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Youngstown State University Youngstown, Ohio 44555 |
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Youngstown State University Youngstown, Ohio 44555 |
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February 2, 2005
Note: The next meeting of the Academic
Senate is scheduled for Wednesday, March 2, at 4:00 p.m. Please submit
agenda items and cover sheets for the November Senate meeting to
Bob Hogue by noon on Monday, February 21, at the latest. Provide
both a hard copy and a disk or electronic copy of your report and cover sheet
in Word or rich text format. A downloadable cover sheet is available
at the Academic Senate web site [hit "cancel" if asked for a password]:
Note 2: If you want to read or print the pdf version of these minutes and don’t have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you may download the program at the following link: <http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html>.
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Click on the links in the table to go directly to a specific section of the minutes.
Tom Shipka, chair of the Academic Senate, called the Senate to order at 4:05 p.m.
Minutes of the Previous Meeting:
Minutes of the November 3, 2004, meeting were approved as posted. To view the September minutes, go to <http://www.www.ysu.edu/acad-senate/minnov04.htm>.
Senate Executive Committee (SEC) / Report from the Chair / Ohio Faculty Council Report: Tom Shipka, Chair of the Senate, reported:
With your permission I will integrate my various reports on activities since our last Senate meeting into a single statement.
Welcome to the first meeting of the Academic Senate of 2005 and thank you for your Senate service.
After consultation with the members of the Senate Executive Committee, I had an extended meeting with Dr. Michael Becker, Executive Deputy Chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, on November 29, 2004. Dr. Becker was on our campus on a fact-finding mission connected with the candidacy of Dr. Tony Atwater for the presidency of Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Several others on campus in and out of this room also met with Dr. Becker. I passed along to Dr. Becker the comments about Tony from members of the Executive Committee as well as my own assessment from dealing with him frequently on a wide variety of issues during his YSU service. Members of the Executive Committee and I collectively gave Tony high marks for integrity, fairness, problem-solving, and innovation and predicted that he would be a superb leader for IUP. The Executive Committee and I hope that our input was a factor in the outcome of the search and we wish Tony and Beverly good luck and good health in this exciting new chapter in their lives.
Many of you responded to the invitation of President Sweet to offer suggestions and corrections in the wording of the Position Description for Tony’s successor. Thank you for doing so. The first meeting of the Provost Search Committee will be next week and Dr. Cyndy Anderson, Vice President for Student Affairs, will chair the committee. I was honored to be selected as a member of the Search Committee and I will strive to represent the Senate’s interests effectively throughout the search.
In this connection I met with President Sweet at his invitation on December 21 on several issues, one of which was the institution’s options in the wake of Provost Atwater’s elevation to the presidency of IUP. I urged the President to undertake a search for a permanent replacement immediately and to appoint an interim provost to serve until a new provost is identified and placed under contract. I told him that if the pool of applicants wasn't sufficiently strong, he could always abort the search, allow the interim provost to serve through 2005-2006, and start a new search in fall 2005. I think he welcomed these suggestions because this is what he wanted to do in the first place. He queried me about good interim provost candidates and I gave him a short list with Dr. Bege Bowers at the top. He asked for my rationale. I said to him that Bege gives us in one small package a brilliant scholar, a devoted teacher, a helpful colleague, the embodiment of high ethical and professional standards, a humble and self-deprecating person, and, most importantly, a tireless worker, or less elegantly, a workaholic, who is admired and respected by all of us who have known her and worked with her in her many roles on this campus. In this case as well I think the President welcomed the suggestion of Bege because he wanted to appoint her all along. In any case, congratulations to Bege for this well-deserved recognition and honor.
Next, you may remember that our Senate Secretary, Bob Hogue, circulated to you electronically many weeks ago at my request a Position Announcement for a new position with the title Special Assistant to the President for Government Relations. I circulated this announcement to the Senate and to dozens of off campus organizations and persons in the hope that my efforts would help to produce a strong pool of candidates for a truly vital post in YSU’s future. My five years of service on the Ohio Faculty Council has demonstrated to me that most Ohio public universities have full-time experienced political operatives in Columbus and Washington promoting and protecting their interests but that YSU is not among them. It was my hope and expectation that through this position we could increase YSU’s political visibility and influence in Columbus and Washington during an era of dwindling resources. Early on I contacted four prominent community leaders and YSU benefactors who know the political arena exceptionally well to tell them about this position. In separate conversations all four suggested the same person as ideally suited for the position. As the weeks passed I learned that this person did indeed apply. He is a YSU alumnus who is currently in the Taft administration, who has some thirty years of elected and appointed political experience, who has an extensive political network in and out of the State, particularly in Republican circles, and who enjoys respect among office holders from both parties. I was disappointed to learn last Friday that the search has been suspended and that no one will be appointed to this important position now or in the near future. I am very curious as to why this decision was made and I look forward to getting more information about the decision.
As for the Ohio Faculty Council, the OFC met at the Ohio Board of Regents suite in the Rhodes Office Tower on December 10 and January 14. In December the provost at Shawnee State University made a plea for OFC support of the special subsidy which that institution has received historically to assure low fees and access in the undereducated and poor Appalachian region which it serves. In the January meeting Chancellor Roderick Chu briefed the OFC on a variety of developments, sought the OFC’s input on several matters, and carried on a freewheeling dialogue. The next meeting of the OFC will be in March as the February meeting has been cancelled.
Finally, on behalf of the Senate, I have agreed to help in a fund-raising drive on campus for tsunami victims in South Asia which will run from mid-February to mid-March. An ad hoc campus group chaired by Dr. George McCloud has met twice in this connection and further details about the drive will be released soon. I urge all Senate members and all faculty, staff, students, and trustees to contribute to this drive even if you have already contributed elsewhere. This will be a gift to tsunami victims from the YSU family. The YSU Branch of Home Savings will receive donations in this drive. All YSU contributions will go to the Tsunami relief project of UNICEF.
This completes my report and I am happy to respond to your comments or questions.
Elections & Balloting Committee: No report.
Academic Standards Committee: Committee Chairperson Tod Porter reported. Dr. Porter introduced two motions regarding the establishment of a Conditional Admission Policy:
(a) Dr. Porter moved that the Senate adopt the following recommendation concerning conditional admission:
Students will be conditionally admitted to YSU if their high school grade point average is below 2.00 and their composite ACT score (or SAT equivalent) is 17 or below.
If a student has a high school GPA below 2.00 (or does not have a high school GPA) and has not taken the ACT, the student will be conditionally admitted. However, if the student tests out of R&SK 1510b and ENGL 1539 on the placement exams, the student will be reclassified as a regular admission student.
Conditionally admitted students must meet the following requirements:
1. Conditionally admitted students cannot register for more than 14 semester hours in a single semester.
2. Students placing into R&SK 1510b must take that course in their first semester.
3. Students placing into R&SK 1510a, ENGL 1539, or ENGL 1540 must take those courses within their first 20 semester hours.
4. Conditionally admitted students are restricted to an approved list of courses (see course listing below). They may take courses not on the list with the approval of an academic advisor.
5. Conditionally admitted students must receive approval of their course schedule by an academic advisor.
6. Conditionally admitted students must, in their first semester, sign a contract with a coordinator in the Center for Student Progress committing them to work with the center until their conditional admission status is removed.
The restrictions imposed on coursework and semester hours will be removed when the student has done the following:
1. Successfully completed any developmental courses that the student has tested into (R&SK 1510a, R&SK 1510b, ENGL 1539 or 1540).
2. Successfully completed six semester hours of non-developmental courses
3. Achieved good academic standing.
4. Fulfilled the contract with a coordinator in the Center for Student Progress.
A student fulfilling these requirements may file a petition with an academic advisor to have the restrictions removed.
The policy would first apply to students seeking admission to YSU in the spring semester of 2006.
Approved Courses for Conditionally Admitted Students:
A&S 2600
ASTRO 1504
BIOL 1505
COMST 1545*
COUNS 1587
CSIS 1500
ECON 1503
ENGL 1539
ENGL 1540
FNLG 1500
GEOL 1504
HSC 1568
MATH 1500
MATH 1501*
MUSHL 2616
MUSED 2621
R&SK 1510a
R&SK 1510b
SOCIO 1500
THTR 1560
THTR 1590* Denotes the course has a prerequisite
The motion was seconded, and discussion was invited. Dr. Porter noted three items concerning the committee's deliberations on this matter:
1. The intent is to try to improve retention among at-risk incoming students. In Fall 2002, there would have been 113 students in this category. By Fall 2004, only 60 of those were still enrolled, and 40 of those had a grade point average of less than 2.00.
2. What we are doing is in line with other universities in our region, including Kent, Akron, and Cleveland State.
3. The committee knows this is not a silver bullet, but it is our attempt to codify the best practice for handling at-risk students and to direct them toward appropriate coursework.
Dr. Porter then moved that the Academic Senate accept the proposed policy. Motion seconded. Birsen Karpak asked if this would apply for international students. Dr. Porter responded that it would apply, since grade conversions for international students will allow us to know their high school grade point average. Cynthia Hirtzel stated that policy is outstanding, but her only concern is the term "conditional admission" since it can carry a negative connotation. She asked if there is another term, perhaps "pre-admission", that could be used instead. Dr. Porter replied that the committee took the issue of the name seriously and explored a number of possible terms. The committee felt that "conditional admission" was the least pejorative term. A concern of the committee was whether "pre-admission" is really an accurate term for what would be happening, since the students would in fact be admitted, albeit conditionally. With no further discussion, a vote was taken on the motion. Motion passed.
(b) Dr. Porter then moved the following:
The Senate requests that in the Spring Semester of 2007 the Academic Standards Committee gather data on the results of the conditional admissions policy and report back to the Senate by the end of the 2006-07 academic year. The data will include the following information about conditionally admitted students:
- Whether the students took the designated coursework in a timely fashion
- Average grade point average
- Retention rates
- Number of students who fulfilled their contract with the Center for Student Progress
This information will be compared with the values for comparable students prior to the implementation of the conditional admissions policy.
The motion was seconded. After a brief discussion, a vote was taken on the motion. Motion passed.
Academic Programs
Committee: Committee Chairperson Sunil Ahuja reported. Approved proposals are as listed in Attachment 1 and are reported here for information only. No action by the Senate is required.
Undergraduate Curriculum Committee: A set of approved course proposals (see Attachment 2 ) was included as an informational report. No action is required by the Senate.
Ad Hoc Committee of Waiver of National Searches: Chet Cooper, committee chair, reported: The committee's charge was to take action on a prior motion from the Academic Senate, to review Board of Trustees policies on waiver of national searches and provide recommendations. The committee began by reviewing policies of Akron, Kent, Bowling Green, Ohio University, and Cleveland State. A summary of those policies shows that the search waivers at other institutions are rare and and greatly restricted in scope and length appointment. Most require unequivocal approval from the Affirmative Action officer. The committee feels that the current YSU policy is not consistent with other policies. Also the policy is somewhat non-specific. Finally, it has potential for circumventing federally-mandated Affirmative Action policies. The committee plans to have a formal report and motion at the March meeting of the Academic Senate. Gabriel Palmer-Fernandez asked what some of the restrictions are at other universities. Dr. Cooper responded that most of them deal with the length of time of the appointment.
Gabriel Palmer-Fernandez introduced the following resolution concerning Senate Bill 24:
RESOLUTION
IN OPPOSITION TO
SENATE BILL 24
WHEREAS, Senate Bill 24, also sometimes described as an "academic bill of rights", has been introduced into the 126th session of the Ohio General Assembly; and
WHEREAS, Senate Bill 24, if adopted into law, would impose serious and unnecessary restrictions on the methods of teaching, research, and grading used by college and university faculty; and
WHEREAS, Senate Bill 24 contains language so vague as to invite frivolous and unwarranted challenges to practically every aspect of university life; and
WHEREAS, Senate Bill 24 imposes a chilling redefinition of academic freedom by insisting that instructors not introduce controversial matter into the classroom on a "persistent" basis; and
WHEREAS, Senate Bill 24, although called an "academic bill of rights" is actually a bill of restrictions, none of which is necessary, and none of which is in furtherance of the aims of higher education in this or any State;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Academic Senate of Youngstown State University vigorously opposes Senate Bill 24, both in spirit and in substance;
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this Resolution shall be provided to the Ohio Faculty Council and to the Academic Senate or similar body of every institution of higher education within Ohio.
Dr. Palmer-Fernandez moved that the Academic Senate adopt this resolution. Motion was seconded. Discussion on the motion was invited. Rick Shale moved that the resolution be amended to include the following text before the final "Whereas" clause: " WHEREAS, Senate Bill 24 is superfluous because the student rights that it purports to guarantee are already protected by the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct, by other university policies, and by the Ohio and United States Constitutions; " Motion was seconded. Motion passed. Discussion on the main motion was again invited. No discussion ensued, and a vote was taken on the main motion. Motion passed.
[Secretary's note: A complete version of the resolution, as amended, is contained in Attachment 3.]
Adjournment: The Academic Senate adjourned at 4:35 p.m.
For further information, e-mail Bob Hogue .