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Faculty Senate Minutes

University of North Carolina at Wilmington

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

Roll Call

Absent: Barker (Library), Bingham (Physics), Buttino (Advan. Cmt), Byington (Fac Wel Cmte), Clark (Business), Dodd (Finan.Aid Cmte.), Earney (Acct.), Errante (Admissions Cmte.), Friarson (IT Cmte.), Garris (IS), Grindlay (Earth Sci), Hines (St. Affairs Cmte.), Howe (Mgt.), Hunt (Mgt.), Huntley (Pub. Srve. Cmte.), Lawson (Acct.), Leutze (Chancellor), Lundeen (Bio), McLaurin (Math), Rogers (UCC), Roscher (Acct.), Sigler (Econ.), Sizemore (Eval. Cmte.), Stowell (Nursing), Tyndall (ITSD), 

Approval of Minutes

The April minutes were approved. 

Special Order of the Day 

The Senate elected new officers: Vice-President, Mark Spaulding; Secretary: Tom Schmid; Members of the Steering Committee: Denise DiPuccio, Richard Olsen, Ann Pabst, Richard Veit.

Individual Reports 

1. Provost Cavanaugh

• Reported on the University's response to the tragic news of the terrorist attacks. The decision not to cancel classes was in part to allow faculty/staff to help students deal with concerns they had about it. University staff were deployed across campus to counsel students who seemed especially concerned.
• Noted that the University is planning a Memorial Service for Friday, 3 p.m.
• Expressed thanks to the many faculty and staff who were especially helpful to students in this difficult time.
• Introduced Jim Dragna, Director of Student Development Services, who reported in more detail on the UNCW response to the crisis, in particular in relation to international students and students with relatives in the DC and NYC areas. 
• Noted that students and faculty who are traveling by air may be grounded for one or two days.

2. President of the Senate Noland

• Instructed the Senate on the basic function and form of Senate procedures and urged Senators to be bring the concerns of their faculty before the Senate.
• Noted that the Ad hoc PTR Policy Committee, chaired by Richard Veit, had been reconvened. Senator Veit explained that this was due to a question that had arisen about the absense of an appeals process in relation to a finding of deficiency.
• Has formed an Ad hoc Faculty Handbook Committee, and is looking for volunteers.
• Explained the concept of a "consent agenda" for noncontroversial items, which allows such items, if there are no objections, to be grouped and voted on together, without debate.
• Noted that if there are individuals who do not want to be on the Senate listserve, they should notify him.

3. Faculty Assembly delegate Richard Veit

• Reported that the first meeting of the Faculty Assembly will be this Friday; if Senators have items they would like to see addressed, they should convey them to him or the other UNCW delegates, Dan Noland and Steve MacNamee.
• In response to question, said that among the items the Assembly would be addressing were the Health Care plan, salaries, University Governance. A suggested item was university tuition wavers for faculty.

4. SACS Self-Study Director Spackman

• Began his report by noting that it was important to counteract the perception that the SACS report would "gather dust" after the February visit: on the contrary, it will affect what we do in the future.
• Reviewed the future timetable for SACS events on campus: (1.) Oct 1-19: Review of edited Self-Study report. This will be available on the web, and faculty should participate in this critical review process. (2.) Oct 15: Deadline for responses to the 30 recommendations (which correspond to "must" statements, i.e. are necessary for renewed accreditation) and 48 suggestions (which correspond to "should" statements and ways to improve the university). (3.) Feb 25-28: Campus accreditation visit.
• Explained in detail the rationale behind the ten Recommendations and Suggestions affecting the Faculty Senate: 3.1 Suggestion 4 (evaluation of faculty service), 4.2 Recommendation 1,2,5 (foreign languages requirement, diversity of languages, rules concerning declaration of a major), 4.4 Recommendation 2 and 6.1 Recommendation 2 (concerning the Faculty Handbook), 6.2 Recommendation (Planning), 6.3 Suggestion (the Budget Committee), 6.4 Suggestion 2 (the Building and Grounds Committee), 6.5 Recommendation 2 (supplemental compensation).

Committee Reports

    The following items were submitted as items under a "consent agenda." There being no objections from the Senate,

they were voted on and passed in one vote.

1. The Faculty Senate Steering Committee motions to refer to committee as a result of recommendations approved by the SACS Steering Committee (02-1-1, 02-1-2): 

a. Refer to the Academic Standards Committee for consideration and a report to the Senate by the November, 2001 meeting the following recommendation from SACS Section 4.2: Undergraduate Program (Motion 02-1-1) :

The Faculty Senate must consider imposing an effective rule requiring undergraduate students to declare a major after 48 credit hours have been earned at UNCW.  (Motion 02-1-1)

b. Refer to the University Curriculum Committee for consideration and a report to the Senate by the December, 2001 meeting the following recommendations from SACS Section 4.2: Undergraduate Program (Motion 02-1-2):

i. The Provost, in collaboration with the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures and the faculty senate, must develop a plan to increase the diversity of languages offered at UNCW appropriate to the purpose and goals of UNCW.          

ii. The Faculty Senate must review the Basic Studies requirement in foreign language to ensure a level of language proficiency appropriate to the purpose and goals of UNCW.

Old Business

    None.

New Business

   None.

Announcements

    None.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:15 p.m. Afterward, President Noland gave a brief orientation on Senate procedures to new members.