Back to: Senate home page | UNCW. || Comments to Senate Secretary.

Faculty Senate Minutes

University of North Carolina at Wilmington

President Snowden called the meeting to order at 2:30 p.m.

Roll Call

Absent: Adams (Nursing), Applefield (Cur. Studies), Baker (Budget Ctme.), Cavanaugh (Provost), Clifford (English), Dodd (Biology),  Earney (Acct.), Elikai (Acct.), Evans (Soc.), Galbraith (Mgt.), Griffin (HPER), Hall (Fin. Aid Cmte.), Halls (Earth Sci.), Hayes (Education), Howe (Mgt.), Jansen (Art & Theater), Jones (Pol.Sci.), McLaurin (Math), Moore (Nursing), Morey (Spec. Studies), Quackenbush (Biology), Rice (Spec. Studies), Rockness (Bus. Adm.), Sandell (Soc. Wrk.), Scheuring (Nursing), Sigler (Ec. & Fin.), Walker (Admissions Cmte.)

Approval of Minutes

    The minutes of March 14, 2000 were approved.

Special Order of the Day

Individual Reports

• Reported that members of the Facilities Use Commission visited the campus on April 17, and the university, supported by many political representatives and members of the community, made its case for capital expenditures and the need for classroom space. The Chancellor hopes that the Legislature will pass the capital request, or at least provide funds now for the School of Education building at UNCW, rather than putting the entire request up in the form of a bond referendum on the November ballot.
• Thanked President Snowden, the members of the Faculty Senate, and chairs and members of Senate committees for their successful efforts in the past academic year
• Urged the Senate to pass a "Computer Competency Requirement" that would put UNCW in compliance with the SACS requirements.
• Urged the members of the Faculty to consider voting for the "Green Space" bond referendum on the May ballot, noting that the university community itself might decide this issue, if there is a small voter turnout. 

• Thanked the Senate, committee chairs and members, and the university administration for the successful efforts of the past academic year.
• Reminded Senate members to sign up for their committee assignments for next year.
• Reported the formation and membership of the Writing Across the Curriculum Committee.
• Announced that the Faculty Scholarship Awards committee needs four more members, and urged faculty to consider volunteering for the committee.
• Noted that the Phi Beta Kappa committee had been formed, and that all faculty who were eligible to participate in it had been notified.
• Indicated that the Senate Steering Committee planned to revisit the structure of Senate committees, with the goal of making them more efficient.

• Reported that the Faculty Assembly had begun with a Forum on Instruction and Technology, attended also by Lynne Snowden, Jeff Brown, Richard Dixon, and Laura Rogers of UNCW.
• Noted that the Assembly had approved new admissions requirements for the UNC system, applicable in 2004 (two years of foreign language in h.s.) and in 2006 (a fourth unit of h.s. mathematics).
• Announced that GA was in the process of establishing websites which would inform faculty about system initiatives being proposed to the Legislature.

Committee Reports

    1. The following motions from the Academic Standards Committee were passed as amended:

i. Updating Honorary Degree Procedures (Motion 00-9-18; passed):

That the following changes be made to selected portions of Appendix O of the Faculty Handbook.

Appendix O

Purpose of and Criteria for UNCW Honorary Degrees

Effective August 14, 1996 April 14, 2000

Honorary degrees are granted by the faculty and trustees of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and may be granted at Commencements or special events.  Current honorary degrees awarded are Doctors of Humanities, of Letters, of Fine Arts, of Science, and of Laws. Other honorary degrees can be recommended by the Academic Standards Committee (ASC).  An honorary degree is the highest accolade the university can bestow on an individual who is not currently employed as a member of its faculty or staff.  It is given to honor an individual who possesses outstanding qualities and talents, who has made exceptional contributions to the field of his or her endeavor, and who exemplifies the highest standards of personal integrity and civic responsibility.  There are three basic reasons for awarding honorary degrees from the university.  A person may be recommended for an honorary degree for any one of the following reasons:

1. Academic excellence in the individual's field of endeavor.
2. Appreciation of time, energy, and financial resources spent in behalf of the university and for its sake.
3. Excellence in fields other than those which would normally be called academic, i.e., the contributions which have enhanced society and its quality of life.

Procedures for Nominating and Evaluating Candidates for Honorary Degrees

1.    At the beginning of each semester the residing Chair of the Academic Standards Committee will make a call for nominations  A call for nominations will be made by the President of the Faculty at the first Faculty Senate meeting and first issue of   in the  Campus Communique, Seahawk, and UNCW Today Magazine of each academic year. A call for nominations will also be made by the President of the Faculty at the first Faculty Senate meeting of each semester.   Nominations may be made at any time by any member of the University community, or by any Academic Department.  Owing to institutional needs, it would be of benefit to have, at any given time, a number of nominees approved for receipt of honorary degrees.

2.    Nominations shall be submitted on standard forms available  at the Faculty Senate website http://www.uncwil.edu/facsen/   in the Offices of the Provost and Academic Deans and each academic department.  The form should be accompanied by a single page of supporting information documenting the candidate's qualifications. The nominees should not be contacted. Such information can be obtained from local resources or  reputable   sources, such as Who's Who, the Internet, etc. The identity of the nominees should only be known  to  the nominator, members of the Academic Standards Committee, voting members of the Faculty Senate,  the Provost, the Chancellor and the Board of Trustees,  depending upon how far the nomination goes through the process  as per item 8 below.

3.     Typically, nominations need to be received by the Academic Standards Committee no later than October 1st or March 1st to be considered for the Fall or Spring Commencement, respectively. However, the granting of Honorary degrees is not restricted to Commencements. Nominations for awards to be granted during special events should be submitted at least two months prior to the event in order to track the process in due time.

3.4.   Nominations will be evaluated by the ASC at its next regularly scheduled meeting.  That a nomination has been made will be announced at least five working days before the scheduled meeting; the name of the nominee will not be made public.  Nominating materials will be made available in by the ASC Chair's office for review by committee voting members prior to the meeting.

4.5.   ASC will recommend for or against approval of the nomination with a recommendation as to the degree to be awarded.  A simple majority of ASC voting members present is necessary for approval.  If approved, the nomination will be recommended to the Senate at its next regularly scheduled meeting.  Any nomination which fails to receive Academic Standards Committee endorsement but which is supported by two or more members of the Academic Standards Committee shall be reported to the Faculty Senate Steering Committee.  The Steering Committee may either accept the report as information or, by majority vote of the entire committee, forward the nomination to the faculty Senate for consideration at its next meeting.

5.6.   That a nomination will be recommended to the Senate will be announced at least five working days before the scheduled meeting; the name of the nominee will not be made public.  Nominating materials will be available in the Senate President's office for review by Senate members prior to the meeting.  A 2/3 majority of voting members present is necessary for Senate approval.   Only voting members of the Faculty Senate and   the a nominator (s) of that nominee may be present during the discussion of the particular nomination. 

6.7.   If the Faculty Senate approves the nomination, it will be forwarded to the  Provost, who will then forward it to  the Chancellor for recommendation to the Board of Trustees; if the Senate disapproves the nomination, it dies in the Senate.  Approval or disapproval of the recommendation by the Senate shall be announced while the Senate is still in executive session and made known to the nominator.

8.     Confidentiality at all points in the nominating process is crucial.  No discussion concerning nominees should take place outside of those directly involved in the evaluation process or the formal evaluation meetings.  Discussion and voting will be in executive session by all evaluating groups, as specifically allowed by the State open meetings law.

ii. Freshman Foreign Language Deficiency (Motion 00-9-19; passed):

That the following changes be made in the starred section on page 28 of the 1999-2000  UNCW Undergraduate Catalogue in the Admissions-Freshman section and that the Registrar's Office ensure that the policies on Freshman Deficiencies be enforced.

***Students who meet all minimum requirements except foreign language will be accepted with a deficiency and will be required to complete a foreign language sequence of 101 and 102, 102, or 120   101 and/or 102 or 120 before they may graduate with the baccalaureate degree from  UNCW. Students must have their foreign language deficiency removed by the end of their sophomore year.   A student who has not removed this deficiency by the end of the sophomore year may not register for any courses other than those needed to remedy the deficiency.

iii. Basic Studies for Second Baccalaureate Degree  (Motion 00-9-20; passed):

That the following changes be made in the current Undergraduate Catalogue:

REQUIREMENTS FOR ANOTHER BACCALAUREATE DEGREE (Page 69)

A student with a baccalaureate degree from UNCW may receive another baccalaureate degree if it is a different degree and a different major. The student must meet all the requirements for the second degree and major, including the course work that meets the spirit of   UNCW's current basic studies requirements.

(Page 89) Students with Existing Degrees: For students who already possess an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university,   including UNCW, the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (or her/his designee), after consultation with the chair(s) of the academic unit(s) through which the student is pursuing the second degree, will determine the extent to which the previous course work meets the spirit  of  UNCW's  current basic studies requirements and will determine any remaining requirements to be completed.  

    2. This motion from the  Building and Grounds Committee  was rejected (Motion 00-9-21):

Whereas restrictions have been put on smoking immediately outside the entrance to Westside Hall to good effect, and

Whereas smoking immediately outside the entrances to any campus buildings inconveniences and/or displaces non-smokers who would otherwise use the same area for studying or socializing between classes,

Therefore, the Building and Grounds Committee proposes that at least one designated non-smoking entrance be established and so identified for each and every campus building.

    3. This motion of the University Curriculum Committee passed as amended (Motion 00-9-22):

That the following graduation requirement be inserted into the UNCW Undergraduate Catalogue immediately before the Required Oral Communication Competency (p. 89 of the 1999-2000 catalogue).

REQUIRED COMPUTER COMPETENCY

The university requires that all students prior to graduation develop competency in basic computer skills including knowledge of campus use policies, facility with standard applications, and awareness of legal and ethical issues.  A student must demonstrate competency with the method approved for that student's degree program. Students in each major must satisfy the requirements in computer competency as specified by that major. 

Old Business

    None.

New Business

    None.

Announcements

    None. 

The meeting was adjourned at 4:30 p.m.