University Faculty Senate

The Senate Newsletter

January 29, 2004

Greetings! I hope that everyone is keeping their spirits up as we deal with the record low temperatures and snowfalls. On a more positive note, the Senate meeting following the upcoming meeting will be held just prior to the first day of Spring!

The University Faculty Senate functions as the voice of the faculty in the formulation of policies concerning the academic mission of the University. In addition, it exists to serve the needs of all faculty. Please let us hear from you about problems that need a solution or concerns that require attention. Send your suggestions to me at cxb7@psu.edu.

The fourth meeting of the University Faculty Senate for this academic year will take place on Tuesday, February 3, 2004, at 1:30 p.m. in 112 Kern Building. The Senate welcomes visitors to this plenary session. Members of the University community who are not senators and who wish to address the Senate on an item of business on the day’s agenda must seek permission from the Senate before Friday noon, January 30, 2004. Please contact the Senate Chair through the Executive Secretary, Susan Youtz (scy1@psu.edu). Presentations may not exceed five minutes.

The Senate Agenda is posted on the Senate’s Web site one week prior to each Senate meeting. The February 3, 2004 Agenda is available on the Web at the URL http://www.psu.edu/ufs/agendax.html. Senate meeting minutes (The Senate Record) are also available on the Senate Web site at the URL http://www.psu.edu/ufs/recordx.html approximately three weeks following the Senate meeting.

For information on how to submit major, minor, option or course proposals, the Guide to Curricular Procedures is available on the Web from the URL http://www.psu.edu/ufs/docs.html. The January 20, 2004 Senate Curriculum Report is available from the URL http://www.psu.edu/ufs/bluex.html.

Thank you,

Christopher J. Bise

Chair, University Faculty Senate

cxb7@psu.edu

For your information…

The recent visit of Dr. Myles Brand, President of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, to the University Park campus resulted in several presentations, speeches, and discussions concerning intercollegiate athletics, academic integrity, and reform initiatives. I have asked Dr. John S. Nichols, a founding and continuing member of the Steering Committee of the Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics (COIA), the College of Communication’s Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research and Professor of Communications, to provide his perspective on intercollegiate athletics reform initiatives. The following was provided by Dr. Nichols:

The Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics (COIA) is a cooperative of more than 50 faculty governance leaders from NCAA Division 1-A schools. It seeks to represent the faculty voice in the national debate over the future of intercollegiate athletics and is working with other groups toward long-range, comprehensive reforms of college sports. Among the groups with which the Coalition is closely cooperating in this initiative are the NCAA, Association of Governing Boards, and the American Association of University Professors. NCAA President Myles Brand, during his recent visit to Penn State, applauded the Coalition's contribution to the athletic reform movement.

The Coalition's position on issues, such as athlete welfare, academic integrity, governance, financing, and over-commercialization, are set forth in its "Framework for Comprehensive Athletics Reform" and appear on its web site at:

http://www.math.umd.edu/~jmc/COIA/COIA-Home.html

Each faculty senate in Division 1-A, including Penn State's, has been asked by the Coalition to pass a resolution endorsing the Framework and, because senate leadership typically changes every year, to designate a faculty member as an ongoing liaison to the Coalition. Endorsement does not imply acceptance of the Framework in all its detail. Local variations in governance structures and circumstances may require senates to modify it somewhat. Member institutions will be consulted about, and kept informed of, Coalition reform initiatives, including its "best practices" recommendations on matters such as governance structures for faculty oversight of athletics.

SENATE MEETING AGENDA

FEBRUARY 3, 2004

The agenda for the fourth Senate Meeting of the 2003-2004 academic year consists of several reports of interest to the University faculty, particularly:

Presentation by President Graham B. Spanier

(Informational)

Dr. Spanier will speak on the subject of “The Privatization of American Public Higher Education.” He will discuss how increasing competition and lagging funding from state appropriations will prompt a refocusing of public universities.

Report on Curricular Integration Across Locations

(Advisory/Consultative)

The Senate Committee on Intra-University Relations will present a report and results from a survey of faculty and administrators on the topic of “curricular drift”—the tendency for a course to stray from its original outline as different instructors at multiple locations teach the course. The committee will make four recommendations that the Senate will vote on.

Background Checking Procedures

(Informational)

This report will present the policy developed to address background checking procedures for academic appointments.

Report on Fall 2003 Campus Visits

(Informational)

This report discusses findings from the Senate Officers’ visits to eight campus locations.

Summary of Petitions, Grade Distribution, and 2004-2005 Faculty Census

(Informational)

The Senate will receive these three informational reports.

Revisions to the Faculty Senator Representation Ratio and Changes to the Membership of the Faculty Advisory Committee to the President

(Legislative)

Changes to the Senate Representation Ratio will be discussed at the February 3 Senate meeting and voted on at the March 16 meeting. The proposed changes to the Faculty Advisory Committee membership will be voted on at the February 3 meeting.