Minutes: November 30, 2012

Present:  Tom Ormond, Carrie Cook, Beth Broyles, Scott Butler, Mike Rose, Karynne Kleine, Carol Christy, Holley Roberts, Sandra Godwin, Beauty Bragg, Jeff Turner

Regrets: Bill Miller

Absent: none

Called to order at 2:00.

Agenda: A motion to approve the agenda as circulated was made, seconded and upheld.

Minutes: A motion to approve the minutes as circulated was made, seconded, and upheld.

Unfinished business:  Further clarification of the charge regarding the student survey of opinions was provided and led to two separate votes on the issue.  First, in keeping with the actual intent of the charge from the interim provost, we voted unanimously to endorse the recommendations of the previous committee that either the IDEA or ETS survey instrument be adopted.  Since many felt that it was important to state the committee’s preference for one or the other, we generated a list of pros and cons for each and then voted on preference.  IDEAS carried the vote.  It was then concluded that the chair will present both the previous report and this committee’s endorse to the full senate and ask them to vote on the recommendation as well.

There was renewed discussion of taking some action on post-tenure review policy.  Discussion led to a vote to take up the issue again.  Mike Rose will attempt to reconvene the original committee and they will take under consideration whether or not to attempt a total overhaul of the policy or to focus more narrowly on the issue of instituting an appeals policy.

After a review of the document submitted (per last meeting’s agreement) the committee voted to approve the recommendation of a best practices statement in the Policies and Procedures Manual.  With one dissenting vote, the approval carried and will be presented as an information item to the senate.

Two votes taken on items related to the Faculty Scholarship Awards.  The first motion was to adopt a policy stating that; “Faculty Scholarship Award applicants may submit artifacts and evidence from the three previous calendar years and winners of the award may not apply for three years after winning.” The vote to approve was unanimous.  The second motion voted upon was the adoptions of the following policy: “The Faculty Scholarship Award Committee is responsible for creating and disseminating to the university community procedures and changes in procedures governing those awards.”  The vote to adopt this policy was unanimously in favor.

New Business:  New business was limited to a preview of the January agenda.  Items to be discussed at next meeting include: the length of the final exam period (unless chair finds that this items should be steered elsewhere) and the question of how to improve visibility of senators and senate process.

Adjourn: 3:12 p.m.