Senators Present: Anderson, Bible, Conroy, Hays, Irvin, McGee, Pascoe, Renick,
Sawey, Skerpan, Stimmel and Winek.
Absent: Gillis and Gordon
Liaisons Present: None
Guests: Mona Ford (Soc), Margaret Vaverek (Lib), Jan Tidwell (Lib), David
Lippmann (Chem), Daniel Lochman (Eng), Neal Wilson (Art), David Snyder (Math),
Howard Smith (Acctg) and Mike Moore.
CONTENTS
LIBRARY SUCOMMITTEE REPORT
SENATE MINUTES
DEVELOPMENTAL LEAVE PRESENTATIONS
David Lippmann
Daniel Lochman
Neal Wilson
David Snyder
Howard Smith
MEDIATION/GRIEVANCE SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT
PAAG ITEMS FOR NEXT WEEK
NEW BUSINESS
FA RESEARCH COM REP
MINUTES OF 4-14-99
The meeting was called to order by Chair Bible at 4:00 pm.
I. Senate Subcommittee on Librarian Pay & Status
Romona Ford (Chair) presented the 4th annual check-up on the
Subcommittee's original report of March, 1995 and reported that much
progress had been made since the original report. She also pointed
out areas of weakness.
Strengths:
A. Library collections up 45% since 1988 to over 3.1 million
pieces.
B. Library collections exceed national standards by 500,000
pieces.
C. CD and on-line databases are the biggest growth area.
D. Circulation and reference surveys determined a 90%
satisfaction rate.
E. State funding has fallen but SWT and student library fees
added about $1 million in 1998.
Weaknesses:
A. Library is staffed with only 52% of formula level.
B. Career ladder librarian and staff pay is still below state,
regional, and national levels.
C. Public awareness of availability of new electronic resources is
a problem.
D. Office space shortage.
The report was moved, seconded, and approved with many thanks.
II. Senate Minutes - Format and Content
Discussion took place on what should be included in the minutes. Some
Senators favored authored opinions, while others favored more factual
minutes. Another idea was to keep the minutes short and have Senators
express their opinions in a quarterly newsletter. Currently the
minutes are taken by a Senator on a rotating basis, edited for
consistency by the chair, and distributed to all Senators as draft
minutes before general circulation.
Three motions were brought forward:
Motion 1. Authored, not filtered, draft minutes distributed to
Senators and then voted on the following week (unanimous).
Motion 2. Distribute draft minutes campus-wide as soon as possible (1
for, 10 against).
Motion 3. Bring up motion 1 for discussion again with new Senators on
May 5.
III. Development Leave Presentations
DAVID LIPPMANN: Existing presentations of thermodynamics rely on vague
definitions of several fundamental concepts. Derivations of some of the
relations between thermodynamic quantities are not rigorous. Some of these
derivations make approximations that may not be both valid and necessary. My
work will eliminate some of this sloppiness. It will produce at least two
publishable papers and will make thermodynamics easier for students to
understand.
DANIEL LOCHMAN: This leave will permit completion of the first truly
"critical" edition of the works of John Colet (1467-1519) concerning the
writings of a sixth-century mystic, Dionysius the Areopagite. The only
existing edition of Colet's Latin commentaries on Dionysius' Hierarchies is
more than a century old. British scholar J. B. Trapp noted in 1990 that there
is "urgent" need for a new edition of Colet's commentaries. Access to
manuscripts unavailable to the previous editor, innumerable historical and
literary studies, and my prior research of the topic and Colet's original
manuscripts support a major new edition.
NEAL WILSON: I plan to explore the use of digital imaging with traditional
media in painting. We are in the planning stage of a digital art track in the
studio area of the Department of Art and Design and this leave will allow me to
develop my skills in this area. I will be using Painter 5.0 and PhotoShop 5.0
software to work interactively between traditional painting media and the
virtual media of the computer software. The leave will allow me the time to
research and develop the creative applications of this new media.
DAVID SNYDER: I propose to spend the Spring 2000 semester performing research
in the area of computer simulation of large networks. I will apply algebraic
topology, my mathematical specialty, to solve problems of a theoretical
nature, and then write computer programs which will allow me to illustrate and
further understand my solutions. I will test my results and programs against
data obtained from business and government organizations.
HOWARD SMITH: Intention is to evaluate/ test accounting software(s) regarding
applicability to various organizational settings. a. Prepare a comprehensive
literature review regarding available and beta copies of accounting software
packages. b. Make any office visits data compilation. c. Obtain copies of the
various accounting software packages that will interface in a Windows [3.31,
95, 98, or NT] operating system d. Develop and pre-test a questionnaire
related to accounting software needs. e. Sample various managers to
evaluate/compile a comprehensive list of software attributes. f. Evaluate/test
accounting software packages for compiled attributes. g. Write article(s)
related to findings.
IV. Grievance Subcommittee
Sen. Renick distributed a draft of the Senate Grievance Subcommittee Report for
Senator's review and discussion next week.
V. PAAG Agenda Item
Suggested PAAG agenda items for next week included: A. SACS Visit B. Faculty
Raises and the Legislaure C. Status of city well relocation for the ATP
building D. VPIT Search E. Exam Schedule F. Standards for Selecting
Mitte Chairs G. Alkek Money
VI. New Business
Discussion centered on the Fine Arts and Communications appointment to the
Faculty Research Committee. It was moved and seconded to ask Kate Peirce to
replace Bill Peeler for one year (approved with one absention).
