Academic Senate Youngstown State University Youngstown, Ohio  44555

May 7, 2003

Note 1 (from Bege):  Many thanks for the support and collegiality you have shown during my tenure as Senate secretary, and many thanks to Bob Hogue for agreeing to serve as the new secretary.

Note 2:  Please submit agenda items and cover sheets for the September 10, 2003, Senate meeting to Bob Hogue by noon on Thursday, August 28, 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 3: 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>.

To save paper, use the Acrobat Reader menus or toolbar to print the file, not the menus or toolbar in your web browser. 

Major topics presented/discussed and reports attached: 

Senate Executive Committee report; Ohio Faculty Council report; School of Graduate Studies update; policy on bringing academic policy changes related to academic standards to the Senate; elections results for 2003-2004; policy on minors for students who change majors; general education for Engineering and Technology students; grades of Incomplete for students called to service; no change in University calendar; assessment of courses in general education domains; Freshman Readers Dialogue book and topic for 2003-2004; Integrated Technologies Committee update on Technology Master Plan; Maag library budget for FY 2004; Student Academic Affairs Committee report on advising; Academic Events Committee 2002-2003 annual report.

• "Unless the minor is specified by the new major, a student who has been in continuous enrollment and changes majors can fulfill the requirements for a minor by using the criteria in effect in either the catalog of entry or the catalog in effect at the time of the change in major" (proposed changes to the Catalog of Entry section of the Undergraduate Bulletin—p. 37 in the 2002-2003 Bulletin—appear at <http://www.www.ysu.edu/acad-senate/may03_asc.htm#appendix_1>).

• "If a student receives a grade of Incomplete as a result of being summoned to active military duty, the student will have one academic year from the date when he or she is released from active duty to complete the course requirements and have the change of grade recorded."

• The following motion carried:  "Any committee which recommends any academic policy change relating to academic standards must inform the Academic Standards Committee of its recommendation prior to submitting a resolution."

• The following motion carried:  "Unless the minor is specified by the new major, a student who has been in continuous enrollment and changes majors can fulfill the requirements for a minor by using the criteria in effect in either the catalog of entry or the catalog in effect at the time of the change in major."

• The following motion carried:  "If a student receives a grade of Incomplete as a result of being summoned to active military duty, the student will have one academic year from the date when he or she is released from active duty to complete the course requirements and have the change of grade recorded."

• The following motion carried: a motion to approve the FY 04 library budget that appeared in Attachment 7 to the agenda for the May 7 Senate meeting at <http://www.www.ysu.edu/acad-senate/may03_lc.htm>.

• The following motion carried: a motion to accept the 2002-2003 report of the Student Academic Affairs Committee.

Tom Shipka, chair of the Academic Senate, called the Senate to order at 4:04 p.m.

Minutes of the 5 March 2003 meeting and the 2 April 2003 informational meeting were approved as posted.  To view the March minutes, go to <http://www.www.ysu.edu/acad-senate/minmar03.htm>.  The April minutes are posted at  <http://www.www.ysu.edu/acad-senate/minapr03.htm>.  

After viewing the previous minutes, click your “Back” button as necessary to return to the May minutes.

Senate Executive Committee (SEC) / Report from the Chair:  Tom Shipka, chair of the Senate, reported:

(1) This is the last meeting at which Dr. Bege Bowers will serve as Senate secretary.  Bege has been Senate secretary since May 5, 1995, a total of eight years.  At our first meeting in fall semester, Professor Robert Hogue will take over her duties.  Although there will be an appropriate expression of gratitude to Bege in connection with the first meeting of the Senate next academic year, I ask that you join me in a round of applause to show our appreciation for her Senate service.

(2) A corrected attendance record for September 2002-March 2003 has been posted on the Senate web site at <http://www.ysu.edu/acad-senate/attendance_2002-2003.pdf>.  Our apologies to the three Senators who were not properly credited for attendance.

(3) Professor Robert Hogue, incoming Senate secretary, circulated a memo dated April 23, 2002, requesting faculty to express committee preferences for Senate committees for next academic year online.  Senators are encouraged to remind faculty to visit the web page he created for this purpose (http://www.cis.ysu.edu/~bobhogue/senatepref.html) as soon as possible.

(4) The Professional Conduct Policy Review Committee worked through March and April to agree on a penultimate draft of the proposed Professional Conduct Policy.  Once the committee meets to confirm all the changes, the document will be circulated to a variety of faculty and staff for their evaluation and comment prior to final revisions.  Although the original hope was to present the document to the Board of Trustees at their June meeting, it is unlikely that that will be accomplished due to the press of so many important tasks facing major administrators at this time.  Instead, it is expected that the proposed policy will reach the trustees at their next meeting.

(5) A hard-copy reminder of  Senate meetings will be sent to all senators several days before each Senate meeting next year.

(6) The Senate hosted a campus conversation on Thursday, May 1, 2003, in Schwebel Auditorium, at which Dr. David Sweet, our president, addressed a variety of issues and concerns related to House Bill 95, the finance bill approved by Ohio’s House of Representatives and now under consideration in the Ohio Senate.

Ohio Faculty Council (OFC):   Tom Shipka reported:

(1) The agenda for the April 2003 Senate meeting included my report on the March 14 meeting of the Ohio Faculty Council (see <http://www.www.ysu.edu/acad-senate/apr03_ofc.htm>).  At that meeting, faculty union leaders from the nine unionized public universities gave a status report on labor issues on their campuses.

(2) At the April 11 OFC meeting, our guest was Andy Geiger, Athletics Director at The Ohio State University, who addressed issues in intercollegiate athletics at Ohio’s public universities.  In addition, Chancellor Chu gave an update on House Bill 95.

(3) On April 4, 2003, Dr. Mincey and I attended a rally at The Ohio State University to protest the inadequate level of funding by Ohio for public higher education.  In my remarks to the group as chair of the OFC, I noted that when I arrived at YSU in 1969, Ohio paid 77% of the operating costs of YSU but that in 2003-2004 the State will pay approximately 35% of the operating costs of YSU.  I also noted that this pattern of dwindling support is typical throughout Ohio.  It shows that the State of Ohio has made public higher education a low priority and steadily shifted the burden of support for our public universities from the State to students and their families.  I also made the point that although a turnaround in the economy will improve the State revenue picture and may bring some relief to higher education, it will not necessarily reverse this unfortunate trend.

(4) The OFC meeting on Friday, May 9, will focus on the future of STRS, with the help of two STRS executives, and on Senate deliberations on the biennial budget.

(5) The OFC is working on several new initiatives to get the attention of legislators, including a legislative report card to track legislators’ voting on higher education issues.

(6) OBOR, the OFC, and several other groups are co-sponsoring The Second Annual Ohio General Education Conference on Friday, June 6, at the Airport Radisson Hotel.  There is a $25 registration fee.  You may register online at <http://www.regents.state.oh.us/transfer/registration.html>.  (Don’t confuse the June 6 general education conference with another conference advertised on the OBOR web site, called “Higher Education and the Changing Economy” [June 17-18, 2003]).

(7) Professor Bob Hogue, our new Senate secretary, has kindly offered to serve as webmaster for the OFC, an offer the OFC quickly and gratefully accepted.  Bob is creating a new OFC web site that can become an important tool in enhancing the OFC’s role in Ohio higher education.

School of Graduate Studies Update:   Dean Peter Kasvinsky credited the following individuals for their support and hard work: 

In the Graduate Office— 

• Tina Weintz, Graduate Admissions Coordinator
• Lois Romito, Administrative Assistant
• Dr. Barb Jones, Coordinator of Graduate Administrative Affairs
• Joanne Lynch, Secretary

In the Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs— 

• Dr. Ed Orona, Director

• Cheryl Coy, Secretary

Dr. Kasvinsky then provided an update on graduate enrollment and FTE increases; graduate assistantships and internships; agreements with Thiel College and Central State University; graduate program development; graduate policy changes; research and grant success; recommendations on funding PACER centers; research professorships, University Research Council grants, and research assistantships; upcoming changes in the School of Graduate Studies web site; and Grants Office activities. The update appears in a separate pdf file at <http://www.www.ysu.edu/acad-senate/may03_gradstudies.pdf>.

Charter and Bylaws Committee:  William Buckler, reporting for the committee, made the motion that appeared in Attachment 1 to the agenda for the May 7 Senate meeting at <http://www.ysu.edu/acad-senate/may03_c&b.htm>:

Any committee which recommends any academic policy change relating to academic standards must inform the Academic Standards Committee of its recommendation prior to submitting a resolution.

The motion was seconded, and discussion followed.  

Buckler explained that the motion resulted from a review that the Charter and Bylaws Committee was asked to conduct after the November 6, 2002, Senate meeting.  (At that meeting, Bill Jenkins had moved "that the General Education Committee's report on the conflict between the charges of the General Education Committee and the Academic Standards Committee . . . be forwarded to the Charter and Bylaws Committee for review"—see <http://www.ysu.edu/acad-senate/minnov02.htm#reporting structure>).

Charles Singler, Geological and Environmental Sciences, asked whether passing the May 7 motion would mean that the Academic Standards Committee (ASC) is no longer needed.

Buckler, Jenkins, and Pete Beckett, chair of the ASC, said the intent of the motion was not to preclude the ASC's right to review matters involving academic standards but to ensure that the ASC is notified about such matters—and has an opportunity to discuss them—before they are brought before the Senate.

A vote was taken, and the motion that "any committee which recommends any academic policy change relating to academic standards must inform the Academic Standards Committee of its recommendation prior to submitting a resolution" carried.

Elections and Balloting Committee:   After the meeting, Louise Aurilio sent the annual elections report, which lists results of Senate elections for 2003-2004.  The report appears as a separate pdf file at <http://www.ysu.edu/acad-senate/may03_elections.pdf>.

Academic Standards Committee (ASC):   Pete Beckett, chair of the committee, presented three items:

(1)  Beckett made the motion that appeared in Attachment 2 to the agenda for the May 7 Senate meeting at <http://www.www.ysu.edu/acad-senate/may03_asc.htm> (a change in the Catalog of Entry section in the Undergraduate Bulletin—p. 37 in the 2002-2003 Bulletin): "Unless the minor is specified by the new major, a student who has been in continuous enrollment and changes majors can fulfill the requirements for a minor by using the criteria in effect in either the catalog of entry or the catalog in effect at the time of the change in major."  (Note: This motion replaces a motion that had been referred back to the committee at the March 5, 2003, Senate meeting.)

The motion was seconded, a vote was taken, and the motion carried.

(2) Beckett reported on the ASC's discussion of the Student Government resolution concerning, in part, changing the general education requirements for students in the College of Engineering and Technology—a matter referred to the ASC after the February 5, 2003, Senate meeting (see <http://www.ysu.edu/acad-senate/maximum_credit_hours.pdf>):

The Academic Standards Committee agrees with the Student Government proposal that a problem with general education requirements exists in Engineering and Technology.  The question at this point is whether the problem extends beyond that particular college.  If there is a more extensive problem, then potentially general education requirements need to be discussed further.  

At this point, the ASC does not feel comfortable making a specific recommendation and feels that any recommendation would be premature until the extent of the problem is clearer.  The ASC believes that academic advisors may be among those in the best position to provide information about the extent of the problem.  The other difficulty is that in the Student Government proposal, the general education issue is interconnected with the issue of bulk tuition rates.  The ASC would like to see the bulk-tuition part of the proposal resolved before we consider making specific recommendations.

(3) Beckett made the motion that appeared in Attachment 3 to the agenda for the May 7 Senate meeting at <http://www.www.ysu.edu/acad-senate/may03_asc2.htm>:  "If a student receives a grade of Incomplete as a result of being summoned to active military duty, the student will have one academic year from the date when he or she is released from active duty to complete the course requirements and have the change of grade recorded."

The motion was seconded, a vote was taken, and the motion carried.

Academic Programs Committee (APC):   Attachment 10 to the agenda for the May 7 Senate meeting listed minors and programs recently reviewed and approved by the Academic Programs Committee and currently in circulation to the Provost, Assistant Provost, Academic Deans, Department Chairs, and University Curriculum Committee Chair.  See <http://www.www.ysu.edu/acad-senate/may03_aprc.htm>.  Over the summer, updates will be added to the Senate web site to report on the disposition of these minors and programs and of any others that are circulated before fall. 

University Curriculum Committee:  No report.

Academic Planning Committee:  Ram Kasuganti, chair of the committee, reported on two items:

(1) The Academic Planning Committee met and considered the CSIS Department's request that the University adopt  5-digit course codes.  The Department's concern about the difficulty of inserting new courses into the course schedule was resolved to the satisfaction of the CSIS Department by expanding the range of course codes available.

(2) The committee also considered the Student Government resolution on amending the University calendar (see <http://www.ysu.edu/acad-senate/holiday_closings.pdf>), a matter referred to the committee after the February 5, 2003, Senate meeting.  As noted in Attachment 5 to the agenda for the May 7 Senate meeting, the committee does not recommend amending the calendar at this time (see <http://www.www.ysu.edu/acad-senate/may03_apc2.htm>).

General Education Committee (GEC):  A list of newly certified courses appeared in Attachment 6 to the agenda for the May 7 Senate meeting at <http://www.www.ysu.edu/acad-senate/may03_gec.htm>.  No action is required.

Bill Jenkins, chair of the committee, reported on two items:

(1) The topic for next year's Freshman Readers Dialogue is global terrorism.  The book selected is an anthology called Confronting Fear: A History of Terrorism, edited by Isaac Cronin.   We are negotiating to find speakers from among those who wrote in the anthology.  Due to budget restrictions, departments will need to share copies.  We will provide copies for those interested in using the book in their classes, but the University can’t afford to make copies available for all faculty.  Be thinking about how your discipline might take a look at the issue of global terrorism.  Although the anthology will be used in English composition and oral communication sections, it could also be looked at in a variety of other disciplines and forums.  The purpose of the Freshman Readers Dialogue is to evoke campus-wide (and community) discussion through interdisciplinary examination of a particular topic.  Let Jenkins know if you use the book/theme so that he can keep a record of activities associated with it.

(2) Jenkins noted that efforts to "reinvigorate" the University's assessment program—which had been de-emphasized after the assignment of Marie Cullen to DARS—began this year with the appointment of Sharon Stringer as Assessment Director, the reconstituting of the Assessment Council, and the Council's review of departmental outcomes-assessment reports during spring semester.  He distributed a handout outlining academic departments' role in "establish[ing] and implement[ing] an assessment plan for [their] courses in the general education domains" during 2003-2004 and 2004-2005.  For details, see the separate pdf file at <http://www.www.ysu.edu/acad-senate/gen_ed_domains_assessment.pdf>.  More information will follow next year.

Jenkins concluded by thanking faculty and department chairpersons for submitting courses for certification as general education "intensives" this year.

Integrated Technologies Committee:  Jim Zupanic, chair of the committee, highlighted the report on the Technology Master Plan that appeared in Attachment 1 to the April 2 Senate minutes at <http://www.www.ysu.edu/acad-senate/apr03_itc.htm>. 

Library Committee:  Dorcas Fitzgerald, chair of the committee, reported:  

Fitzgerald moved that the Senate approve the FY 04 library budget that appeared in Attachment 7 to the agenda for the May 7 Senate meeting at <http://www.www.ysu.edu/acad-senate/may03_lc.htm>

Student Academic Grievance Committee; Honors Committee:  No reports.

New business:  None.

Adjournment:  Dr. Shipka dismissed the Senate at 4:55 p.m.