Dr. Ann Albrecht— President
Dr. Mark Shipman — Past President , ex-officio Dr. Rebekah MillerLevy – Sec/Treasurer
Dr. Don Beach – President-Elect Dr. Reggie Hall - Parliamentarian
Faculty Senate Minutes
Date: February 2, 2014
PRESENT:
Mr. Alex Tanter, Ms. Manon Shockey, Dr. Randy Roisere, Dr. Allan Nelson, Dr. Robert Anderson, Dr. Brittany Rodriguez, Dr. Rebekah Miller-Levy, Dr. Don Beach, Mr. Richard Willey, Dr. Mark Shipman, Ms. Paula McKeehan, Dr. Anthony Pursell, Dr. Wendell Sadler, Amanda Pape (sub for Ms. Cathy Wilterding), Dr. Reggie Hall, Dr. Keith Emmert, Dr. Brooke Dubansky, Dr. Mary Winton, Dr. Ann Albrecht, and Ms. Francine Pratt.
ABSENT:
Dr. Rajani Srinivasen, Mr. Art Dearing, Dr. Mircea Agapie, MSG Jimmy Garcia, and Dr. Matt Hallgarth.
CALL TO ORDER:
The meeting was called to order by Dr. Albrecht at 3:05pm
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
Dr. Winton moved to approve the minutes of the last meeting. Ms. Pratt seconded. Motion carried.
TREASURER’S REPORT:
Current balance is $4639.03
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
1. A representative of SSC Contracts will be the guest speaker for the March meeting.
UNIVERSITY COMMITTEES:
Reports/Committee assignments
A. Academic Assessment (Nelson)
Introduction of new members. Discussion of 5th Year status report ending May 31, 2015. Committee is looking for data success stories from faculty. Requesting feedback for Department heads. SACSCOC Conference Report and Dates for Texas A & M Assessment Conference. Discussion of AAC Review of Assessments Audits and a need for feedback for Deans, Dept, Heads, and Academic Program Coordinators.
B. Academic Council (Albrecht)
Calendar Committee presented a draft of the final exam schedule that does include Saturday exams. Discussion of proposed summer schedule.
C. Academic Council Management Team (Albrecht)
Discussion of Carnegie Corporation nominee process and timeline. Dr. Taylor gave a demonstration of OpenStax. Dr. Murray encouraged all member to attend the UPC Retreat. Discussion of Living, Learning Community Courses and the timeline for decision-making. Several other topics were discussed in Round Table format, including Research Appreciation Week, Honors Appreciation Week, System funding for research, MLK Dinner, Academic Advising, PHD proposal development, and the need for more Departmental Honors courses.
D. Academic Standards (Hall & Beach)
No report
E. Access Equity and Diversity Committee (Pratt)
No report
F. ALE/REAL Oversight Committee (Miller-Levy)
No meeting
G. Budget Advisory Council (Tanter)
Discussion of current budget of each College. Discussion of moving to a weighted semester credit hour model for future budget cycles with the understanding that the budget will eventually have to be adjusted by College to meet the new formula.
H. Campus Ethics, Compliance, and Enterprise Risk Management (Winton)
Discussion of Compliance Quarterly Reports. The Tarleton Police Dispatch System is not in compliance. Committee is current looking at options that include joining with the City or bringing TSU’s system into compliance.
I. CII Advisory Council (Wilterding)
No report
J. Commencement & Convocation (Beach & Shipman)
No report
K. Curriculum Committee (Hallgarth & Miller-Levy)
Passed several curriculum items. Discussion of the use of the word Management and Leadership by Departments other than Bussiness.
L. Developmental Education Advisory Council (McKeehan)
Discussion included issues with scheduling and reenrollment if necessary. The Committee is evaluating several possible solutions. No solution was selected at this time.
M. Employee Benefits Committee (Shipman)
No meeting
N. Faculty Handbook Committee (Shipman)
No meeting
O. SEMEC (Albrecht)
Discussion included a review of enrollment goals. There is a projected 4% decrease in incoming freshman applications for Fall 2015. Discussion of possible reasons included increase in admission standards and forced residence hall occupation for 2 years.
P. University Calendar Committee (Pursell)
Discussion included start/end dates up to 2018. Start date for Fall 2015 is Monday, August 17. The President’s meeting will be held on this day and Dr. Murray is asking all Department meetings be held on this day. At this time, compliance is voluntary.
Q. University Discipline Appeals (Miller-Levy)
No meeting
R. University Planning Council (Shipman)
Discussion at the Retreat included change in NCAA division, Strategic Plan reports, and the overwhelming lack of faculty support for ALEs as a required graduation requirement.
S. UPMC (Albrecht)
Discussion included a new system to streamline reporting process, the hiring of a business analyst to help prioritize needs, and a plan to help facilitate student use of Financial Aide process.
OLD BUSINESS
A. IRB
An IRB representative will be the guest for the April meeting. Reports from across Colleges indicate that the hiring of a full-time person has helped with timeliness and organization. Dr. Murray has no plans to meet with other Colleges at this time. If individual Colleges want to me with her, she is open to scheduling a meeting.
B. Shared Governance
Committee is still working on document. The completed sections deal mainly with hiring.
C. College Tenure & Promotion/ Post-Tenure Review Status Update
All Colleges have passed their requirements. Dr. Murray stated that legislature is moving towards this type of Post-Tenure Review so TSU is being proactive.
NEW BUSINESS
A. ALE Feedback Forms
Dr. Atchley has received some forms back from faculty. Early indication is that faculty supports the concept of the ALE Program but vehemently oppose the idea of ALEs becoming a mandatory graduation requirement for all students. The Faculty Senate requested to see the survey.
B. Summary of Jan 27 Executive Board’s Meeting with Academic Affairs Leadership
Faculty Senate is represented by Dr. Reggie Hall on the search committee for the Vice-President of Student Life. Discussion included having a series of weeks honoring Teaching, Research, and Service, the timeline for the teaching and service pieces of Tenure & Promotion and Post-Tenure Review. These were separated out because they will not be as contentious as much is SAP.
GUEST: Harry Battson, Assistant Vice-President of Marketing and Communication
Mr. Battson addressed Faculty Senate concerns about the Texan Tall slogan and stated:
A. Although 85% of the responses to the Texan Tall survey were positive, the remaining response was so negative that Texan Tall as the University’s slogan has been eliminated as a possibility.
B. A brand is not a look, it is a promise developed in accordance with the university’s mission and vision statements, and the values endorsed by them.
C. Although the Brand will be the same for all Colleges, the message included with the Brand will be individualized to specifically targeted audience.
D. Consistency in logos, color, and licensing is the key to developing brand recognition.
E. One major graphic with individualized smaller targets will reduce confusion.
Mr. Battson addressed Faculty Senate concerns about Office of Marketing and Communications micromanaging and stated:
A. There have been no changes in policy. TSU marketing policy has always been to send requests through Office of Marketing and Communications creative team first. It is possible that a misconception has occurred because, previously, if an item was sent directly to Purchasing, they forwarded it on to the creative team before purchasing but did not notify the organization or individual so it appeared as if the creative team never saw the request, however, they always have.
B. No one has to throw any old items away. The intent is that from this point forward, we will have a single brand to use with the public.
Mr. Battson addressed Faculty Senate concerns about Social Media and stated:
A. Request form enables the Office of Marketing and Communications to promote, coordinate, and assist with Social Media applications. The intention is not to monitor or govern individual use of Social Media.
B. Request form allows Office of Marketing and Communications to provide a common contact point for all OFFICIAL TSU Social Media. These policies do not apply to closed groups or applications that do not include the general public.
C. There is no intention to actively monitor the use of official TSU Social Media. The intention is to have the ability to swiftly respond to issues that might arise.
D. The Office of Marketing and Communications does not have to be an administrator on any official TSU Social Media account but they do require that TWO different individuals be listed as administrators and have access to password.
E. The Office of Marketing and Communications policy does require that any Social Media accounts that are open to the general public and represent TSU in any way be up-to-date, be correct, have current contact information, and represent the University in an appropriate manner.
Mr. Battson asked for comments and/or suggestions from the Faculty Senate about brands and recruiting. It was suggested that part of the loss of recognition of TSU in the area is due to the fact the individual Colleges no longer have recruiters. Part of TSU’s appeal has always been the strength of the individual programs and once the recruiters were centralized, they lost the in-depth knowledge of individual programs. There was also discussion of a time when TSU sponsored a luncheon for area High School counselors as a way to help better facilitate passing on information about TSU to potential students. This might be something to bring back. Discussion of the difference between the recruiting needs for the Metroplex, Waco, and Stephenville campuses. All agreed this is a very complex issue that needs much consideration.
ADJOURNMENT:
Dr. Albrecht adjourned meeting at 5:06.