Faculty Senate Meeting
18 November 2009
Lyceum CSWS, 2:30-3:30
Senators present: John Condie, Jim Cross, Betty Dorr, Brad Clark,Kathy Fine-Dare, Ginny Davis, Janine Fitzgerald, Leslie Goldstein, Ryan Haaland, Brian Hanks, Doug Lyon, Michele Malach,Michael Martin, Ayla Moore, Astrid Oliver, Dugald Owen, Ellen Paul, Chuck Riggs, Amy Sellin, Cathy Simbeck, Gene Taylor
Senators absent: Mary Ann Erickson, Rick Gore, Michael Fry
Guests: Marta Bergen, Shere Byrd, Paul McGurr, Sarah Roberts-Cady, Steve Roderick
Cross called the meeting to order at 2:32pm.
Dugald Owen moved to approve of the Minutes of 21 October 2009, seconded, passed.
Reports:
Budget Committee update
The link to the BC minutes is now on the Senate Website.
Chuck Riggs reported that there is still no word on the presidential search; we have 12 applications. We start reviewing in January. Applicants are encouraged to apply by 10 December 2009.
Regarding the budget, there is a $~4.2m problem. Riggs or Cross will take faculty ideas about how to face the problem(s).
Call for meeting of the Teaching Faculty for 2 December 2009.
Janine Fitzgerald moved to have another meeting at 5pm on 2 December, seconded, approved. An email will be sent out with the exact time of the meeting.
New Business:
Curriculum Action Items:
Engineering MajorNew Major
ENGR 271Measurements & Instrumentation1 crNew Course
ENGR 318Materials Science3 crNew Course
ENGR 319Materials/Mechanics Laboratory1 crNew Course
ENGR 336Systems & Control3 crNew Course
ENGR 337Analog Electronics4 crNew title /#/Prefix/cr
ENGR 338Digital Electronics4 crNew title/#/cr?
ENGR 407Thermal & Fluids Systems Lab1 crNew Course
ENGR 410Alternative Energy Systems3 crNew Course
ENGR 425Hydraulics & Hydrology3 crNew Course
John Condie moved to approve, seconded. Discussion followed. Leslie Goldstein moved to table until later today, seconded, approved. Untabled. Ryan Haaland arrived and said “Anything listed at 1 credit is a lab.”
Kathy Fine-Dare asked how this got out of Curriculum Committee with 121 or 134 credits. 121 means the student double dips a bunch. Haaland said “pre-engineering” is narrow and students come here planning to transfer. This new major is trying to address that brain drainand improve retention. This program offers a basic core of Engineering courses. Students in this program may not sit for their professional licensures without a degree. This would qualify them for that. Goldstein commented that math requirements will add time to a student’s time here.
Cross asked if this could recruit students away from other programs. Haaland: sure!
Doug Lyon asked what happens to a student who comes to FLC with less than college algebra. Haaland said that those students usually get to the point where they realize that Engineering wasn’t exactly what they wanted to do. So these are good retention opportunities for us. To stop students from transferring to CSU or CSU Mines.
Brian Hanks asked if we have the faculty to teach all these courses. Haaland, yes, with one addition. “We think it’s cost-neutral and will generate funds within a few years.”
Fine-Dare has heard a rumor that Engr. & Phys. need to produce a certain number of majors in order to keep their new hire. Haaland doesn’t know. Cathy Simbeck asked if they can get good candidates for that position. Haaland said they had one last year but the position was frozen and now the job market is in our favor.
Lyon likes the focus on ‘new revenue’, but these new majors have got to sell quick. How many students are we going to prevent from transferring? And how many new students will choose to come here because of this program? And how many FTE will there be? Haaland: we had 65 admits who chose not to come here.
Vote: Approved.
BA in Public HealthNew Major
Minor in Public HealthNew Minor
PH 201Intro to Public Health3 crNew Course
PH 205Environmental Health3 crNew Course
PH 250Communicable & Chronic Disease3 crNew Course
PH 320Community Health Behavior3 crNew Course
PH 350Substance Abuse Prevention3 crNew Course
PH 460Public Health Service Learning4 crNew Course
PH 480Public Health Senior Seminar3 crNew Course
PH 380Epidemiology4 crNew Course
PH 450Program Planning & Evaluation4 crNew Course
BIO 208Intro to Microbiology4 crNew Course
Brian Hanks moved to approve, seconded. Discussion followed: Shere Byrd said all these classes can be staffed by existing faculty, but they also have a grant to cover the cost of a position. Cross commented and asked, “the grant money will run out… does this place a new burden on FLC to keep funding it?” Byrd said this program will be popular and will help enrollment: “Many Native American students want to be involved in health care—this will give them a way to be involved in their communities’ health without having to go to medical school. The rough numbers say that this program will pay for a faculty position/salary in 2 years.” This list is based on recommendations by somebody well versed in public health, medical doctor Emily Burns. Simbeck noted that Exercise Science was never consulted in the design of this major. The two programs could have shared some classes. Byrd: yes, you’re probably right and we’d be happy to collaborate with ES in the future. The grant has a timing that doesn’t really work with the way curriculum at the college works. It was not intentional to leave anybody out. This list is not static; it could be changed in the future.
Hanks asked about the new person being brought in to teach it. One person could do all 24 credits in one year. This is a major that might not only interest students that don’t fare well in Biology, it can help retain them (especially Native American students, who end up going somewhere else if they drop out of the Biology program).
Byrd added that “This is a way to get a major on the books and start retaining more students. This is the cheapest possible way to add a Health degree at FLC. This is targeted for low-cost delivery so people can be involved in the health of their communities.”
Betty Dorr liked how this major was put together. Goldstein thinks this fits well with current trends and interests. Byrd: Denai College has a two-year program in public health. This program has the potential to get those students and then help them get into a health-related graduate program at CSU.
Simbeck would’ve liked to have seen it be more interdisciplinary, using courses already being offered at FLC. Byrd clarified that this is only the list of new courses, not all courses in the major, which is quite interdisciplinary in its makeup.
Fine-Dare wants to understand what a “media track” is. Byrd explained that much of what public health folks do is put out to the public announcements and media that goes out to the public.
Cross: when Native Americans come their #1 major is Biology. Steve Roderick agreed. Byrd would like to see this in the catalogue for next fall because it is hard to recruit new majors if it’s not in the catalogue. If it is, it can be used to recruit.
Byrd: if approved, this major would be the first undergraduate public health program in Colorado.
Gene Taylor supports the initiative to help improve the health of people in the Four Corners.
Motion passed; 2 abstentions.
Old Business:
Proposal to Amend Policy on Reduced Appointments & Sabbatical – Sarah Roberts Cady
(Documents on Senate Website)
Senate has passed the policy allowing part-time employees to request leave. What we haven’t decided is how they will be able to request sabbaticals. We were having trouble figuring out how to support part-timers with sabbatical time.
Brian Hanks moved to adopt the original policy, seconded. Discussion followed: Condie thinks it’s reasonable and should be adopted. Goldstein is concerned about the word “tenured” in the proposal. If passed today, Senate would be moving it on to a full faculty vote.
Dugald Owen asked if this could be passed to cover tenured faculty and later address the issue of non-tenured folks. Amy Sellin asked if we might consider a completely separate policy for non-tenured folks. Cross asked Roderick if that was possible here: sure, said Roderick.
Roberts-Cady asked Roderick to speak to his support of the Carleton policy… Roderick likes how this policy is simple and to the point. Roberts-Cady thinks it’s fair.
Fine-Dare thinks that time-in is time-in; so the logical extension is that a part-timer should put in the same amount toward a sabbatical.
Condie called the question. This must be by secret ballot. Motion passed, 12 yes, 3 no.
Hanks moved to adjourn, seconded. Meeting adjouned at 3:31
Postponed until the next meeting
Proposal to Amend Faculty Handbook on Senate Representation due to Restructuring
Leslie Goldstein (Document on Senate Website)
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