NORTHEASTERN STATE UNIVERSITY

Minutes of Faculty Council Meeting
Friday, April 3, 2009

Call to Order

The meeting was called to order by President Craig Clifford in SL129.  There was ITV access at Muskogee, Broken Arrow and Tahlequah.

Council Members in attendance: Sarah Brick Archer (Library), Ernst Bekkering (Business & Technology), Kristopher Copeland (Liberal Arts), Denise Deason-Toyne (Business & Technology), John Diamantopoulos (Science & Health Professions), Jennifer Edwards (Liberal Arts), Carl Farinelli (Education for Cambiano), Brian Kaney (Science & Health Professions), Alissa Proctor (Optometry for McKee), Dan Savage (Liberal Arts), Dan Sisk (Science & Health Professions)

Council Members in attendance in Broken Arrow:   Pamela Louderback (Library), Rick Williams (Education).

Council Members in attendance in Muskogee: 

Council Officers in attendance:  Craig Clifford (President), Lallie Scott, (Vice President), Linda West (Secretary/Treasurer).

Invited Presentations

[Council will set aside time at the first of each meeting to visit with President Betz, VP Academic Affairs Bigbee and/or VP Administration Cherry should they be able to attend.] - Minutes are listed in agenda order, topics were covered in a different order in the meeting.

Clifford reported on budget meetings.  Cuts for next year will be 1 1/2 %.

A. Committees and Standing Reports

    1. Minutes of  3/4/09 meeting

         Deason-Toyne moved that the minutes be approved. The motion was seconded by Bekkering and the motion passed.

    2.  Spending Report

          There is no new report. 

B . Old Business

    1.  General Education Task Force - Update (Sanford)

               The Committee is close to sending out for general information.  There will be public forums to discuss the document.

    2.  Selection of Department Chairs - (Clifford/Bigbee)

          Issue on hold.

    3. Circle of Excellence Committee appointments - (Clifford)

          The committee was formed and is reviewing applications.  There were 20 submissions.
         
    4.  Office Hour Proposal for Faculty Handbook - (Garland/Deason-Toyne)

            The revised, adopted policy was sent on.

    5.  Inclement Weather Policy Task Force - (Clifford)

          There is no need for a policy at this time.  Next years council can consider the issue.

    6.  Enrollment in online classes - (Clifford)

          We are waiting for feedback from this semester's classes.

    7.  Study Days vs. dead week Task Force - (Clifford)

          We will form a task force and consider the issue at another time.

    8.  Concern about Post Tenure Review Process - (Scott)

           Issue was discussed at our last meeting.  There are different processes in different colleges.  Milbauer is researching other universities about procedures for post tenure review.  At Southwestern they submit updated resumes.

C.  New Business

    1.   Nominations Committee - Clifford

          Clifford has asked for nominations.  There are none yet.

    2.  Appellate Committee Elections - Clifford

           Election is set for April 28th.  Faculty Council elections can be held at the same time.

    3.  Elections Scheduled for April 28
      
            We will have to have two ballot boxes.  We may look at electronic voting in the future.  Committee appointments will be made at the next meeting.

    4.  Concern expressed about mechanism for scheduling classes - Attachment

             Additional classes would be taught as overload.  There is concern over qualifications for people who may teach additional classes.  It was stated that even with current offerings, eighty classes close in the summer with too few students.

    5.   Announcements from President's Council and University Assembly

             There will be a 1 1/2% cut for next year.  The University Assembly report is linked on the Faculty Council web site.

    6.  Gift for Dr. Betz's Inauguration - Clifford

            There has been a proposal for a leadership library in the library.  Council approved spending $1,000 on non-Wall Street kinds of leadership titles.

    7.  Circle of Excellence Presentation set for April 23 - Clifford

            The ceremony will take place at 4 pm.  VP Bigbee will provide refreshments.

    8.  Student Evaluations of Tenured Faculty versus non-Tenured Faculty

          There is concern that tenured faculty have been evaluated for the same amount of classes.  Non-tenured are supposed to be evaluated for two courses per semester or every course every semester.  This apparently differs by college.  Some reviews are different for the first two years.

    9.   Coorelation Between Evaluations and Student Grades

           Savage compiled an annotated bibliography of articles that discuss this topic.  Some studies did find a relationship between grades and evaluations given to instructors.
           Savage bibliography

    10.  Lincoln Financial Planning

          Some meetings with Lincoln were cancelled.  Some members reported on what expectations are for the guidance from Lincoln in choosing new ways to invest funds.

D. Other Business

        
Announcements:      

        There is one more meeting.

E.  Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 4:11 p.m.

Next meeting May 6, 2009, 3 p.m.

Submitted by Linda West, Secretary-Treasurer
5/21/2009