Date of Senate Approval 05/08/03

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Statement of Faculty Senate Action:

FWDC 11:     Proposal to modify the purpose and membership of University Teaching Council (UTC)
                    (Replaces SD1588S and SD3190S)

SD1588S and SD3190S

Modifies:

Faculty Handbook Section 10.3.6 University Teaching Council description

Deletes Faculty Handbook:

10.4.32 Center for Teaching and Learning Advisory Committee description

New Committee Description:

UNIVERSITY TEACHING COUNCIL

The University Teaching Council (UTC) serves the relevant needs of the institution with respect to teaching. UTC is an institutional committee composed of faculty members and an administrator.

Purpose:

1. To encourage and facilitate improvements in methods and techniques of teaching on the part of all members of the UNCA faculty.

2. To develop criteria and processes for the awarding of intramural funds, as they become available, for the support of teaching.

3. To advise the Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning on matters relevant to the encouragement and support of improved teaching, including: developing seminars, workshops, and other activities, both intramural and extramural, for the exchange of ideas concerning pedagogy; and identifying and pursuing sources of funds for programs that enhance teaching and student learning.

Membership:

Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, ex officio

One FWDC member, ex officio

One at-large member will be a former recipient of a UNCA teaching award

3 faculty (one each from Humanities, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences)

The members shall be recommended by FWDC and approved by the Faculty Senate.

The term of appointment shall be for two years.

The faculty committee members will elect the Committee Chair on an annual basis.

Recommendations and Reports to: the VCAA

Rationale:
University Teaching Council's (UTC) duties have changed in practice over the past 15 years, but without supporting Senate documentation. Additionally, the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) has an Advisory Committee which is unsupported by Senate Documentation. Both the UTC and the CTL Advisory Committee felt that it was appropriate to move the duties of the CTL Advisory Committee to UTC. Major changes to the Purpose and Membership are:

The 1988 UTC description lists determination of the UNCA Distinguished Teaching Award as one of UTC duties. This has not been the practice for 7+ years. The Teaching Awards Committee now makes recommendations for all teaching awards.

The original membership criteria required two members of UTC to be former Distinguished Teaching Award recipients. In light of the expanded number of teaching awards, it seemed appropriate to broaden the criteria to "recipient of a UNCA Teaching award."

At the time of the 1988 Senate Document, the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) did not exist. It seems logical that the University Teaching Council would have an advisory relationship to CTL, eliminating the need for a separate CTL Advisory Committee.

SD3190S adds a UNCA Alumni member to the committee for purposes of providing input for the UNCA Distinguished Teaching Award. Since UTC no longer makes that award determination, it seems appropriate to delete that member of the committee.

SD1588S list two Administrative appointments from the VCAA office. It was felt that one appointment, the Director of CTL, was appropriate and sufficient.