The University Senate
of Michigan Technological University
Minutes of Meeting 558
February 4, 2015
PDF version of Minutes 558
Senate minutes are time-indexed [in square brackets] to the relevant segments of the streaming video of the meeting.
Synopsis:
The Senate
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Proposal 21-15: "Deadlines for Dissertation, Thesis, and Report Submission" passed
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Proposal 22-15: "Proposal to Shelve Degree Program: Information Systems Concentration (SCS3)" passed
1. Call to order and roll call. [00:00 – 01:47]
President Craig Waddell called the University Senate Meeting 558 to order at 5:30
p.m. on Wednesday, February 4, 2015. The Senate Secretary Marty Thompson called roll.
Absent were Senators Caneba and Cadwell and representatives of Army/Air Force ROTC,
Engineering Fundamentals, Geological and Mining Engineering & Science, Materials Science
& Engineering, School of Technology, Visual & Performing Arts, Academic Services A,
Finance, Research, Student Affairs & Advancement A, Student Affairs & Advancement
C, and Undergraduate Student Government.
2. Recognition of visitors. Guests included Max Seel (Provost’s Office) and Debra Charlesworth (Graduate School).
3. Approval of agenda. [01:48 – 03:04]
Barkdoll moved to merge items two proposals to be discussed under New Business. Scarlett seconded. No discussion. The revised agenda passed unanimously on a voice vote.
4. Approval of minutes from Meeting 557. [03:05 – 03:37]
Scarlett moved to approve the minutes. Oliveira seconded. The minutes passed unanimously on a voice vote.
5. Presidents Report [03:38 – 20:11]
a. The Administration has approved the following Senate Proposals:
Proposal 10-15: “Amending Senate Procedures 414.1.1 Procedures for Eliminating and Shelving Degrees and Certificates" approved by the administration with an editorial change. Barkdoll, chair of the Curricular Policy Committee, accepts the changes.
Proposal 19-15: “Amending Senate Policy 102.1: Policy on Class Attendance”. The administration approved the proposal with an editorial change consistent with Senate Bylaw I.J.10.d. Nooshabadi moved to accept the editorial changes. Scarlett seconded. The proposal as modified by the administration was approved.
Proposal 20-15: " Policy on Michigan Technological University Information Technology Services" has received no official response yet. Velat, chair of the Information Technology committee said that he and Provost Seel are discussing the nature of A-list versus B-list features of the proposal. They will work together within the 90 day window that Senate approved proposals allow the administration to respond.
b. Discussion on the process of submitting Senate Proposals to the Board of Control as stated in Article III.E.3 of the Senate’s Constitution.
c. Vice-President of Research Dave Reed made his presentation slides from the Finance Forum available. [LINK]
d. Presentation of college age population demographics and projections for future numbers. [LINK] Seel commented that the numbers presented are national averages and the majority of Tech students are coming from the upper Midwest, which shows declining, not increasing numbers of college age students.
e. Request to address delays and flight cancellations to and from Houghton County Memorial Airport. Waddell asked if an ad hoc committee needed to be formed or a forum to bring about a broader discussion was needed.
f. Waddell stated that the Senate’s Fringe Benefits Committee (FBC) has not been invited to a meeting of the administrations Benefits Liaison Group (BLG) since October 9, 2013. He state there is a BLG meeting scheduled on February, 12, 2015. The goal is to ensure the BLG is adhering to Board of Control approved policy which ensures the inclusion of the FBC in providing questions to healthcare consultants paid for with university dollars.
g. Discussion about vice-president liaisons to Senate standing committees.
h. The Senate President will be making a report to the Board of Control at the February 19, 2015 meeting.
6. Reports from Senate Standing Committees [20:12 – 23:45]
Academic and Instructional Policy Committee. None.
Administrative Policy Committee. None.
Curricular Policy Committee. None.
Elections Committee. None.
Finance & Institutional Planning Committee. None.
Fringe Benefits Committee. None.
General Education and Assessment Committee. None.
Information Technology Committee. None.
Professional Staff Policy Committee. None.
Research Policy Committee. None.
Ad hoc Library Committee. Froese provided an update on the formation, charge and the option of re-instituting library liaisons. The library is gathering information regarding usage and costs of journals. Froese moved that Bethany Klemetsrud be added as the Graduate Student Government member of the committee. Scarlett seconded. The addition of Bethany Klemetsrud to the ad hoc Library Committee passed unanimously.
7. Unfinished Business [23:46 – 38:50]
a. Proposal 21-15: "Deadlines for Dissertation, Thesis, and Report Submission" [02:00 – 37:17]
Wallace moved to approve the proposal. Scarlett seconded. Discussion. The proposal passed by majority vote.
b. Proposal 22-15: "Proposal to Shelve Degree Program: Information Systems Concentration
(SCS3)" [37:18 – 38:50]
Barkdoll moved to support. Mullins seconded. The proposal passed by unanimous vote.
8. New Business [38:51 – 01:11:00]
a. Proposal 4-15: "Access to Student Records, Learning Management Systems and Permanent
Record Systems"
Wallace introduced the proposal in terms of student privacy and information accessibility.
The goal is to clarify the conditions required to access course content. Wallace noted
concerns about balancing student privacy with required course maintenance by IT professionals.
b. Proposal 23-15: "Proposal to Shelve Degree Program: Computer Systems Science (SCSY)"
and Proposal 26-15: "New Concentration in Computer Systems within the Bachelor's Degree
in Computer Science"
Barkdoll said the Computer Systems Science degree has experienced low enrollment which
has been declining over the last three years. This change will move the enrollment
into the main Computer Science program. Proposal 26-15 details a concentration that
is proposed as a substitute for the Computer Systems Science degree program, which
is to be shelved per Proposal 23-15.
c. Proposal 24-15: "Amendment to Senate Policy 411.1: Graduate Certificates"
Barkdoll said this proposal changes the way students apply for a graduate certificate.
Degree-seeking graduate students are required to apply and be accepted to a certificate
program in order to earn a certificate. At the time of the original Senate proposal,
the Graduate School thought that having students apply to certificate programs would
be useful in tracking students’ progress toward degrees and their level of interest
in different certificate programs. In practice, the majority of degree-seeking students
are not applying to the certificate programs until they are close to completing their
degrees during their final semester on campus. The Graduate School has been enforcing
the requirement that students apply to a certificate program, and this has caused
the students and their departments to have to work through the certificate application
and review process very quickly. Having the application submitted and accepted so
late in a student’s degree program does not provide the Graduate School with the data
it had hoped to collect about current students’ involvement with certificate programs.
d. Proposal 25-15: "Proposal to Equalize the Tuition Waiver Benefit for all Full-time
Employees"
Nooshabadi introduced the proposal which makes the tuition waiver benefit the same
for all full-time employees. Of note are the revision of several procedural details
and the limitation of two classes was changed to 9 credits. Discussion.
e. Proposal 27-15: "Fixed vs. Variable Compensation for Senate Officers and Senate
President as Financial Manager of the Senate's Budget"
Waddell said this proposal will replace the current variable-compensation system for
the Senate president and secretary with a fixed-compensation system. It will simultaneously
transfer responsibility for managing the Senate’s budget from the provost to the president
of the Senate. If accepted, the proposed changes will go into effect after the next
Senate elections. Discussion centered on the significant workload for senate officers
and committee members and how to best use the senate budget to allow time to perform
senate duties.
9. Public Comments
10. Adjournment.
Mullins moved to adjourn. Scarlett seconded. President Waddell adjourned the meeting at 6:37 p.m.
Respectfully submitted
by Marty Thompson
Secretary of the University Senate