Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate hears updates on general education initiatives

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Editor’s note: For more detailed information, including meeting minutes, visit the Faculty Senate website

10:43 a.m., March 11, 2016--The University of Delaware Faculty Senate heard reports on the status of the General Education Initiative, as well as presentations by UD Acting President Nancy Targett and Provost Domenico Grasso during its regular meeting held Monday, March 7, in Gore Hall. 

Targett updated senators on efforts to address UD Board of Trustees' concerns about the definition of faculty and the roles of faculty and administrators, as contained in Article 3.2 and 3.3 of the board’s bylaws.

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“They felt that the definitions in Article 3.2 are very broad,” Targett said. “They are also intrigued by the responsibility and authority of the faculty and the administration, where they felt a disconnect exists between responsibility and authority.”

The President’s Advisory Committee for Article 3 held its first meeting on Tuesday, March 8, and will meet every other week and come back to the senate with its report some time in April, after the spring break, Targett said.

“We want to know what those issues are,” Targett said. “Whether the Faculty Senate will hold an open hearing or I will conduct an open hearing, or perhaps a town hall forum, will remain to be decided.” 

Committee members include Lynn Okagaki, deputy provost for academic affairs; Prasad Dhurjati, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and mathematical sciences; Calvin Keeler, professor of animal and food sciences and president of the UD Chapter of the American Association of University Professors; Louis Rossi, chairperson of the Department of Mathematics; J.P. Laurenceau, Unidel Gilchrist Sparks Chair of Psychological and Brain Sciences; Darcy Reisman, associate professor of physical therapy; and A. Gilchrist Sparks, member of the Board of Trustees.

Provost’s report

Grasso informed senators of the Student Success Collaborative, a program that tracks student progress and helps to ensure they are on track for graduation.

Grasso also updated senators about the UD Coalition for Mental Health, led by Charles Beale, director of the University’s Center for Counseling and Student Development. 

“The coalition will come forward with recommendations about how we can help our students be more successful in a healthy environment,” Grasso said. “In a national poll of 33,000 students taken in 2013, some 84 percent said they were overwhelmed, 59.5 percent said they were very sad, and 51 percent said they felt overwhelming anxiety. These figures highlight the importance of addressing this issue.” 

Grasso also noted the success of two alcohol-free student events, Trabant Now and Perkins Live, supported by Dawn Thompson, vice president for student life, and cosponsored by the UD Coalition for Alcohol and Drug Abuse. The events were made possible by a Unidel Foundation grant.

“More than 3,000 students attended the events last fall, and 59 percent of those who attended said the events made them feel a part of UD,” Grasso said. “Students also said they enjoyed being around other students without the presence of alcohol, and 66 percent said it helped them to identify various student organizations.”

Grasso also noted the grand opening of the University’s Nanofabrication Facility, dedicated Tuesday, March 8, in the Harker Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Laboratory.

Bob Opila, president of the Faculty Senate, urged senators to inform departmental colleagues about issues discussed at the senate meeting and noted an open hearing on the budget will be held at 4 p.m., Monday, March 14, in 104 Gore Hall. 

General Education Initiative

Fred Hofstetter, professor in the School of Education and past president of the Faculty Senate, reported on the five general education reform initiatives approved by the senate at its May 11, 2015, meeting. These initiatives are tracked at the Gen Ed Reform website.

Hofstetter introduced the chairs from the five subcommittees charged with developing an implementation plan supporting the senate resolution.

Avron Abraham, director of the UD Academic Enrichment Center and chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on the First Year Seminar, reported on first year learning outcomes, including specific topics for inclusion in all first year seminar courses to ensure that a committed portion of the first year seminar course time is allotted to common content.

Eric Rise, associate professor of sociology and chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Core, reported on core course pilot progress, noted that 28 applications have been received from interested faculty, and six courses will be offered for fall 2016. Subjects will include political violence, citizenship, climate change, capitalism, scientific literacy and technology and change.

Steve Hastings, professor of applied economics and statistics and chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Capstone Review Guidelines, noted that the plan is to have a capstone course approved beginning in August and to be in place by fall 2017. 

Christopher Knight, associate professor of kinesiology and applied physiology and chair of the General Education Committee, discussed undergraduate program reviews and addressed the goal of providing clear examples and templates to all departments, including curricular maps to aid in their internal reviews of how students are achieving the objectives of general education by May 1. 

Emily Davis, associate professor of English and chair of the senate Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, discussed multicultural course review guidelines. 

Detailed information on each of the presentations also is available at the General Education Initiative site located on the Faculty Senate website. 

During the regular agenda portion of the meeting, senators approved new wording to the catalog policy concerning courses of similar content and course sequencing. Effective for the fall 2016 semester, the policy seeks to provide consistency in academic policies and procedures within the colleges and to strive for equity to all undergraduate students by addressing issues of course repeat policies and courses of similar content.

Senators also approved resolutions disestablishing the bachelor of science degree in environmental soil science, plant protection, and the health and physical education program. Several faculty expressed regret about the disestablishment of the health and physical education degree.

Getting the green light from senators were requests to change the name of the bachelor of arts in mathematical sciences to mathematics and provisionally establishing for five years each a master of arts in interaction design and Italian studies.

Permanent status for the master of science in finance program was approved by the senate, as was a motion to establish provisionally for seven years the doctor of nursing practice degree for all nurse practitioner concentrations. 

Senators also passed a resolution encouraging strong faculty representation in dean- and provost-level searches.

Unfinished business

Senators voted to refer back to committee for clarification a request to revise the Faculty Handbook section 4.4.8 (Promotion Process Schedule), changing to March 15 the deadline for the provost’s recommendations and making April 15 the deadline for candidates for promotion to notify department chairs. 

Also approved was a resolution recommending that the Commission on Sexual Harassment and Assault present its recommendations for best practices and processes for faculty training and engagement. The measure calls for a comprehensive set of recommendations based on the commission’s efforts to date be presented no later than the April 4 regularly scheduled meeting of the senate.

Consent agenda

During the consent agenda portion of the meeting, senators approved measures to revise the master of business administration, the master’s program in exercise science for the exercise physiology concentration and the master of public administration. 

Senators also approved resolutions to revise the curriculum for the doctorate in nursing science and the program policy statement for the master’s and doctorate in biomechanics and movement. 

For additional consent agenda items approved at the meeting, visit the Faculty Senate’s website, where they are listed on the March 7 agenda

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Faculty Senate is 4 p.m., Monday, April 4, following a general faculty meeting to be held at 3:30 p.m. Both meetings will be held in 104 Gore Hall. 

Article by Jerry Rhodes

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