GEORGE MASON
UNIVERSITY
APPROVED
MINUTES OF THE FACULTY SENATE
January 27,
1999
Senators present: K. Alligood, A. Berry, E. Blaisten-Barojas, D. Boileau, L. Bowen, T. Brawley, J. Censer,
R. Coffinberger, J. Crockett, S.
deMonsabert, M. Deshmukh, R. Ehrlich, E. Elstun, K. Gaffney, D. Gantz, H.
Gortner, E. Gunn, J. Hale, M. Holt, D. Kuebrich, M. LeBaron, L. Lederman, C.
Lont, B. Manchester, K. McCrohan, J. Metcalf, L. Miller, S. Muir, D. Potter, L.
Rigsby, D. Rine, L. Rockwood, R. Ruhling, J. Sanford, J. Scimecca, A. Sofer, C. Sutton, H. Tongren, S.
Weinberger, J. Zenelis, S. Zoltek
Senators absent: L. Brown, R. Carty, K.
Clements, T. Domzal, J. Flinn, G. Galluzzo, M. Grady, L. Griffiths, A. Merten,
J. O'Connor, E. O'Hara, A. Palkovich, J. Reid, D. Struppa, A. Taylor, E. Thorp,
K. Vaughn, P. Wilkie, H. Williams, S. Zaccaro
Guests present: K. Cheney (Staff Senate Advisory Committee, IRR), M.
Flaherty (Registrar’s Office), L. Irvine (Provost’s Office), S. Remick-Simkins
(Staff Senate Advisory Committee, English) C. Secrist (Staff Senate Advisory
Committee, Women’s Studies)
I. Call to Order
Chair
E. Elstun called the meeting to order at 3:04 pm.
II. Approval of the Minutes
The
Minutes of the Faculty Senate meeting of December 9, 1998 were approved as
distributed.
III. Announcements
1. On 3 February
from 3:00-4:30 in the front multi-purpose room of the Johnson Center the Faculty
Senate and the Provost will sponsor a "UNIVERSITY FORUM ON GENERAL EDUCATION:
SEEKING COMMON GROUND." Its major purpose is to learn from units other than the CAS what
their expectations of general education are.
The moderator will be KAREN VAUGHN, a member of the Senate and current
chair of the CAS faculty. Six panelists,
representing the academic units that are involved in general education, will
make brief presentations: RANDY GABEL for New Century College; RICK DAVIS
for the Institute of the Arts; GEORGINE REDMOND for the College of Nursing
and Health Science; CHRIS JONES for the College of Arts & Sciences; MARY
ERICKSON for the School of Management; and WILLIAM SUTTON for the School of
Information Technology and Engineering. Their
presentations will be followed by general discussion in which the audience
participates. I hope you will put
this event on your calendar and plan to support it with your presence and
participation.
2. Last fall
I (the Chair) announced to the Senate that the Executive Committee had sent
a proposal to University Rector Edwin Meese that faculty be given representation
on the Board of Visitors. At the December
meeting of the board, Mr. Meese indicated that our proposal would be on the
agenda of the board's retreat/planning conference at Airlie in January. On January 20 he informed me orally (and included
the information in his report at the board meeting later that day) that the
proposal was not accepted; the board did, however, agree to the adoption of
some practices designed to increase the opportunities for direct interaction
between the board and the Faculty Senate. Mr. Meese indicated that the board's actions will be conveyed to
me in writing; when I receive his letter, I will share it with you.
3. An op-ed piece entitled "A Faculty Perspective: What Really Matters for Virginia Higher Education," which I co-authored with faculty leaders from UVA, Virginia Tech and VCU, appeared last weekend in the Charlottesville Daily Progress and -- we hope -- will soon be published in other Virginia newspapers as well.
4. A memorandum
received today from President Merten announces the implementation of a "university-wide
contact and event participation reporting system to track our corporate and
community outreach efforts, increase internal communication, and eliminate
duplication of efforts." Members of the university are encouraged to
use the system. Reports will be submitted
electronically, and the information obtained from them will be added to the
secure Outreach Database. The attachments
to Dr. Merten's memo include samples of the report forms, instructions for
using the system, and password directions for accessing the database.
If you have questions about contacts and events to report, call Traci
Kendall, Community Relations Coordinator (38846); if you have suggestions
concerning the reporting process, call Ida Jackson, Database Coordinator (38693).
IV. Unfinished Business
There
was no unfinished business.
V. New Business
A. Report from Cheryl Secrist, Chair of Staff
Senate Advisory Committee, on the status of the creation of a Staff Senate
at GMU
C.
Secrist reported that a survey was sent to staff members and 25-30% replied
and 96% of the respondents were in favor of the creation of a Staff Senate.
The Staff Senate Advisory Committee will be meeting with Dr. Scherrens
and Dr. Merten within the month, and the hope is to have the first Staff Senate
Meeting in May, 1999. Progress on
a Charter, By-laws and formation of the Staff Senate will continue, with early
agenda items/goals to include: staff/faculty
relations; staff/student relations; compensation issues; and, the Staff establishing
a voice recognized by the University community.
B. Committee Reports
1.
Executive Committee
E.
Elstun reported that the Committee finalized planning and arrangements for
the Forum on General Education which takes place on Wednesday, February 3,
from 3:00-4:30pm in the Front Multi-Purpose Room of the Johnson Center. All faculty members are encouraged to attend the Forum which is
being co-sponsored by the Faculty Senate and the Office of the Provost.
The Committee hopes to have some guidelines for the conferral of honorific titles ready for the February meeting.
The
Committee also discussed the Forum on Criteria to determine when program elimination’s
have a University-wide impact and decided the date for that Forum to be Tuesday,
March 30, from 3:00-4:30pm. Additional
details regarding the Forum will be distributed as they become available. Organization for the Forum is being headed
by Provost Potter, D. Gantz, and D. Boileau.
Finally,
at the February meeting, the Committee expects D. Rossell (Provost’s Office)
to report on the number of Post-Tenure
Review cases at GMU.
2.
Academic Policies Committee
L.
Bowen reported that the Committee will host a meeting on February 10, regarding
the Resolution from the Student Government and Student Senate regarding the
ROTC for credit issue. The Committee will also be holding a meeting
on February 17, to address the Academic Calendar and Martin L. King, Jr. holiday
issues. Members of the Committee would
like to hear from interested faculty members and encourage participation on
these issues. The Committee hopes
to have both of these items ready for Senate consideration at the March Faculty
Senate meeting. A major concern regarding
the ROTC issue is faculty control over the teachers of the ROTC courses.
3.
Facilities and Support Services Committee
S.
Zoltek reported that Janet Hale represented the Committee at the Mail Services
Committee meeting at which the announcement for bids for mail services were
discussed. The Mail Services Committee is seeking information
on specialty services which faculty might be interested in, such as special
pick-ups, special international mailing, etc. Please contact J. Hale ([email protected]), before the next meeting
of that Committee during the second week in February, with any comments or
suggestions for the upcoming bids for mail services.
Next,
the Committee continues its work in searching for a new bookstore provider
for the Campus Bookstore.
4. Faculty
Matters Committee
E.
Elstun reported for an ill E. Thorp, that the Committee is proceeding with
their work on the Faculty Evaluation of Administrators and those evaluations
will occur later this Spring. The
Committee is also working with the Academic Policies Committee on a shared
item regarding faculty use of technology.
5.
Nominations Committee
L.
Miller reported that there were two action items for this meeting. The first item was to fill the Nominations
Committee vacancy created by the departure of Anita Taylor for the remainder
of the Academic year. Since nominees
for the Nominations Committee must come from the floor, L. Miller asked if
there were any nominees. Robert Ehrlich
was nominated and there were no other nominations.
A motion to close the call for nominations was made and seconded and
R. Ehrlich was elected to serve on the Nominations Committee.
The
second action item was to fill a vacancy on the Non-Traditional, Interdisciplinary
and Adult Learning (NIAL) Committee. The
nominee to replace the vacancy created by S. Shields resignation was Suzanne
Carbonneau (IOA) and S. Carbonneau was elected to serve on the NIAL Committee. Another nominee for the NIAL Committee should
be presented at the February Senate Meeting.
6.
Organization & Operations Committee
E.
Blaisten-Barojas reported that the O&O Committee met jointly with the
NIAL Committee and built momentum for future meetings of the NIAL Committee.
The NIAL Committee had been reluctant to meet due to several Committee
vacancies and the change in their charge.
The O&O Committee also plans to meet jointly with the Salary Study
Committee as well to further progress of that Committee.
Also,
the O&O Committee is considering the creation of a Senate Committee to
establish and maintain a relationship with State Legislators.
C. Other Reports
1.
Senate Liaisons to the Board of Visitors
A.
Sofer and H. Tongren both reported on the BOV meetings.
A. Sofer reported on the December Meeting and H. Tongren on the January
meeting. The complete reports are attached to these
minutes as Attachment B.
2.
Representatives of the Faculty Senate of Virginia
E.
Elstun reported that the next meeting of the Faculty Senate of Virginia is
February 20, at Virginia Commonwealth University.
3.
Senate Composition Task Force
A.
Sofer reported that the Task Force is drafting a resolution and that the Senate
can expect an action item in either February or March.
4. Faculty
Senate Anniversary Committee
J.
Metcalf reported that the Committee is planning festivities to commemorate
the 25th Anniversary of the Faculty Senate at GMU.
The Committee consists of seven members, five of whom are heading specific
initiatives. J. Metcalf also reported that the Provost’s
Office has committed to providing the necessary funding for this Committee’s
event(s) and speakers. Comments and
suggestions for the Committee are welcomed, please contact a Committee member
with any ideas or problems. The members
of the Committee and their primary initiatives are:
1.
H. Tongren - selecting and coordinating the guest speaker. A possible candidate for this is Senator Moynihan.
The target date for the speaker is Monday, April 5, at 1:30 pm in the
Johnson Center.
2.
H. Heclo - working with A. Sofer, to develop a website for the Anniversary. Faculty statements on Academic issues are needed
to promote interaction and debate. All
positions on any relative issue are welcome.
3.
M. Deshmukh - heading the symposium/colloquium which is targeting
Wednesday, April 21, which would have refreshments and discussion afterwards. M. Deshmukh is inviting Senators with long-time
participation in Faculty Senate, Senators from other Universities, and a Representative
of the AAUP to discuss faculty governance.
4.
J. Crockett - organizing the social events to complement
each or many of these activities.
5.
J. Metcalf - putting together a television mini-series for broadcast
on GMU-TV interviewing Senators and other faculty members. Faculty members interested in making a statement should contact
J. Metcalf or another Committee member.
J.
Fletcher and A. Taylor are the final members of the Committee.
VI. Other New Business
None.
VII. Adjournment
The
meeting was adjourned at 4:00pm.
Respectfully
submitted,
Donald
T. Gantz, Secretary
GMU
Faculty Senate
Attachment A - Position
Description for Director of University Police
George
Mason University, a public University in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with
an enrollment of 24,000 students on three campuses, is seeking a Director
of University Police, responsible for a comprehensive law enforcement program
across all campuses. The Director
will lead a department accredited by the CALEA with 48 sworn officers and
additional security and support personnel.
Responsibilities include developing and directing comprehensive programs
in law enforcement to ensure a safe and secure environment for living and
working, consistent with the laws of the Commonwealth and policies of the
University, developing budgets, allocating resources, managing personnel,
representing the University as the law enforcement liaison with other law
enforcement agencies, and directing security and traffic for special events. Minimum
qualifications:
Master's degree in a relevant field desirable, certification or eligibility for
certification by the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice, and progressively
responsible law enforcement experience to include significant experience at the
command level. Experience in law
enforcement in higher education is desirable.
Equivalent combinations of education, training, and experience may
substitute for the stated qualifications.
Starting salary range $65-70,000/yr. plus comprehensive benefits
package. Interested individuals should
submit a letter of application
and
resume, no later than January 22, 1999, to:
Director
of University Police Search
Human
Resources
MSN
3C3
George
Mason University
Fairfax,
Virginia 22030
AA/EOE
Attachment B - Reports of the
Senate Liaisons to the Board of Visitors
In
the December meeting, the Faculty and Academic Standards Committee heard a
review by Dean Struppa of the plans for general education currently in progress
at GMU. CAS has determined that general
education at GMU should provide students with (a) a knowledge of the world
they live in; (b) the ability to think critically and conceptually; (c) familiarity
with different modes of inquiry; and (d) skills to continue their intellectual
growth. There are many ways to achieve
these goals, and CAS is trying to structure a series of suggested paths
that would guide students in this regard.
CAS is also reviewing the existing requirements, including the foreign
language and literature requirements.
The Committee also identified its top priorities. These are (1) performance measures for the University; (2) general education requirements and course offerings; (3) review of New Century College; (4) policy studies; (5) Prince William Campus. Individual committee members will devote time to specific priorities; The (Provost in consultation with the Deans and Directors) is establishing faculty committees for each of these five areas, and one or more Board members will act as liaisons to each committee.
Finally
the Committee heard a brief presentation from Senate Chair Esther Elstun,
requesting the BOV to allow a faculty member to serve on the Board.
At
the meeting of the Student Affairs Committee, Vice Provost Wood reported on
the agreement between his office and the Student Senate, concerning faculty
teaching evaluations. The six student-selected
questions would be the six questions currently in use in the teaching evaluations.
The scores on these questions would be made available to the students,
and would be accessible via the web from GMU computers.
The
Committee also heard a review on surveys of student satisfaction.
Student satisfaction is an important issue that will be on the agenda
in future meetings as well as in other discussion groups.
H.
Tongren reported that in the January meeting, the Faculty and Academic Standards
Committee confirmed faculty appointments and resignations, heard a presentation
on Computational Statistics and is developing criteria for faculty evaluations
for BOV use in the Fall. The Student
Affairs Committee examined a plan on high risk and illegal drinking, and reached
the following:
Board
members will be meeting with student groups, identified by Student Government, to try to identify the causes of student dissatisfaction at GMU.
The Board of Visitors identified
11 Board Priorities as follows:
LEGEND COMMITTEES
A - Full BOV Work Session (with possible Comm. Support) EEO&AA - Affirmative Action
F&AS - Faculty & Academic Standards
B - BOV regular agenda following Comm. Preparation F&RD - Finance & Resource Development
LU&PF - Land Use & Physical Facilities
C - Committee action and report to BOV SA - Student Affairs
SUBJECT CATEGORY COMMITTEE
BOV Participation in Strategic
Planning A Exec
(Mission, Vision, Goals, Strategies)
Spires of Excellence
B F&AS
Undergraduate Education (Core Curriculum)
Technology
Law/Economics/Public Policy
BOV Involvement in Legislative
Affairs B All
Board Liaison (Information
& Support) C Exec
External Fundraising
B F&RD
Capital Campaign
GMU Foundation Relationship
with BOV B F&RD
Marketing & Public Relations
A Exec
Student Life
B
SA
Housing
Orientation & Counseling
Curricula Review
C
F&AS
Performance Measures
New Century College
Law School
C
F&AS
Faculty Resources
F&RD
Budgeting
A
F&RD
Explicit BOV approval (including interim Amendments) LU&PF
Adequate time foe BOV review
Review of each unit (inputs and outputs)
Further,
the President listed several “priority events” are occurring in January/February,
including the Council of Education meeting and special meetings with SCHEV.
The
BOV approved the upgrade of the Civil, Environmental & Infrastructure
Engineering Program to the Department of Civil, Environmental & Infrastructure
Engineering.
Finally,
the BOV voted not to take action on the Foundational Plan to Reduce Binge
and Illegal Drinking.