May 13, 2013
Faculty Senate Meeting
Minutes
May 13, 2013
3:15 p.m., 601 Rudder Tower
http://facultysenate.tamu.edu
Attendance: Louise Abbott, Ergun Akleman, Jorge Alvarado, Joe Arosh, David Baca, Judith Ball, Leonard Bierman, Tiffany Boudreaux, Joseph Boutros, Leonard Bright, Edward Brothers, John Carhart, Richard Carlson, Gwan Seong Choi, William B. Clark, Jonathan Coopersmith, Charles Criscione, Richard Curry, Robin Dabareiner, Joe Dannenbaum, Swaroop Darbha, Walter Daugherity, Darryl De Ruiter, Janice Epstein, Jose Fernandez-Solis, Edward Funkhouser, Holly Gaede, Clare Gill, Melinda Grant, Ira Greenbaum, Michael Greenwald, Janet Hammer, Mike Hanik, Julie Harlin, Greg Heim, Kevin Heinz
Kim Quaile Hill, Angie Hill Price, Shelley Holliday, Wendy Jepson, Andrew Klein, Karen Kubena, Reza Langari, Thomas Linton, Carol Loopstra, Igor Lyuksyutov, Vanita Mahajan, June Martin, Stephen Miller, Jeffrey Morris, Adam Myers, Gene Nelson, Michelle Pine, Harland Prechel, Deva Reddy, Eric Rowell, Karen Russell, Karen Snowden, Richard Stadelmann, John Stallone, Bob Strawser, Ramesh Talreja, Mike Thornton, Grace Townsend, Manuelita Ureta, Wyoma vanDuinkerken, Gary Varner, William West, Richard Woodman, Jim Woosley, Keyan Zhu-Salzman, Beth McNeill
Call to Order
Speaker Stallone called the meeting to order at 3:21 pm
Senator Greenwald served as acting Secretary in the absence of Secretary Magill.
Guest Speaker
Speaker Comments
Awards
The Richard Stadelmann Faculty Senate Service Award
Dr. Wendy Jepson was awarded the Richard Stadelmann Award for her first term service to the Senate 2013.
The Faculty Senate Aggie Spirit Award
Ms. Emory Wegworth was awarded the Aggie Spirit Award for 2013.
Approval of April 8, 2013 Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes Attachment A
No corrections/revisions: The Minutes were approved as distributed.
Motion Passed
Consent Agenda
GRADUATE COUNCIL – GC REPORT
New Course Requests – April 4, 2013 Attachment B
EDCI 620 Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Teaching and Learning FS.30.153
GEOL 640 Geochemistry of Natural Fresh Waters Motion Passed
INTA 601 Leadership in International Affairs: institutions, Organizations and People
INTA 632 Advanced Economic Development
INTA 633 Political Consequences of Development
INTA 634 Politics and Development Policies
INTA 645 Women and Nations
INTA 646 Foreign Policy Analysis
INTA 647 State Building and State Failure in the Developing World
INTA 648 Contemporary Civil Wars
INTA 669 Nuclear Terrorism Threat Assessment and Analysis
INTA 672 East Asian Security
INTA 673 Chinese Domestic Politics in Transition
INTA 674 US Foreign Policy in the Persian Gulf
INTA 675 Religion and Politics in Iran
INTA 676 International Politics of the Middle East
INTA 687 Domestic Intelligence Operations: Legalities, Policies, and Procedures
MARB 610 Professional Development
NUEN 669 Nuclear Terrorism Threat Assessment and Analysis
WMHS 640 Geochemistry of Natural Fresh Waters
Change Course Requests – April 4, 2013 Attachment C
MARB 654 Coastal Plant Ecology FS.30.154
Motion Passed
UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULUM COMMITTEE – UCC REPORT
Report of the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee
New Courses Request – April 12, 2013 Attachment D
ANSC 431 Equine Marketing and Development FS.30.155
INTS 251 Contemporary Issues in the Middle East Motion Passed
KINE 120 The Science of Basic Health and Fitness
KINE 223 Introduction to the Science of Health and Fitness
Withdrawal of Courses – April 12, 2013
ENGL 224 Structure of Present-Day English
ENGL 301 Technical Writing
ENGL 311 Sound Structure of Language
ENGL 335 Literature of the Sea
LING 224 Structure of Present-Day English
LING 311 Sound Structure of Language
LING 402 Language and Society
LING 425 Introduction to Applied Linguistics
Change Course Requests – April 12, 2013
BEFB 425 Student Teaching in Hispanic Bilingual Education
BEFB 426 Effective Instruction of Hispanic Students of Diverse Abilities
ENGL 210 Scientific and Technical Writing
GEOL 451 Introduction to Geochemistry
HLTH 482 Grant Writing in Health
INST 310 Understanding Special Populations
INST 322 Foundations of Education in a Multicultural Society
KINE 482 Seminar
SPMT 483 Practicum in Sport Management
SPMT 485 Directed Studies
Change in Curriculum – April 12, 2013 Attachment E
Dwight Look College of Engineering FS.30.156
International Engineering Certificate Motion Passed
New Courses Request - April 12, 2013 Attachment F
Texas A&M University at Galveston FS.30.157
MASE 363 Dynamics and Vibrations Motion Passed
MASE 465 Subsea Pipeline Design
Change in Curriculum – April 12, 2013 Attachment G
Texas A&M University at Galveston FS.30.158
Department of Maritime Systems Engineering Motion Passed
B.S. in Maritime Systems Engineering
Special Consideration– April 12, 2013 Attachment H
Mays Business School FS.30.159
Department of FinanceMotionPassed
Certificate in Commercial Banking
Request for a new certificate program
Special Consideration– April 12, 2013 Attachment I
Dwight Look College of EngineeringFS.30.160
Department of Industrial and Systems EngineeringMotionPassed
Certificate in Engineering Systems Management
Request for a new certificate program
Change Course Requests – April 12, 2013 Attachment J
(from March 2013 UCC Meeting) FS.30.161
BIOL 113 Essentials in Biology Motion Passed
GEOG 203 Planet Earth
GEOS 210 Climate change
W-COURSES Attachment K
Courses submitted for W recertification – April 15, 2013 FS.30.162
INTS 407 Diversity in a Globalized World Motion Passed
VIBS 489 Neuroscience and Religion
Course submitted for C certification – April 15, 2013
HLTH 440 Contemporary Issues in Community Health Internships
Course submitted for W recertification – April 15, 2013
BMEN 450 Biomedical Case Studies
NVSC 402 Leadership and Ethics
POLS 454 Contemporary Political Theory
POLS 456 Environmental Political Theory
POSC/FSTC 406 Poultry Processing and Products
SPAN 320 Introduction to Hispanic Literature
URPN 301 Introduction to Urban and Regional Planning
UPRN 493 Urban and Regional Studies Capstone
Core Curriculum Council – Report
Foundational Component Area: American History
Attachment L
HIST 105 History of the United States FS.30.163
HIST 106 History of the United States Motion Passed
HIST 226 History of Texas
HIST 232 History of American Sea Power
HIST 258 American Indian History
Foundational Component Area: Communication
Attachment M
ENGL 203 Writing about Literature FS.30.164
Motion Passed
Foundational Component Area: Creative Arts
Attachment N
HORT 203 Floral Design FS.30.165
Motion Passed
Foundational Component Area: Government/Political Science
Attachment O
POLS 206 American National Government FS.30.166
POLS 207 State and Local Government Motion Passed
Foundational Component Area: Language, Philosophy and Culture
Attachment P
ENGL 232 Survey of British Literature FS.30.167
FREN 201* Intermediate French I Motion Passed
FREN 202* Intermediate French II
GERM 201* Intermediate German I
GERM 202* Intermediate German II
PHIL 111 Contemporary Moral Issues
PHIL 251 Introduction to Philosophy
Foundational Component Area: Life and Physical Sciences
Attachment Q
ASTR 102 Observational Astronomy FS.30.168
BESC 201 Introduction to Bioenvironmental Sciences Motion Passed
BIOL 101 Botany
BIOL 107 Zoology
BIOL 111 Introductory Biology I
BIOL 112 Introductory Biology II
BIOL 113 (123)* Essentials in Biology and Essentials in Biology Laboratory
GEOG 203* Planet Earth
GEOG 213 Planet Earth Laboratory
HORT 201 Horticultural Science and Practices
HORT 202 Horticultural Science and Practices Laboratory
International and Cultural Diversity
FREN 201# Intermediate French I
FREN 202# Intermediate French II
GERM 201# Intermediate German I
GERM 202# Intermediate German II
* Indicates a course not included in the current Core
# Indicates a course not included in the current ICD
___________________________________End of Consent Agenda____________________________________
Committee Reports
Election Committee Report – Election Results
Senator Hanik reported on elections: “they went well.” A motion to accept the results of the election of new senators was moved and seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
Old Business
None
New Business
Senator Crock summarized changes, esp. “S” that discourages students from prolonging graduation;
“T”—from Systems’ Counsel: strikes words re religious organizations;
“U”—repeated courses: eliminates early credit courses;
“V”—excused absences: allows student athletes to have excused absences when in NCAA competition.
A motion to approve the five changes to Student Rules was seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
Proposed Revisions to TAMU Student Rules, Sections 19
Attachment R
FS.30.169
Motion Passed
Proposed Revisions to TAMU Student Rules, Sections 14.2.1
Attachment S FS.30.170
Motion Passed
Proposed Revisions to TAMU Student Rules, Sections 41.3
Attachment T
FS.30.171
Motion Passed
Proposed Revisions to TAMU Student Rules, Sections 10.21
Attachment U
FS.30.172
Motion Passed
Proposed Revisions to TAMU Student Rules, Sections 7.1.9
Attachment V
FS.30.173
Motion Passed
Aggie Highway – College Station to Houston Toll Road Resolution
Attachment W
Tabled
If passed the “Aggie Highway” connecting College Station to Northwest Houston would provide an economic catalyst to the region, especially for the Texas Medical Center; the new road would cut 30-minute travel time between campus and north Houston. Funding is currently available. The TAMU Faculty Senate has been asked by the Chancellor to support the project.
Aggie Highway – College Station to Houston Toll Road Resolution
Whereas, the proposed 249 Corridor will significantly reduce travel time between Bryan-College Station and Houston; and,
Whereas, shorter commutes will greatly increase opportunities for collaboration between researchers at Texas A&M University and in Houston, including the Medical Center; and,
Whereas, shorter commutes will improve opportunities for dual-career couples, thus encouraging world-class faculty to work and remain at Texas A&M University; and,
Whereas, the shorter drive will encourage more academic visitors, meetings, and conference to come to Texas A&M University;
Resolved, that to improve academic opportunities, the Faculty Senate of Texas A&M University supports the development of the 249 Corridor and urges the Texas Department of Transportation to move quickly towards its development, funding, and construction.
There were no questions regarding the resolution, and a motion to approve the resolution was seconded.
Discussion:
Senator Price-Hill spoke against resolution as a resident of Grimes County, noting that locals who would be affected by the proposed highway were not consulted. She also noted that there would be some environmental impact as well as problems for existing farms and ranches. She argued that it is not the Senate’s business to approve private construction projects.
Senator Stadelmann spoke in favor of the resolution but with reservations. He offered an amendment to the resolution which was seconded:
Whereas, shorter commutes will enable student field trips and research increasing students’ awareness and understanding of diversity issues, including locations such as the Holocaust Museum, religious centers. And various ethnic and social communities.
There was no debate on amendment. The amendment failed to pass by a 28-27 vote.
A debate on the original resolution followed. Senator Jepson suggested delaying a vote until more information becomes available. Senator Strawser moved to table the resolution, pending further study. Senator Varner seconded the motion to table the
Aggie Highway Resolution which was unanimously approved. Senator Akleman, asked a question concerning the failed amendment; the Speaker ruled that the amendment cannot be addressed at this meeting but could be reconsidered at a future meeting.
State of the Senate Address
ANNUAL STATE OF THE SENATE ADDRESS - 2013
HOWDY!!
I. INTRODUCTION
As I reflect back on the last year, leading the Faculty Senate, in this, its 30th year has truly been one of the highest honors of my academic career. As I have said several times over this year, I never dreamt that I would one day address this assembly as Speaker of the Faculty Senate. This indeed has been a high honor for me, one that has enriched me in many ways, and I hope that in return, I have contributed in some meaningful ways to our faculty and to the process of shared governance of our beloved university. Make no mistake, serving as Speaker has required a lot of time, hard work, and personal sacrifice, and at times I have been reminded of the fellow who was observed repeatedly hitting himself in the head with a hammer. . . . . . when asked why he was doing this, his answer was, of course, because it feels so good when I stop! . . . . . . . Seriously, as my term has wound down over the last few weeks, my friends and colleagues have asked the obvious questions. . . . . . . was it worth it and/or would you do it again?? My answers have been clear: Yes, and in a Heartbeat!!
It is traditional for outgoing Speakers to provide an overview of the accomplishments and activities of the Senate during their term, and I shall follow in that tradition. Speakers also typically reflect back over the year and highlight the major issues and problems facing the faculty and the university. Last year, Speaker Benedik provided a clever historical perspective of the state of the senate that was based on a quote from the ‘70s rock group, “The Talking Heads”, which goes “the same as it ever was”. While I will provide some historical perspective to the current State of the Senate, I think it is probably most important at the end of this, the 30th year of the Faculty Senate, to look forward and ask the question. . . . . .where are we headed?
II. ACCOMPLISHMENTS of the 30th SENATE
The 30th session of the Faculty Senate included several noteworthy accomplishments, including:
1) Revision of the core curriculum, a major part of undergraduate education, and a major right and responsibility of the faculty
2) Revision of the rules regarding hiring and retention of Department Heads and Deans, which empowered the faculty with a greater voice in these processes, particularly in retention of department heads and deans. These revisions were initiated during my term as Speaker-Elect and completed this year.
3) Reunion of the HSC with the TAMU and Acquisition of the Texas Wesleyan University School of Law. The senate EC played (and continues to play) an integral role in representing and protecting TAMU faculty interests in these processes.
4) Revision of Faculty Teaching Evaluation Processes. The Senate, particularly the EC, continued to oversee revisions in the process by which faculty teaching is evaluated.
5) Outreach to the TAMU Board of Regents to attempt to re-establish meaningful and effective communications between the faculty and the BOR and to build a constructive working relationship. This primarily involved one-on-one efforts on my part, but the EC also met with selected BOR members whom we felt would be receptive to direct communications.
6) FINALLY, Outreach to Other TAMU System Faculty Senates, specifically PVAMU to assist our TAMU system colleagues with faculty governance issues.
In addition to these major accomplishments, there were a number of other issues relevant to faculty interests, which were followed by the senate this year.
III. A BRIEF HISTORICAL LOOK BACKWARDS
Discussions on the Faculty List-Serves over the last few years have frequently complained about the instability of our university leadership and the threats to faculty rights and welfare from heavy-handed micromanagement of the university by the Board of Regents, the Governor, and undue influence from external political action groups. But in reality, this is instability is nothing new to TAMU. Let’s rewind to October, 1876 and the words of the newly founded Agricultural and Mechanical College President, Thomas S. Gathright. On opening day, he said:
“To the full success of the college, I can promise the best efforts of my colleagues in the faculty, as I pledge my own. . . . . . this great work, in which all the people of this good state are interested, must go on and must succeed.” Upon its opening, Texas AMC had 6 faculty and 106 students enrolled. Three years later in 1879, President Gathright and the 6 faculty were fired, likely the result of strong protests from farmers that (despite its name) Texas AMC offered no classes in agriculture. Over the next few years, the enrollment dwindled from 500 to 80 students in 1883, likely the result of the new faculty and the newly mandated curriculum in agriculture and engineering. Does any of this sound familiar to you??
Now, let’s fast forward 100 years to more recent times. . . . . the words of Senate Speakers Jaan Laane in 1986 and Patricia Alexander in 1992, both decried the destructive effects that budget cuts could have on the progress made at TAMU over the past decades of work by the faculty. And finally, my own words spoken at the 2012 Convocation last Fall:
“While our quest to achieve the goals of Vision 2020 has been a positive and exciting time for our university, the last few years have also brought difficult challenges to Texas A&M, based in part on the serious economic problems facing our state and nation, but also based on a growing movement to “reform” higher education and the university as we know it. It has become a time of great change, some positive, some negative, and we the faculty MUST play a critical role in managing those changes. The academic well-being of the university is the responsibility of its faculty and we all must acknowledge and contribute to that responsibility if we want our beloved institution to grow and prosper.“
Again, I ask, does any of this sound familiar to you??
IV. NOW LETS LOOK FORWARD WHERE ARE WE HEADED?
There are a number of pivotal issues facing the Faculty Senate and the Faculty in general, which MUST be addressed if we are to achieve Vision 2020 and maintain, let alone further develop, TAMU as one of the pre-eminent public universities of our nation and the world. These include the following:
1) Challenges to Higher Education: The growing movement to “reform” higher education and the university as we know it, must be challenged. The notions that our students do not benefit from higher education, that faculty are over-paid and underworked, and that research and teaching are incompatible must all be refuted. But it can’t be done by our administrators alone; the senate and faculty in general MUST engage in this debate and bring the truth to the public, which leads us to issue #2
2) Faculty Outreach to the Public: How many of our neighbors, friends, or family REALLY know what our jobs as faculty at a Tier 1 University entail? A major failure of many university faculties is outreach to the public that supports us. It is vital that we help to educate the public about how higher education works, the integral relationship between teaching and research and their contributions to society, if we are to maintain or increase support for higher education. Again, this has to be a joint effort by the administration, perhaps through targeted advertising campaigns, and by the faculty at more of a grassroots level to educate and inform the public about how and what we teach and research here, and how the many research findings have positively impacted the quality of life in Texas, the United States, and indeed, the world.
3) Relationship between Faculty and Board of Regents:
We must work to improve this relationship and recognize that we view the same university from VERY different perspectives. While Boards of Regents of many state universities act as advocates for their schools with the state legislatures, we have a very different situation in TX. Our BOR are mainly political appointees, who in general, have little or no understanding or experience in higher education. There are of course exceptions and there is hope that newer members the Board may alter this situation. Nonetheless, we must strive to build bridges to the board and recognize that their concerns for the university come from very different perspectives than our own. The strident public criticism often posted on Faculty list-serves will only serve to widen the present gap and damage the reputations of our hard-working faculty. Instead, we need to find common ground with the board that allows us to communicate constructively and tell our story. We must do this from the perspective that all are ultimately concerned with the same thing. . . . . .the welfare and growth of TAMU.
4) Role of The Faculty Senate in Faculty Representation:
The Faculty Senate is the sole representative organization for ALL A&M faculty in matters of university-wide shared governance. Other more specialized organizations such as the CPI and the DPs represent specific focused interests on campus, but it is the senate alone that deals with academic affairs and issues that affect all faculty. And yet, there is an underlying cynicism among faculty, and indeed, even among some senate members, about the effectiveness of the Senate. After my time on the Senate Exec Committee and as Speaker, I think that a lot of this cynicism stems from the ignorance of what the Senate leadership actually does. Speakers and ECs meet frequently with the president, the provost, and other high-level administrators, and it is safe to say that many decisions made throughout the year include input from the faculty. To cure this cynicism, two things must happen. The Senate must communicate more effectively with the faculty, and the faculty at large MUST engage and participate in the process of shared governance. If they are not willing to do that, then they forfeit their right to participation in the decision-making process.
5) The Fifth and Final Issue is The Relationship between TAMU and the A&M System:
We need to be mindful that that TAMU, while part of the A&M System, stands apart from the other system institutions in many ways. We should strive to develop better working relationships with the sister schools, encourage and assist with the practice of shared governance, but at the same time, working with the Chancellor and the Board of Regents to help them recognize and appreciate the clear differences among the schools and that a one-size-fits-all approach to long-range planning and problem-solving is not the answer. An egregious example might be the disparity in student retention and graduation rates between TAMU and PVAMU.
V. THE STATE OF THE SENATE
Finally, let’s get to the heart of the matter, WHAT IS the state of the senate? At the risk of creating a new Aggie tradition, I am going to follow the lead of former Speaker Benedik and answer the question with a quote from a very different singer-songwriter, Dwight Yoakum, and that answer is, “Fair to Midlin”. Meaning that, reflecting back over the last 30 years, the Senate has endured many trials and tribulations and has actually been quite successful in representing the interests of the faculty in the process of university governance, but as of now, it still has a ways to go. The practice of shared governance at TAMU is far from perfect, but one thing IS for certain, our university would NOT be where it is today without the efforts of the Faculty Senate.
VI. CLOSE
Finally, I’d like to close by thanking all the people who have contributed in a positive way, to my term as Speaker. First, the members of my EC (Jorge Alvarado, Jonathan Coopersmith, Walter Daugherity, Janice Epstein, Andrew Klein, Clint Magill, and Dale Rice), who provided invaluable discussion, insights, and guidance for my decisions, the Immediate Past Speaker and DoF (Michael Benedik), who prepared me as much as anyone could for this position, our Senate Assistant (Diane Bertinetti), who literally arrived in the nick of time to pick up the gauntlet of running the senate office and keeping me on track, Lena Koestler and the other staff from the Dean of Faculties office, and finally, and need I say, most important, my wife Janet, who endured many hours of listening to my concerns, complaints, rants, and supported me when I needed it most this year.
Again, thank you, and God bless!
Passing of the Gavel Speaker to Speaker - Elect Resolution
Speaker-Elect Daugherty presented a “Toast & Roast” Resolution to Honor Speaker Stallone.
A motion to accept the Resolution was moved/seconded: The Resolution unanimously passed.
Gifts
The Senate presented the Speaker with a gift to thank him for his service: A Benjamin Knox print.
Elections of Executive Committee Members
Two candidates for the position of Speaker Elect spoke on their vision for the Senate:
Jim Woosley: College of Education and Human Growth
Bob Strawser: The Mays School of Business
The Speaker-Elect for 2013-14 will be Jim Woosley.
The Secretary-Treasurer for 2013-14 will be Dale Rice (unopposed)
Bob Strawser withdrew his name as a candidate for the Executive Committee.
The following candidates for the Executive Committee spoke about their vision for the Senate:
- Leonard Bright
- Jonathan Coopersmith
- Janice Epstein
- Jose Fernandez-Solis
- Wendy Jepson
- Andrew Klein
- Deva Reddy
- Tom Linton (Galveston)
(Candidate Clint Magill was absent)
The At-Large members of the Executive Committee for 2013-14 will be:
Leonard Bright
Jonathan Coopersmith
Janice Epstein
Wendy Jepson
Andrew Klein
Tom Linton (Galveston)
Committee of the Whole
SEBAC Report (Hand out at meeting)
SEBAC Report was not distributed.
Speaker Elect Woosley chaired the Committee of the Whole, which raised the following issues:
Senator Melinda Grant raised concerns about rumored outsourcing of “IT.” And quoted extracts from an e-mail she received from a constituent.
Provost Watson commented on outsourcing of “IT” and stated that currently there are no recommendations regarding outsourcing; she offered a lengthy summary of a report assessing current responsibilities among various units within the University.
Senator Woosley asked the Provost about a timetable for implementation of the assessment report(s).
Provost Watson provided a general outline of timetable but could not comment on specifics as they have not yet been determined.
Questions were raised regarding specifications of the work plan.
Provost Watson said that the University has no control over the work plan, and recommended that faculty advisory groups make recommendations to the assessment team.
Questions were also raised about a current Manpower Study. The Provost stated the number of Administrators was an issue in the Man Power Study.
Senator Greenwald raised an issue about the lack of dependable Wi-Fi at the Santa Chiara Study Center in Italy. VP Undergraduate Studies, Pam Matthews reminded the Senate that Santa Chiara is not owned by A&M.
Adjourn
Speaker Daugherity called for a motion to adjourn, which was seconded and the meeting adjourned at 5:14pm.
The President hosted a reception for the Senate in the University Club immediately after the meeting.