WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY FACULTY SENATE
MINUTES OF THE MEETING MONDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2010
I. Call of the Meeting to Order: President Hemans called the meeting to order at 3:30 pm.
II. Informal Statements and Proposals: none.
III. Approval of the Minutes: the minutes of the meeting of Monday, November 22, 2010 were accepted as presented.
IV. President's Report:
A. President Hemans reported that revisions to the procedures for Tenure and Procedures
recommended by the Senate had been approved by President Beggs and incorporated into
Policies and Procedures.
B. President Hemans reported on the progress of a policy, passed by the Senate in
2009, on the Resolution of Internal Disputes, P & P 5.06. The Senate Executive Committee
has revised the policy to clarify the position of ombudsperson, determining that persons
to perform that role would be selected from a pool of past Faculty Senate presidents.
The revised proposal has been approved by Provost Miller and is under review by University
Counsel.
C. President Hemans reported that the Academic Affairs Committee had been reviewing
the proposal to create a degree in Engineering Technology and hoped to conclude their
review in January 2011.
D. President Hemans reported that the Library Committee was in the process of reviewing
the proposed Shocker Open Access Repository (SOAR) and hoped to bring a proposal to
the Senate during the Spring 2011 term.
E. President Hemans reported on the activities of the Planning and Budget Committee
in revising the Program Review process. The committee's aim is to make the process
a mechanism for program improvement. To that end, they are planning to extend the
timeline of the process, increase access to feedback, and increase time for deans
to review feedback. A full draft proposal has been completed, with the aim of implementing
the new process in the Spring 2011 term. There was general discussion on this issue.
F. President Hemans summarized the activities of the Ad Hoc General Education Committee
during the Fall 2010 term, and noted that the committee is drafting a report to bring
before the Senate in early 2011.
G. President Hemans summarized the activities of the standing General Education Committee
during the Fall 2010 term, noting in particular their work on transfers of credits
and equivalencies.
H. President Hemans reported that the Kansas Board of Regents Task Force on Transfer
and Articulation is considering a transfer and articulation model that has been developed
in Ohio.
I. President Hemans summarized several efforts around campus aimed at increasing
student retention. Efforts are underway to create a stronger orientation program,
and President Hemans indicated that faculty could expect to see some experimental
and trial programs in the near future. President Hemans reported on efforts to implement
a 鈥淲SU 101鈥� success course for the Fall 2011 term, as well as a program of peer mentoring
for students enrolled in the success course. There was general discussion on this
issue. President Hemans also mentioned recent efforts to select an 鈥淓arly Alert鈥� system.
V. Committee Reports: none.
VI. Old Business: none.
VII. New Business: none.
VIII. As May Arise:
A. Senators Caruthers pointed out that contract purchases often involved greater
expense than would local purchases of comparable items.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:14 pm.
Respectfully Submitted,
Dan Russell, Secretary