The University Senate
of Michigan Technological University
Minutes of Meeting 546
March 26, 2014
Synopsis:
The Senate
- Presentation: “Update on the Emergency Blue Light Phone System” presented by The Student Commission
- Presentation: “Strategic Planning” presented by Dave Reed, VP for Research
- Proposal 19-14: “Proposal for a New Non-Departmental Master of Science in Data Science” passed
- Proposal 20-14: “Proposal for a New Non-Departmental Graduate Certificate in Data Science” passed
- Proposal 21-14: “Proposal to Change Degree Title from Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Technical Communication to Ph.D. in Rhetoric, Theory and Culture” passed
- Proposal 22-14: “Proposal to Change Degree Title from M.S. in Rhetoric and Technical Communication to M.S. in Rhetoric, Theory and Culture” passed
- Proposal 24-14: “Avoiding Conflicts of Interest on Senate Committees” passed
- Administration Amendment to Proposal 15-14: “Request for Change in Board of Control Policy 6.7 on Sabbatical Leave” passed
- Proposal 25-14: “Proposal for a Minor in Statistics” passed
- Proposal 26-14: “Proposal for a New Bachelors of Science Degree in Statistics” passed
- Administration Amendment to Proposal 7-14: “Proposal to Amend Senate Proposal 22-00: Recommendations on Medical and Health Insurance Benefits” was not passed
1. Call to order and roll call. President Brian Barkdoll called the University Senate Meeting 546 to order at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 26, 2014. The Senate Secretary Marty Thompson called roll. Absent were Senators Caneba, Panian, Oliveira, Peng and Cadwell and representatives of Army/Air Force ROTC, Materials Science & Engineering, Academic Services A, Academic Services C, Auxiliaries, Advancement, Finance and Graduate Faculty Council.
2. Recognition of visitors. Guests included Max Seel (Provost’s Office), John Jasczak (College of Science and Arts), Jean Kampe (College of Engineering), Christopher Cena (Electrical Engineering), Katherine Baeckeroot (Lode) and Dan Bennett (Public Safety).
3. Approval of agenda. Barkdoll asked for approval of the agenda. It passed unanimously on a voice vote.
4. Approval of minutes from Meeting 545. Barkdoll asked for approval of the minutes. It passed unanimously on a voice vote.
5. Presentation: “Update on the Emergency Blue Light Phone System” presented by The
Student Commission
Cena discussed the variation in the emergency phones and made the case for modernizing
and standardizing the emergency phone system across campus. Concerns cited in a recent
report commissioned by Public Safety include, difficult usage, non- ADA compliant,
inaccessible, identified incorrectly and not working properly. Costs were projected
to be in the $150,000 to $200,000 range. Beck asked how the stanchion phones would
be used with the snowfall amounts. Bennett said this was examined and placement would
be in accessible locations. Beck asked how many campuses have these. Cena said most
campuses have stanchion style emergency phones. Riehl said parking lots are dangerous
and don’t have these phones.
6. Presentation: “Strategic Planning” presented by Dave Reed, VP for Research
Reed discussed the “Portrait of Michigan Tech 2035” developed a few years ago and
our current progress towards realizing this portrait. He discussed the short term
plan that will be revised every three years. Reed named Adrienne Minerick as the Strategic
Plan Faculty Fellow who will help administration work through the short term planning.
He discussed the timeline for the review and development of the next iteration of
the strategic plan. Reed noted that Snyder had requested a public comment period when
presented to the senate years back, which was built into the current process. Mullins
asked if financial goals will be included in the strategic plan, as is done in business.
Reed said yes. Seel said the details are worked out at the dean and chair levels.
Mullins said financial goals are currently not in-depth which doesn’t permit coupling
of finances with strategic plan. Reed said the budget is based on aspects of the strategic
plan and a more comprehensive financial strategy will be developed to accompany the
strategic plan. Mullins said we probably don’t want to be the low cost graduate degree
provider for STEM education but that is what we have become. The connection between
the strategic plan and financial goals is weak. Reed agreed with the need to align
financial goals with strategic planning. Reed provided 2025 projection and discussed
how related to strategic plan. Barkdoll encouraged everyone to review and take part
in the development of the evolving strategic plan. Waddell asked if past strategic
plans have been assessed to determine if goals have been achieved. He provided an
example from 1984 when state funding was being cut and asked if the past plan has
worked based on what was proposed at the time. He asked if the strategic plans of
the past have had the desired effect. Reed said he is familiar with the past strategic
plan and restated the goal of enhancing graduate programs and non-engineering programs,
which did not happen. He also noted that $50 million of the $80 million dollars of
debt Michigan Tech has acquired is due to residence halls. Barkdoll said it could
be a part of the strategic plan to get out of debt. Waddell said graduate enrollments
are growing faster than undergraduate enrollment. If undergraduates are supporting
enhancements in graduate programs the plan may not work. Reed said that benefits flow
from the graduate program to the undergraduate programs and more likely decrease undergraduate
costs. Mullins disagreed. Waddell said there is data that contradicts Reed’s statement
and suggested that the development of future financial strategic plans would benefit
by reviewing the results of past plans. Reed agreed that would be a useful strategy.
Snyder said there was no public university that had such a high ratio of graduate
to undergraduate students and questioned whether proposed numbers of graduate students
in the 2035 portrait were realistic. Reed said there are several research universities
where comparable numbers of undergraduate and graduate students are the case. Snyder
asked what the percentages of undergraduate and graduate students exist at larger
universities. Reed said he didn’t have specific numbers available. Snyder asked if
peer institutions have a faculty base to sustain 3000 graduate students and to provide
examples of this. Reed said they think such a goal is accomplishable and said he will
provide examples.
7. Old Business
a. Proposal 19-14: “Proposal for a New Non-Departmental Master of Science in Data
Science” and Proposal 20-14: “Proposal for a New Non-Departmental Graduate Certificate in Data
Science”
Barkdoll asked for discussion. There being none he asked for a vote on Proposals 19-14
and 20-14. Both passed unanimously by voice vote.
b. Proposal 21-14: “Proposal to Change Degree Title from Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Technical
Communication to Ph.D. in Rhetoric, Theory and Culture” and Proposal 22-14: “Proposal to Change Degree Title from M.S. in Rhetoric and Technical
Communication to M.S. in Rhetoric, Theory and Culture”
Barkdoll read a question sent by a senate constituent asking if this change in name
reflects a substantial change in the program. Strickland said they are not changing
what comprises the programs content but rather the name is being modified to better
reflect what comprises the program’s content. He noted 70% of these degrees nationally
are in English departments. Barkdoll asked for a vote on Proposals 21-14 and 22-14.
Both passed unanimously by voice vote.
c. Proposal 23-14: “Proposal to Establish Michigan Technological University’s Copyright
Policy Regarding Scholarly, Academic, and Artistic Works”
Scarlett, Academic Policy Committee, listed some grammatical modifications, noting
the content of the proposal was not altered. Mullins sought removal or clarification
of some editorializing. He sought ‘despite legal default’ be removed as a friendly
amendment because he disagreed that ‘the university owns all products’ is the legal
default as this is up for debate. Scarlett agreed. Charlesworth asked ‘MTU’ be changed
to ‘Michigan Tech’. Scarlett affirmed this would be done for the text of proposal.
Mullins asked for additional time to review the document as it is very important.
Scarlett said this proposals passage leads to an important document but itself is
not a legal document. Seel said it is similar to the University of Michigan and meets
Michigan laws. This is a first step and the details will follow. Breffle said many
constituents are seeing this for the first time, but the committee has been speaking
with faculty for much of the academic year. Scarlett said this is a policy that will
formalize what we do. Brown said her constituents consider the legal ‘default’ an
issue and they don’t like how it defines our products as administration property given
back to faculty because this proposal codifies that concept. She gave an example of
software accompanying a book. Scarlett said he didn’t know the details of how software
accompanying books would be handled by copyright. Brown affirmed Mullins comment that
additional time would be beneficial. Breffle said the default definition can be removed,
but he felt this is the legal standard. He added that legal counsel may review the
policy. Nooshabadi asked where the default definition comes from. Scarlett said legal
counsel from Colorado State University and University of Michigan documents refer
to this definition of default. Vable asked if a lawyer should review this policy and
provide opinion before approval. Scarlett said the committee doesn’t have authority
to do that and most likely, lawyers hired by the administration would reflect an administrative
viewpoint. The lawyers’ that visited Tech gave academic views and not legal advice.
Seel said this proposal is based on other institutions and is a baseline derived mainly
from University of Michigan. It will change to comply with Board of Control policy
and they are likely to get a legal opinion. Mullins asked Scarlett if this proposal
is official under state and federal law. Seel said it is assumed because the University
of Michigan probably had lawyers review it before implementation and noted aspects
of software is an area where no clear policy exists. Beck noted the routine act of
signing copyright forms to journals may not be legal. Scarlett said we function oppositional
system which doesn’t solve problems it assigns blame. Riehl asked if the committee
reviewed cases where this type of document [the proposal] has been cited. Scarlett
said no. Froese asked the purpose of Clause A. Scarlett said “the default” was in
the original document and provides the legal basis for implementing the document in
exclusion of other areas. Froese felt this statement was strange as we cannot define
this aspect of US law. Scarlett said acknowledging the legal default makes the document
more appealing to administration. Mullins thanked Scarlett for being proactive on
a very important issue and reiterated the concerns over defining a default. We are
ceding content as default to administration for clarity so there is no confusion that
faculty get it back. Mullins moved to postpone the vote until the next meeting. Riehl seconded. Barkdoll asked for a vote on the motion. The motion was approved. The senate will vote on the amended proposal at the next meeting. Scarlett asked
senators to review the proposal with constituents. He also said the vote should be
full senate not only academic senate.
d. Proposal 24-14: “Avoiding Conflicts of Interest on Senate Committees”
Waddell said this proposal began in the Fringe Benefits Committee and was referred
to the Senate Executive Committee for further deliberation. The purpose of the proposal
is to reduce the prospect of conflicts of interest on senate committees. Waddell said
that the senate bylaws already address potential conflicts of interest by specifying
that although they are considered senate constituents, department chairs, associate
deans, and assistant deans may not serve as senators or alternates. The bylaws also
specify that any staff who have significant influence with the president, the provost,
any vice provost, any vice president, or the Board of Control may not serve as senators
or alternates. Waddell asked if there was any need to say anything further about
the proposal. Nooshabadi asked Waddell to further describe the proposal. Waddell
read and commented on key passages from the proposal, including the following: “Free
and open discussion on Senate committees is essential to the healthy functioning of
the committees, to the vitality of the University, and to meaningful shared governance.
Hence, when making committee assignments, the President of the Senate must consider
potential conflicts of interest; and individuals must do the same when requesting
and accepting or rejecting committee assignments. Potential conflicts of interest
should especially be considered when selecting committee chairs.” Kallio asked if
some staff members would not be allowed to serve on senate committees. Waddell said
if the senate president deemed a conflict exists or a senator self-identified a conflict
then the person might be assigned to a different committee or might simply recuse
himself or herself from participating in specific deliberations. Barkdoll asked if
there was a specific scenario Kallio had in mind. Kallio asked if she would be prevented
from being on the research policy committee because she works in the research office.
Waddell said that if a conflict occurred the relevant committee member might recuse
himself or herself until that specific issue was resolved. Barkdoll said this should
not prevent any administrator from being invited to committees to benefit from their
insights. Seel said there may be complications with staff members. One would not want
a staff with expertise be unable to contribute. Waddell said this should not be a
problem. Barkdoll asked for a vote on Proposal 24-14. It passed by a majority voice
vote.
e. Proposal 25-14: “Proposal for a Minor in Statistics” and Proposal 26-14: “Proposal for a New Bachelors of Science Degree in Statistics”
Barkdoll asked for discussion. There being none he asked for a vote on Proposal 25-14
and 26-14. Both passed unanimously by voice vote.
f. Administration Amendment on Proposal 15-14: “Request for Change in Board of Control
Policy 6.7on Sabbatical Leave”
Froese, Research Policy Committee, said sabbaticals are mutual benefit and by enhancing
the pay retained by faculty the goal is to enhance the mutual benefit. Barkdoll asked
for a vote on Proposal 15-14. The administration amended proposal passed unanimously
by voice vote.
g. Administrative Comments on Proposal 7-14: “Proposal to Amend Senate Proposal 22-00:
Recommendations on Medical and Health Insurance Benefits”
Waddell said that this proposal comes from the Fringe Benefit Committee (FBC) and
the Executive Committee. He reminded the senate of the commitment made earlier in
the year to enhance shared governance which is the primary function of the senate.
He cited multiple examples of the senate and the administration working together to
make such improvements, including health insurance, assessment, general education,
intellectual property, sabbatical leave, and financial planning. He reminded the Senate
that on B-list items, such as fringe benefits, the Senate recommends but does not
establish policy. Waddell said that the Benefits Liaison Group (BLG) was formed in
the late 1990s and formalized in 2000 by Senate Proposal 22-00. Waddell said that
the purpose of Senate Proposal 7-14 was to address issues of noncompliance with and
lack of specificity in Proposal 22-00. Proposal 7-14 was unanimously approved by
the senate. However, of the 12 items included in Proposal 7-14, the administration
approved only one: to decrease the notification time for benefit changes from 90 to
30 days. According to senate bylaws, “When the University President or designated
representative suggests changes without veto in a proposal transmitted from the Senate,
the proposal and the suggested changes shall be considered by the Senate in the same
manner as a newly submitted proposal, using the number of the old proposal” (I.J.11.a).
Waddell said that the FBC and the Executive Committee were agreed that the best course
of action would be to reject the revised proposal and begin again with a new proposal.
He said that the senate should be able to ask external consultants, such as Aon Hewitt,
to research healthcare insurance questions and, hence, that this and the change in
notification time might be included in a new proposal. He concluded by emphasizing
that both the FBC and the Executive Committee recommend rejecting this proposal and
beginning over again with a new one. Mullins stated that the proper course of action
is to vote against the amended proposal rather than reject it. Perhaps individual
issues found in the original proposal can be addressed at a future time. Barkdoll
asked for a vote on the administration-amended proposal. It failed to pass in a unanimous
vote. Seel commended Waddell for the progress he has made with shared governance.
8. New Business:
a. Proposal 2-14: “Proposal to Modify Senate Procedures 506.1.1: Evaluation Procedures
for Department Chairs and School Deans”
Vable, Administrative Policy Committee, provided an overview of the changes to the
existing senate approved proposal including, address contradictory statements, two
separate procedures for review of School Dean and Department Chairs and statements
governing search procedures are found in the review process. The new proposal addresses
the aforementioned issues and adds a survey instrument, a separate procedure (707.1.1)
for conducting the survey and balloting to ensure anonymity and new language to implement
ballot results. Vable discussed the steps for implementing the new procedure. Wood
asked if there was a scenario where the administration would not honor the 2/3 vote
of faculty. Seel said no examples exist and this scenario would have to be extreme
to occur as an administrator would need good reason to overrule a 2/3 faculty vote.
Mullins asked Seel if he accepts the term ‘normally’. Seel affirmed. Vable said in
the event an administrator overrules the 2/3 faculty vote they would need to provide
an explanation. Riehl asked what difference an explanation would make if the administrator
was already deciding to overrule a faculty vote. Vable asked Riehl to suggest alternative
language. Scarlett said the explanation would be from the administrator to the unit
in question. Riehl questioned the value of this process. Scarlett said the unit in
question will have an explanation of the action. Seel said that a meeting will follow.
Mullins said this process would only occur in a rare circumstance and provide a reasoned
explanation and not be on a whim. Justification is needed, but the option to overrule
a faculty vote needs to be there for rare cases. Normally, this doesn’t happen. Vable
read section 3 which adapts feedback delivery from the reappointment process. Mullins
asked if this will be in the next draft of the proposal. Wood asked about the composition
and preparation of the feedback report. Vable described the content of the feedback
report. Snyder said that whatever the feedback is it must be addressing some problem
and therefore should be communicated so the problem can be resolved. If the feedback
doesn’t come back to the chair, then there is no means to resolve issues that arise.
b. Proposal 27-14: “Proposal to Revise the General Education Program”
Jaszczak presented the general education proposal crafted by the General Education
Council. The goal is to clarify learning goals, develop rubrics, develop resources
and assist in achieving goals. Mullins asked how this was tied into the assessment
program. Jaszczak said it is independent of the assessment program but learning goals
are discussed in the proposal. Mullins said the assessment goals must come through
the senate. Charlesworth said the proposal follows the current learning goals but
is not defining assessment. Mullins asked if a separate assessment proposal was forthcoming.
Nooshabadi said the assessment elements described here are only applicable to the
general education program. Mullins reiterated that the learning goals and university
assessment are not defined here and are part of another proposal that will come through
the senate. Jasczak said the assessment discussed in this proposal must be aligned
with the universities assessment plan, but this proposal does not define the assessment
plan. Hungwe asked if we can implement changes to requirements addressed by the Michigan
Transfer Agreement (MTA). Jaszczak said we are limited by the MTA and the changes
discussed are to be in compliance. Mullins expressed concern that because this proposal
discusses elements of assessment that it effectively is passing an assessment plan
that has not separately been approved by the senate. Seel said this proposal only
refers to the general education program and ensures they encompass all the learning
goals. This is not the assessment program. Mullins inquired about the tables in the
proposal that detail assessment elements. Jaszczak said this defines the assessment
plan for the general education requirements. Mullins asked if there is a separate
assessment plan. The assessment council is working with the general education council
and there is confusion about when an assessment proposal will come through the senate.
Charlesworth said the reference to assessment is limited to only the general education
requirements. Mullins asked if there is a university assessment plan and doesn’t it
need to be approved by the senate. Barkdoll said that issue needs to be discussed
with Christa [Walck]. Charlesworth clarified that the assessment defined in this proposal
should not be confused with university-wide assessment and it only applies to general
education. Snyder suggested a rewording of a section discussing STEM course requirements.
Kampe said this addresses seminar courses where there is no student work graded. Snyder
requested the wording be clarified.
c. Proposal 28-14: “Academic Calendar 2015-16 and Provisional Calendar 2016-17”
Vable said that study days before finals week should be considered. He suggested adding
two days to accommodate his suggestion.
9. Report from the Senate President
None.
10. Reports from Senate Standing Committees
Academic Policy Committee. None.
Administrative Policy Committee. None
Curricular Policy Committee. None
Elections Committee. Riehl requested senators find nominees for open positions.
Finance Committee. None.
Fringe Benefits Committee. None.
Institutional Planning Committee. None.
Instructional Policy Committee. None.
Professional Staff Policy Committee. None.
Research Policy Committee. None.
11. Adjournment.
President Barkdoll adjourned the meeting at 7:54 p.m.
Respectfully submitted
by Marty Thompson
Secretary of the University Senate