Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes

May 8, 2017 

3:15pm

Rudder 601

http://facultysenate.tamu.edu
 
 

Call to Order 3:25 pm

 

Guest Speakers

            Karen Butler-Purry, Associate Provost for Graduate & Professional Studies
            On changes to the English Language Proficiency requirements for international teaching assistants 

• Only for international graduate students who serve in teaching positions. 
• New requirements allow students to demonstrate proficiency by taking a locally administered exam.  Other option is to pass the English language institute courses.
• The aim of the new requirements is to establish some formal standards that are recognized outside of Texas A&M. The new requirements would recognize three levels of English language proficiency: 
  1. Not eligible to teach
  2. Conditional eligibility to teach
  3. Eligible to teach
• Scores come from European framework that defines proficiency levels. 

 
Sorin Sorescu-Mays Business School, Department of Finance-Department Head
  Student Rule 7

• Expressed support for a rule change proposal currently being evaluated by the academic affairs committee. 
• Changes to rule would allow excused absences to include job interviews that cannot be rescheduled. 
  1. Two main benefits: 
     • Change in rule allows us to state who we are as a university-national opposed to regional.
     • Equality of Opportunity for students and uniformity across professors. 
• Students Ramsey Nassar (Mays Business School, Department of Finance) and Joseph Hood (Speaker of Student Senate) spoke in favor of the changes to the rule. 

Aggie Spirit Awards presented to three out of five award recipients:  

   Francisco Alvarez
            Christian Lynch
            Karla Gonzalez
            

Stadelmann Award recipients:

Julie Harlin
Diane Bedford
 

Speaker Comments

• Reception immediately following today’s meeting in the University Club, 11th Floor Rudder Tower
• If you plan to be absent from Senate meetings this summer, and have not already completed a Request for Inactive Status, you may do so electronically or see a staff person on the way out for a paper form.

• EC met with Chancellor Sharp last Thursday, Gave Legislative Update and Future for Medical School
• LAC Committee, information if contacting a state legislator, Jonathan Coopersmith
• Update on Provost Search, Committee meeting with President Young on Wednesday, May 10
• Update on Faculty Hiring at TAMU/Possible Prominent Hiring

 

Approval of April 10, 2017 Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes

Attachment A 
Minutes approved as distributed.
            
 

Consent Agenda

GRADUATE COUNCIL – GC REPORT – April 2017
New Courses 
FINC 640                     Macro Finance
FINC 654                     Behavioral Finance
MKTG 626  Marketing Analytics II
MKTG 630  Marketing Analytics and Consulting
PHYS 661                    Superfluidity and Superconductivity
SPSY 682                     School-Based Externship
 Attachment B 
FS.34.320
Motion Passed

Texas A&M University at Galveston
New Courses 
MARS 604  Quantitative Methods for Resource Management II
Attachment C 
FS.34.321
Motion Passed
 
Change in Courses 
MKTG 625  Marketing Analytics I
NURS 631   Curriculum Foundations for Health Care Professionals
NURS 632   Assessment for Evaluation for Healthcare Professionals
NURS 633   Teaching Strategies for Healthcare Professionals
OCNG 608  Physical Oceanography
OCNG 657  Data Methods and Graphical Representation in Oceanography
OCNG 684  Professional Internship
Attachment D
FS.34.322
Motion Passed
 
 Course Inactivations 
VPAT 620                    Humane, Public Health and Regulatory Aspects of Animal Use
VTMI 601                    Fundamentals of Pathobiology
VTMI 602                    Animal Models of Obesity
VTMI 648                    Medical Mycology
VTMI 654                    Cell Culture Techniques
VTPB 421                    Infectious Diseases of Humans and Animals
VTPB 454                    Ornamental Fish Health Management
Attachment E 
FS.34.323
Motion Passed
 
 
Special Consideration Item 
      Mays Business School
Accounting
Finance
BBA/MFM-ACCT/FINM-YF5 Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Master of Financial Management, 5-year Degree Program           
Attachment F 
FS.34.324
Motion Passed
 
 
Change in Curriculum 
      College of Architecture
College of Architecture
CERT-CG26 Health Systems and Design Certificate
Attachment G 
FS.34.325
Motion Passed
 
Change in Curriculum 
      College of Liberal Arts    
Sociology
CERT-CG36 Latino/a and Mexican American Studies Certificate
Attachment H 
FS.34.326
Motion Passed
 
Change in Curriculum 
      Mays Business School
Management
MS-HRMT Master of Science in Human Resource Management
Attachment I 
FS.34.327
Motion Passed
 
 
 Change in Curriculum 
      College of Geosciences
Atmospheric Sciences
PHD-ATMO Doctor of Philosophy in Atmospheric Sciences
Attachment J 
FS.34.3208
Motion Passed
 
Change in Curriculum 
      College of Geosciences
Geography
PHD-GEOG Doctor of Philosophy in Geography
Attachment K
FS.34.329
Motion Passed
 
Change in Curriculum 
      College of Geosciences
Geology & Geophysics
PHD-GEOL Doctor of Philosophy in Geology
Attachment L 
FS.34.330
Motion Passed
 
Change in Curriculum 
College of Geosciences
Geology & Geophysics
PHD-GEOL Doctor of Philosophy in Geophysics
Attachment M 
FS.34.331
Motion Passed
 
Change in Curriculum 
College of Geosciences
Oceanography
PHD-GEOL Doctor of Philosophy in Oceanography
Attachment N 
FS.34.332
Motion Passed
 
Program Inactivation 
      Mays Business School
Management
CERT-CG29 Human Resource Management Certificate
Attachment O
FS.34.333
Motion Passed
 
 
 Program Inactivation 
      College of Education and Human Development
                      College of Education and Human Development
CERT CG34 International Education Certificate
Attachment P
FS.34.334
Motion Passed
 
 
UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULUM COMMITTEE – UCC REPORT – April 2017
New Courses
PETE 413                     Natural Gas Engineering
Attachment Q 
FS.34.335
Motion Passed
 
Change in Courses 
ASTR 320                    Astrophysical Research Methods
Attachment R
FS.34.336
Motion Passed

Texas A&M University at Galveston 
Change in Courses 
MARA 281  Seminar in Undergraduate Research Methods
MARA 421  Admiralty Law
MARA 424  Economics of Transportation
MARA 440  Global Economy and Enterprise Management
MARA 470  Environmental Law
Attachment S
FS.34.337
Motion Passed
 
Change in Curriculum 
      College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
                      College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
                                       CERT-CU4 Biomedical Research and Development Certificate
Attachment T
FS.34.338
Motion Passed

Change in Curriculum 
      College of Science
                      College of Science
MINOR-NRSC Neuroscience Minor
Attachment U 
FS.34.339
Motion Passed
 
Texas A&M University at Galveston 
Change in Curriculum 
      Maritime Administration
                      MINOR-MARA Maritime Administration-Minor
Attachment V
FS.34.340
Motion Passed
 
W-COURSES –April 2017
Courses submitted for W certification
SOCI 316-W               Sociology of Gender
 
Courses submitted for W recertification
ANTH 305-W             Fundamentals of Anthropological Writing
ECON 465-W             Contemporary Economic Issues
ECON 470-W             Program Evaluation
GEOG 476-W            GIS Practicum
 
Attachment W
FS.34.341
Motion Passed
_______________________________End of Consent Agenda____________________________________

Committee Reports

            CORE CURRICULUM COMMITTEE – CCC Report – May 2017 
            Courses Submitted for Recertification as Core Curriculum
            ENGL 104        Composition and Rhetoric                                                                              
            ENGL 227        American Literature: Beginnings to Civil War                        
            ENGL 334        Science Fiction Present and Past
Attachment X
FS.34.343
Motion Passed
 
 

Unfinished Business

                

Old Business

 New Business

May 2017 Graduation Recommendation:
TAMU-Main – 8917
 TAMU-Galveston – 274
 TAMU-Qatar – 95
 TAMU-Health Science Center – 669
 TAMU-LAW – 151
Students certified for May 2017 graduation
 Motion passed
Revisions to Student Rule 14 Degree Requirements
Attachment Y
FS.34.344
Motion Passed
 

Annual State of the Senate Address by Faculty Senate Speaker Dr. Len Bierman

 Speaker-Elect Dr. Hill Price presents the speaker gavel and resolution to Dr. Len Bierman– 4:45

 Elections- Speaker Elect and Members at Large led by Speaker Hill Price

Results: 
Speaker Elect:

• Julie Harlin

Members at Large:

• Janice Epstein
• Jose Fernandez-Solic
• Stefanie Harris
• Jen horney
• Andrew Klein
• Mark Sicilio
• John Stallone
• Coran Watanabe
• Jim Woosley

Secretary/Treasurer: 

• Johnathan Coopersmith

 Adjourn 5:22 pm