Members Absent: David Ames, Mohsen Badiey, Thomas Evrad, Michael Ferrari, Kim Franchino, John Hurt, Sherry Kitto, Paul Mettler, Daniel Mott, Frederic Stiner, David Teague, Greg Weight, Ronald Wenger

Members Excused: Ken Biederman, Jay Custer, Carol Denson, Stephen Dexter, Joseph Glutting, Charles Link, Charles Mason, Mary Ann McLane, James Thornton, John Weiss

I.    ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA
        The agenda was adopted.

II.    APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES
        The minutes of the April 3, 2000 meeting of the Senate were approved with one correction: The recommendation in Section VI, Item B. 1 was brought to the Senate by the Library Committee, not by the Student Life Committee.

III.    ELECTION OF SENATE OFFICERS AND CERTAIN COMMITTEE MEMBERS
        Written ballots were marked by Senators, and collected and tallied by Senate counters. The results are as follows. James Richards was elected President-Elect; Charles Mason was elected Vice-President, Leslie Goldstein and Bethany Hall Long were elected members-at-large of the Committee on Committees and Nominations.

IV.    REMARKS BY PROVOST SCHIAVELLI
        Provost Schiavelli had no remarks.

V. ANNOUNCEMENTS
        President Huddleston announced that reapportionment for Senate seats was completed, and there is no change from the current apportionment. He also reminded senators that some committee member changes and additions will be forthcoming, and that senators should check with the Senate office for the latest committee assignments. On behalf of the Senate, a Proclamation of Appreciation was presented to Professor Carol Hoffecker, in recognition of her outstanding leadership in developing the General Education proposal. Professor Hoffecker, in turn, thanked the Senate on behalf of all those who worked on the initiative.

VI. CONSENT AGENDA

    A. ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR CHALLENGE
        The following was approved without challenge: Revision to the major in Bioresources Engineering Technology, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

    B. RESOLUTIONS
        1. A resolution in support of the ABuilding Responsibility@ Coalition was recommended by the Committee on Student Life, with the concurrence of the Executive Committee. The resolution, the text of which follows, was adopted by consent.

    WHEREAS college and university presidents throughout the United States have identified the misuse of alcohol as the most prominent campus-life issue, and

    WHEREAS the problems which are associated with high-risk drinking include increasing the risk of violence, vandalism, and other forms of harm among students, and

    WHEREAS the second-hand consequences of the misuse of alcohol often undermine the academic mission of the University and cause disruptions in the larger community, and

    WHEREAS the University and the Community of Newark, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, have formed a coalition which addresses a wide range of environmental issues concerning the misuse of alcohol, be it therefore

    RESOLVED that the development of the ABuilding Responsibility@ Coalition and its goal to protect the safety of students and quality of life on the campus and in the City of Newark by reducing high-risk drinking among students are commendable and deserving of support from all segments of the University community.
 

    2. Permanent status for the major in Biological Sciences with a Biotechnology Concentration, College of Arts and Science was recommended by the Committee on Undergraduate Studies, with the concurrence of the Coordinating Committee on Education and the Executive Committee. The resolution, the text of which follows, was approved by consent.

    WHEREAS the B.S. in Biological Sciences with a Biotechnology Concentration has graduated 52 students since 1990, and
    WHEREAS it has achieved the objectives of the original degree proposal and has been enthusiastically recommended by a Special Task Force and other appropriate committees, be it therefore

    RESOLVED that the B.S. in Biological Sciences with a Biotechnology Concentration be granted permanent status.
 

    3. Permanent status for the major in Environmental Science, College of Arts and Science was recommended by the Committee on Undergraduate Studies with the concurrence of the Coordinating Committee on Education and the Executive Committee. The resolution, the text of which follows, was approved by consent.

    WHEREAS the B.S. in Environmental Science, which has involved Biology, Geology and Geography since 1991, enrolls about 160 students and graduates 30 students/year, and

    WHEREAS it has been unreservedly recommended for permanent status by the Ad Hoc Committee to review the program as well as other appropriate committees, be it therefore

    RESOLVED that the B.S. in Environmental Science be granted permanent status.
 

4.     A resolution setting a definite deadline for gaining permanent status for those provisionally-approved majors that have been given an extension (Applied Nutrition, College of Health and Nursing Sciences; Early Childhood Development and Education, College of Human Resources, Education and Public Policy; Classical Studies, College of Arts and Science; Latin American Studies, College of Arts and Science) was recommended by the Committee on Undergraduate Studies with the concurrence of the Coordinating Committee on Education and the Executive Committee. The resolution, the text of which follows, was approved by consent.

    WHEREAS the undergraduate majors in Applied Nutrition, Early Childhood Development and Education, Classical Studies, and Latin American Studies have been given provisional approval by the University Faculty Senate, and the five year period within which they should have been considered for permanent status has passed, and

    WHEREAS these majors informally have been given time extension of indefinite length to prepare for consideration for permanent status, and

    WHEREAS it is in the interest of all parties to clear up this backlog and to establish a date certain or deadline by which such majors shall be so considered, be it therefore

    RESOLVED that the majors in Applied Nutrition, Early Childhood Development and Education, Classical Studies, and Latin American Studies shall come before the University Faculty Senate for consideration for permanent status no later than the Senate meeting of March, 2001, and be it further

    RESOLVED that failure to do so will mean their automatic termination.
 

5.     A recommendation to extend the deadline for permanent approval for the Environmental Engineering degree and major, College of Engineering, was presented from the Committee on Undergraduate Studies with the concurrence of the Coordinating Committee on Education and the Executive Committee. The resolution, the text of which follows, was approved by consent.

    WHEREAS the degree and major in Environmental Engineering, provisionally approved, is due for consideration for permanent status during the current academic year, and

    WHEREAS the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering has requested an extension owing to the fact that the report of the ABET external review committee will not be received until June, be it therefore

    RESOLVED that the deadline for Senate consideration of permanent status for the degree and major in Environmental Engineering is hereby extended to the Senate meeting of March, 2001.
 

6. A recommendation to set an extension of March, 2001 for the provisionally-approved majors in History and Foreign Languages, German and Political Science, Spanish and Political Science, French and Political Science, College of Arts and Science was recommended by the Coordinating Committee on Education with the concurrence of the Executive Committee. The resolution, the text of which follows, was approved by consent.

    RESOLVED that the deadline for Senate consideration of permanent status for the following majors: B.A. in History and Foreign Languages, German and Political Science, Spanish and Political Science, French and Political Science be hereby extended to the Senate meeting of March, 2001.

VII. OLD BUSINESS
        None

VIII. NEW BUSINESS
    A. Request for confirmation of committee appointments.
        Committee appointments were confirmed by the Senate.

    B. Election of Chair, Committee on Committees and Nominations.
        Ken Lomax was elected Chair, Committee on Committees and Nominations.

    C. The Committee on Undergraduate Studies with the concurrence of the Coordinating Committee on Education and the Executive Committee made a number of recommendations concerning changes in Honors designations and in the Honors Program. There was considerable concern about the ability of departments to support the instruction necessitated by the recommended changes; Ann Ardis, program director, clarified that no department would be required to offer all of the 30 honors credit hours that its own majors would require for graduation with an Honor's Degree, and that no department would be reqired to offer free-standing honors sections exclusively. The resolutions, the text of which follow, were approved by the Senate.

    (a) to replace the current First-Year Honors Certificate with a "General Honors Award"

        WHEREAS the First-Year Honors Certificate that the University Honors Program currently offered in recognition of a student's pursuit of enrichment opportunities, invites students to terminate their Honors experience at the end of their first year, thereby discouraging continued participation in the program and pursuit of the Honors Degree, and

        WHEREAS the University Honors Program has always been and remains committed to providing students with enrichment opportunities throughout their college careers, be if therefore

        RESOLVED that a General Honors Award is established to recognize accomplishments in the first two years of study at the University, for students who meet the following requirements:

        a. Eighteen credits of Honors coursework completed within the first two years of study, at least 12 of which are completed in the first year of study, with three of these 12 in an interdisciplinary Honors colloquium course.

        b. A minimum G.P.A. of at least 3.000 at the conclusion of the first two years of study.

        c. A minimum of 60 credits (including advanced placement and transfer credits) completed by the end of the second year of study, at least 48 of which must be earned at the University.

        d. Residence in first-year Honors housing during the first year of study.

        e. Recognition of the General Honors Award will be included on the student=s official transcript, and be it further

        RESOLVED that the First-Year Honors Certificate is disestablished, with only those students remaining eligible for it who were already matriculated when this resolution passed; students who earn it are not eligible for the new General Honors Award.

        (b) to replace the current Advanced Honors Certificate and Honors Degree with a new Honors Degree

        WHEREAS the University's new General Education Program emphasizes the provision of discovery learning experiences and integrative capstone experiences for upper-division students in all undergraduate majors, and

        WHEREAS the current Advanced Honors Certificate dovetails with this new emphasis but the current Honors Degree requirements focus more restrictively on research in a student's senior year, and

        WHEREAS the Honors Tutorial, while a positive educational experience, cannot be sustained, given the recent increase in the University Honors Program's student population and the goal that more students earn the Honors Degree, be it therefore

        RESOLVED that the University-wide requirements for the Honors Baccalaureate Degree are revised to eliminate the requirements for a senior thesis or project, and now read as follows:

        a. Completion of all requirements for the baccalaureate degree in the major (including all University and college requirements) as well as any other specific requirements the major department or sponsoring unit has set for the Honors degree.

        b. Completion of these general requirements for the Honors degree:

            1. A University of Delaware cumulative G.P.A. of at least 3.400 at the time of graduation.

            2. At least 30 credits earned in Honors coursework at the university.

                a) At least 12 of the 30 Honors credits must be at the 300 level or higher (and the interdisciplinary Honors colloquium for first-year students are not countable toward the twelve).

                b) At least 12 of the 30 Honors credits must be in the student's major or in courses related to the major.

                c) Three of these 30 credits must be in an Honors Degree Seminar or Honors Capstone course, or in a comparable senior experience approved by the student's major department and by the University Honors Program, and these credits are to be completed within the final two semesters of the student's program.

                d) Students doing an Honors Degree with Distinction may count up to six credits of thesis or project (UNIV 401/2) toward the 30 Honors credits, and be it further

        RESOLVED that the Honors Degree with Distinction is established, to be awarded to a student who completes all of the requirements for an Honors Degree and who completes six thesis or project credits (UNIV 401/2) and accomplishes a successful oral presentation of an acceptable thesis or project to a committee of faculty approved by the major department or sponsoring unit and by the University Honors Program. If it wishes, the sponsoring unit may establish additional specifications for the thesis or project. A student who receives an Honors Degree with Distinction will receive this recognition in place of, not in addition to, an Honors Degree, unless the student also qualifies for an Honors Degree in a separate major, and be it further

        RESOLVED that the Advanced Honors Certificate is hereby disestablished, with students already matriculated when this resolution is passed remaining eligible for it only so long as they do not also receive the General Honors Award, the Honors Degree, or the Honors Degree with Distinction, as these are now established and/or revised according to the provisions and requirements given in the preceding resolutions, and be it further

        RESOLVED that the following provisions and understandings regarding Honors Degrees and Honors Degrees with Distinction are affirmed:

                a.     They are created, and exist, in conjunction with an established major; their requirements include completing all requirements for the correlative major; and they automatically cease to exist should the correlative major be disestablished.

                b. They exist only for those majors for which an Honors Degree track has gone through the approval process applicable to all new programs and degrees, because the sponsoring unit for the major needs to be willing and able to sustain offering the Honors Degree.

                c. For existing Honors Degree tracks at the time these resolutions are enacted, it is understood and agreed that they already have approved Honors Degree and Honors Degree with Distinction tracks in those majors; that any special requirements they may have chosen to include, beyond the University-wide general requirements for the Honors Degree, shall apply to the Honors Degree as revised by these resolutions, except for any that pertain only to the thesis project, in which case those shall apply only to the Honors Degree with Distinction.

                d. Since the University is committed to offering the Degree with Distinction in every undergraduate major, and since the research and thesis or project expectations for it and for the thesis or project component of the Honors Degree with Distinction are the same, it is understood that any newly established Honors Degree track in a major will automatically also include the Honors Degree with Distinction in that major.
 

D. A proposal from the School of Education regarding variable credit arrangements for the Elementary Teacher Education program taught in the Milford School District was recommended by the Committee on Undergraduate Studies with the concurrence of the Coordinating Committee on Education and the Executive Committee. The resolution, the text of which follows, was approved by the Senate.

        WHEREAS there is a need and opportunity to offer the third and fourth years of the Elementary Teacher Education (ETE) Program in southern Delaware as part of a funded initiative from the state, and

        WHEREAS the two-year program will be limited to annual cohorts of 15-20 students who will work closely with teachers in the Milford School District, and

        WHEREAS the program is considered a variation in delivery of an already approved curriculum, be it therefore

        RESOLVED that the Elementary Teacher Education Program be offered in the Milford School district for variable credit, and be it further

        RESOLVED that a report be submitted to the Undergraduate Studies Committee by 2003F assessing the effectiveness and appropriateness of this experiment.

E. Introduction of New Business
        President Huddleston asked if there were other items of new business, reminding the Senate that such proposed items could not be acted upon until the next meeting. Hearing no other proposed new business, the meeting was adjourned with President Huddleston thanking the Faculty Senate staff and the Executive Committee, and the Faculty Senate thanking President Huddleston for his dedicated hard work on behalf of the Senate.

Respectfully submitted
Karen F. Stein, Secretary