FACULTY SENATE MEETING
Minutes
October 8, 2007
3:15 p.m., 601 Rudder Tower
Present: Derya Akleman, Wendi Arant-Kaspar, Carisa Armstrong, Wolfgang Bangerth, Guy Battle, Robert Bednarz, Michael Benedik, Tom Blasingame, Tahir Cagin, Richard Carlson, Gwendolyn Carroll, Antonio Cepeda-Benito, Ifte Choudhury, Walter Daugherity, Janice Epstein, John Fackler, Richard Feldman, Rainer Fink, Holly Gaede, Kishore Gawande, Melinda Grant, Michael Greenwald, Mike Hanik, James Heilman, Richard Hise, Arthur Hobbs, Joe Jaros, Eluned Jones, Guido Kanschat, Larry Kelly, Ann Kenimer, Andrew Klein, Andre Landry, Antonio La-Pastina, Tom Linton, Robyn Lints, Carol Loopstra, Clinton Machann, Clint Magill, Sam Mannan, Lanny Martindale, Robert McGeachin, Rosana Moreria, Tim Murphy, Ramona Paetzold, Fred Pearl, David Peterson, Angie Hill Price, Sanjay Reddy, Roger Reese, Cynthia Riccio, Elisabeth Rich, Lynn Ruoff, Roger Schultz, Doug Slack, Robin Smith, Kathleen Speed, Susan Stabile, John Stallone, Robert Stewart, Bob Strawser, Winfred Teizer, Frank Thomas, Ellen Toby, Theodore Turocy, Tom Vogel, Hank Walker, Robert Warden, Gwendolyn Webb-Johnson, William West, Gary Wigenbach, Kirk Winemiller, Tom Woodfin, Jim Woosley, Debra Zoran
Watson (Dean of Faculties)
Absent: Louise Abbott, James Aune, Charles Bollfrass, James Boyd, Keith Chaffin, Paul Harms, Andrew Kirkendall, Leon Luxemburg, R.N. Mahapatra, Peter McIntyre, Mary Meagher, Michael Messina, Morgan Scott, Karen Snowden, William Stein, Hamid Toliyat, Jyotsna Vaid, Nancy Volkman, Matthew Whiteacre
Call to Order:
The meeting was called to order at 3:15 by Speaker Angie Hill Price.
Speaker Comments:
Speaker Price opened the meeting by welcoming guests and Senators. Galveston and Qatar Senators were present via videoconferencing. The Speaker also introduced and welcomed Vanessa Foster, new Faculty Senate Administrative Assistant. New senators not inducted in September were installed at this time.
The September 10, 2007 Minutes were approved as submitted. Motion Passed F.S. 25.41
Consent Agenda
All consent agenda items were approved with the exception of the following:
Magill asked that STAT 631 and 662 be removed from the consent agenda and Feldman asked that SENG 660 be removed from the consent agenda.
Graduate Council
New Courses – August 30, 2007 Motion Passed F.S. 25.42
BUSH 635 Social Welfare and Health Policy
BUSH 636 Contract and Grant Management in the Public and Nonprofit Sectors
CHEM 658 Molecular Modeling
CVEN 631 System Identification and Nondestructive Damage Evaluation of Civil Engineering Structures
ECEN 690 Switching Power Supplies
FINC 669 Titans of Investing
PETE635 Underbalanced and Managed Pressure Drilling
PETE 667 Petroleum Engineering Reserves and Evaluation
PLPA 601 Fundamental of Plant Pathology
PLPA 614 Pathogens, the Environment, and Society
Change in Courses – August 30, 2007 Motion Passed F.S. 25.43
EHRD 606 Management of Educational Human Resource Development Programs and Departments
OCNG 685 Directed Studies
VTMI 664 Strategies for Manipulating the Mouse Genome
AGRO 627 Soil Fertility Relationships
WFSC 604 Systems Analysis and Simulation in Ecology and Natural Resource Management
NUEN 618 Nuclear Control Systems
Course Withdrawals – August 30, 2007
FLOR 609 Taxonomy of Ornamental Plants
HORT 616 Asexual Plant Reproduction
NUEN 602 Nuclear Reactor Analysis
University Curriculum Committee
New Courses – September 14, 2007 Motion Passed F.S. 25.44
ANTH 439 Gender, Ethnicity and Class in Archaeological Research
BESC 204 Molds and Mushrooms: The Impact of Fungi on Society and the Environment
BESC 320 Water and the Bioenvironmental Sciences
CHEN 282 Engineering Biology
COMM 411 Representations of Motherhood
ECON 436 Environmental Economics
HIST 357 Africa and the African Diaspora
HIST 408 Central Europe During the Long Nineteenth Century
HIST 475 Empire and History
WMST 411 Representations of Motherhood
WMST 439 Gender, Ethnicity and Class in Archaeological Research
Withdrawal of Course – September 14, 2007
ENGL 236 Introduction to Creative Writing: Poetry.
Change in Courses – September 14, 2007
AGRO 428 Turfgrass Culture.
ANTH 302 Archaeology of North America.
ANTH 303 Archaeology of the American Southwest
ENGL 235 Introduction to Creative Writing: Prose
ENGL 347 Writers’ Workshop: Prose.
ENGL 348 Writers’ Workshop: Poetry.
Change in Curriculum – September 14, 2007 Motion Passed F.S. 25.45
College of Education and Human Development
Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture
B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies
Early Childhood-Grade 4 Generalist Certification
Middle Grades Certification: Mathematics/Science Specialist
Middle Grades Certification: Language Arts/Social Studies Specialist
Change in Curriculum – September 14, 2007 Motion Passed F.S. 25.46
College of Liberal Arts
Department of Economics
B.A. in Economics
B.S. in Economics
Change in Curriculum – September 14, 2007 Motion Passed F.S. 25.47
College of Liberal Arts
Department of English
B.A. in English with Middle School Certification in
English, Language Arts and Reading
W Courses Motion Passed F.S. 25.48
Certification:
CLAS 321 Advanced Latin Readings
MARE 452 Senior Design Project II
PHIL 410 Classical Philosophy
Recertification:
ACCT 320 Improving Critical Communications Skills
FINC 460 Money and Capital Markets
GEOG 404 Spatial Thinking, Perceptions & Behaviors
RPTS 304 Administration of Recreation Resource Agencies
Committee Reports
Executive Committee
University Curriculum Committee
Change in Curriculum – September 14, 2007 Motion Passed F.S. 25.49
College of Liberal Arts
Department of History
B.A. in History
Graduate Council
Other Request – August 30, 2007 Motion Passed F.S. 25.50
Graduate Council approved the Mays Business School, Department of Marketing request that the Master of Science in Marketing program be increased from a 36-hour program to a 38-hour program.
Other Request – August 30, 2007 Motion Passed F.S. 25.51
Graduate Council approved the two proposed agreements between the College of Education and Human Development at Texas A&M University and the College of Education at Texas A&M International University
Other Request – August 30, 2007 Motion Passed F.S. 25.52 Attachment L
Graduate Council approved the College of Science, Department of Statistics proposal for a graduate certificate in Applied Statistics.
Other Request – August 30, 2007 Motion Passed F.S. 25.53 Attachment M
Graduate Council approves the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (COALS) request for graduate degree name changes in the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications.
Other Request – August 30, 2007 Motion Passed F.S. 25.54 Attachment N
Graduate Council approved the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (COALS) request for approval of the Agriculture eLearning Development Certificate.
Other Request – May 31, 2007 (Revised August 29, 2007) Motion Passed F.S. 25.55 Attachment O
PhD in European Studies
Senator Magill asked several questions especially related to whether or not there was support for the Ph.D. proposal from the departmental faculty. His questions were answered by the Assistant Department Head, Professor Konrad. Professor Konrad answered Magill's questions and indicated that the departmental faculty extensively discussed the proposal and were in complete agreement in support of it.
University Curriculum Committee
Special Consideration – September 14, 2007 Motion Passed F.S. 25.56 Attachment R
College of Science
University Studies Degree
Area of Concentration – Science for Secondary Teaching
Special Consideration – September 14, 2007 Motion Passed F.S. 25.57 Attachment S
College of Science
Department of Mathematics
University Studies Degree
Area of Concentration – Mathematics for Business
Special Consideration – September 14, 2007 Motion Passed F.S. 25.58 Attachment T
College of Science
Department of Mathematics
University Studies Degree
Area of Concentration – Mathematics for Pre-Professionals
Senator Toby asked what mathematics for pre-professionals would be used for. Vogel indicated that it would primarily be used for students wishing to go to med school who were interested in mathematics but did not want to major in mathematics.
Core Curriculum Council Motion Passed F.S. 25.59
19 September 2007 Approved courses Attachment U
Executive Committee Motion Passed F.S. 25.60
Revisions to Student rules dealing with Section 48.4 & 48.5 and the revision dealing with Section 14.5
Old Business
Senator Magill pointed out that the material for STAT 631 and 662 contained memos to the Finance Department and the Genetics Faculty, but that the memos were not signed. He moved that the two courses be returned to the STAT Department to obtain signed letters. After the letters were obtained, the course should be returned to the Executive Committee. The motion was seconded and passed.
Secretary Feldman indicated that SENG 660 covered topics of active research interests to several faculty within the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department and that a letter of support from the ISEN Department would be appropriate. He moved that the course be returned to the Chemical Engineering Department to obtain a letter of support for the course. After the letter is obtained, the course should be returned to the Executive Committee. The motion was seconded and passed.
Committee of the Whole
Former Speaker Slack gave a description of the process that was followed by the Presidential Search Advisory Committee in making their recommendations to the Board of Regents. Senator Slack also answered questions from several Senators regarding the search process.
Senator Blasingame suggested that members from the Graduate Council and the Executive Committee meet to help coordinate the activities of the Graduate Council and the activities of the Executive Committee. Senator Blasingame also asked some questions about the on-line instructor evaluation system (PICA) and asked about the status of the document that had been passed by the Faculty Senate regarding the status of non-tenure track faculty. During the discussion of PICA, Speaker Price indicated that the Executive Committee had discussed this with MARS and would discuss it further. Senator Riccio indicated that she had used both on-line and hard copy formats and would appreciate seeing results of studies of a comparison of the two systems. With respect to the status of the Faculty Senate approved proposal dealing with non-tenure track faculty, Dean of Faculties Watson indicated that she was on the agenda for next week's Council of Dean's meeting to discuss the document.
Adjourn
The meeting was adjourned at 4:30 pm.