Senate 
Members: R. Bowen, P. Caulfield, F. Davenport, R. Dunning, G. Kormanik, K. Krumpe, B. Larson, P. McClellan, C. McKenzie, C. Mitchell, D. Peifer, C. Pons, T. Rizzo, G. Wilson, J. Pitts.

Excused: W. Bruce

Visitors: T. Brown, S. Bumgarner, T. Cochran, P. Downes, E. Fox, L. Nelms, R. Maas, J. Mullen, T. Uldricks, P. Weast.

I. Call to Order  
Dr. Kormanik called the last meeting of the 1999-2000 Faculty Senate to order at 3:19 pm and welcomed visitors and senators.

II. Announcements
The administration has approved all of the documents passed by the Faculty Senate to date.

III. Administrative Report
- Remarks from Chancellor Mullen
Chancellor Mullen thanked members of the Faculty Senate for their dedication, service and counsel this year.

Chancellor Mullen announced that the reports from the Diversity, Retention, and Community Partnership task forces will be placed on an internal web page for the campus community to read and comment on. He will E-mail the process for considering the reports and will work closely with the Faculty Senate, making certain the appropriate committees have an opportunity to review the reports next semester. The reports will be presented to the Board of Trustees next week with no vote. There will not be a vote taken until there is a full chance for comment among the campus community.

- Athletic Director Search
Dr. Pitts reported that the search for an Athletic Director has produced a strong pool of candidates who understand that UNCA wants an athletic program that supports our educational environment. Chancellor Mullen stated that the Athletic Director will build new bridges with all parts of the community.

IV. Executive Committee Report
Dr. Gregg Kormanik gave the Executive Committee Report.
Faculty Assembly Report
Ms. Linda Nelms reported on a Distance Learning workshop and the various meanings of the term. During a regular meeting the Faculty Assembly discussed the MAR (minimal admissions requirements) for state schools. The increased requirements will ensure that students are better prepared in mathematics and social studies.

Dr. Roy Carroll is retiring and was honored at the meeting. The new Vice President for Academic Affairs, Gretchen Bataille, was introduced.

The Faculty Assembly passed a Resolution asking that President Broad address issues of both accessibility and resources at the same time so that the schools will be accessible to students and also have the resources to provide a worthwhile education. They briefly discussed the idea of tiered systems where there are "premium" schools and "discount" schools.

Ms. Nelms emphasized that one of the main reasons for the Faculty Assembly is to provide faculty input directly to the President -- and we are one of the few systems that provide for this input.

The Senate gave Ms. Nelms a round of applause for her six years of service on the Faculty Assembly.

Academic Calendar
The Faculty Senate discussed the proposed Academic Calendar 2001-2003. Dr. Phil Weast summarized changes made in response to comments/suggestions on the web site from over forty individuals - mostly faculty.

Following discussion, Dr. Larson made a motion to strongly recommend the 2001-2003 Academic Calender be adjusted so that both semesters contain 75 teaching days, include Tuesday off after Labor Day, and Thursday and Friday off, the fifth week after Spring break (to be called April Advance.) Dr. Peifer seconded the motion.

Dr. Mitchell noted that a lot of people would prefer taking off Good Friday and Easter. Dr. Larson replied that Easter and Good Friday are based on the phases of the moon and not upon academic needs. The motion passed.

The Senate thanked Dr. Weast for seeking input from the campus community.

Comments from the Senate Chair
Dr. Kormanik highlighted several issues the Senate will consider next year and noted that given the tremendous workload, the Senate could benefit by one or two additional members. Some of the issues to be considered include: reviewing quality points; adopting an Honor Code; modifying Post Tenure Review (PTR) documents; ensuring we have an up-to-date Faculty Handbook that is accessible to all faculty; providing a mechanism to ensure that committees understand their responsibilities and that their duties are met; modifying Tenure procedures; and providing a mechanism to implement Task Force recommendations following consideration by the campus and community.

V. Student Government Association report
There was no Student Government Association Report.

VI. Academic Policies Report
Ms. Claudel McKenzie reported for the Academic Policies Committee.
Second Reading:
The following documents were considered for Second Reading:
APC 44: Addition of First-Year Experience Program Description.
APC 44 passed unanimously as and became Senate Document 5700S.

APC 45: Changes to Environmental Studies Departmental Mathematics Requirements.
APC 45 passed unanimously as and became Senate Document 5800S.

APC 46: Changes to Environmental Studies Natural Resource Management Requirements.
APC 46 passed unanimously as and became Senate Document 5900S.

APC 47: Changes to Prerequisite Requirements for ENVR 241.
APC 47 passed unanimously as and became Senate Document 6000S.

APC 48: Changing Title and Course Description of ENVR 334.
APC 48 passed unanimously as and became Senate Document 6100S.

APC 49: Changing Course Description of ENVR 382.
APC 49 passed unanimously as and became Senate Document 6200S.

APC 50: Adding CHEM 132 to the List of Courses that Satisfy the 3-Hour
Science General Education Requirement.
APC 50 passed unanimously as and became Senate Document 6300S.

APC 51: Clarifying the Number of Hours Allowed for Major Fields of Concentration.
Dr. Mitchell and Mr. Bowen explained why they abstained from voting on this document in APC. According to Dr. Mitchell, this document will allow more hours to be concentrated within majors than we have had in the past. However, APC 51 also acknowledges our existing practice and makes it clearer. Mr. Bowen abstained because of a philosophical difference of what constitutes a liberal arts education; majors are becoming force-fed and have to take many new courses that deprive them from making choices they deserve.

Dr. Rizzo asked if there was any recourse a committee could take when there is a philosophical difference to a new trend. Mr. Bowen replied that these issues would be addressed through the General Education review process. Dr. Kormanik stressed that committees keep track of issues they consider and pass them along to the appropriate committee. Dr. Mitchell added that there is essentially a philosophical difference among members of APC on this issue; there are other APC members who absolutely support this issue. The sciences and management departments have 60 hour majors -- and students need more flexibility. Dr. Krumpe stated he initiated this in APC without any thought to the greater philosophical issue because the SACS General Education Review Committee and APC, during General Education review, are going to have to address this issue. The proposal, as Dr. Mitchell mentioned, was made to clarify and become more consistent with our current practice. There is always a debate in APC about what constitutes a cognate course because there is a huge loophole in the Catalog which states "normally 24 and 36." APC 51 passed with three abstentions and became Senate Document 6400S.

APC 52: Curriculum Revision in Biology.
APC 52 passed unanimously as and became Senate Document 6500S.

APC 53: New Rules for MLA Theses and Projects.
APC 53 passed unanimously as and became Senate Document 6600S.

APC 54: Addition of Practicum in Teaching Foreign Languages, K-12.
APC 54 passed unanimously as and became Senate Document 6700S.

Comments from APC Chair
Ms. McKenzie stated that APC members really, really worked hard all year. Even so, the Honor Code and a revision of the phrasing for the English language document will be considered by next year's APC.

This year APC started considering courses that satisfy general education requirements. In addition to reports APC has submitted this year on Mathematics and Library Research and Arts, they have met with the Humanities faculty and the Language 101 and 102 faculty at least twice to discuss each of those documents. Those documents are not complete and will be submitted to the Senate next fall along with some ongoing concerns about general education.

Ms. Claudel stated that Dr. Browning originally requested that APC meet in late May on the IST degree status and plan. Her response was that it should go to the next APC -- it has not gone to UPC yet and APC has not received it.

Dr. Pitts' comments on an Honor Code
Dr. Pitts stated he wanted to go on record on the issue of an Honor Code policy. An Honor policy should be reviewed from a number of angles, one being what it would look like on a heterogenous campus. The University of Virginia in the fall has as a very lively issue that the enforcement of the policy differentially impacts international students and racial minorities. He is not opposed to Honor policies, but sociologically they were never developed in heterogenous class/race environments. UNCA needs to pay a lot of attention to the make up of our campus -- the age heterogeneity, the social class heterogeneity , only one-third of students living on campus -- and then ask some very straightforward questions. How is the process likely to be enforced in ecological conditions that are not conducive to homogeneity? Before we rush into something that sounds good, we need to consider who we are, who we are becoming, and what are the social processes likely to be where students basically carry out an honor process. Dr. Kormanik asked Ms. McKenzie to put Dr. Pitts' comments in her notes for future APC consideration.

Dr. Kormanik thanked all the APC members for all their hard work.

VII. Institutional Development Committee/University Planning Council Report:
Dr. Peter Caulfield gave the Institutional Development Committee/University Planning Council report.
Second Reading
The following document was distributed for First Reading:
UPC 5: Proposed Distance Education Philosophy Statement.
The UPC recommended that the statement not be placed in the Catalog as this is a statement for the faculty and the university administration as to how we will approach distance learning as it becomes more of a force in education. UPC recommends that the statement be disseminated in as many venues as possible where faculty can see it, such as the Faculty Handbook and the web.

Mr. Dunning asked if the statement contained anything on how the Honor Code would affect distance learning. Dr. Caulfield replied that it was not part of their consideration but it is an interesting point relative to Dr. Pitts' comments. This is a statement on how UNCA looks at distance learning and considers proposals with regard to distance learning in light of our mission. UPC 5 passed unanimously and became Senate Document 6800S.

Departmental Effectiveness Plan
Ms. Pat McClellan, Chair of the Institutional Effectiveness Committee, distributed the Departmental Effectiveness Plan, Three Year Assessment, and Planning Report for informational purposes. The template will be used to link assessment, evaluation and planning. The Annual Update of the Departmental Effectiveness Plan has replaced the academic departments' End-of-Year Reports.

SGA Proposal
UPC received an SGA-generated proposal to give students greater access to the graduation checklist at various stages of their academic career. UPC thought this was more appropriately an APC issue. However, during discussion it came out that the ability to do this is currently underway.

Space Planning Report
The UPC discussed the Space Planning Report and generally felt that it is a positive trend that the university was taking a long range look at planning issues. UPC realized it would be controversial and some departments might not like suggestions that they possibly be moved. UPC recommended that Dr. Caulfield express to the Chancellor's cabinet that potentially affected parties be given a copy of the document so that they could respond to it and argue for what might be a better solution or why it would affect their ability to serve the university. A cover memo from Chancellor Mullen explaining the process will go out next week. Departments who wish to respond should do so in writing to the Facilities Planning Committee.

Budget Process/101 budget allocations
Mr. Steve Honeycutt gave a presentation to UPC on the budget process. UNCA could receive $160K from tuition increases approved by GA. It is being recommended that departments be considered for funding at 100% of their 3-year average. This could possibly free up $500K that could then be reallocated. Dr. Mitchell noted that given inflation, that means we are cutting department budgets. Dr. Caulfield stated that this was discussed. In most cases it will probably mean a decrease in departmental budgets. However, this could fund new initiatives barring any new money coming in.

Dr. Cochran explained in the 101 instructional program they would use the 3-year average to obtain a base allocation for all departments for supplies, travel and printing -- the fixed ongoing expenses that are pretty stable. There would then be a second round of discussion dealing with equipment related expenditures or other one-time allocations, to have a strategic impact on what we want to do next year. Dr. Cochran considered this a step in the right direction. Dr. Caulfield noted that there would be a base line budget, then requests could be considered if there is a pool of money from which to draw to reward departments which are doing something innovative. Dr. Pitts noted that this political direction is very progressive because previously the budgeting practices of the institution have held hostage the operating budgets of academic programs to the larger concerns of possibly having to return money. This plan entails increased communication with the budget office.

2000-01 Planning/Budget Recommendations
Next week the UPC will discuss the Chancellor and Vice Chancellor's planning/budget recommendations for 2000-01.

Comments from IDC/UPC Chair
Dr. Caulfield commented that IDC/UPC members worked hard as well this year. During the first part of the year they were involved in trying to decide how to do what they should be doing, how to reconstitute themselves, and how to create a new committee. As a result, though UPC is now larger than it used to be, it is still majority faculty; IDC is reporting to the Senate through UPC; and it represents a wider range of interests on campus. Once IDC/UPC moved away from departmental self-studies, they were able to spend most of the semester gathering information and budget data, and finding out how the budget processes worked, which they were not directly privy to previously. UPC is now primed to have a much greater role in real planning issues next year. Dr. Caulfield thanked the members of his committee for all their hard work this year.

VIII. Faculty Welfare and Development Committee Report
Dr. David Peifer and Dr. Tracy Rizzo gave the Faculty Welfare and Development Committee Report in Dr. Bruce's absence.
Second Reading
The following documents were considered for Second Reading:
FWDC 5: A Teaching-Scholarship Year.
Dr. Peg Downes was available to answer questions regarding this document. FWDC 5 provides an opportunity for a small number of faculty who have been heavily involved in university service to apply once every seven years for a year exempt from service responsibilities in order to balance their careers by renewing and further developing their scholarly, creative and teaching accomplishments.

Dr. Larson commented that he supports this document but is concerned about an emerging imbalance among teaching, scholarship and service. We have a University Research Council, and University Teaching Council but we don't have a University Service Council. We have explicit research and teaching awards but do not reward service, although the Bremen award comes close. We have off-campus scholarship assignments but not off-campus service assignments. Dr. Larson hopes next year that the Senate will start to think a little more systematically about the relationships of teaching, scholarship, and service so we can look at the three elements of our responsibility in a comprehensive and consistent fashion and take Senate action to recognize those interdependencies.
FWDC 5 passed as amended and became Senate Document 6900S.

FWDC 7: Teaching Awards Committee Structure and Process.
Dr. Tracy Brown made editorial corrections to the document. FWDC 7 was prepared by the current Teaching Awards committee to provide guidelines and procedures to ensure consistency and continuity in the Teaching Awards Committee membership and processes from year to year.

Mr. Dunning questioned the composition of the committee and suggested including non-award recipients in its membership. Dr. Caulfield stated that he made the original recommendation that previous award recipients be included on the committee. Dr. Brown added that people who win teaching awards are a pretty diverse group. Ms. McClellan found the committee discussions to be very lively and there was not total consensus among its members. Dr. Mitchell stated that she had heard criticism in the past that this group has given awards to their friends or to faculty who shared the same teaching style. For that reason she preferred the committee composition be one-half award recipients and one-half non-award winners.

Dr. Mitchell made a motion to send FWDC 7 back to committee for reconsideration of its membership. The motion was seconded by Dr. Wilson. Dr. Pitts remarked that diversity of background style is important but we probably should not set as a goal diversity about quality. Dr. Krumpe concurred with Ms. McClellan's comments; while serving on the committee he never noticed any networking or politics involved -- members read the files and comments and it was an extremely fair process. He had no objection to the current composition of the committee. Ms. McClellan added that UNCA isn't that large and questioned whether faculty would be giving up an opportunity to receive an award by serving on the committee. Dr. Mitchell added that she did not mean to imply that this actually happened. However, there are people who say this and she is making the proposal to protect the integrity of the committee. Mr. Dunning concurred, stating that he was not criticizing the individual members of the committee, but rather making the point that there is a danger in being so exclusive. The motion passed by a 6 to 5 vote.

- Post-Tenure Review
The FWDC is reviewing suggestions for revisions to the Post-Tenure Review procedures and guidelines. FWDC met jointly with Academic Affairs, the PTR Committee and Mary Wakeford of the UNC GA. They met a second time with Academic Affairs and the PTRC. Dr. Bruce spoke briefly with Gretchen Bataille, the new UNC Vice President for Academic Affairs on her UNCA visit. She looks forward to previewing our contemplated changes. She will be the GA person responsible for approval of the final document. The Senate Executive Committee is appointing a PTR Revisions Group to propose changes to the Senate by November 2000. FWDC welcomes dialog and suggestions from members of the Faculty Senate and from other faculty members.

Senate Nominees for Alternate Faculty Conciliator
The FWDC recommended these individuals for Senate nomination to the Student Government Association, for the position of Alternate Faculty Conciliator:
Lisa Friedenberg
Cynthia Ho
William Haas
Don Lisnerski

The Senate approved the slate, which will be forwarded to the SGA for action.

Dr. Kormanik thanked members of the FWDC for all their hard work this year.

IX. Old Business
There was no Old Business.

X. New Business
Ms. McKenzie thanked Gregg Kormanik on behalf of the Senate for his hard work and his outstanding leadership. A round of applause followed.

Dr. Kormanik thanked all the Senators, they've done a lot of work and not everyone is willing to be a Senator; and a special thanks to outgoing Senators Rob Bowen, William Bruce, Claudel McKenzie, and Cathy Pons. Dr. Kormanik also thanked Sandra Gravely for her work this year.

XI. Adjourn
Dr. Kormanik announced that the 2000-2001 Senate organization meeting would convene in five minutes. He adjourned the final meeting of the 1999-2000 Senate at 4:45 pm.

Respectfully submitted by:    Sandra Gravely
                                           William Bruce
                                           Tracey Rizzo