Faculty Senate Minutes
Monday, December 7, 2015
Clinton Hall 126 3:00PM-4:00PM
Senators Present: Attendance was not taken
Senators Absent:
Summary of Action:
a. Accepted Proposed First-Year Seminar
I. Call to Order - Meeting called to order at 3:04 PM by President Moore-Jansen
II. Informal Statements and Proposals - None
III. Approval of the Minutes
a. Minutes of the November 23, 2015 meeting were accepted as presented
IV. Updates
a. President Moore-Jansen reminded everyone of the Gun Safety Forum which was held
on Friday, December 4th. The forum was recorded by the MRC. President Moore-Jansen
will check to see when and where it will be posted.
b. President Moore-Jansen took a straw vote and the majority of senators voted in
favor of repealing the law or continuing the exemption.
V. President's Report - None
VII. Old Business (sample syllabus provided to senate members)
a. General Education, Natalie Grant, Chair Proposed First Year Seminar (2nd reading) The proposed first year seminar is to provide a common experience with topical
content that will promote intellectual discourse and engagement between incoming students
and faculty and among students. The outcomes of the seminars are aligned with the
outcomes of the general education program.
b. President Moore-Jansen summarized the discussion board comments; including, procedural and practical concerns, budgetary concerns, the impact on LAS as well as the potential impact on smaller departments.
c. Lively discussion ensued focusing on issues related to credit hour production, courses currently available that could be used, resources (monetary and personnel), timeline and feeling rushed to make a decision, whether every college is required to offer courses, if courses should be limited to LAS and Fine Arts faculty or open to all faculty, the importance of engaging students sooner, and compromising by offering a limited number of courses for the fall as a trial run.
d. Senator Shaw - Motion to approve the proposal from the general education committee
as an encouraged (but not required) course to grant for general education credit with
the number of offerings in the Fall 2016 semester to be limited to 10, with the courses
to be approved by individual departments and the general education committee with
the understanding that an assessment rubric will be put into place to evaluate the
impact of the offerings to achieve the stated outcomes. 21 approved, 10 opposed -
Motion passes.
VIII. New Business - None
IX. As May Arise - None
X. Adjournment at 4:01PM