MARIETTA COLLEGE FACULTY MEETING
February 9, 2004
MINUTES (Approved 3/15/04)

A meeting of the Marietta College faculty convened at 5:00 p.m. February 9, 2004, in the Selby Science Center, room 143, Professor Edward H. Osborne, Chair of the Faculty, presided.

1. Announcements
   1. Assessment. Prof. David Freeman reported on the return rate of assessment forms for Fall 2003 courses.
   2. Art Show. Prof. Tina Ullmann reminded faculty that security concerns dictated that the upcoming art show would be available only on the next Saturday.
   3. Relay for Life. Prof. Osborne encouraged faculty to support the Student Senate team participating in the Relay for Life events.


2. Minutes
   Minutes of the meeting of January 26, 2004 were approved as submitted.



3. Provost’s Report.
   1. Trustee meeting. At recent trustees meetings, departments and programs had made presentations to the trustees. During the upcoming meeting, trustees would be sitting in on classes and sharing their career experiences with the students.
   2. Founders’ Day. Dr. DeWine reminded the faculty on the event. She indicated that several faculty awards would be made but that the awarding of Harness and McCoy fellowships would be postponed to the Fall in order to allow time for consideration of possible changes to these awards.
   3. Valentine’s Day. Dr. DeWine welcomed a group of students who delivered a musical Valentine’s Day message. The faculty responded with appreciative applause.


4. Faculty Council: Change to the Constitution.
   The required two weeks’ notice having been given, the following motion was made by Dr. Miller and seconded. Additions are shown in italics and deletions in overstrike.
   
   
   That the faculty approve amending the purpose of Academic Standards Committee by amending Faculty Constitution section VI.B.2.a. to have it read:
   
   
   Purpose:
   to review, initiate, and implement policies affecting the undergraduate academic standards of the college.
   
   And further, that the faculty approve amending the functions of Curriculum Committee by amending Faculty Constitution section VI.B.3.b to have it read:
   
   
   Functions:
   to approve the addition of, substantive revisions to, or elimination of permanent undergraduate courses from the catalog. All new master’s programs and majors approved by the Curriculum Committee must receive final approval by a majority vote of the full faculty.
   
   
   And further, that the faculty approve amending the functions and composition of Graduate Council by amending sections VI.B.8.b and VI.B.8.c of the Faculty Constitution to read as shown below.
   
   
   

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   VI.B.8.                                   Graduate Council
   
   VI.B.8.a. Purpose
   
   - to review, coordinate and monitor all graduate programs offered by the college
   
   VI.B.8.b. Functions
   
   - initiates approval of new graduate programs, curricula and courses.
   - approves the addition of, substantive revisions to, or elimination of permanent graduate courses from the graduate catalog.
   - reviews, initiates, and implements policies affecting the graduate academic standards of the college.
   - approves the addition, revision, or elimination of master’s and other graduate level programs. All new master’s programs approved by the Graduate Council must receive final approval by a majority vote of the full faculty before such programs are implemented.
   - establishes policies for existing graduate programs.
   - monitors ongoing programs.
   - assists and advises directors of the graduate programs as requested.
   - approves (along with the curriculum committee) the enhancement of undergraduate courses for graduate credit.
   
   
   VI.B.8.c. Composition
   
   - at least three faculty members appointed by faculty council; one of these faculty should be a librarian.
   - two graduate student members chosen by the graduate students. The student members will be excluded from discussion and vote on personnel matters.
   - the director or coordinator of each of the graduate programs.
   - ex officio members: the dean of the faculty, the registrar, the director of graduate programs and continuing education, a representative from each of the graduate programs, and an instructional technologist. Three of the graduate program representatives will have voting privileges; all other ex officio members will not.
   - a member of the administration appointed by the president.
   
   
   The notice, satisfying the two weeks’ notice, contained the following rationale:
   
   1) Due to the recent addition of several graduate programs, the approval of graduate courses and the implementation of graduate academic standards are unnecessarily time consuming and cumbersome since multiple committees are charged with the responsibility of overseeing graduate programs. The above changes will reduce redundancies in the process by giving authority over graduate programs to Graduate Council and authority over undergraduate programs to the Curriculum Committee and Academic Standards committee.
   2) Student representation is added to the Graduate Council in order to conform to the standard practice of student representation on other committees.
   3) The voting composition of Graduate Council is changed in order to reduce the size of this committee and still allow voting representation by all constituencies involved.
   
   The Chair invited Dr. Hogue, Chair of the Curriculum Committee, to address the faculty. Dr. Hogue indicated that the committee had reviewed the proposal and was divided with those opposed arguing that one faculty group should be responsible for both graduate and undergraduate programs because of the interdependence, and those in favor arguing that the proposal would ease the work load for both the committee and the Graduate Council. Accordingly, the committee had agreed that the proposal be sent to the faculty without recommendation from Curriculum Committee.
   
   Dr. McShaffrey, Chair of Graduate Council, then spoke and described the Council’s experience of duplication involving both his group and the Curriculum Committee. He also pointed to the possibility of a lengthy approval process because one group might approve but the other group requested changes which would then be sent back to the first group. He indicated that Graduate Council was concerned about the need to keep the undergraduate program in mind when examining graduate programs and courses.
   
   Dr. John Tynan, Chair of the Academic Standards Committee, reported that his committee had considered the proposal by e-mail and there appeared to be a consensus of support.
   
   Discussion ensued and the following comments (and responses) made: one member reported his experience of the duplication of effort of getting graduate programs and courses approved; the Graduate Council was a natural advocate for graduate programs while the Curriculum Committee had a concern for the integrity for the entire curriculum (McShaffrey: Council saw itself more as a regulator than a promoter); Who decides on which program directors will have the three votes? (McShaffrey: assumed they will decide among themselves, Osborne concurred with this view); Can the two committees be combined? (McShaffrey: currently preference is for separate committees.); Since the criteria for graduate and undergraduate programs are often different, it was sensible to retain both the Curriculum Committee and Graduate Council. The Provost argued that it was appropriate for the faculty to trust their colleagues appointed to the various committees.
   
   The question was called and a request for a vote by ballot was sustained on a show of hands: Yes 27, No 23.
   
   Drs. Catalano, B. MacHaffie, and Sibicky were appointed tellers and the motion achieved the necessary two-thirds majority: Yes 42, No 13, Abstain 4.



5. Adjournment
   The meeting adjourned at 5:40 p.m.

Fraser G. MacHaffie
Secretary of the Faculty