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Faculty Senate Minutes

University of North Carolina at Wilmington

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

Roll Call

Absent: Adams (Dean, Nursing), Clark (Dean, Business), Elikai (Acct.), Denny (Soc.Wrk), Dodd (Fin.Aid Cmte.), Earney (Accountancy), Elikai (Accountancy), Errante (Admissions), Friarson (IT Cmte.), Halkides (Chm), Hayes (Cur. Sts.), Hines (St.AffairsCmte.), Johnson (HPER), Kiddle (Research Cmte.), McKay (Psych.), Quakenbush (Bio), Sargent (A&T), Sizemore (Evaluation), White (CW).

Approval of Minutes:

The January minutes were approved.

Individual Reports:

1. Chancellor Leutze

• In light of the state government financial crisis, it is likely there will be no salary increases next year; the chief hope now is to moderate the size of the increase in cost to participants in the state health plan.
• Noted that all the makeshift remedies for state expenditures had been used up, and that, short of an extraordinary resurgence of growth in the state economy, the state was likely to continue to have financial problems in the coming years, if there were no new sources of revenue.
• In response to questions, said that there will be funds for "enrollment positions" that are currently being filled; that the University retirement plan is not in jeopardy; and that UNCW is actively studying ways to increase benefits to faculty, including increasing the caps in summer salaries and increasing flexibility in faculty scheduling.

2. President of the Senate Snowden

• Reported that the RPT committee had met twice since the last Senate meeting, and was considering two documents from the Provost's office which will be placed on the web.
• The Academic Freedom and Tenure Committee of the Faculty Assembly passed a resolution commending the NCSU model of RPT, which will also be placed on the web.

3. Faculty Assembly Delegate Gurganus

• Observed that whereas the UNC system is designed to see an increase in enrollment in the next decade, with the consequence that it will need 1200 new faculty in 2010 alone, the state's employees, including faculty, are "bleeding" and bearing the brunt of the state's financial crisis.
• Added details to the Chancellor's remarks on the increase in medical costs for faculty, e.g. that deductions will probably double and copays will also go up.
• Noted that among state employees hired in 1997, 50% have left state service.
• Concluded his report with the presentation of a graph detailing black enrollment at historically white institutions in the UNC system. Although overall black enrollment in historically white institutions has increased from under 8% to over 10% (25+% increase) since 1980, black enrollment at UNCW has fallen from approx. 7% to 5% (almost 30% decrease). UNCW will have to address the question: What is the 'critical mass' of African American students that we expect to have here, to fulfill our mission?

4. Faculty Welfare Committee Chair Byington

• The committee met with Ron Penny, head of HR for the system, and spoke with him about phased retirement and childcare; his remarks were pessimistic for support in either area.
• Noted that if there is to be childcare are UNCW, it will have to pay for itself, and find appropriate space (the lack of space was a chief reason why the effort to bring it about in 1994 failed); but perhaps with the new buildings on campus, it is time to address this issue again.

5. SACS Director Spackman

• Dick Scott, Assistant Vice-Chancellor for Business Affairs, will head up the local arrangements committee for the SACS visit next year.
• Chairs and other administrators should plan to be on campus Feb 25-28, 2002.
• The self-study steering committee is busy reviewing parts of the completed report, and meeting with the relevant subcommittee chairs and university officers.
• Chairs have been notified that additional information for the unit self-studies should be submitted as an Addendum, rather than a revised report, as the process of cross-referencing has begun.

Committee Reports:

1. Decision on the following motion, by the Faculty Senate’s ad hoc committee on Writing Across the Curriculum, was postponed until the March meeting, to allow for departmental discussion (01-6-13):

Proposal for a Writing-Across-the-Curriculum Program at UNCW

Because of concerns about the state of student writing raised at the UNCW Faculty Senate meeting on 18 March 2000, a motion was passed (00-8-17) forming an ad hoc committee to explore the potential benefits of a Writing-Across-the-Curriculum (WAC) Program at UNCW. After studying information about WAC and researching the details of successful WAC programs across the country, this committee is proposing that UNCW create a WAC program of its own.

We believe the formation of a WAC program is the most intelligent response to concerns that student writing skills atrophy during their last two years in college. WAC practices are based on the idea that writing is both a tool for learning as well as a tool for communication. Hence, WAC practices include the use of informal writing-to-learn activities (such as journals and reading logs–often ungraded activities) and more formal writing-to-communicate-learning activities (such as essays, reports, and proposals). WAC programs are also based upon the idea that writing is less a “skill” than a “practice”; therefore, one grows as a writer through continuous effort.

It is not the aim of a WAC program to make “writing teachers” out of all faculty. But, because students need more opportunities to write in order to grow as writers, it is essential that student writing is given more attention in classes where it is currently omitted. Therefore, a well-run WAC program must have a director whose job it is to assist faculty in creating effective writing activities. Through interaction with faculty, the director reinforces these principles:

• An expert in a field can teach writing in that field better than the best general writing instructor.

• One does not have to be a grammar expert to teach writing.

• Adding writing assignments does not mean teaching writing instead of teaching content.

• Adding writing assignments to a course need not reduce the amount of content that can be taught.

• Adding writing to a course need not significantly increase a faculty member’s workload.  

The Faculty Senate's ad hoc committee on Writing Across the Curriculum, therefore, makes the following motion (01-6-13):

That UNCW conducts a national search to hire a Director of Writing Across the Curriculum (see section I below) and that the UNCW Faculty Senate approves the formation of a WAC program with required Writing-Emphasis courses for all undergraduates (see section II below). 

I.  WAC Director position:

Our committee proposes that the University approve a faculty line at the Associate Professor level or higher for this position. The ideal person for this position would be a respected teacher/scholar in any discipline who has experience working with faculty from across the university to develop effective writing assignments and to manage a classroom in which student writing is given significant attention. The WAC Director will:

• hold a full-time faculty line with teaching duties limited to one class per year;

• serve as an ex officio member of a new Faculty Senate Campus Writing Committee, which will set guidelines for designating classes as “Writing-Emphasis” (see sect. II below);

• run regular course development workshops for faculty who will be teaching Writing-Emphasis courses, as well as follow-up, reflective workshops for faculty who have completed Writing-Emphasis courses;

• maintain a web presence with necessary information, forms, and course applications, as well as distribute a newsletter to faculty;

• work in close cooperation with the UNCW Writing/Reading Place to coordinate the type of tutorial and/or supplemental instructional assistance the W/R Place can provide to academic units;

• work in close cooperation with the UNCW Center for Teaching Excellence to coordinate the type of faculty development instruction the CTE can provide to academic units.

II.  Pilot Program:

A.  Writing-Emphasis courses

In addition to the English Composition courses (ENG 101 & 201) students will take during their freshman and sophomore years, students will also be required to complete six additional hours of courses designated as “Writing-Emphasis”; at least three of those hours must be in the student’s major discipline. Writing-Emphasis courses should:

• require each student to write a total of at least 15 pages over the course of a semester;

• base a substantial portion of the final course grade on student writing--that is, on written assignments and/or essay exams;

• spread writing requirements throughout the semester, with at least 10 pages of writing due before the last week of class;

• require students to review and revise a portion of their writing (e.g., revision in response to instructor comments and/or peer review);

• vary required writing in regard to factors such as content, audience, and/or format;

• enroll no more than 25 students (although larger enrollments may be justified by other factors related to the instructor's overall teaching responsibility, such as course-load reductions or the availability of teaching assistants).

B.  Ongoing faculty development workshops

Faculty proposing courses to be designated as W-E will attend a workshop during the semester before the course is to be taught.  This workshop will introduce faculty to the theories and techniques common to WAC, such as those emphasizing effective responses to student writing, fostering revision, and writing with new technologies. Workshops will also focus on practical teaching concerns such as managing the different workload of a W-E class and reflecting on teaching practices.  Participants will offer their experience and expertise in cross-disciplinary discussions and in follow-up workshops.

2. The following motions, by the University Curriculum Committee, were passed (01-6-14, 01-6-15):

a. In the area of Oral Communication Intensive, that CRW 496 "Senior Seminar in Creative Writing" be designated as oral communication intensive for Creative Writing majors (01-6-14).

b. In the area of Computer Competency, that CSC 105 "Introduction to Computing and Computer Applications" be designated as a computer competency course for Art and Theatre majors. (01-6-15)

3. The following motions, by the Academic Standards Committee, were passed (01-6-16, 01-6-17, 01-6-18):

a. Graduation with University Honors (01-6-16):

The requirements for Graduation with University Honors on page 93 should be amended as follows :

Program Requirements for Graduation with University Honors

To graduate with University Honors, a student must:

1. complete at least 12 credit hours of basic studies courses honors sections*

2. complete six credits of "Interdisciplinary Honors Seminars" (HON 110 and in fall of freshman year; HON 210 in fall of sophomore year) *

3. complete two credits of "Honors Enrichment Seminar" (HON 120) *

4. maintain academic eligibility: at the completion of 27 credit hours at UNCW, an overall grade point average of 3.00 or better in all coursework is required. An overall grade point average of 3.20 or better must be established by the completion of 58 credit hours and maintained thereafter.

5. earn a minumum of a C (2.0) in all honors work [B (3.0) in 499 and honors contract courses], and must have a 3.0 overall GPA in all honors curriculum coursework. If a student earns a grade below a C in an honors basic studies course, the grade may count toward that student's basic studies requirements but not toward his or her honors requirements. If that student wishes to complete the honors requirements for University Honors, he or she must take an additional honors basic studies course and earn no lower than a C. Students earning below a C in HON 210 or HON 120 must take additional seminars, respectively, and earn no lower than a C. 

6. complete requirements for Departmental Honors

*Note: students entering as sophomores after fall of the freshman year must complete HON 210, one two credit hours of HON 120, and at least six nine hours of honors basic studies.

b. Revision of the Retention Chart (01-6-17, amendment to the motion in italics)

   The RETENTION CHART, page 70 of the University Undergraduate Catalogue should be revised as follows:

Proposed Retention Chart

Total Quality Hours and Transfer Hours	Required GPA for Eligibility to Continue in the University	Warning
1-26	1.50	1.50-1.99
27-58	1.75	1.75-1.99
59-88	1.90	1.90-1.99
89 or more	2.00

On the same page, a standard should be established addressing minimal eligibility for each term:

" Full time students (at least 12 hours) who do not earn at least a 1.00 Semester GPA and pass at least nine academic hours in any semester will be reviewed by the appropriate dean to determine academic eligibility."

     c. Transfer Credit for D's (01-6-18):

The current practice of granting course credit and no hours for the transfer of D’s should be discontinued. In fact, no course credit or hours should be granted for the transfer of courses in which a student had earned less than a 2.0.

Old Business: None

New Business  

1. The Steering Committee offered the following motion, which passed as amended (01-6-19):

   Whereas the Faculty Handbook establishes no minimal educational accomplishment for a variety of term (non-tenure track) appointments;

   The Office of Academic Affairs requests that the Faculty Senate amend the Faculty Handbook, Section V.A.1 APPOINTMENT, PROMOTION, TENURE, RETIREMENT, AND FACULTY RIGHTS, Faculty Appointments, paragraph 2 as follows (revision in italics):

   Persons with other titles such as instructor, lecturer, visiting faculty, adjunct faculty, writer-or artist-in-residence, and teaching, laboratory, or research assistants and associates hold term appointments (non-tenure track) that do not culminate in eligibility for tenure review. Normally, a Appointment to the positions of instructor, lecturer, visiting faculty, adjunct faculty, and writer-or artist-in-residence will require, at a minimum, a the master’s degree or equivalent. This requirement will may be relaxed in exceptional cases.  

2. Virginia Adams of the School of Nursing and Richard Veit of the Department of English offered the following motion, which passed (01-6-20):

   That a student who, having earned one degree, returns to UNCW to earn a second iteration of that same degree in a different major, be permitted to celebrate that accomplishment by marching at graduation ceremonies. 

3. The University Curriculum Committee added the following motion, which passed (01-6-21):

   That the following courses be approved: 

a.       ANT 210 ("Physical Anthropology") and ANT 326 (Human Osteology) as Computer Competency courses for Anthropology majors. 

b.      PLS 201 ("Introduction to Political Science Methods") as a Computer Competency course for Political Science majors.

Announcements: None.

Adjourned at 4:40 p.m.