M12715

Faculty Senate Minutes

Monday, December 7, 2015

Clinton Hall 126 3:00PM-4:00PM

Senators Present: Attendance was not taken

Senators Absent:

Summary of Action:
a. Accepted Proposed First-Year Seminar

I. Call to Order - Meeting called to order at 3:04 PM by President Moore-Jansen

II. Informal Statements and Proposals - None

III. Approval of the Minutes
a. Minutes of the November 23, 2015 meeting were accepted as presented

IV. Updates
a. President Moore-Jansen reminded everyone of the Gun Safety Forum which was held on Friday, December 4th. The forum was recorded by the MRC. President Moore-Jansen will check to see when and where it will be posted.
b. President Moore-Jansen took a straw vote and the majority of senators voted in favor of repealing the law or continuing the exemption.

V. President's Report - None

VII. Old Business – (sample syllabus provided to senate members)
a. General Education, Natalie Grant, Chair – Proposed First Year Seminar (2nd reading) – The proposed first –year seminar is to provide a common experience with topical content that will promote intellectual discourse and engagement between incoming students and faculty and among students. The outcomes of the seminars are aligned with the outcomes of the general education program.

b. President Moore-Jansen summarized the discussion board comments; including, procedural and practical concerns, budgetary concerns, the impact on LAS as well as the potential impact on smaller departments.

c. Lively discussion ensued focusing on issues related to credit hour production, courses currently available that could be used, resources (monetary and personnel), timeline and feeling rushed to make a decision, whether every college is required to offer courses, if courses should be limited to LAS and Fine Arts faculty or open to all faculty, the importance of engaging students sooner, and compromising by offering a limited number of courses for the fall as a trial run.

d. Senator Shaw - Motion to approve the proposal from the general education committee as an encouraged (but not required) course to grant for general education credit with the number of offerings in the Fall 2016 semester to be limited to 10, with the courses to be approved by individual departments and the general education committee with the understanding that an assessment rubric will be put into place to evaluate the impact of the offerings to achieve the stated outcomes. 21 approved, 10 opposed - Motion passes.

VIII. New Business - None

IX. As May Arise - None

X. Adjournment – at 4:01PM