Iiintroduction of New Athletic Director, Dexter Irvin

UH Hilo Faculty Congress

Agenda for December 4, 2009 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm, K-127

IApprove minutes from 11/13/09 meeting http://www.uhh.hawaii.edu/uhh/congress/minutes.php

IIIntroduction of new Athletic Director, Dexter Irvin

III Report from Chair

IIICommittee Reports:

Executive Committee:

• Motion: To approve the following Achievement Award to be engraved on a plaque and granted to Dr. Regina Titunik, posthumously.

Achievement Award

The University of Hawaii at Hilo

2009-2010 Faculty Congress

Recognizes Dr. Regina Titunik

For Her Service to the University

For Her Teaching Excellence

For Her Research Contributions

And For Being a Role Model

To Us All

• Motion: To amend Charter to enable Congress to use electronic voting to change the Charter (Second reading: changes underlined)

Article VII, Amendments to the Charter

Whenever after two readings, a majority of the Congress votes to amend the Charter, the proposed amendment shall be referred to the faculty for ratification, and written or electronic ballots shall be distributed to all UH Hilo tenure-track faculty. The Charter shall be amended when proposals are approved by a majority of those voting.

• Motion: To amend the Bylaws to charge Faculty Congress with administering annual Dean evaluations and to allow for electronic ballots: (Second reading: changes underlined)

6. Administrative Review

Congress will conduct an annual administrative review. Tenured and tenure-track faculty will be sent mailed a confidential form via electronic or written means. If the form is mailed, it is to be which will be returned in a blank inner envelope with the faculty member’s name on the outer envelope. At least three Congress members will oversee the opening of the envelopes such that confidentiality is maintained. The forms will be analyzed and summarized with a report sent to the appropriate supervisor. In the case of an electronic form, every means should be taken to ensure confidentiality. At least three Congress members will oversee the electronic assessment and compilation of results. In the case of a the Presidential evaluation, a report will be sent to the Board of Regents. In the case of a Chancellor evaluation, a report will be sent to the President. In the case of Vice Chancellor evaluations, a report will be sent to the Chancellor. In the case of Deans, a report will be sent to the Chancellor. Academic units may choose to administer their own Dean evaluations, but if they have not done so by April 15 of each year, Congress will be charged with administering the Dean evaluation. The report summary will be reviewed by Congress in executive session and shall not be reported in the minutes.

• Motion: That the Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs take measures to efficiently utilize all available classrooms so that the maximum amount of courses can be offered to our students.

Rationale: Currently classroom allocation is partitioned among different units, which results in an underutilization of classroom space and tuition revenues.

Assessment Committee: Report from Seri Luangphinith, Chair

Academic Policy Committee: Report from Ramon Figueroa-Centeno, Chair

Motion #1: Change the existing Grade Policy to the following:

• Once a student has graduated, grade changes may not be made in the student’s record except in cases of documented instructor error. Requests for changes resulting from documented instructor error must be made through the College Dean within the following regular (fall or spring) semester. The Dean will communicate the change of grade to the Registrar’s office, which will implement the change.
• Rationale: There is no policy on this matter, and recently, two offices disagreed as to what the policy should be when a faculty member attempted to change a grade given in error after a student had graduated. One office thought that no changes should be made after a student graduates. It was generally agreed that students should not have the opportunity to do more work to raise a grade in this situation. This policy is intended to delineate both the circumstances under which grade changes could be made and the person authorized to make the determination.

Motion #2: Approve revised policy on Residency Requirement:

• The current policy appears in the 2009-2010 catalog, page 46-47. The relevant parts of the policy are provided, with proposed changes in bold. New language is underlined.

Baccalaureate Degrees: General Requirements

Baccalaureate degrees are granted only to those students who 1) earn at least 120 semester hour, 2) complete satisfactorily the program of courses prescribed for their majors, 3) earn at least a 2.0 UH Hilo cumulative GPA in courses required for the major (a higher GPA may be required for some degrees) and minor (if any), 4) earn a minimum of 30 semester hours from the university from which the degree is sought, 5) are registered as a classified student with a declared major and in attendance at the University of Hawaii at Hilo during the semester or summer session in which the degree is granted, 5) have been registered as classified students with a declared major in attendance at UH Hilo within the preceding year and 6) meet all requirements of their respective colleges and departments.

• Rationale: In CAS, exceptions are granted in every case appealed by students who have completed their requirements but who have failed to apply on time for graduation during their final semester. Students who do not appeal must register for an additional credit and spend another semester in residence. This presents a financial burden for students, who gain minimal value for the money.

The requirement as it stands is neither equitably applied, not does it further any of the university’s goals for its students.

Admissions Committee: Report from Emmeline de Pillis, Chair

Budget Committee: Report from Barbara Leonard, Chair

Curriculum Review Committee: Report from Sevki Erdogan, Chair

General Education Committee: Report from Jean Ippolito, Chair

Motion for the final endorsement of all documents to be submitted to the Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs for the Fall 2011 implementation of the General Education Program, including the Fall 2010 catalog preview.

1. Fall 2010 Catalog Preview
2. Fall 2011 Catalog Entry
3. Matrix for 2010 Preview and 2011 Catalog Entry
4. Articulation of General Education Transfer Policy
5. Policies on Retroactive Credit and Special Topics courses
6. Finalized Learning Outcomes for Catalog Entry and Assessment Purposes
7. GE Certification Tally Sheet
8. GE Certified Course List by Category

Graduate Liaison Report: Report from Keri Inglis

IV Old Business:

V New Business: Presentation from the Long Range Development Committee, Harry Yada and VCAA Debra Fitzsimons