
9. Franklin Krohn, chair of the Governance Committee reported that the annual Faculty Census had been completed with the following results: Arts, Education, and Humanities 125.47 FTE, for 13 representatives (had been 128.71, for 13 in 1992); Natural & Social Sciences 129.53, 13 (up from 121.07, 12); and Professional & Management/Confidential 116.59, 12 (down from 127.62, 13). He said the census is sometimes complicated by temporary leaves and temporary shifts to administrative assignments, but that the current census was believed to be as accurate as possible, possibly correcting some earlier inaccuracies.
Motion (Governance Committee): to adopt the following resolution:
Be it resolved: That the Faculty Council calls upon the President, Vice Presidents and Deans, when seeking advice and input on decision making, to utilize whenever possible the existing Faculty Council committee structure rather than creating separate ad hoc committees.
P.Sinden asked whether the intent of the Bylaws wasn't precisely the same as the resolution, and how it would be a contribution. Krohn responded that the resolution was essentially the same as the Bylaws, and that it would serve as a reminder for 1993. Motion passed.
10. Vice President David Hess in his capacity as chair of the Enrollment Management Committee reported that the committee had met numerous times during the semester on mid-year enrollment and goals for Fall 1993. He said the committee had been discussing quality of recruiting brochures and printed materials, admission standards, and ways they could assist the Admissions Office. He urged FC members to assist the Admissions Office in any way possible when asked. He emphasized that recruiting shortfalls will result in reduction of the college's budget allocation. M.R.Amiran asked whether there had been discussion of lowering admission standards in order to enhance recruiting numbers. Hess responded that some of the SUNY colleges have been considering lowering high school grade and admission test score requirements, but that Fredonia has made no decisions along those lines. He said lowering standards tends to initiate a downward spiral of with lowering reputation. He said Mr. Clark and staff have been holding the line on standards. He said that the answer is to increase the yield of recruiting efforts; this will require redoubled efforts by everyone. MacPhee added that Fredonia has not had rigid minima, but our history shows a range of what we have considered acceptable. He said we do not want to send out signals that we have changed our standards. He said that when applications are high, cutoff scores go up, etc. Amiran commented that many things affected by admission standards, including the quality of student interaction, retention, services needed to serve students. Hess agreed and added that if standards slip, the college could have problems supplying support services that might be required. T.Steinberg asked whether applications were down significantly. Hess answered that there were presently a large number of applications being processed and that it was difficult to tell whether the fluctuations are significant. He said people are being more cautious about committing their education resources and that competition from the private sector is keen. He foresaw no cause for panic but anticipated a tough, competitive recruiting struggle. J.Straight commented that fewer students are coming from downstate. Hess attributed this primarily to external factors, including the cost of commuting. He said that the college's recruiting efforts continue state-wide, and that if we can get students to come to campus, we stand a good chance of success; but it is harder to get them to visit; visiting is getting expensive. K.Mantai asked whether the committee considers the balance among programs on the campus. Hess answered that allocation of lines has to do with number of students we can serve; for example, student teaching experiences are limited by faculty resources. He said the committee keeps the matter of balance in mind, and some areas must be limited in the number of students they can accept.
11. Subcommittee for the Improvement of Undergraduate Instruction report was received from Thomas Loughlin, chair. Written copies of the two-page report were distributed.
12. Faculty and Staff Scholarship Fund Drive Committee report was received from Daniel Tramuta, chair. Copies of the one-page report were distributed to the members of the Faculty Council.
13. Standing committees' mid-year reports were received as follows:
13a. Academic Affairs Committee, MindaRae Amiran, chair:
Motion (Academic Affairs Committee): that FC adopt the following policy to be inserted in the College Catalog concerning "Completion of Undergraduate Degree":
Under ordinary circumstances, students will have ten consecutive years during which to complete the requirements for the undergraduate degree in effect at the time they began their studies. If they wish to complete the degree after ten years, their record of studies will be reviewed by the chair of the academic department in which their major falls, and by the Dean for Liberal Studies, to determine how much of their earlier credit is still applicable. This rule applies not only to credit earned at the College at Fredonia, but also to credit transferred to Fredonia from other colleges. This policy notwithstanding, to the extent that certifying agencies change the requirements for a particular degree within a student's original ten-year period or later, the student will be bound by the new requirements of the agency. Motion passed.
Motion (Academic Affairs Committee): that FC adopt the following policy for insertion in the College Catalog concerning "X Grades":
X Grades
a) should be used only when a course or a course-related activity extends beyond one semester. Examples would include thesis research, study abroad, and certain internships.
b) should not be used for courses in which all students expect to receive a final grade at the end of the semester.
c) should not be used as substitutes for 'I' grades.
An X grade that has not been converted to a credit-bearing grade by the end of the second regular semester after the semester for which the X was given will revert to a grade of E.
K.Mantai asked what would happen in cases where a course goes beyond two semesters. N.Bowser responded that when this is about to happen, departments have asked for and received a one-semester extension. Motion passed.
M.R.Amiran read a Memo she had written to Registrar Nancy Bowser on "Policy on hours outside the major for graduation" dated 12/14/92:
The Academic Affairs Committee has now received the views of all academic departments on the limitation of hours students may take in their majors. Ten departments favor change; eight departments favor retaining the present rule; one department has a special dispensation from the existing rule; one department offers no major. Of the ten departments favoring change, five endorse the original Academic Affairs proposal while five suggest different numbers of additional hours. In view of the diversity of opinion, Academic Affairs has decided on the following recommendations: 1) that the present policy be retained, and that you follow it rigorously in approving students for graduation; 2) that departments wishing changes in the number of hours students may take in their majors request such changes in writing to the Academic Affairs Committee and the relevant dean, explaining the justification for the change - decisions on the request to be recommended to the Academic Affairs Committee acting in consultation with the department in question.
R.Ambrosetti asked how this would affect the Registrar. N.Bowser answered that she would not deny students graduation. Ambrosetti asked whether chairs could request waivers from the Registrar. Bowser replied that she would uphold the requirement unless the department has on file an approved change in number of hours allowed in its particular program. T.Schwalbe asked whether it would be possible to have a print out each semester of how many hours outside the major each student has in order to identify impending problems. Bowser said that a computer program was being developed to include this information as part of the 75-hour audit, and again at the final audit. A.Altobellis remarked that when a student is meeting with her advisor, the advisor doesn't necessarily know all the rules. She was concerned that this could prevent some students from graduating. J.Hurtgen noted that a department serves not only its majors, but other students through the GCP; anything that increases average number of hours taken in GCP areas increases competition for seats in GCP courses. He said he could not imagine why a department would feel that students should routinely be able to take 48 or 51 credits in a major for a B.A. R.Weist asked whether the procedure advocated by the committee would remove this problem from consideration by FC. Warner responded that as long as appeals are made to the Academic Affairs Committee, it would act in our behalf. Ambrosetti added that there are already exceptions of up to 57 hours required in the major, and asked what would prevent other departments from requesting equal consideration. Weist responded that exceptions were to be expected, but that this policy would establishing what the prototype is, to which exceptions will be permitted. Warner clarified that under the proposed policy the exceptions would not necessarily come back to FC for further discussion. J.Chilberg asked whether exceptions approved by the committee would be referred to FC. Warner responded that changes in the basic policy, the 45-hour limit, would come before FC, but that the cases involving exceptions would be handled by the Academic Affairs Committee, representing FC.
Motion (J.Chilberg/K.Mantai): that the Academic Affairs Committee be directed to report to the Faculty Council its approval of any exceptions to policy. Motion passed.
13b. Planning & Budget Committee: Constance Willeford, chair provided a one-page written report detailing the committee's work on prioritizing institutional goals. She noted that the committee as yet had no liaison from the Governance Committee. She concluded by thanking Mary Lee Lunde for her work on the committee, then welcomed Stephen Warner who will succeed her. P.Sinden asked how many faculty responses to the recent questionnaire were among the 364 received by the committee. Willeford replied 96.
13c. Professional Service Committee: Gary Barber, chair submitted a brief written report which was distributed to the FC. The committee had not met during the Fall Semester.
13d. Student Affairs Committee report was given by Paul Andrews. He reported that Marjorie Maloney Plaister is the current chair. He said the committee had reviewed the "University Task Force on Public Safety" report and subsequently made recommendations to the President. The committee appointed new Judicial Board members. It began discussion of the Bennetts' report and will continue. Pending issues include: computer facilities and access; ways to solicit concerns of student body; information about campus vandalism, harassment, parking problems; how FSA invests their revenues; the student-run book buy back; and updating publications such as "Helping Hands".
14. Motion (K.Mantai/nine other faculty): that the Faculty Council adopt the following resolution:
Be it resolved: That the State University College at Fredonia, in order to meet both the letter and the spirit of the NYS elementary education guidelines, will require of all elementary education majors an academic major in some department.
Mantai said that the Holmes report recommends that elementary teachers' academic background should be strengthened, and that elementary education as a major be entirely eliminated. In response, NYS has made new requirements, one of which is that concentrations should provide depth of preparation sufficient to prepare the student for graduate study in a discipline, which is interpreted as a 36-hour concentration. He said that a Curriculum Integration Committee had been formed three years ago and it decided that concentrations would have a max of 30 hours, the minimum the state will accept. He said the committee approved several concentrations, none of which prepare a student for graduate work. M.R.Amiran spoke as chair of Academic Affairs Committee and cited three issues of concern regarding the resolution: 1. Academic desirability of the academic major preparation for K-6 teachers, 2. Feasibility of having this preparation, and 3. What does the state require. Speaking to the third of these concerns, she said the language of the state requirements is in some places self-contradictory. She quoted from the current state guidelines which seemed to indicate that the academic concentration is required specifically for the 7-12 program. She said the AA committee tried to find out what the new examinations are that students will have to take. She said that people preparing for 7-12 will have to take examinations for their specific academic disciplines, while K-6 will have to take an exam in English, math, natural sciences, social sciences,and fine arts. She said the real intent of the state requirements is that people preparing for K-6 should have a broad preparation. Mantai said that the Biology Dept. had called state Ed Dept. to ask the same question. He said they were told that preparation for graduate work was the requirement. Amiran said it is conceivable that the intent is preparation for graduate work in education for K-6. J.Romal spoke in favor of the motion, saying that the kind of things the K-6 exams test for ask is very basic general knowledge which should be within the grasp of classroom teachers in addition to the material covered in an academic concentration. L.Maheady said that the concentrations had been reviewed by state twice, and they found no problem with them. Mantai responded that a campus priority is for excellence in teacher preparation; the resolution would move in the direction of excellence rather than minimal compliance. Amiran explained that if a student completed the ed requirement, the GCP, and the academic 'second major', with all possible overlaps, the student could complete a degree by taking between 120 and 152 hours, depending on the major. She said it could not be done in 120 hours except in English or Foreign Language; other majors would require an additional semester, or another full year. M.L.Lunde asked for clarification regarding what was meant by "major" versus "concentration" in this context. Mantai said he interprets the state as wanting students to have a major, although it doesn't quite say so explicitly. M.Ludes said he had reviewed other comparable SUNY programs and found that 8 of 10 have fewer than or the same number of hours in a concentration as Fredonia has. M.Grady commented that a concentration is somewhat broader than a major, and probably more appropriate and more relevant for K-6 preparation. Mantai said that a problem with concentrations is their varying levels of rigor. He said Brockport's program, cited as one of the best, does require a major; Cortland, also favorably cited, has rigorously defined concentrations seen as adequate preparation for graduate study. He said Fredonia's concentrations generally have few hours of upper level courses. T.Steinberg opined that it would not help our enrollment management situation to initiate programs that would require an extra year. He said there may not be a correlation between excellence and the requirement of a major. R.Weist commented that students often complain that they don't have enough courses in reading. He said he, too, had trouble with the concept of excellence being defined as more higher level concentration or a major; maybe strengthening the reading component, would yield more excellence. Motion was defeated.
14. There was no new business brought before the body.
15. Chairperson Warner thanked the Faculty Council for its cooperation during his tenure. He was given a hearty round of applause for his efforts.
16. By consensus, the meeting was adjourned at 5:30 p.m.
Attendance:
Professional Staff, Management:
[x] P. Andrews (92)
[x] K. Bonds (92)
[x] S. Clarke (93)
[x] V. Conover (93)
[x] K. Harrington(94)[1]
[4] D. Johnson (92)
[x] T. Kflu (93)[1]
[x] T. Malinoski (93)[1]
[x] S. Maloney (92)[2]
[x] T. McNeil (94)
[x] M. Pabst (94)
[x] K. Porpiglia (92)
[x] B. Servatius (93)
Arts, Education, Humanities:
[x] J. Burke (94)[1]
[x] M. Charbonnet (93)
[x] J. Chilberg (92)[1]
[x] N. Deal (94)
[E] J. Gillette (93)[2]
[x] H. Jacobson (93)
[x] R. Klassen (92)
[x] T. Loughlin (93)
[x] K. Lucey (93)
[x] M. L. Lunde (92)
[x] L. Maheady (94)
[x] M. Nelson (93)
[x] T. Schwalbe (92)
Natural and Social Sciences:
[x] G. Baird (94)
[x] M. Grady (92)
[x] J. Hansen (94)
[x] T. Janik (93)
[x] F. Krohn (93)
[x] K. Mantai (93)
[4] G. Prechtl (92)
[x] T. Rywick (94)
[x] J. Romal (93)[1]
[x] P. Sinden (93)
[x] B. Stephens
[x] R. Weist (92)
Student Representatives:
[x] A. Altobellis [2]
[x] N. Crino
[4] G. Schneider
[2] B. Wilkins
[ ] (vacant)
[ ] (vacant)
Ex Officio:
[2] J. Berkley
[x] D. Burdette
[x] J. Crowley [2]
[x] M. Dimitri
[x] D. Hess [1]
[x] J. Hurtgen [1]
[x] D. MacPhee [1]
[x] M. Schagrin
[x] T. Steinberg
[x] J. Straight
[x] S. Warner
[x] A. Wheeler
Guests:
Matt Ludes
Constance Willeford
Nancy Boynton
Robert Jordan
Marvin Kohl
Minda Rae Amiran
Ronald Ambrosetti
Nancy Bowser
Thomas McNeil, College Senate Secretary