TO:Mindy Thoas, Chair, Academic Senate
Hisham Ahmed, Immediate Past Chair, Academic Senate
FROM:Bethami A. Dobkin, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
DATE:August 23, 2016
RE:Senate Actions S-15/16-41CA through S-15/16-76CA
This memo serves as my formal response to the following Senate Actions as stated above. Most of them are changes or additions to the curriculum and represent faculty efforts to align their courses with the expectations of their disciplines and their students, as well as enhance the educational experiences of their students.
AY 2015-16:
S-15/16-41CAFH Revisions 2.6.2.2.3 – Promotion and Tenure Review. I approve.
S-15/16-42CAFH Revisions 2.6.2.3.(2) – Confidentiality. Proposal to amend FH language for Senate 2.6.2.3.(2) was unanimously approved, brought by the R&T Committee. I approve.
S-15/16-48CANew Course Proposal – PERFA 180 & 180L: Laban and Bartenieff Movement. I approve.
S-15/16-49CANew Course Proposal – TRS 129: Theological Foundations. I approve.
S-15/16-50CAPermanent Course Status – CLSL 100: Classical Mythology. I approve.
S-15/16-51CACourse Title Change Proposal – Philosophy 120: Christian Hermeneutics to The Bible and Philosophy. I approve.
S-15/16-52CACourse Name Change. Acctg 162: Advanced Accounting Name Change to Intermediate Accounting III. I approve.
S-15/16-53CANew Course Proposal. SOC 119: Social Globalization. I approve.
S-15/16-54CAPermanent Course Proposal. Psych 131: Transpersonal Psych. I approve.
S-15/16-55CAPreRequisite Change to Math 006: Mathematics Concepts for the Elementary School Teacher II. I approve.
S-15/16-56CAName Change for JCL 130: Environmental Responsibility in the Global Community to JCL: 130: Environmental Justice. I approve.
S-15/16-57CAPermanent Course Approval for ES 196: Senior Capstone. I approve.
S-15/16-58CAChanges to the Ethnic Studies Minor. I approve.
S-15/16-59CAProposal for an Ethnic Studies Major. I approve.
S-15/16-60Commendation for Brother Thomas Johnson, FSC. This was unanimously approved by a voice vote. Does not require Provost approval.
S-15/16-61Proposal Revision to the Faculty Handbook 3.1.2. Letter Grades and Definitions. I approve.
S-15/16-62CAPre-requisite Changes for Perfa 147 Costume Design, 147 Lighting Design, and 149 Scenic Design. I approve.
S-15/16-63CAHistory Department administrative changes to course descriptions in the Catalog and renumber European History Sequence. I approve.
S-15/16-64CAPermanent Course Proposal. BusAd129 Global Marketing. I approve.
S-15/16-65CAPermanent Course Proposal. BusAd 128 Consumer Behavior. I approve.
S-15/16-66CANew Course Proposal. BusAd 113 Business in the Digital Age. I approve.
S-15/16-67CAPermanent Course Proposal. JCL 120 Theory and Inquiry to Justice. I approve.
S-15/16-68CAProposal for a New Study Abroad Program, Universidad Internacional, Cuernavaca, Mexico. I approve.
S-15/16-69CAProposal for a New Exchange and Study Abroad Program, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, South Korea. I approve.
S-15/16-70Proposal for a Name Change, from Operations Management and Quantitative Methods Department to Business Analytics Department. I approve.
S-15/16-71Faculty Handbook Revision, 3.1.2.2 – Grade Distribution Data.
As I mentioned on the Senate floor, I remain concerned about 1) directives to staff appearing in the Faculty Handbook, and 2) unresolved issues about the frequency and extent of the distribution of data. I understand that some faculty, and/or their departments, may use such data for various purposes such as rank and tenure review. However, are the comparisons for individual courses made to comparable courses? Are we expected to provide a comparison for every course taught? Are averages for academic terms? Academic years? How often will faculty get these data?
Perhaps the following language would suffice:
In order to encourage appropriate, ongoing reflection on grading practices, grade distribution data will be provided by the Office of Institutional Research upon the request of faculty members, including Faculty will receive numerical summaries for their own courses, along with comparisons to simultaneous averages for their department / program, their school, and the College. Faculty undergoing Rank and Tenure Review should include these data in their files, These summaries will also be sent to department chairpersons and deans, and they will be included in the files of faculty undergoing Rank and Tenure review, since ongoing reflection on grading practices can provide evidence of “critical selfevaluation” of teaching effectiveness (FHB section 2.6.1, Teaching Effectiveness, #5).
Please know that the Office of Institutional Research is willing and prepared to support faculty in providing this information. However, given the ambiguities in the present language, I am returning the Action to the Senate for further review and consideration.
S-15/16-72Faculty Handbook Revision, 1.7.4.15, First Year Advising Steering Committee. I approve.
S-15/16-73Faculty Handbook Revision, 1.7.4.7.2d, Program Review Committee. I approve.
S-15/16-74Faculty Handbook Revision, 1.7.3.4, Rank and Tenure Committee. I approve.
S-15/16-75Faculty Handbook Revision, 2.6.2.2.3, Promotion and Tenure Reviews. I approve.
S-15/16-76Faculty Handbook Revision, 2.6.1, Teaching Effectiveness. I approve.
cc: Dr. James A. Donahue, President
Hisham Ahmed, Chair, Academic Senate
Frances Sweeney, Chair CCC
Ellen Rigsby, Faculty Handbook
Chris Sindt, Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Studies
Richard Carp, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Academics
Zhan Li, Dean of the School of Economics and Business Administration
Sheila Hassell Hughes, Dean of the School of Liberal Arts
Roy Wensley, Dean of the School of Science