NORTHEASTERN STATE UNIVERSITY

Minutes of Faculty Council Meeting
Friday, January 23, 2009

Call to Order

The meeting was called to order by President Craig Clifford in SC147.  There was ITV access at Muskogee, Broken Arrow and Tahlequah.

Council Members in attendance: Sarah Brick Archer (Library), Ron Cambiano (Education), Denise Deason-Toyne (Business & Technology), John Diamantopoulos (Science & Health Professions), Jennifer Edwards (Liberal Arts), Brian Kaney (Science & Health Professions), Alan McKee (Optometry), Amy Aldridge Sanford (Liberal Arts), Dan Savage (Liberal Arts), Dan Sisk (Science & Health Professions)

Council Members in attendance in Broken Arrow:   Buster Hall (BA), P.J. Gorden (Business & Technology), Rhea Johnston (Education), 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).

Guests:  Terri Baker (Liberal Arts), Dalton Bigbee (VP Academic Affairs), Jym Brittain (CTL), Martin Venneman (Science & Health Professions), in BA Kevin David (Education)

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.

A. Committees and Standing Reports

    1. Minutes of  12/5/08 meeting

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

    2.  Spending Report

          Funds for Undergraduate Research Day have been forwarded to the committee.  Other expenditures included phone and the faculty pens.  The phone should be removed from our budget in the near future.  Pens were distributed to delegates to give to faculty in their colleges.

B . Old Business

    1.  General Education Task Force - Update (Sanford)

               The group has smaller committees looking at relating courses to content areas.  They will meet in February to look at recommendations.

    2.  Evaluation of Online Courses - (Clifford/Bekkering/Brittain)

           The evaluation took place over a nine day period.  There was a 23% return rate for a total of 476 evaluations.  There were some technical challenges.  Brittain compiled statistics on two questions and found that they were consistent with answers given in face to face evaluations.  He has sent notices to the VP, Deans, Chairs and faculty with details of how to access results.  There was discussion of replacing paper evaluations with online for all courses.  The cost would be more than the current cost of paper.  NSU was testing this product, but we do have an online survey instrument that with some development funds could be used for evaluations.  There was no student comment area on the online evaluation form.

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

          We will table this for a future meeting.

    4.  Faculty (Only) Forums - (Clifford)

          All forums were a huge success.  Lots of discussion took place.  We recommend that this be done again.  BA had questions about the inclement weather policy.
         
    5.  Office Hour Proposal for Faculty Handbook - (Garland/Deason-Toyne) (Proposal attached)

          There was a question about what policy is in force for this semester.  Since the policy has been approved by the Faculty Council and the VP, Bigbee felt we could follow the new terms, but it would not be official until published in July in the Faculty Handbook.  There was discussion of how to indicate on the card what hours were online.  Sanford moved that the Handbook change be approved as presented, Jennifer Edwards seconded and the motion passed.  Additional discussion centered around the eight hour requirement and how faculty could work those hours in if they are not on campus five days a week.  There was a working group formed to look at additional recommendations for the future.  Members: Garland, Lallie Scott, and Deason-Toyne.

    6.  Department and College Restructuring Task Force - (Bigbee)

          Bigbee has communicated with the chair of the committee that made the recommendation.  He is waiting for a response.

C.  New Business

    1.   Campus Cell Phone Policy Task Force - Clifford

          Discussion centered around ideas from the faculty forum that NSU needed a campus wide cell phone policy.  Brittain pointed out that using mobile applications is a new way to teach and banning them from classrooms could limit us in the future.  West stated that she had searched NSU syllabi for examples of policies.  It was suggested that we compile some examples that faculty can use in their syllabi.

    2.  Study Days vs. dead week Task Force - Clifford

           Student government has passed a new resolution supporting the current use of two study days.  Several problems were noted including a Thursday class that went a month last semester without meeting and then met for the final exam.   Bentley gathered statistics from her classes that indicated that grades in general went down, mainly because of missed classes.  The 2006 Student Government resolution had originally asked for a "dead week" like other universities in Oklahoma use.  The history of our two days out of class was discussed.  It was proposed that we form a working group with Faculty Council and Student Senate to explore what other universities do and find a compromise between the student resolution and other proposals.  It was moved by Hall, seconded by Sanford and the motion passed.  Let Clifford know if you would like to volunteer.

       3.  Enrollment in online classes - Clifford
      
            This was a popular topic at all three forums.  There are currently classes with 60-80 students.  We will await the outcome of these trial classes.  Several topics were discussed including traditional and new models of online courses, strategies for enrolling new students, the shift of students from face to face to online, advertising used by other universities, and the limitations of using grad students.  NSU has had an 84% increase in online enrollment and we face competition from all kinds of other schools.  This will be tabled for further discussion.

       4.  Circle of Excellence Committee appointments (Clifford)

             The committee is now forming.  The bricks have been removed and are in storage until they are reinstalled.

       5.   University Planning Group (formerly Strategic Planning Committee) - Clifford

             This group, chaired by Dave Kern is looking at how to implement the strategic plan not rewriting it.  There are some accreditations coming so they are preparing.

       6.   Inclement Weather Policy Task Force - Clifford

             This really falls in Laura Boren's area.  There are special considerations for BA.  Currently, these decisions are localized and VP Bigbee and Huckabee make the calls for the two campuses.  Discussion included earlier notification and different kinds of notification.  The emergency management plan may also be involved.  A group will be formed.

       7.  Student Disability Services Advisory Board - Clifford

             Donna Agee is asking for two volunteers from each college to serve on the working group.  Clifford is looking for volunteers.  Baker volunteered for Liberal Arts.

D. Other Business
  
       Note change of some dates:  Future meetings are planned for Jan. 23, Feb 6, Mar 6 ??, April 3 and May 6.

Announcements:
      

        The Symposium on the American Indian will be moving the central pow-wow event to the stadium for more visibility.  Non-indians are welcome and also at all sessions.

       The 2009 Higher Education Teaching and Learning Conference will be April 2-3 on the BA campus.  There is funding for NSU registrations.

       President's Council wants to host a prominent speaker.     

E.  Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 4:36 p.m.

Next meeting February 6, 2009

Submitted by Linda West, Secretary-Treasurer
2/27/2009