MINUTES OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

OF THE FACULTY SENATE

Friday, April 18, 2008, 1:30-:2:30 p.m.; Mason Hall, room D5

 

Present:  James Bennett, Lorraine Brown, Phil Buchanan, Kim Eby (Provost's representative), Janette Muir, Larry Rockwood, Suzanne Slayden, Susan Trencher.

 

I.  Approval of the Minutes of March 21, 2008:  The minutes were approved as distributed.

 

II.  Announcements

Committee members are reminded to submit annual reports for inclusion in the agenda for the April 30, 2008 Faculty Senate meeting.

 

III. Reports of Senate Standing Committee Chairs for inclusion in April 30th agenda:

A.  Academic Policies – no report.

 

B.  Budget and Resources – Phil Buchanan

The report on variations in direct expenditures around GMU  will be presented. The report illustrates how incremental resources are allocated; very interesting to see variations among schools:  for example SOL = $38,000/FTE, CHSS = $7,600/FTE.

 

C.  Faculty Matters – Larry Rockwood

 The committee has completed its rewrite on the Post-Tenure Review Policy.

 

D.  Nominations – Jim Bennett

Results pending of the selection by the GMU Foundation Board of one of the three nominees for faculty representative to the Board.    Even though the GMUF bylaws require a choice of one from among three candidates, it was felt that it was sufficient for the Faculty Senate to present just one candidate.  Concern was also expressed about the two non-selected nominees taking offense, as well as the difficulty in finding volunteers to serve.  The chair of the Faculty Senate will discuss these concerns with Tracy White, assistant to David Roe (Foundation Board Chairperson); acknowledging they may seek widest perspective and may be unaware of other concerns noted above.

 

E.  Organization and Operations – Lorraine Brown

The second reading and vote on proposed amendments to the By-Laws will be taken.

 

IV.  Business for Next Faculty Senate Meeting Agenda

Old Business:  Motions from the Task Force on Compensation Issues, second reading and vote on by-laws amendment as noted above, and the Report of the Task Force to Improve Research.

 

New Business:  Senate Standing Committees and University Standing Committees Annual Reports, and University Policy on Financial Conflicts of Interest in Federally-Funded Research. The latter is important especially to science faculty.  The administration wishes to present it to the BOV for approval at its May 2008 meeting.

 

V.  New Business/Discussion

Larry Rockwood, representative to the Johnson Center Policy Board, reported the Board met yesterday and has been disbanded.  It will be replaced by a new body dealing with the Student Unisons and other student spaces.  A member of the Faculty Senate will be asked to serve on the new board.  The Collaborative Learning Hub (CLUB) anachronistic in dealing only with the Johnson Center.  In response to question raised about spaces set aside for meetings adjacent to areas with loud music,  space assignments are made through the Office of Events Management.  Given volume of demand, difficult to reserve (quiet) space anywhere.

 

The Provost will report on COLA discussions with SCHEV.  The results of the Faculty Evaluation of Administrators Survey for the Provost will be made available for use by the Provost Evaluation Committee before May 1st deadline.  (Reported by Kim Eby in Provost's absence).

 

The Academic Policies Committee has received a request from the School of Management to review the number of times a course may be repeated.  There are also some implementation problems in the Banner system.  The Committee feels this did not require (a new) university-wide policy, rather should remain an internal decision by each school.  Example:  a student encounters difficulty in passing an individual course required for graduation in the Finance Dept.  Not a capstone course, but a core course which should be taken during junior year.  Suggestion made to require course in earlier year.  Some students will retake courses to earn higher grades.  Repeat courses may be viewed on transcripts; unless student plans to attend graduate school, most employers do not care about GPA.  The committee will request statistics from the Registrar's Office on how many retake courses/how many times per course, and will revisit issue in Fall, 2008.  Requests for retakes must be approved by school, not automatically enrolled by Registrar.  Old policy in which retakes were not allowed unless a “C” grade or below was earned.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Meg Caniano

Clerk, Faculty Senate