Draft Minutes Senate Executive Committee Meeting

9 December 2009

2:30-3:30, Lyceum, CSWS

Present: John Condie, Jim Cross, Brian Hanks, Dugald Owen, Ellen Paul, Chuck Riggs

Guests: Carol Smith

Jim Cross called the meeting to order at 2:32p.m.

Business items

We need a replacement for Chuck Riggs as BOT Representative. Cross suggested Doug Lyon.

Carol Smith is concerned about the disconnect between Enrollment Management and the faculty. Cross understands faculty impatience with the problem of enrollment and lack of a turn around. Brian Hanks thought that faculty are wondering if there would be a difference if there hadn’t been folks managing our (decline in) enrollment. It’s hard to know what would’ve happened to our enrollment without the special efforts.

Curricular items are on top of the schedule for December and January Senate Meetings. SEC members discussed the importance of faculty control of the curriculum via Senate. Some have wondered if we could approve curricular items via email. John Condie admitted that some senators are concerned that it seems like curriculum is all Senate does. How can we have more ‘consent’ items (for quicker approval) and spend more time on other issues important to the faculty and College? Cross suggested making a longer list of consent items and a shorter list of ‘action’ items—giving senators a chance to pull items off the consent list if there are concerns and need for discussion.

Condie asked if the justification paragraph—explaining reason for the curricular change—from the department proposing the change could be included on the Senate agenda, to make it easy for folks to get information.

The Curriculum Committee is concerned, Cross said, about whether FLC is turning more toward vocational education (than liberal arts)? Peter Decker told Cross that theFLC catalogue lists 1177 courses and 96 majors/options. Riggs noted that this hasn’t really been a “liberal arts” school since he arrived at FLC in 2002, but that if a new program helps enrollment, that’s a good thing. So, Cross concluded that this is nothing new: we’ve been moving toward vocational education for a long time.

Nursing as a new program? It could help enrollment and seems to fit in with the Sacred Trust, as many native students come here for Biology and nursing could be a part of that department.

Next Faculty Assembly meeting: Thursday, 10 December 2009, 5:30p.m.

Hanks is concerned about the undercurrents going on in SOBA regarding faculty frustration with the current situation (percent of total budget spent on administration vs. spent on faculty, and reduction in enrollment, growth of administration, reduction in). Riggs said it should be discussed in number of students: we have 3600 students and 140 faculty. Dugald Owen noted that there is more for the administration to do today than before.

Cross thinks we made a good showing at the recent BOT meeting. We got the Board’s attention and Chuck and I received some positive e-mail response from faculty. Riggs reported that BOT is concerned the faculty are showing up to speak at their meetings, that it has gotten to this point.

Enrollment Management with Carol Smith

The upcoming budget cuts will necessitate that marketing and recruiting become more important for FLC. Smith is trying to figure out “how to get governance in this area?” She has done much research on central administration, enrollment, and faculty. She would like us to “chase the money” in a principled way. Smith would like more ways to dialogue with faculty about enrollment. She would like to share some research about adult students and why they come to FLC. One told her he “didn’t want to die uneducated.” Another area is sports recruitment… and how to make FLC a principled competitor. Smith would like to talk with faculty… and to be advised by faculty. She’s particularly interested in tenured professors because those are the ones who have chosen to stay. She doesn’t want to do her enrollment work without faculty involvement. But how can she tap the faculty’s ideas when they are busy and have a diversity of opinions/ideas.

Condie suggested Smith attend department meetings and wondered if Smith has an advisory committee. Smith thought that there used to be one…. Cross added that an advisory committee could be a good, on-going source of information. Smith didn’t think she needs tons of contact with such a group. The SEC thought many faculty would jump at the chance to be on a committee that rarely met or only met a couple of times per year.

Hanks thinks Smith’s desire for faculty input and a dialogue is good because most faculty think enrollment management is important but that many don’t see the benefit of such an office in the face of declining enrollment. Smith thinks the next Enrollment Manager won’t be an academic. So, it’s important to put in place some mechanism for a dialogue with the faculty.

Smith thought this should be a “faculty” committee, not a “college” one (so Senate can appoint its members). Smith understands and appreciates that students think the faculty are the core of FLC. She agrees with the faculty impulse to dial back the administration and that cuts should be made to save the faculty.

Smith talked about how difficult it is to create a true paragraph about the “Fort Lewis educational experience.” She would like to see the faculty create a statement of educational philosophy that is true across campus. Owen mentioned that the deans have asked each department to create statements about their programs. These statements could help Smith.

Smith asked what the rumors were. Two were this: impatience with enrollment improvement and the fear that we’re throwing money down a black hole. Smith noted the disservice FLC did for many years by accepting very below-par students (less than 69 index). A previous president increasedenrollment but there was little attention to retention or what kind of student the faculty wanted to teach. “We pay a price for having been that kind of school” (which admitted those very low indexed students). So, FLC has “to earn” respect. She is interested in leveraging the stories of students to prove that we are a different institution. She’s also trying to find ways to harness the undecided students—since FLC is a great place to decide one’s path. She thinks FLC is odd, in a good way, and she wants to put that out there, but she’s afraid she won’t be given the time she needs to help FLC earn a new reputation. Smith thinks that if we can keep admission standards high, we can retain students.

Meeting adjourned at 3:37p.m.