Meet and Confer Notes

WSU Faculty Association

        Monday, April 21, 2003, 3:00 p.m.

                     

 

0.            Additions or Deletions

 

Previously Scheduled:

1.         Course Approvals

2.         May Term Recommendations

3.         Stipend Recommendations

4.         NCPDTC Recommendations

5.         Personnel Decisions Calendar

6.         Suspended Courses

 

Additions:

7.         Academic Calendar (IFO addition)

8.         Library Dean (administration addition)

 

At the beginning of the meeting, a member with the New York Times Democracy Project spent a few minutes talking briefly about the project and thanked WSU for joining in the project.  He was visiting WSU.  

 

 

1.         Course approvals

 

The administration was notified of the following Faculty Senate approvals:

 

A.         New Courses

1.         DIS 472 Business Management of Local and Wide Area Networks (3 SH)

2.         GEOS 425 Quaternary Environments (3 SH)

3.         GS 202 Cultural Diversity Lab (1-2 SH)

4.         PROF 490/590 Seminars and Workshops (0.5-3 SH)

B.            University Studies B Course Requirements

1.         Arts & Sciences Core - Humanities

JPN 101 Beginning Japanese I (4 SH)

2.         Arts & Sciences Core - Natural Science

CHEM 208 General, Organic, and Biochemistry I (4 SH)

3.         Unity & Diversity B Science & Social Policy

ECON 315 Environmental and Natural Resource Economics (3 SH

4.         Unity & Diversity B Contemporary Citizenship

MUS 298 Foundations and Principles of Music Education (3 SH)

C.            University Studies -- Flag Courses

1.         Writing

CMST 485 Senior Seminar in Communication (3 SH)

MTED 320 Teaching Mathematics in the Secondary School (3 SH)

SOC 418 Criminal Law & Procedure (3 SH)

2.         Oral

FIN 421 Institutional Investment and Financial Markets (3 SH)

ECON 499 Seminar in Economics (3 SH)

HIST 398 Topics in History with Oral Communication Emphasis (3 SH)

SOC 491Community Policing and Administration (3 SH)

STAT 415 Multivariate Analysis (3 SH)

STAT 425 Modern Methods of Data Analysis (3 SH)

3.         Critical Analysis

CMST 480 Communication Research Methods (3 SH)

 

The administration acknowledged the above course/program approvals.

 

The administration was also notified of the following A2C2 notifications.

 

A.            Business Education - All AIS courses will be redesignated with a BUED prefix.

 

B.            Women's Studies - WS 420 Field Experience (3 SH) - change the grading option from P/NC only to grade only.    

 

The administration was also informed that in view of the fact that A2C2 has one more meeting this year, Faculty Senate authorized an electronic ballot on April 16 A2C2 report, the results of which will be communicated to the administration outside a Meet and Confer session

 

 

2.         May Term recommendations

 

The administration was informed that Faculty Senate approved a committee report regarding establishment of a May Term with the following recommendations:

 

Recommendation 1: That Winona State University establish a May Term summer session, consisting of 25 consecutive days, with no overlap in duty days between the Spring Semester or Summer Session I.

 

Recommendation 2: That WSU regulations governing Summer Session courses and instructors apply to the May Term, except where explicitly noted in the following.

Recommendation 2.a: That the instructor be free to set the class meeting days and times of a May Term course without restriction, with the understanding that current credit-hour/contact-hour ratios will apply to May Term courses as well as courses in Summer Sessions I and II.

May Term courses involving travel may establish deadlines for fee payment to travel agents that precede normal university deadlines. Courses requiring early payment deadlines will be able to accurately predict enrollment numbers earlier than normal summer courses; faculty contracts for such courses should be offered earlier than most. Accordingly:                                                   

 

Recommendation 2.b: That the university establish procedures and dates regarding May Term (for submission of courses, for students= registration, etc.) such that faculty are able to meet the deadlines of travel agents and other agencies.

 

Recommendation 3: That courses offered during the May Term may be new or one-time offerings, existing courses within a department=s major or minor curricula, University Studies courses, or general electives.

 

Recommendation 4: That the university provide support staff to help faculty with travel arrangements and other details connected with unusual offerings.

 

To reduce the impact of new May Term offerings on a department’s summer budget funds:

 

Recommendation 5. That the university make departments aware of opportunities to apply for funding from outside the regular operating budget of the university, such as New Venture Funds from ACEED or funding sources totally outside the university.

 

Administration Comments:

1.            On average, about 10 students are needed per summer course to make a summer course go within the summer budget allocation model, though the number students needed in a class will depend on faculty salary.

2.                Overhead for May Term might not be as much since the course will likely be taught off campus.

3.            If New Venture/oced monies are not available, then may be a little start up money could be infused into May Term courses to get them off the ground.

 

 

3.             Stipend recommendations

 

The administration was informed that Faculty Senate approved a motion regarding stipends:

 

That, in the absence of language in the IFO/MnSCU contract, Faculty Senate recommend that administration (a) support faculty applications which call for faculty to be paid a stipend as dictated by the guidelines of external funding agencies, should any faculty member wish to enter into such an agreement, and (b) authorize payment for stipends when such grants are approved by the funding agency. 

 

Explanation:

This agreement would pertain to external grants, where funds for the grant program are provided by external agencies.  By "external agencies" we mean funding sources other than the general operating budget (comprised of state appropriations, tuition, and fees) received by WSU or MnSCU.

Programs in which WSU or MnSCU acts solely as the fiscal agent for the award, but are unable to dictate how the funding is distributed would also be included in this agreement (e.g., the recent MnSCU CTL grants, for which funding was provided by the Bush Foundation).

Specifically excluded are faculty activities for which compensation is drawn from the general operating budget received by WSU or MnSCU. Compensation from these sources will continue to be paid on a full-duty-day or overload credit basis.

 

The administration thanked and accepted the Stipend recommendation.

 

 

4.            NCPDTC recommendations

 

The administration was informed that Faculty Senate amended and then approved a committee report, including recommendations, regarding establishment of a National Child Protection and Development Training Center.  The following are the recommendations:

 

Recommendation 1 That, in order to facilitate the integration of the NCPDTC into the campus community, the Faculty Senate create a multidisciplinary faculty Oversight Committee charged with working in collaboration with the NCPDTC staff.

The first task of the committee will be to develop a policy to describe the formal relationship, administrative structure and decision-making processes that will be utilized by the NCPDTC and WSU.

The following departments will be invited to name a representative to serve on the Committee in the initial stages of its work:  Communication Studies, Counselor Education, Criminal Justice, Education, Nursing, Paralegal, Psychology, and Social Work.  The Committee may recommend changes in its composition to Committee on Committees at any time.

 

Recommendation 2 That at least once per year the question of WSU’s continued participation in the activities of the Center be brought by the administration to Meet and Confer; further, the criteria by which decisions about continued cooperation should include the perceptions of faculty on the following matters:

$                    degree of collaboration evidenced between Center personnel and WSU faculty on research projects and curriculum development

$                    significance of impact upon faculty development, curricular strength, and student learning

$                    severity of impact of Center activities upon WSU classroom availability

$                    ability of WSU departments to replace faculty engaged in Center activities

 

Recommendation 3  That the Center and its activities not reduce current levels of funding or of the availability of classrooms and other spaces directly or indirectly connected with the education of students.

 

Recommendation 4  That Center employees be advised that all curricula offered to WSU students, including materials offered by the Center to working professionals and others, is subject to WSU’s curriculum approval process.

 

Recommendation 5 That the reassignment of WSU faculty to engage in Center activities, either on a part-time or a full-time basis, be negotiated between the department and the Center; that in consideration for this reassignment, the department receive compensation that is the greater of (a) the reassigned faculty member=s prorated rate of pay or (b) the total cost of hiring a replacement (advertising, travel, interviews, salary, etc.); and that the department retain whatever portion of this compensatory payment remain after the hiring process has been completed.

 

Recommendation 6 That in order to promote the vision and mission of the NCPDTC and related interests of Winona State University, a citizen advisory board be established once the Center becomes fully operational funded.  (It is envisioned that t the citizen advisory board and professional staff of NCPDTC would jointly guide this development).

 

Administration Comments:

1.            Reassignment compensation stated in Recommendation 5 is a departure from what WSU usually did for reassignments.  The administration will take Recommendation 5 under careful consideration.

2.         Faculty needs time and will need to follow the normal academic process in developing curriculum.

 

 

5.            Personnel Decisions calendar

 

The administration was informed that Faculty Senate approved the Academic Deadline Schedule, with an amendment eliminating the requirement that departments speak to the academic merit of mandatory sabbaticals.

 

The administration agreed with the Faculty Senate amendment.

 

 

6.            Suspended courses

 

As instructed by the Faculty Senate, Faculty reps asked at Meet and Confer how courses were chosen for 'suspended' status.

 

Administration Responses/Comments:

1.            The  “suspended” status was listed for courses because there is either no instructor (or money) available.

2.            Deans worked with departments to list different courses under suspended status.

3.            As budget scenario becomes clearer, the administration will release money (in batches) to Deans to un-suspend courses.

 

 

7.            Academic Calendar (IFO addition)