REGULAR MEETING OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE FACULTY SENATE

Meeting Minutes

May 7, 2007

104 Gore Hall                                                                                                  4:00 pm

 

Members excused:

I.          Adoption of the Agenda

Approved

II.       Approval of the Minutes: April 9, 2007

Approved

III.    Election of Senate Officers and Selected Committee Members – A slate of nominations prepared by the Committee on Committees and Nominations (Margaret Birney, Chairperson) is presented in Attachment 1.  Biographies of the nominees are presented in Attachment 2.  Senators are reminded that additional nominations may be made from the floor, and that senators making such nominations are responsible for determining that a nominee would serve if elected.

A.     President Elect – Amy Johnson  (Statement)

B.    Vice President – Jeff Jordan (1yr. replacement term)

C.    Secretary – Don Lehman

D.    Committee on Committees at large member – Robert Opila

E.    Committee on Committees Chairperson – Jack Baroudi and Robert Opila

Election results: Amy Johnson, President Elect; Jeff Jordan, vice President; Robert Opila, Committee on Committees at large member; and Jack Baroudi, Committee on Committees Chairperson.


IV.     Remarks:  Provost Dan Rich announced that the University received over 23,000 undergraduate applications this year, the most ever.  Over 3600 freshmen will attend classes in the fall.  This is the largest number of students in a freshman class.  The University offered enrollment to the same number of students as in past years, but more students accepted.  The new freshman class will be the most racially and ethically diverse with over 600 under represented students.  The freshmen in the honors program have a 3.95 average GPA.  Grants for departments to support the development of capstone experience courses are still available, contact John Courtright. The task force review of online programs has submitted a report Dan Rich. The report will soon be released.

Dan Rich reported that the resolution on today’s agenda on changes to the Promotion and Tenure guidelines in the Faculty Handbook have the unanimous support of the University P&T Committee, the Rules Committee, the Executive Council of the Faculty Senate, Havidan Rodriguez, and himself. The changes address two issues: 1) work at rank at other institutions can be used for promotion and tenure and 2) two and four year reviews must be part of the dossier for individuals seeking promotion to associate professor.

Dr. Rich also announced that unit P&T documents need to be up to date and ambiguities removed.  Units need to review P&T documents to see how they might be improved.  The review process is a joint initiative from the P&T Committee and the Provost’s office.

 Eric Kmiec – Promotions and Tenure. Dr. Kmeic stressed the importance of two and four year reviews.  While 90% of the dossiers come with full support, it is the remaining 10% that need to be closely evaluated.  Including two and four year reviews will provide additional information.  According to the Faculty Handbook, two and four year reviews are required of tenure track assistant professors.  In the past it has been up to the candidate to place the reviews in the dossier; this resolution will require them to be included. 

V.        Announcements: Senate President Dallas Hoover thanked the senators for volunteering their time to serve on the Faculty Senate; he also thanked Karren Helsel-Spry, the Executive Committee, and the members of other committees. Dr. Hoover welcomed the new senators completing their first term and thanked them serving.


VI.     Consent Agenda

A.    Announcements for Challenge

1.            Recommendation from the Committee on Undergraduate Studies (Amy Johnson, Chair) with the concurrence of the Coordinating Committee on Education (Alan Fox, Chair) and the Executive Committee (Dallas Hoover, Chair) for course changes required for the major of the Bachelor of Electrical Engineering (attachment) (attachment)  (attachment)

2.            Recommendation from the Committee on Undergraduate Studies (Amy Johnson, Chair) with the concurrence of the Coordinating Committee on Education (Alan Fox, Chair) and the Executive Committee (Dallas Hoover, Chair) for course changes required for the major of the Bachelor of Computer Engineering (attachment) (attachment) (attachment)  

3.            Recommendation from the Committee on Undergraduate Studies (Amy Johnson, Chair) with the concurrence of the Coordinating Committee on Education (Alan Fox, Chair) and the Executive Committee (Dallas Hoover, Chair) for the revision to the English Education Major (attachment)

Consent agenda adopted.

B.    Resolutions

1.            Recommendation from the Committee on Undergraduate Studies (Amy Johnson, Chair) with the concurrence of the Coordinating Committee on Education (Alan Fox, Chair) and the Executive Committee (Dallas Hoover, Chair) for approval of permanent status to the BS with a major in Management Information Systems (attachment) (attachment) (attachment) (attachment)

Whereas,                the BS with a major in Management Information Systems was granted provisional approval by the Faculty Senate on March 4, 2002, and

Whereas,                the review for permanent status was successfully completed in 2006-2007, be it therefore

Resolved,               that the Faculty Senate recommend the BS with a major in Management Information Systems be granted permanent status.

Resolution passed

VII.    Regular Agenda

A.   Old Business

B.  New Business

1.               Confirmation of Appointments: (attachment)

Approved

2.               Resolutions

a.          Recommendation from the Committee on University Promotions and Tenure (Eric Kmiec, Chair) with the concurrence of the Rules Committee (Don Lehman, Chair) and the Executive Committee (Dallas Hoover, Chair) for the revision to the Faculty Handbook, Section 4: Personnel Policies for Faculty, Promotion and Tenure, Promotion Dossiers (attachment)

Whereas,         the purpose of the Personal Policy on Promotion and Tenure, Promotion Dossier is to help candidates produce the best case for promotion and tenure, be it therefore

 Resolved,         that the Faculty Senate recommends the Faculty Handbook be revised as indicated (attachment above) in order to clarify that all work at rank, unless otherwise stated in the appointment letter, will be considered for promotion and tenure at the University of Delaware and that all dossiers will contain the candidate’s two and four year reviews.

After friendly amendments, the resolution passed as written below.

Whereas,         the purpose of the Personal Policy on Promotion and Tenure, Promotion Dossier is to help candidates produce the best case for promotion and tenure, be it therefore

 Resolved,         that the Faculty Senate recommends the Faculty Handbook be revised as indicated (attachment above) in order to clarify that all work at rank, unless otherwise stated in the appointment letter, shall be considered for promotion and tenure at the University of Delaware and that all dossiers shall contain the candidate’s contract renewal reviews.

VIII.        Introduction of New Business

Such items as may come before the Senate.  (No motion introduced under new business, except a motion to refer to committee, shall be acted upon until the next meeting of the Senate.)

Avron Abraham thanked Dallas Hoover for his service as president of the Faculty Senate.


Meeting adjourned at 5:20.

Submitted by Donald Lehman