The sixth meeting of the University Faculty Senate for this academic year will take place on Tuesday, March 25, 2003. 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 Chair of the Senate through the Executive Secretary, Susan Youtz scy1@psu.edu, before Friday noon, March 21, 2003. Presentations may not exceed five minutes.

The agenda will consist of two parts:

A. The Senate will honor Masatoshi Nei, Evan Pugh Professor of Biology and Director of the Institute of Molecular Evolutionary Genetics and the recent recipient of the International Prize for Biology awarded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

President Spanier will address the Senate and answer questions.

B. The Senate will then discuss the following thirteen items:

1. Sixty-five percent of items presented at Senate meetings are Informational or Mandated reports. The Senate will consider several proposals to reduce the amount of time spent on such reports while guaranteeing that they continue to convey important information that pertains to the educational interests of the University.

2. To help faculty and students better understand the University's policies on classroom disruption, the Senate will discuss a proposal to distribute that information in the most effective way.

3. At the end of Fall Semester 2002, faculty submitted final grades in a new manner: the eLion Faculty Grade Entry application. The Senate will discuss the success of that program and what changes are being made to make it even more efficient.

4. Students who have been dropped for poor scholarship are limited to twelve credits a semester while they work to gain reinstatement. The Senate will review the exceptions to that limitation granted during AY 2000-2001 and AY 2001-2002.

5. The Senate will receive the names of those who have agreed to be candidates for election to the following committees: Standing Joint Committee on Tenure, University Promotion and Tenure, and Faculty Rights and Responsibilities. Senators may make additional nominations from the floor.

6. The Senate will receive the 2003-2004 roster of senators.

7. The Senate Committee on Faculty Affairs will present a summary of the tenure and promotion decisions made during the AY 2001-2002. Of cases forwarded by the deans, 71 of 73 tenure cases were eventually approved. 61 of 63 candidates for promotion to Professor were approved, and 71 of 73 candidates for promotion to Associate Professor were approved.

8. The Senate will discuss a report on faculty salaries for AY 2002-2003 presented by the Senate Committee on Faculty Benefits and the Senate Committee on Intra-University Relations.

9. The Senate Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics will present a report on Academic Eligibility and Athletic Scholarships for 2002-2003. The report will also include data on graduation rates, overall academic performance, the number of Academic Big-Ten Honorees, and the number of student athletes in various academic majors.

10. Rodney Kirsch, Vice-President for Development and Alumni Relations, will provide the Senate with an update on the Grand Destiny Campaign.

11. The Senate will receive the names of those who have agreed to be candidates for Chair-Elect and Secretary of the Senate and for the Faculty Advisory Committee to the President. Senators may make additional nominations from the floor.

12. The Senate Committee on Undergraduate Education will present its annual Grade Distribution Report. The committee's extensive analysis shows that "meaningful changes in the distribution patterns have appeared since 1987 and this pattern is in the form of grade inflation as the term is defined in a number of national studies."

13. Students frequently submit to the Senate petitions for exceptions to Senate policies on Drop/Add, Withdrawal, Late Registration, and such other issues as Corrected Grades and the Cancellation of Registration. The Senate will receive a report from the Senate Committee on Undergraduate Education about the number and types of such petitions received and acted on during AY 2000-2001 and AY 2001-2002.

C. At its March 4, 2003 meeting, Senate Council approved a number changes in the DuBois Campus Constitution.

D. The revised grade dispute and mediation policy may be found at:
(http://www.psu.edu/oue/aappm/G-10.html).

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 concerns that need attention and problems that require a solution. Please send your suggestions to me at jwm2@psu.edu

The Senate Agenda will be posted on the Senate's Web site one week prior to each Senate meeting. The March 25 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 March 11 Senate Curriculum Report is available from the URL http://www.psu.edu/ufs/bluex.html.

John Moore, Chair
University Faculty Senate