GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY
APPROVED MINUTES OF THE FACULTY SENATE
March 31, 1999
(Continued from March 10, 1999)
Senators Present: K. Alligood, A. Berry, E. Blaisten-Barojas, D. Boileau, L. Bowen, T. Brawley, J. Crockett, S. deMonsabert, M. Deshmukh, R. Ehrlich, E. Elstun, D. Gantz, H. Gortner, E. Gunn, J. Hale, M. Holt, L. Lederman, J. Metcalf, S. Muir, L. Rigsby, J. Sanford, J. Scimecca, A. Sofer, C. Sutton, H. Tongren, K. Vaughn, H. Williams, J. Zenelis, S. Zoltek
Senators Absent: L. Brown, R. Carty, J. Censer, K. Clements, R. Coffinberger, T. Domzal, J. Flinn, K. Gaffney, G. Galluzzo, M. Grady, L. Griffiths, D. Kuebrich, M. LeBaron, C. Lont, B. Manchester, K. McCrohan, A. Merten, L. Miller, J. O'Connor, E. O'Hara, A. Palkovich, D. Potter, J. Reid, D. Rine, L. Rockwood, R. Ruhling, D. Struppa, A. Taylor, E. Thorp, S. Weinberger, P. Wilkie, S. Zaccaro
Guests Present: C. Csizmadia (Student Senate), G. Dunne (Student Senate), R. Green (Student, CAS), I. Harrington (Student, CNHS), P. Hashemi (Student Senate), J. Hill (Student, SOM), L. Irvine (Provost's Office)
I. Call to Order
Chair Esther Elstun called the meeting to order at 3:05 pm.
II. Approval of Minutes
The Minutes of the March 10, 1999 Faculty Senate Meeting were approved as distributed.
H. Tongren announced that on Monday, April 5, the Faculty Senate 25th Anniversary Celebration will begin with a presentation by Dr. William Kristol (television commentator, editor, and member of the GMU BOV). Dr. Kristol will be speaking at 1:30 in the Multi-Purpose Room of the Johnson Center, and there will be a reception immediately following. All members of the University Community are welcome and encouraged to attend.
B. Committee Reports
2. Academic Policies Committee
Motion on "Changing the Academic Calendar and Acknowledging
MLK Day"
M. Deshmukh distributed a sample Spring Three Year Calendar and noted
that the change from the current Calendar is minor. M. Deshmukh then re-read
the Motion (as the Attachment to the Agenda) and a brief discussion followed.
It was stressed that the motion would put GMU in line with other universities
in the Consortium regarding no classes on Martin Luther King Day. It was moved
and seconded that a vote on the main motion take place, and this motion
passed. The Academic Calendar motion was moved and the motion
passed.
A. Committee Reports
1. Facilities & Support Services Committee
S. Zoltek reported that several Committee members had brief reports
of business items which they were heading within the Committee. First, J. Hale
reported that there is a call out for proposals for the mail services contract
for the University and that any questions or comments regarding this issue should
be directed to her or the Committee.
Next, A. Berry reported that Barnes & Noble was awarded the new Bookstore contract and will be fully operational by July 1. The BOV approved the contract. Barnes & Noble is currently working on the transition, and due to an amiable working relationship with the current contract holder, the transition is expected to go very smoothly. Barnes & Noble will contact faculty early to place orders for books for the next semester, so that students can receive as much for their used books as possible. The Regional Representative for Barnes & Noble will have an office in the Johnson Center and the interviewing process for a Bookstore Manager is underway. Please submit orders for the Spring 2000 Semester as early as possible to minimize the possible risk of the Y2K computer problem affecting book orders.
S. Zoltek then reported that the Police Chief Search Committee will be meeting with the candidates and hopes that faculty can attend the interviews and meet the potential candidates. The dates and times of the interviews can be obtained from S. Zoltek at ([email protected]).
2. Academic Policies Committee
L. Bowen reported that the Committee will have a motion regarding "Increasing
Military Science Credits to be Counted Toward Graduation" at the April
Senate meeting.
J. Sanford reported that there has been a request from Joe Wood and the Administration to incorporate a grade of Administrative F as an unofficial transcript (internal use) grade. Given the current use of Never Attending (NA) and Stops Attending (SA), the AP Committee felt that implementing the FA (Failing Administrative) would be a procedural change, not a change in "policy" and therefore did not warrant further involvement. Additionally, this grade could also be helpful in advising and counseling of students.
3. Faculty Matters Committee
There was nothing to report from Faculty Matters.
4. Nominations Committee
J. Metcalf reported that the Committee was nominating Don Boileau (CAS) to fill
the vacancy on the Salary Study Committee. There were no nominations from the
floor. It was moved and seconded that nominations be closed and
that a unanimous ballot be cast for D. Boileau. The motion passed, and
D. Boileau was elected to the Salary Study Committee.
5. Organization & Operations Committee
E. Blaisten-Barojas reported that the Senate Seat Allocations had been
worked out, and the results were distributed. Copies of the results are available
in the Faculty Senate Office.
Next, the Committee continues its investigation into the possibility of a new committee to conduct interaction with local legislators and community members to build and maintain relationships external to GMU.
Also, O&O is conducting a survey of the time spent on business of various University Standing Committees and is also considering the modification of the charge of the Facilities & Support Services Committee to incorporate a better role in the Parking Appeals Committee.
Finally, E. Blaisten-Barojas reported that a proposal came to O&O to establish a committee to analyze an "ideal university" as published by John Warfield (TIPP). Professor Warfield sought a volunteer to hear his proposal which could ultimately lead to Senate action. Although O&O Committee members are not available for such a review, any Senator interested in this proposal can contact the O&O Committee for further information.
B. Other Reports
1. Senate Liaisons to the Board of Visitors
A. Sofer reported on behalf of the Faculty Senate Liaisons to the Board
of Visitors. The report is attached to these Minutes as Attachment A.
2. Representatives of the Faculty Senate of Virginia
The Representatives of the Faculty Senate of Virginia reported, by
permission, out of order from the March 10 Senate Agenda, and that report was
part of the March 10 Minutes approved at this continued meeting.
3. Senate Composition Task Force
A. Sofer reported that the Task Force will have an action item for the April
14 Faculty Senate Meeting.
4. Faculty Senate Anniversary Committee
J. Metcalf reiterated H. Tongren's announcement about Dr. Kristol's
speaking engagement April 5, and encouraged all University community members
to attend.
Additionally, J. Metcalf reported that there will be a Panel Discussion on Faculty Governance issues in the Johnson Center, Room H, from 12:00-1:30pm on April 26. This discussion is also open to all members of the University community.
Also, there is a two-part video session being produced for the Senate's Anniversary Celebration, and a web-site is being created. The web-site has promise of being the most enduring mark of the celebration, because it can continue even after the end of this academic year. Faculty members are urged to participate in the web-site portion of the celebration by submitting statements regarding academic issues. J. Metcalf suggested that the more controversial the issue the better in order to create discussion and promote intellectual thought and debate.
R. Ehrlich reported that the four finalists for the Dean of Admissions have been announced and that faculty members are encouraged to attend the interviews and provide the Search Committee with comments/questions. E. Elstun asked Senators to attend the interviews if possible and is seeking faculty reactions to the four candidates.
D. Gantz reported that the Forum on the University-Wide Impact of Program Closings was held on March 30, and that the Provost would be talking to the Executive Committee about the guidelines for identifying those programs. The Forum went well, and the panelists did a very good job and will be thanked for their participation.
H. Tongren reiterated the Speaking Engagement of Dr. Kristol and encouraged everyone to attend.
VII. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 4:07 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Donald T. Gantz,
Secretary of the Faculty Senate
The March meeting of the Board of Visitors was held on March 24, in conjunction with the dedication of the new Law School Building at the Arlington campus.
In a brief meeting the Student Affairs Committee continued their discussion of the student satisfaction at George Mason University, and their plans to conduct a survey on this issue. Despite some concerns raised about the short time frame, the committee decided to launch a web-based student survey that will commence in mid April and continue for a month. The purpose of the survey is to identify the main areas of concern among our students, with the ultimate goal of improving problematic areas. In additional business, the committee discussed the ongoing election of the BOV student representative for next year.
In continuation of the review of New Century College, the Faculty and Academic Affairs Committee heard a presentation by Dean O'Connor on a self-study review of NCC completed last year. Dean O'Connor discussed the reasons for establishing NCC, goals of NCC, and its past achievements. He identified a number of issues that could be addressed in the ongoing review of NCC: the rigor of interdisciplinary studies; the purpose/value of experiential learning; student accomplishments; NCC impact on other units; and efficient use of resources. Committee Chair DiGennaro asked Dean O'Connor whether the goals of NCC could be achieved within CAS, and whether it is possible to learn about the relations between disciplines without first understanding the disciplines. These questions would presumably be included in the review. Chairman DiGennaro also noted that the review commitee does not include a representative from science or math, and asked for a broader representation from these areas.
The Committee next heard a report from Senate Chair Esther Elstun regarding the Status of the Senate resolution regarding ROTC. Professor Elstun distributed copies of Attachment A (the report and recommendations of the Academic Policies Committee) to the agenda of the March Senate Meeting, and explained that due to ambiguity in language the motion put forth to the Senate by the Academic Policies Committee was referred back to the Committee for discussion in the Senate's April meeting. Visitor Murray then stated his opinion that this should have been a simple matter to decide, and charged that Senators are opposing the motion for political reasons. Professor Elstun responded sharply to this criticism, and emphasized the valid academic concerns that were raised by the Senate, adding that even the sponsor, Georgetown University, only recognizes 6 ROTC credit for graduation. Visitor Murray then speculated that by approving 20 ROTC credits, GMU could be closer to being an ROTC sponsor. Rector Meese pointed out that the number of sponsor universities is fixed, and that a university cannot become an ROTC sponsor unless some other university relinquishes its sponsorship. Rector Meese added that although GU is the sponsor, GMU can determine its policies regardless of those of GU. The Rector asked Professor Elstun for additional input in the Boards April 28 meeting. The input should include: the relevant decisions accepted by the Faculty Senate in their April 14 meeting; a list of the ROTC courses currently offered, and if necessary a short description; a comparison of the related ROTC policies at other universities; a list of the courses that are not accepted by military academies; a description of the mechanism that ROTC uses to evaluate its courses; for each of the ROTC courses the closest GMU course for which we could give credit; and a summary of justifications for and against accepting credit toward for ROTC courses.
In further business the Committee approved proposals for the B.S/M.S degree in chemistry and the Ph.D degree in electrical and computer engineering, and deferred discussion on the proposal for the M.A. degree in cultural anthropology till the April.
The EEO and Affirmative Action Committee heard a presentation on the challenges of dealing with psychological disabilities by Darryle Craig, Americans with Disabilities Coordinator. The Committee was satisfied that we do not have concerns in this area. The Finance and Resource Development approved a three year contract to Barnes and Nobles to manage the bookstores on all three campuses. The Committee also approved the summer tuition and fee rates. These are equal to the rates that were in effect throughout the 1998-1999 academic year. The University was advised that the intent of the Governor is to make the reduction in tuition and fee rates effective in Fall 1999.
In the Meeting of the Full Board President Merten announced that GMU has obtained additional funding in the General Assembly's budget beyond what was approved in the Governor's budget. He announced that we are now moving ahead in implementing the plan of the University. One issue that will be looked in further is "which programs should go across schools and which programs that cross schools should reside in one school?"
The President and the Board recognized both the men's and the women's basketball team. After approving all committee recommendations the Board adjourned its meeting and proceeded to the ceremony for the dedication of the Law School building.