Minutes of March 16, 2000

The NGCSU Faculty Senate met on April 27, 2000. The Senate was called to order by CEO Gessell at 12:31 PM. The following Senators were present: Anthony, Barnett, Batchelder, Biddy, Carroll-Cobb, Cronic, Democko, Eggers, Friedman, Gessell, Gordon, Herbert, Kokkala, Larkin, Link, B. Morris, Patten, Roberts-Betsch, Skelly, Smith, Spraker, Stahl, Szuminski, Thurman, Weinberg, Wiedmann, Williams, Woods, Yeoman, and Yonts. President Hansford, VPAA Buckhiester, and Peggy Inman (Staff Council Representative) were also present. Guests included Steve Ross, Registrar Tompkins, Asst. Registrar Pruitt, and Dr. B. J. Robinson. Senators Corotto, W. Morris, Sisk and Tennis were excused. Senators Delargy, Gannaway, Margeson, and Westerfield were absent.

The minutes of the March 16, 2000, meeting were submitted with the following correction: On page 4, under "New Business," it should read that the "department lacks the facilities," not "faculty." CEO Gessell called for further corrections or additions. There being no further corrections or additions, Senator Spraker moved that the minutes be approved as corrected. Senator Patten seconded the motion, the motion carried.

President's Report

President Hansford provided the Senate with the latest information concerning the new PPO health plan. The PPO plan is scheduled to become effective January 1, 2001. He also informed the Senators that the premiums for the current health plan will significantly increase as of August 1, 2000, and again on January 1, 2001. In addition, there will be changes in the current plan regarding deductibles, out-of-pocket expenses, and lifetime benefit limits. The enrollment "window" for the new PPO will occur in November of this year. President Hansford pointed out that the current health plan, administered by BC-BS, would continue to be available to employees. The new PPO plan is an alternative plan. When questioned whether or not any changes were expected regarding the current dental plan, President Hansford replied that he was not aware of any.

President Hansford informed the Senate that the budget for the coming fiscal year had just been received. It is, essentially, a "flat" budget. It provides for an average salary increase for faculty of 3%. It also includes a 3.8% increase in tuition. No increases in established student fees, such as the student activity fee, were authorized. A new student fee, an informational technology fee, was authorized and approved at $38.00 per student per semester. Approval of the fee was granted with the stipulation that the income from the fee must be used specifically for student-user technology. Furthermore, spending must be approved by a university committee with over 50% student members.

Regarding the search for the position of Vice President for Institutional Advancement, President Hansford reported that an offer had been made but not yet accepted. President Hansford welcomed the appointment of Dr. Linda Roberts-Betsch as Associate VPAA as "clearly the best qualified candidate."

President Hansford informed the Senators that Dean Daigle had suffered a mild heart attack. Ms. Inman reported that Dean Daigle was listed in stable condition in the Critical Care unit at the local hospital. She went on to say that he would soon be moved to St. Joseph's Hospital in Atlanta. Dean Tom Fox added that he had visited Dean Daigle in the morning, and he was alert and in good spirits.

On a brighter note, President Hansford told the Senate that the BOR had asked that representative members of the NGCSU Blue Ridge Rifles be sent to the next meeting of the BOR to receive recognition and congratulations from the board on the BRR's recent National Championship. President Hansford reaffirmed the wisdom of the decision, last semester, to temporarily deactivate the unit. He went on to congratulate the BRR members for having learned from the experience.

Ms. Inman asked President Hansford if there would be a delay in the implementation of salary increases for faculty and staff. President Hansford responded that there would be no delay with regard to salary increases for faculty members. Salary increases for staff and administrators, however, would be delayed until October 1, 2000. In addition, the university is clarifying how and when 12 month teaching faculty will be affected. Some physical therapy faculty fall under this designation and different faculty members will be affected at different times.

CEO's Report

CEO Gessell informed the Senate that she had submitted a budget for the Senate to VPAA Buckhiester. Among the budget items was a request for course release time for the CEO of the Senate. Requests were also made for office supplies and secretarial support for the CEO.

CEO Gessell announced to the Senate the departure from NGCSU of Dr. John Nardo. Dr. Nardo had been elected a Senator-at-Large in the most recent Faculty Senate elections. Since he will not be able to serve in this capacity, the position will go to Dr. Kathy Sisk as she received the next largest number of votes in the election. CEO Gessell went on to praise and thank Dr. Nardo for all the work has has done in the past for the Senate even though not a Senator. As a token of appreciation for all he has done, CEO Gessell presented him with a gift accompanied by a solid round of applause from all those present. Dr. Nardo thanked the Senators for their support and explained that he had accepted a position at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta.

Election of CEO and Secretary

CEO Gessell informed the Senate that no nominations for the position of CEO had been received in advance of the meeting. Therefore, the meeting was opened to nominations from the floor. Senator Smith nominated Senator Weinberg. Senator Weinberg declined the nomination. Senator Skelly nominated Senator Woods, and Senator Woods accepted the nomination. Senator Batchelder was nominated and, in turn, accepted the nomination. CEO Gessell pointed out that, since Senator Batchelder will not be serving on the Senate next year, he was ineligible as a candidate. Senator Friedman moved that nominations be closed, Senator Spraker seconded the motion, and the motion carried. Senator Woods was elected CEO of the Senate for the 2000-2001 term.

CEO Gessell next called for nominations from the floor for the position of Secretary. Senator Barnett nominated Senator Wiedmann. Senator Wiedmann explained that she was willing to accept the nomination but was equally willing to allow someone else the opportunity to serve. Senator Spraker moved that nominations cease, the motion was seconded and carried. Senator Wiedmann was elected Secretary for the Senate for the 2000-2001 term.

Unfinished Business

Senator Woods addressed the Senate about a problem concerning the annual evaluation faculty members undergo. He pointed out that Section 4.3 of the Faculty Handbook states:

At the beginning of each evaluation period the faculty
member, in consultation with his/her department head,
and with the approval of the department head, will deter-
mine the appropriate percentages for service and profes-
sional development. . . . the percentage chosen . . .
may change at the beginning of a new evaluation
period. (emphasis added)

1) This procedure is not being applied consistently within the university. It has come to Senator Woods's atention that some departments allow faculty members to set service and professional development percentages at the end of the year; that is, at the beginning of the annual evaluation meeting with their chair.

2) The point in time at which the percentages are supposed to be set (according to the official policy) is not well-timed. Faculty members are required to set the percentages before knowing what their committee assignments, ad hoc committee assignments, etc. will be during the coming year. Senator Woods used his most recent evaluation experience as an example. At the beginning of the evaluation period, he set percentages of 20% service and 20% professional development. Over the ensuing months, he was reelected to the Faculty Senate, asked to chair an ad hoc subcommittee of the Academic Activities Committee, placed on the Lumpkin County Grand Jury for six months, a proposed presentation did not occur, and a submitted paper became stalled in the review process. "My service soared and my professional development fell." Senator Woods explained that he applied 30% service and 10% professional development when completing his self-evaluation. He was evaluated, however, on the even 20-20 split he had initially set at the beginning of the year. On the basis of the 20-20 split, he was evaluated at 4.8 out of 7 (a high D), but under a 30-10 split he would have scored 5.3 out of 7 (a solid C).

Senator Barnett presented, for the second time, a proposed change in the Bylaws concerning the composition and duties of the Graduate Council. The relevant portions of the proposal follow (changes appear in bold):

Composition: The Graduate Council shall be composed of the Coordinator of Graduate Studies and one graduate facultymember from each of the following programs: Education Specialist, Master of Education (from the Department of Teacher Education), Master of Public Administration, Master of Science in Community Counseling, Master of Science in Nursing, and Master of Science in Physical Therapy. Graduate faculty from the departments that do not house the degrees above shall collectively elect one representative. The Coordinator of Graduate Studies will conduct this election. The graduate program with the largest number of students, as measured by the full-time equivalency standard, shall have one additional graduate faculty representative. The Senate Committee on Committees shall appoint one Senator who is a graduate faculty member. The Graduate Student Senate shall select one graduate student representative. A department that is petitioning for a new graduate degree program may select a graduate faculty member to serve on the Graduate Council in a non-voting capacity. The chair of the Graduate Council shall be the Coordinator of Graduate Studies. The Vice President for Academic Affairs shall serve in a non-voting capacity.

Duties: The Graduate Council shall be responsible for establishing policies for the graduate program. The  raduate Council shall review and approve new program proposals as well as proposed revisions in the existing programs. After approval by the Graduate Council, new proposals will be forwarded to the Academic Activities Committee for final approval. The Graduate Council shall institute criteria for Graduate Faculty status and a process for selection of Graduate Faculty.

Senator Barnett pointed out the most substantive change concerns the composition of the Graduate Council reducing membership from twenty-seven (27) to twelve to thirteen (12/13) members. There was no discussion, and the proposal carried.

Dr. John Nardo presented for the second time three proposed changes in the Bylaws. The first proposal called for the addition of the following to the duties of the Committee on Committees:

In addition, the Committee on Committees shall nominate for Senate approval a Parliamentarian and a Secretary to the Faculty.

Next, Dr. Nardo presented a proposal to change the title "Division of Learning Support Services" to "Division of Academic Support Programs" throughout the Bylaws. Again, there was no discussion, and the proposal carried.

Finally, Dr. Nardo presented a new Article for inclusion in the Bylaws to allow for suspension of the Bylaws. The proposal read as follows:

Create a new article:

One or more of the provisions in Article IX may be suspended at a general faculty meeting by a two thirds majority vote of members present. Any such suspension of these provisions is limited to matters of old business or current business pending under Article IX.

Senator Kokkala presented for the second time a proposed change in the Bylaws concerning the composition of the Instructional Technology Committee. The relevant portion read as follows (proposed changes are in bold):
 

Composition: The committee shall be composed of one regular faculty member from each school of the University (appointed by the Deans of the schools), one regular faculty member from the Division of Academic Support Programs (appointed by the Director of the Division of Academic Support Programs), one library representative (appointed by the Director of the Library), one support staff member from Information Technology (appointed by the Chief Information Officer), one undergraduate student representative and one graduate student representative (appointed by the Vice President of Student Affairs). One of the above committee members shall be a senator. Each member of this committee should have demonstrated interest in instructional technology issues. The outgoing chair of this committee shall attend the first meeting of the new committee for the purpose of briefing the committee on previous results.

Senator Batchelder addressed the Senate concerning the question of distributing blank diplomas at graduation. He reported that the survey of faculty, conducted at the last general faculty meeting, showed that 61% of the faculty support changing to blank diplomas with 39% of the faculty opposed to such a change. Additionally, he informed the Senate that the Student Government Association also supported the move to blank diplomas. Senator Woods asked how many faculty members responded to the survey. Senator Batchelder explained that he did not have the precise figure at hand, although it was reported in the faculty-wide e-mail of March 14, 2000, but he thought the number was around 129.

Registrar Tompkins suggested that there were two different issues to be considered: The issuing of blank diplomas, and the timing of graduation. She went on to say that, since the successful graduation of our students is our primary concern, allowing students who are not qualified to participate in the graduation ceremony would be contrary to the integrity of the institution and our academic goal. In addition, the issuance of blank diplomas would entail subsequent mailing costs of approximately $3,400.00 as well as present a storage problem prior to the mailing of the actual diplomas.

Senator Wiedmann responded that the two issues are not unrelated. The current practice of issuing actual diplomas, along with the timing of graduation, has significant negative effects for the faculty. Faculty members have little more than twelve (12) hours from the end of the exam period to grade exams and compute final grades. Furthermore, the faculty member has that much time only if they "pull" an "all-nighter." Some faculty members find themselves forced to change their methods of assessment in ways contrary to the stated mission of the University; for example, switching from essay exams to multiple-choice tests. Senator Wiedmann argued that any policy which undermines the integrity of the assessment process ought to be considered a more serious problem than the possibility that an unqualified student may participate in a graduation ceremony. She pointed out that such behavior on the part of the student may reflect negatively on the integrity of the student far more than on the integrity of the institution.

CEO Gessell asked if the electronic submission of grades by faculty members helped with the process of certifying students for graduation. Asst. Registrar Pruitt explained that it shortened the process one day since the registrar's office no longer has to enter the grades into the computer. He explained that the certification process, itself, was not affected and still took just as long as before.

Addressing Registrar Tompkins's concern that unqualified students might take part in the graduation ceremony if blank diplomas were issued, Senator Smith pointed out that students can now access their grades electronically just one day after the reporting deadline. This means the students have the opportunity to discover in a timely manner if they do or do not qualify to participate in the graduation ceremony.

Asst. Registrar Pruitt assured the Senate that the registrar's office is willing to work with the faculty to allow sufficient time for the members of the faculty to complete the assessment process. If he went on to point out that, if blank diplomas are issued, then the registrar's office will be "clearing" students for graduation after the ceremony has taken place and at the same time that the office is trying to register students for the upcoming semester. He also suggested that the opinion of the entire student body should be sought on this issue and not just that of the Student Government Association. When asked how many students do not currently "clear" for graduation, Registar Tompkins responded that, in the past, as many as 40 students per semester registered for graduation but did not qualify.

Senator reported to the Senate on interviews for the position of Director of Public Safety. He began by thanking CEO Gessell and the Senate for the trust placed in him. The committee received applications from twenty-one (21) applicants. Of these, eighteen (18) met all the qualifications for the position. Nine (9) off-campus interviews were conducted, and three (3) applicants were invited for on-campus interviews. Of these three finalists, two hold Master's Degrees and the third is working on a Ph. D. All three are police certified; two are trained in "verbal judo," that is, the art of verbally diffusing a potentially violent situation. Two of the finalists are serving in police departments of 50+ officers, and hold leadership positions. All three were articulate. Two of the finalists had done their homework and recognized the need to change the mission and perception of Campus Public Safety from law enforcement to that of community service. Finally, Senator Yonts informed the Senate that, although a final selection had not yet been named, he was "very pleased" by what he saw and "very encouraged."

New Business

Dr. Nardo, on behalf of Senator Sisk, presented the report from the Committee on Committees setting forth proposed assignments to the standing committees for the coming year. Dr. Nardo assured the Senate that the Committee on Committees had strove for an equitable school and departmental representation. Once again, the Committee was faced with more faculty members than committee positions. Therefore, the Committee will, as in the past, maintain a list of unassigned faculty. This list can be referenced as additional committee assignments need to be made. A request was made to have faculty in clinical and practicum areas assigned to the Academic Integrity Council. It was pointed out that Elaine Hummel (Nursing) and Judith Long (Education) were already assigned to the committee and meet the request. Dr. Nardo moved for the proposed committee assignments, as set forth in the report, be approved. Senator Barnett stated she was glad to see assignments given to faculty members who had not served in the past. Dr. Nardo explained that the Committee on Committees had taken this into consideration. The motion to approve the assignments carried.

Regarding the Graduate Council, Dr. Nardo requested that Dr. Rufus Larkin be added as a representative for the Master's in Community Counseling program. The request was approved.

Dr. Steve Noble and Ron Graham, Director of Human Resources, presented a policy and procedure proposal concerning dispute resolution. Dr. Noble explained that a request had been made to review current policies and procedures and, from them, produce a single, coherent and cohesive policy. The committee's report seeks to consolidate and unify the process. The committee reviewed the policies and procedures of UGA, GSU, and other university system institutions. It was also pointed out that the Grievance Committee had not been called into use for about fifteen (15) years.

Senator Woods raised a question concerning the Board of Review and Grievance Panel. The relevant section of the proposed policy read as follows:

D.    FORMAL GRIEVANCE
    1. BOARD OF REVIEW AND GRIEVANCE PANEL
        a.    The Board of Review shall be comprised of twenty members who
               are regular full time employees of NGCSU and five members who
               are student employees of NGCSU. Members are selected as follows
               to serve a one-year term from August 1 to July 31:
                    (1)    Ten tenured faculty members shall be selected by the faculty.
                    (2)    Ten non-faculty employees shall be elected by the staff.
                    (3)    Five student employees shall be elected by the students.

Senator Weinberg informed the Senate that, because of the lack of time remaining, he would not present a resolution from the Library Committee. The resolution will be presented at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Senate.

Senator Weinberg then presented a preliminary report on the survey conducted by the Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Harassment. The report sets forth the percentages of faculty/staff survey comments by subject. He explained that the committee is still in the process of fully analyzing the results of the survey. Senator Weinberg did point out that 44% of the surveys sent to the faculty and staff were returned. In addition, 105 classes were surveyed, 700 students responded, resulting in a 71% response rate. A full and complete report is expected in the fall. The preliminary report indicates "significant gender differences in experienced harassment and experienced discrimination."

CEO Gessell reminded the Senate that end-of-year reports from all standing and ad hoc committees are to be electronically added to the minutes of the meeting. She announced that some committee reports still had not been received.

Announcements

Senator Yonts announced that he was being transferred to Ft. Rucker. He expressed his appreciation for the welcome and acceptance extended to him by the Senate and university. "It has been great to be here," he said and described his time at NGCSU as "the best four years both personally and professionally."

VPAA Buckhiester commended CEO Gessell on her service to the university and Senate. CEO Gessell expressed her thanks to the Senate.

The meeting was adjourned at 1:56 PM.

Respectfully submitted,
 

Sally N. Wiedmann
Secretary to the NGCSU Faculty Senate