SENATE EDUCATIONAL POLICIES COMMITTEE
Minutes
March 12, 1998
Attending: Tony Silvestre, Chair Pro Tem; David M. Crossman, Barbara Fredette; Kerry Holzworth; Leon Khaimovich; Gordon MacLeod; Tom Metzger; Susan Neuman and guests Sue Crain and Barbara Mellix
The meeting was held in 6061 Forbes Tower, the Physical Therapy Conference Room
1. Dr. Silvestre noted that Dr. Whitney was unable to attend the meeting and that, instead, she was working very hard in Miami Beach and would probably not have time to get a tan. He assumed the role of chair for the meeting.
2. Minutes of January 15, 1998 were accepted by the Committee.
3. Report of the Secretary (for Dr. Whitney)
a. Student and Peer Evaluation:
Dr. Silvestre distributed a copy of a memo from Dr. Daniel. Dr. Daniel invited the committee to submit suggestions for focusing this year's evaluation update from heads of academic responsibility centers. The Committee members asked that a copy of last year's report be recirculated to the membership so that people can review it and be prepared to discuss suggestions for a new update at our next meeting.
Committee members suggested that we do want to know what units are not using peer evaluations, whether they are effective, and what triggers a peer evaluation e.gs. complaints, random selection, rotation.
Dr. MacLeod suggested that we contact the Student Affairs Committee since they are working on this issue and we may want to coordinate our efforts.
b. Dr. Sorcinelli's Report:
The Committee reviewed the memo from Provost Mahler regarding his office's need to review the report before distributing it. Committee members reaffirmed their interest in faculty development efforts and their desire to review the report. The Committee asked the Chair to ask about the status of the report and to obtain a copy as soon as possible.
4. Meeting with Representatives of the College of General Studies
Dr. Brumble called Dr. Silvestre to apologize for not being able to attend our meeting because of an unexpected meeting that he had to attend. He asked Ms. Barbara Mellix and Ms. Sue Crain to meet with us and made it clear that he would be happy to attend any future meeting at our request.
Ms. Crain reported that as a result of the Provost's decision to eliminate all College of General Studies' degrees that duplicated degrees offered by the College of Arts and Sciences, CAS began a process to comply with this decision. The following are major points made by our guests:
...All CGS who were enrolled before fall, 1998 will not have to meet the new requirements in CAS, unless they choose to transfer to CAS.
...Current and future CGS students (those enrolled beginning in Fall, 1999) will need to take at least 30 credits in CAS. This translates into all of their courses in senior year. CAS prefers that these students transfer sooner but they have to transfer once they have 90 credits earned. Language requirements appear to be generating the most concern among CGS students.
...CAS will accept up to 24 non-classroom type credits (UESP, internship, independent study and directed research). UESP courses are currently being reviewed by the respective departments.
...CGS will continue to offer degrees that CAS does not offer.
...CAS expects that their efforts to respond to the needs of their own non-traditional students will ease the transition for CGS non-traditional students.
...CAS (in their planning document) may expand to evening hours for advising and orientation. Fred Koloc, director of advising, has hired some former CGS staff, and this should help with the transition.
Committee members raised questions about the differences in learning between younger and older students, the value of staff who can ease entry into college life for non-traditional students, and the impact of the Provost's decision on enrollment of non-traditional students.
5. Report on the Webpage
Dr. Crossman distributed a printout of our webpage. Currently, the page can be linked to from the Senate's home page. Dr. Crossman is also having it linked to the University's Committee page. Dr. Crossman suggested that we work out a calendar of future meetings so that they can be posted. He also asked the Committee members to give some thought to policies that the page should link to. It was suggested that we link to policies that are the subjects of our meetings as reflected in our minutes. These may include student and peer evaluation, for instance. Members are asked to be ready to discuss the matter at our next meeting. Dr. Crossman's suggestion that we link to CIDEE and the Faculty Development pages was accepted. Additional suggestions are welcome. Finally, Dr. Crossman asked each member to check her or his name and contacting information on the membership page. Dr. MacLeod said that his fax number is 4.3146 and Dr. Fredette said that hers is 8.7081. The Committee acknowledged Dr. Crossman's great contribution to establishing our presence on the World Wide Web and thanked him for his work.
6. Report by Mr. Byron Woodson was tabled in light of his absence.
7. Dr. Plotnicov's Email regarding the effect of A+s on the GPA
The Committee reviewed Dr. Plotnicov's Email. A number of issues were raised concerning it. Since school have different policies about whether pluses and minutes are used, the Committee members are not sure if the issue is under our purview. Members were curious about whether the situation described by Dr. Plotnicov was a real or hypothetical one and whether the issue has been addressed in his school. Finally, the issue of whether a faculty members grade of A-, for instance, should be nullified because of other people's grading policies. The Committee asked that Dr. Whitney check with Dr. Plotnicov on these matters.
8. Report by Mr. Hanna was tabled in light of his absence.
9. New Business
Dr. MacLeod asked if the elimination of the STEP program in CAS was an issue that should come before this Committee. After some discussion, there was agreement that STEP is a valuable program but since it is designed for people who are not enrolled at the University during the time that they are in the program, it did not come under this Committee's jurisdiction.
The meeting adjourned at 2:10 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by Dr. Silvestre