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March 28, 2001 Minutes

Senators in attendance: Blanda, Blevens, Brennan, Gillis, Hays, McKinney, Peeler, Reese, Renick, Sawey, Skerpan-Wheeler, Stimmel, Stone, Stutzman.

Administration: VPAA Robert Gratz, President Jerome Supple

Chair Hays called the meeting to order at 4.04 p.m.

VPAA Gratz reported on the study of the 2000-2001 cycle of chair and dean evaluations. He said TRE program director Paul Raffeld has concluded from a factor analysis that there is a clear loading on internal and external factors for chairs but no clear loadings for deans. He said he would ask deans of each college to meet with their senators to review the data.

Gratz announced that summative reviews of deans Cheatham and Juarez are under way and that the review panels were to be briefed at a meeting Thursday, March 29. Gratz said he also is proceeding with summative reviews for chairs.

President Supple strongly urged caution on development of new SWT policies on intellectual property. The discussion centered on the policy adopted by the University of North Texas. Supple said the university should come up with a model that preserves the strong aspects of current policy, which include faculty entitlement to all royalties on work that also counts toward promotion and tenure.

On Division 1A football, the president reported that SWT is awaiting a NCAA decision on the A designation and some direction on how conference representation will affect governance. He said the issue is on the ìback burnerî while AD Wacker undergoes chemotherapy treatments. The issue of scholarships will not be determined until after the issue of division status is settled, he said. Supple reported average paid attendance this season of about 12,000. He said the football team overran its budget by $150,000 for the season and is making cuts in an attempt to balance the books by the end of August.

The president said the coordinating board has delayed approval of the education doctoral programs until later in the year (first consideration in July, final in October), but the College of Education may admit students in the fall pending approval. He said CB staff have indicated support for the plan and that incoming doctoral students would be limited to 6 hours credit during the interim period.

Gratz said the university is participating in a dialogue with the city and Austin Community College to expand ACCís services in San Marcos. He said a local committee would look at the needs of the community to determine what fits best for San Marcos and SWT. Gratz assured the Senate that all ACC courses taught in San Marcos would meet SACS requirements for instruction.
Supple said the MITC program has identified a building site that might be donated in the near future.

After conclusion of PAAG items, Senator Stimmel intitiated a discussion of the IDEA faculty evaluation form. He said he had reviewed the instrument with Paul Raffeld and concluded that:

1. The KSU program is a process, not an instrument.
2. KSU sets the objectives, which require some buy-in by SWT.
3. Class size proportions at KSU and elsewhere donít match ­ IDEA ìsmall classî sizes, for instance, are smaller than
    SWTís mandate of 14. ìLarge classî sizes under IDEA are medium classes at SWT.
4. Chairs would need extensive training to interpret and use the data gathered.
5. Detailed headers would have to be completed precisely for the evaluation to be counted.
6. Two scores ­ raw and adjusted ­ could be a benefit because a lower evaluation might be upgraded by studentsí
     statement of lower individual goals.

Chair Hays said she would send a memo to Gratz emphasizing the Senateís desire to study the issue before it proceeds to the pilot stage in the fall. The Senate would like to examine several instruments for the pilot rather than moving on a single instrument now.

Chair Hays said Dean of Students John Garrison has recommended that professors whose classes are disturbed by amplified sound on the quad should call campus police. She said Garrison told her amplified sound is not permitted on the quad at any time. Hays said she would contact Garrison to outline procedures for making reports to police.

Senate adjourned at 6.10 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Fred Blevens, Fine Arts & Communication