November 10, 1998

AGENDA ITEMS:

The Faculty Senate was called to order at 3:32 p.m. by President Holly Lamb with seventeen members present or represented. Senators Dayton Hall and Randy Rosiere were absent.

President Lamb requested that the Minutes of the October meeting reflect that Dr. McCabe responded to questions about Tarleton faculty being required to travel to the new Killeen facility. He intimated that no such requirements were contemplated.

Dr. Lamb also asked that Section 6.b. of the Minutes note that the Senate Executive Committee will request that the Senate be included in the writing and review of the Faculty Handbook before it is sent to the printer. Section 6.b. is clarified to state that the Senate desires to be present and participate in the actual committee assignments meeting.

Upon motion of Charles Howard, the Minutes of October 13 were approved and revised. The Treasurer reported that Account 210300 had a balance of $3,532.81.

Charles Howard moved to take up two items of New Business out of order, to accommodate guests of the Senate: the University Core Curriculum Report and Minority Report and the Proposed Change in the Indirect Cost Allocation Policy (which were sent to Senators separately). Motion Passed.

Dr. Donald Zelman, chair of the Core Curriculum Committee, reported that the Coordinating Board has accepted a shortened core curriculum, and the Tarleton revisions are now being circulated for comment before submission to the Academic Council. In a discussion that followed, senators were concerned that the Visual and Performing requirement again did no permit performance or craft courses and were confined to broad appreciation classes. To facilitate discussion of the Institutional Option on Wellness, Amy McKay distributed a course description of the new Health 1013 class. More discussion followed on the placement of philosophy, reduction in literature hours, and number of choices in the Social and Behavioral Sciences category. Senator Charles Howard then moved that the Faculty Senate approve the new core curriculum requirements with the exception that Introduction to Philosophy be included in the Social and Behavioral Sciences category only, leaving literature as the only option for Humanities. The motion passed with senators opposed.

Dr. Howard then discussed a proposed change in the indirect cost allocation policy. The recommendation comes from Dr. Bert Little, new Assistant Vice President for Grants and Sponsored Research, as an incentive to seek non-state funded grants. Such grants create additional revenue for the university in the form of "overhead" or indirect cost which are subject to a split between the University and others. Of the twenty per cent allocated to faculty, the new proposal would give the principal investigator ten per cent as a bonus cash award spread over the life of the grant. The remaining ten per cent would be considered "seed money." After discussion of the tax implications and spending options vailable to the investigator, the proposal was accepted on motion of Duncan, and recommended to the Academic Council.

Holly Lamb reported that the Senate opinions on the Calendar were delivered to the Academic Council. The Council also discussed the teacher education Certification Audit and held a special called meeting to clear curriculum changes for the new catalog. There is a perception of a "problem" with the existence of several statistics courses--in departments.

Linda Duncan described a "get acquainted" trip to the new Central Texas Center on which deans and department heads generally got to meet the Killeen faculty. More meetings and visits are to come.

Holly Lamb notes that most universities are far behind on the new core curriculum requirements. Senators have already received an outline of Chancellor Barry Thompson’s anticipation of legislative issues (as attachment one to the agenda).

 4. Information Items

a. The Departments of Math and CIS are requesting modifications of the requirement that K grades be replaced on "the last class day of the next long semester." They will suggest that the date when grades are due in the next long semester be the requirement. Dr. Cude says a letter has also been sent noting that the recentered SAT score of "930-960" is the equivalent to the 20 ACT score.

b. Comparisons of post-tenure review were received without comment.

The Texas Council of Faculty Senates offers summer internships during which faculty work on actual Coordinating Board projects. Anyone interested may obtain applications from President Lamb. The Council likewise offers $750 grants for the study of "issues" relevant to Faculty Senates.

President Lamb called for a volunteer to serve on a "Parking Committee." SFC Whitecotton volunteered.

Meeting adjourned.