November 11, 2012

Faculty Senate Meeting
Minutes
November 12, 2012
3:15 p.m., 601 Rudder Tower
http://facultysenate.tamu.edu
 
 
Present:  Speaker John Stallone, Speaker-Elect Walter Daugherity, Secretary-Treasurer Clint Magill, Former Speaker Michael Benedik, Senators Janice Epstein, Dale Rice, Andrew Klein, Jonathan Coopersmith, Jorge Alvarado, Jim Woosley, Ergun Akleman, Raymundo Arroyave, Leonard Bierman, Doug Biggs, Leonard Bright, Richard Carlson, Charles Criscione, Richard Curry, Joe Dannenbaum, Darryl DeRuiter, Jose Fernandez-Solis, Edward Funkhouser, Holly Gaede, Ira Greenbaum, Michael Greenwald, Janet Hammer, Mike Hanik, Julie Harlin, Greg Heim, Kim Quaile Hill, Shelley Holliday, Richard Hutchinson, Karen Kubena, Carol Loopstra, Martha Loudder, Igor Lyuksyutov, Vanita Mahajan, June Martin, Peter McIntyre, Stephen Miller, Jeffrey Morris, Gene Nelson, Mike Pilant, Deva E. Reddy, Eric Rowell, Karen-Beth Scholthof, Ergin Sezgin, Brian Shaw, Kathleen Speed, Richard Stadelmann, Bob Strawser, Elizabeth Tebeaux, Gary Varner, Richard Woodman, Keyan Zhu-Salzman, Joseph Boutros, Edward Brothers, David Baca, John Carhart, Grace Townsend
 
Absent: Louise Abbott, Carisa Armstrong, Joe Arosh, Perla Balbuena, Judith Ball, Andrea Bonito, Gwan Seong Choi, William B. Clark, Robin Dabareiner, Swaroop Darbha, Clare Gill, Stephen Guetersloh, James Hannah, Ed Harris, Kevin Heinz, Wendy Jepson (E), Reza Langari, Paulo Lima-Filho, Sam Mannan, Adam Myers, Michelle Pine, Harland Prechel, Jorge Seminario, Karen Snowden (E ), Ramesh Talreja, Angie Hill Price (E), Leslie Reynolds, Karen Russell (E), Luis San Andres, Jason Sawyer, Mike Thornton (E), Kim-Vy Tran, Manuelita Ureta, Wyoma vanDuinkerken, William West, Matt Whiteacre, Tryon Wickersham (E), B. Dan Wood
 
Call to Order
 
Guest Speaker
 
Speaker Comments
 
The Dean of Faculties search has been narrowed to two candidates who will be interviewed and make public presentations next week. They are Michael Benedik, College of Science, and John August, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. 
 
A new assistant to the Senate has been hired and will begin December 10.
 
A search for the vacant Vice-President for Research position has been initiated, but committee members have not been identified.
 
“IDEA”, a prospective replacement for the current online teaching evaluation system, selected by the Senate Academic Affairs Committee, will be evaluated by approximately 22 professors and 2,200 students this semester. The results will be used to develop protocols for use by a larger group in the spring, if satisfactory. 
Information can be accessed at ideasri.tamu.edu
 
 
Speaker-Elect Daugherity asked about the ‘online availability’ of evaluations as now required by state law.  He was assured the results are available within 3 clicks from the A&M home page.
 
The October 8, 2012 Faculty Senate meeting minutes were approved as submitted.   
Motion Passed             Attachment A
 
Consent Agenda – The Consent Agenda was approved as submitted.                        Motion Passed
GRADUATE COUNCIL – GC REPORT                                                                            FS.30.048
New Course Requests – October 4, 2012                                                                    Attachment B                                                                                                                                                 
BAEN 617                    Fundamentals of Nanoscale Biological Engineering
BMEN 672                   Introduction to Diagnostic Radiology Physics
ECEN 751                    Computational Methods for Integrated System Design
ECEN 752                    Advances in VLSI Circuit Design
LAND 635                    Concepts in Ecological Planning and Design
NUEN 672                    Introduction to Diagnostic Radiology Physics
PLAN 635                     Concepts in Ecological Planning and Design
RPTS 655                     Applied Biodiversity Science I
WFSC 655                    Applied Biodiversity Science
 
Course Change Requests – October 4, 2012                                                                      Motion Passed
ESSM 651                    Geographic Information Systems                                                        FS.30.049
RTPS 666                     Tourism and the Natural Environment                                               Attachment C
SCSC 654                     Genome Analysis
 
Special Consideration – October 4, 2012                                                                           Motion Passed
The Department of Marine Sciences at Texas A&M University Galveston                              FS.30.050
would like to offer a degree program that allows Ocean and Coastal Resources                   Attachment D
(OCRE) undergraduate majors to enter the graduate program for a Master of
Marine Resources Management at the beginning of their fourth year, thus
enabling them to receive their OCRE undergraduate degree (B.S.) and their
Master of Marine Resources Management graduate degree in five years.
 
UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULUM COMMITTEE – UCC REPORT                                       Motion Passed
New Courses – October 12, 2012                                                                                        FS.30.051
ARAB 222                    Field Studies I: Language, Culture, and Society                                  Attachment E
ARAB 322                    Field Studies II: Language, Culture, and Society
ECON 315                    Sports Economics
ECON 328                    Economics of Education
INTS 407                      Diversity in a Globalized World
OCNG 425                   Microbial Oceanography
 
Change in Courses – October 12, 2012                                                                                Motion Passed
AGEC 314                    Marketing Agricultural and Food Products                                          FS.30.052
AGEC 330                    Financial Management in Agriculture                                                  Attachment E
AGEC 340                    Agribusiness Management
AGEC 344                    Food and Agricultural Law
AGEC 430                    Macroeconomics of Agriculture
AGEC 434                    Rural Financial Markets and Financial Planning
AGEC 440                    Agribusiness Strategic Analysis
AGEC 460                    Cross-Cutting Issues in Agricultural Economics
AGEC 481                    Ethics in Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics
CHEN 282                    Engineering Biology
ENGL 203                    Introduction to Literature
POLS 309                     Polimetrics
POLS 352                     Empirical Democratic Theory
POLS 357                     National Judicial Politics
POLS 412                     International Political Economy
POLS 418                     Theories of International Relations
POLS 439                     Foreign Policy Decision Making
 
Change in Curriculum – October 12, 2012                                                                           Motion Passed
                                                                                                                                                 FS.30.053
College of Education and Human Development                                                                     Attachment F
  Department of Health and Kinesiology
    B.S. in Health
      School Health Track
 
Change in Curriculum – October 12, 2012                                                                           Motion Passed
                                                                                                                                                 FS.30.054
College of Liberal Arts                                                                                                             Attachment G
  Department of History
    B.A. in History
    and
    Minor in History – requirement changes
 
Change in Curriculum – October 12, 2012                                                                            Motion Passed
                                                                                                                                                  FS.30.055
College of Liberal Arts                                                                                                              Attachment H
  Department of Political Science
    B.S. in Political Science
                                                                                                                                                 
Texas A&M University at Galveston – October 12, 2012                                                   Motion Passed
New Course                                                                                                                            FS.30.056
HIST 242                      United States Maritime History                                                          Attachment I
 
Change in Course
MARS 412                   Remote Field Investigations in Marine Sciences                               
 
Special Consideration – October 12, 2012                                                                          Motion Passed
                                                                                                                                                  FS.30.057
College of Liberal Arts                                                                                                             Attachment J
  Department of English
    Minor in English – requirement changes
 
 
 
 
Other Items – from September 14, 2012 meeting                                                               Motion Passed
                                                                                                                                                  FS.30.058
Texas A&M University at Galveston                                                                                      Attachment K
Special Consideration
 
Texas A&M University at Galveston
  Department of Marine Sciences
    B.S. in Ocean and Coastal Resources and Master of Marine Resources Management
      Request for a 3+2 degree program
 
W-COURSES                                                                                                                          Motion Passed
Courses submitted for W Certification – October 15, 2012                                              FS.30.059
BIOL 493                     Biology Capstone: Research Communication in the Life Sciences       Attachment L
COMM 408                 Advanced Research Methods in Communication
COMM 437                 Visual Communication
ECON 410                    Macroeconomic Theory
INTS 405                      War and Memory
OCNG 425                   Microbial Oceanography
OCNG 440                   Introduction to Chemical Oceanography
SOCI 484                     Field Experiences (Sociology Internship)
VIBS 489                      Writing for Scientific Research
 
Courses submitted for W Recertification – October 15, 2012                                          
AGCJ 314                     Agricultural Media Writing II
AGEC 217                    Fundamentals of Agricultural Economics
AGEC 429                    Agricultural and Food Policy
AGSC 402                    Designing Instruction for Secondary Agriculture Science Programs
BESC 484                     Field Experience
ECON 449                    Economics of Decision-Making and Strategy
FIVS 481                      Seminar in Forensic and Investigative Sciences
FREN 202                     Intermediate French II
GEOG 309                   Geography of Energy
GEOG 360                   Natural Hazards
GEOL 312                    Structural Geology and Tectonics
KINE 439                      Exercise Evaluation and Prescription
MARB 430                   Coastal Plant Ecology
MATH 467                   Modern Geometry
MUSC 206                   Music Theory II
NUTR 430                    Community Nutrition
PHIL 334                      Philosophy of Law
PHIL 412                      Seventeenth Century Philosophy
PHIL 414                      Nineteenth Century Philosophy
THAR 381                    Theatre History I
THAR 382                    Theatre History II
VIBS 310                      Biomedical Writing
VIBS 311                      Biomedical Explorations through Narrative
 
Courses submitted for C Course Certification – October 15, 2012                                              
BIOL 493                     Biology Capstone: Research Communication in the Life Sciences
CHEM 481                   Seminar
 
Courses submitted for C Course Recertification – October 15, 2012                                                      
MATH 396                   Communications in Mathematics  
 
___________________________________End of Consent Agenda____________________________________
 
Committee Reports
(No Committee Reports)
 
Old Business                                                                                                                           Motion Passed
                                                                                                                                                 FS.30.060
“Student Conduct Code Revisions”                                                                                         Attachment M
 
A version of the student rules concerning the student conduct code that was modified following discussion of concerns raised in the October meeting was approved following a positive recommendation by Senator Stadelmann, who reported that changes critical to protecting rights of free speech had been incorporated.
 
New Business                                                                                                                      
 
Proposed Changes to Student Rules, Section 12.2                                                           Attachment N
 
Assistant Provost Jim Kracht introduced a proposed rule change that would provide guidelines and a mechanism for “University Suspension” of undergraduates who have fallen too far below the 2.0 required GPR for graduation.  Colleges could remove individuals from the ‘drop list’ if they wish.  The suspension for at least one year would allow the student to apply for readmission with evidence of improved prospects for graduation.  Senator Kim Hill suggested that the rule be re-written to make it clearer that student have the rights to appeal each decision.  Dr. Kracht agreed to meet with Dr. Hill to make sure the wording mentioning appeals is appropriate. 
 
Committee of the Whole
 
Former Speaker Carlson expressed concern about the flow of bicycles and skateboards going the wrong way on Ireland Street and suggested that making it two-way traffic would actually improve traffic flow and safety.  Senator Magill, who serves on the Transportation Services Advisory Committee (TSAC), reported that in its last meeting, TSAC had discussed plans for changes to address the problems, but would have to seek CBE approval before action can be taken. 
 
Adjourn
 
Meeting adjourned at 4:00 p.m.