SENATORS EXCUSED: Karen Butler, Jay Custard, Kathryn Denhardt, John Elias, Daniel Rich, James Thornton, Carolyn Thoroughgood, George Watson, Richard Wolbers

SENATORS ABSENT: Rudy D=Souza, Gary Ebert, Charles Link, John Nye, Andras Szeri

I.    ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA
        President Keefe announced changes in the agenda, calling attention to the items in the addendum enclosed in each Senator=s packet, and remarking that Introduction of New Business would be the last item on the agenda. President Keefe also noted a change in the first announcement for challenge, which should read as following: Revision to the major in Electrical Engineering: The Department of Electrical Engineering proposes: (a) to substitute MASC302 (4 credits) for ELEG302 (3 credits) as a requirement for the ELEG degree; (b) to drop PHIL341 (1 credit) as a requirement; 8 to revise the total credits for the several concentrations upwards by one, increasing the total number of credits required for graduation by one. The agenda, as amended, was adopted.

II.    APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES
        The minutes of the February 8, 1999 meeting of the Senate were approved as distributed.

III.    REMARKS BY PROVOST SCHIAVELLI
        Provost Schiavelli informed the Senators of the current status of the freshmen admission process. Although the number of applications are approximately the same as last year, Honors applications have increased by 12% and SAT scores have increased 5-10 points on average. Given that the University=s goal is to admit 300 fewer students than last year, the quality of the freshman class should be improved. The notification date for non-residents is around March 15; residents are admitted on a rolling basis.

IV.    ANNOUNCEMENTS
        President Keefe announced that the course challenge cycle is complete. There were no challenges at the graduate level; there was one undergraduate course challenged. He also announced two extensions for permanent status review: The MA program in Physical Education received an extension until October 1999; the MS degree in Music-Performance and Teaching received an extension until May, 1999.

ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR CHALLENGE
        The following were approved without challenge: Curricular revisions to the Electrical Engineering major (see adoption of the agenda above); revision to the Computer Engineering major, dropping PHIL341 as a required course for the BCpEG degree; change in the name of the M.S. in Entomology to M.S. in Entomology and Applied Ecology; establishment of a JD/MMP concentration in Marine Policy through collaboration with the UD College of Marine Studies and the Widener University Law School.

V.    OLD BUSINESS
A motion was made from the floor at the previous meeting to revise the Student Class Attendance Policy so that Ashort military duty@ for students who are in the National Guard or on active reserve be included as an excused absence. It was forwarded to the Student Life Committee, and no action is required at this time.

VI.     NEW BUSINESS
A.         A recommendation to require a minimum GPA of 2.0 for all students transferring into the Sociology major was presented from the Committee on Undergraduate Studies, with the concurrence of the Coordinating Committee on Education and the Executive Committee. The motion, the text of which follows, was approved by the Senate.

WHEREAS most students transfer into the Sociology major with only four semesters remaining before their graduation, and
WHEREAS they then immediately face two especially difficult required courses; and

WHEREAS it has been the experience of the faculty in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice that students with less than a 2.0 GPA have a difficult time passing those courses, be it therefore

RESOLVED that the 2.0 GPA that is required for graduation be established as the minimum GPA of all students transferring into the Department in order to pursue the B.A. in Sociology.
 

B.     A recommendation to revise the Agricultural Education curriculum requirements to establish a minimum of a C- in all AGED and EDUC courses was presented from the Committee on Undergraduate Studies, with the concurrence of the Coordinating Committee on Education and the Executive Committee. The motion, the text of which follows, was approved by the Senate.

WHEREAS the University Council on Teacher Education unanimously approved a resolution at its meeting of December 14, 1998 setting a grade of C- as the minimum for all professional education courses in all teacher education programs; be it therefore

RESOLVED that a minimum grade of C- is required in all AGED and EDUC courses.

C.     A recommendation to make changes to the Graduate Catalog statement concerning standards required for the graduate degree was presented from the Graduate Studies Committee on Education with the concurrence of the Coordinating Committee on Education and the Executive Committee. The motion, the text of which follows, was approved by the Senate.

WHEREAS the current language in the Graduate Catalog gives faculty members insufficient discretion in determining when a student has failed to meet the standards required for a graduate degree and provides students with a less than clear understanding of when they may be dismissed for reasons other than those related to the GPA; be it therefore

RESOLVED that the language on p. 31 be changed to read as follows:
New bullet six: Upon failure to pass a preliminary, language, or comprehensive/candidacy examination(s), a thesis/dissertation/executive position paper proposal defense, or a thesis/dissertation/executive position paper defense.

New bullet nine: Upon failure to satisfactorily conduct research required for the degree.

New bullet ten: Upon the determination by the faculty of the student=s department that the student has failed to meet or has failed to make satisfactory progress towards meeting academic standards required of the student=s program other than the failure to achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 upon the completion of the stated number of required credits for a degree.

Replacement paragraph below the ten bullets: (underline represents new text to existing statement.)

At the close of each semester, winter session or summer session, in those circumstances deemed appropriate by the department or program faculty exercising its professional judgement, the faculty of each department or program may evaluate the progress of a graduate student toward meeting the academic standards of the program in which the student is enrolled. In addition to graded course work, academic standards include, but are not limited to, professional, ethical, clinical and other standards required of graduate students. Students are entitled to know the procedures and standards by which their academic performance is assessed. Each program has a statement of policies and procedures by which student academic progress is monitored and by which comprehensive, qualifying, and final examinations/defenses are conducted and graded. If in the professional judgement of a department or program faculty, a student has failed to make satisfactory progress toward meeting the academic standards of the program in which that student is enrolled, the faculty may vote to dismiss that student from the program. In the case of dismissal, the program director is required to send e report to the office of Graduate Studies that states the faculty vote on the decision causing dismissal and the justification for this action. The Office of Graduate Studies will notify a student in writing when the student is being dismissed for failure to make satisfactory progress in the program.

D.     A request to grant permanent status to the Athletic Training Program was presented from the Committee on Undergraduate Studies, with the concurrence of the Coordinating Committee on Education and the Executive Committee. The motion, the text of which follows, was approved by the Senate.

WHEREAS the Department of Health and Exercise Sciences has completed in accordance with Senate procedures a thorough review of the Athletic Training program, which was provisionally approved by the Senate in 1993, and

WHEREAS this review has established that fifty-six students have graduated with a BS in Athletic Training between 1994 and 1998, all of whom passed the rigorous national certification examinations associated with this profession, and

WHEREAS the resources committed to this program are sufficient for its continued vitality; and

WHEREAS letters of support have been submitted by appropriate University administrators, be it therefore

RESOLVED that the Faculty Senate approves the program in Athletic Training, effective in the Spring, 1999 and subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees.

E.     A request to grant permanent status to the major in Environmental Soil Science was presented from the Committee on Undergraduate Studies, with the concurrence of the Coordinating Committee on Education and the Executive Committee. The motion, the text of which follows, was approved by the Senate.

WHEREAS the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences has completed in accordance with Senate procedures a thorough review of the Environmental Soil Science major, which was provisionally approved by the Senate in 1992, and

WHEREAS this review has established that the program has drawn twenty-three majors between 1992 and 1998, among whom have been among the best students in the Department, including participants in the Honors program, recipients of Degrees with distinction, and Natural Resources merit Scholars, and

WHEREAS the Department and college have demonstrated their support for this major by committing to it significant faculty resources, and

WHEREAS the major has been further strengthened in recent years through various curricular revisions and upgrades; be it therefore

RESOLVED that the Faculty Senate approves the Environmental Soil Sciences major, effective in the Spring, 1999 and subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees.

F.     A request to grant permanent status to the Baccalaureate for Registered Nurse program was presented from the Committee on Undergraduate Studies, with the concurrence of the Coordinating Committee on Education and the Executive Committee. The motion, the text of which follows, was approved by the Senate.

WHEREAS the Department of Nursing has completed in accordance with Senate procedures a thorough review of the Baccalaureate for the Registered Nurse program, which was provisionally approved by the Senate in 1993, and

WHEREAS this review has established that the program has shown strong growth in the numbers of both matriculated students and total enrollments, and

WHEREAS the program meets an important community need for in-service training for health care professionals, and

WHEREAS student evaluations, alumni comments, and the report of the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission have all been very positive, and

WHEREAS graduates of this program have been able to pursue advanced positions in new practice areas based on their experiences with this program, be it therefore

RESOLVED that the Faculty Senate approves the that the Faculty Senate approves the Baccalaureate for the Registered Nurse program, effective in the Spring, 1999 and subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees.

G.     A request to grant permanent status to the Interdisciplinary Graduate Degree Program in Biomechanics and Movement Science was presented from the Graduate Committee on Education, with the concurrence of the Coordinating Committee on Education and the Executive Committee. The motion, the text of which follows, was approved by the Senate.

WHEREAS the Interdisciplinary Graduate Degree Program in Biomechanics and Movement Science (BMSC) has completed in accordance with Senate procedures a thorough review of its graduate program, which was provisionally approved by the Senate in 1994, and

WHEREAS the BMSC program is flourishing with seventeen active faculty and eighteen registered students, and

WHEREAS five master=s degrees and two PhD degrees have been awarded, with the quality of applicants increasing on a yearly basis, and

WHEREAS all graduates of the program have found employment in positions consistent with career goals related to the program, be it therefore

RESOLVED that the Faculty Senate approves the Interdisciplinary Graduate Degree Program in Biomechanics and Movement Science effective in the Spring, 1999 and subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees.

H.     A recommendation to change University policy governing GRE and GMAT requirements was presented by the Graduate Committee on Education, with the concurrence of the Coordinating Committee on Education and the Executive Committee. The recommended change would allow each graduate program to set its own policy concerning the GRE and GMAT test scores as a requirement for admission. Those speaking in favor of the recommendation noted that the predictive validity of the standardized tests vary by program, that requests to waive the scores are always approved, that the tests discourage applications from mid-career students, and that programs would have the option to raise, lower, or not change the current University requirement. Those speaking against the recommendation noted that maintaining a university standard is central to the institution as a whole. A friendly amendment to add the phrase Asubject to approval of the Graduate Studies Committee@ as part of the resolution statement permitting each program to set its own policy was accepted. The recommendation was approved by the Senate as amended. The text of the resolution is as follows:

WHEREAS the GRE end GMAT are two standardized tests that are considered in the graduate admissions process, and

WHEREAS some departments and programs currently do not require the GRE and GMAT, and

WHEREAS requests for waivers of the GRE or GMAT requirement are routinely processed and ranted by the Office of Graduate Studies, and

WHEREAS studies both nationally and at the University of Delaware indicate that the predictive validity of the GRE and GMAT varies widely from program to program from no validity to modest validity, and

WHEREAS such validity decreases as the time between completion of the undergraduate degree and matriculation into a graduate program increases, be it therefore

RESOLVED that each graduate program at the University of Delaware be permitted to set its own policy concerning GRE and GMAT test scores as a requirement for admission, subject to approval of the Graduate Studies Committee, and be it further

RESOLVED that such requirements be clearly stated in all materials concerning the graduate program available to prospective applicants.
 

I.     Given that the above resolution passed, there was no need for the Senate to consider the two remaining items of New Business on the agenda, which concerned requests to abolish the GRE requirement for the M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and the M.Ed. in Exceptional Children and Youth.

J.     President Keefe 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.

Respectfully submitted,

Karen F. Stein, Secretary
University Faculty Senate

KFS/rg