President Linda Duncan called the meeting to order at 3:30 P.M. Nineteen senators or their representatives were present. Monica Miller represented Richard Balderas; Marlin Priddy represented Sandy Johnson; Joe Christopher represented Marilyn Robitaille; C. B. Pippin and Richard Winton were absent. The Senate welcomed guest Benedda Konvicka from the Center for Instructional Technology and Distance Learning.

1. Approval of Minutes and Treasurer's Report.
Upon motion by Richard Sale, the Senate approved the minutes of the April 11 meeting. The Treasurer reported a balance of $863.88.

2. Report from Faculty Evaluation Committee.
Holly Lamb asked the Senate to approve the Committee's proposed changes in the faculty evaluation form. Following a brief discussion, Carol Thompson moved for approval. The motion passed unanimously.

3. Report from Academic Council Meeting.
President Duncan reported the Academic Council discussed the following items of interest to faculty in its last meeting:
a. Change in Math Requirement.
At present, students are required to take mathematics during their first semester at Tarleton. Following the Council's action, mathematics may be taken during their first year.
b. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) visit.
The Council reviewed the recent SACS team visit.
c. Sick Leave Policy.
The university's sick leave policy was briefly discussed and clarified.

4. Report from Developmental Leave Committee.
President Duncan asked the Senate for comments regarding the committee's proposed developmental leave policy. In response to a faculty-initiated question, Duncan explained faculty senators would serve as the screening committee for leave requests because they are ineligible to apply for developmental leave. Following a review of the committee's proposal, Bill Beaty moved to bring the policy before the Academic Council for action this summer. The motion passed unanimously.

5. Report on Calendars.
President Duncan noted that differences in cultures between the main campus and the central Texas campus are becoming apparent. These differences include treatment of Veterans' Day, which is not observed as a holiday on the main campus, but is treated as such at central Texas, and Spring Break, which has traditionally been observed during different weeks at these venues.

6. Report from Higher Education Goals Committee.
Janis Petronis reported that her committee's poll revealed the following higher-education goal rankings from Tarleton's faculty members:
a. Attract and retain outstanding faculty at all Texas institutions of higher education through providing competitive salaries and manageable teaching and advising loads.
b. Higher education in Texas should be both affordable and accessible to the state's students.
c. Uphold the role of the professorate in curricular decisions.

Phil Sudman moved to approve these goals and to direct President Duncan to present them to the Texas Council of Faculty Senates; the motion passed unanimously.

7. Introduction of New Senators.
The following new senators were introduced:
Tracy Holtman, Library.
Rob Rhykerd, Agribusiness, Agronomy, Horticulture, and Range Management.
Janet Whitley, Curriculum and Instruction.
Dennis Jones, who will serve the last year of Bill Beaty's term, was not present.
President Duncan announced that a senator would be named for the newly created Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences next year.

8. Discussion and Approval of University Committee Membership Recommendations.
President Duncan distributed the Executive Board's recommendations for university committee faculty representation for the 2000-2001 academic year. Following a brief discussion and minor corrections, Janis Petronis moved to submit the list for further action. The motion passed unanimously.

9. Nomination and Election of Senate Officers.
The following individuals were elected to Faculty Senate offices for the 2000-2001 academic year:
Secretary-Treasurer - Carol Thompson.
President-Elect - Teresa Davidian.

10. Selection of Faculty Senate Representatives to the Following Committees:
a. Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action - Teresa Davidian.
b. Curriculum - Janis Petronis.
c. Employee Benefits - Leslie Stanley-Stevens.

11. Vote on Funding for Noon Aerobics Class.
Following a brief discussion, Holly Lamb moved to provide $225 to fund the noon aerobics class through the summer. The motion passed unanimously.

12. Reading of Information from Texas Council of Faculty Senates Regarding Field of Study.
President Duncan read the following resolution from the Executive Committee of the Texas Council of Faculty Senates for the senators' information:

Whereas the faculty of publicly supported baccalaureate institutions in the State of Texas have a continued interest in all matters relating to curriculum, and

Whereas, Texas Council of Faculty Senates represents the interests of said faculty, and

Whereas we, the Executive Committee of Texas Council of Faculty Senates, speak for these faculty,

Be it therefore resolved, that there be representation from the faculties and administrations of the above-mentioned institutions on all committees related to field of study curricula, including the Advisory Committee to consider the need and feasibility of establishing fields of study, and that such representation be commensurate with that from other educational entities.

Duncan noted this resolution relates to the establishment of a common set of courses that can be freely transferred within the state.

13. New Business.
a. Evaluation Procedures for Distance Learning Courses.
Ms. Benedda Konvicka reported that, because of comments from the SACS visiting team, the Center for Instructional Technology and Distance Learning would implement an evaluation procedure for distance learning courses in the fall semester. This procedure will consist of adding questions to the revised faculty evaluation form that will be administered to distance learning courses. Following Konvicka's introduction, Senate members raised a number of issues to be resolved. These issues included the following:
1) To whom will distance learning evaluation results be reported?
2) Will compensation and/or consideration be provided to faculty members who engage in distance learning course development and training?
3) Will course load reductions be provided to encourage faculty members to engage in distance learning training and course development?
4) Does the proposed distance learning evaluation instrument adequately separate the performance of the delivery system from the performance of the instructor?
President Duncan asked for volunteers to serve with Ms. Konvicka on a committee to refine the distance learning evaluation instrument. Janis Petronis indicated a willingness to serve, and David Weissenburger said he would obtain one or more volunteers from the central Texas campus. Duncan suggested the addition of an agenda item regarding faculty workload for the September meeting.

b. Services Offered by the Center for Instructional Technology and Distance Learning.
Teresa Davidian indicated that one of her constituents had expressed concerns regarding cutbacks in the services offered by the Center in the past academic year. The Senate agreed to defer this issue to the September meeting.

President Duncan adjourned the meeting at 4:55 P.M.