Faculty Senate	Minutes	Senate home | Comments
Tuesday, 11 November 2003   See Agenda   Meeting 04-03

Vice-president Mark Spaulding presided.

Roll call

Absent: Applefield (Curricular Studies), Caropreso (Specialty Studies, Evaluation Committee), Dodd (Biology), Elikai (Accounting), Emslie (Biology), Hickman (Music), Kanoy (Nursing), Noland (English), Roer (Graduate School), Roscher (Accounting), Schmid (P&R), Seaton (Chemistry), Tenhuisen (Mathematics), Usilton (History), White (Creative Writing), Whitehead (Economics & Finance), Wilson (P&R)

Approval of minutes

October minutes were corrected and approved.

Individual reports

1. Chancellor Rosemary DePaolo reported as follows:
   • Endowed chair: The Kenan Charitable Trust granted UNCW $667,000 to fund the William R. Kenan, Jr. Distinguished Chair in Marine Science. The gift is eligible for a state matching grant of $333,000, which would give us our first million-dollar chair. This is the first grant from the Kenan Trust to support a chair in a specific discipline.
   • Board of Governors meeting: This week the Board considers two issues affecting us: raising the 18% cap on out-of-state students and equity funding. The latter could bring us great benefit. What actions the Board will take is uncertain.
   • Merit scholarships: These are the paramount fundraising priority. Cohort schools to whom we compare ourselves on average give merit scholarships to 21% of first-year students (we give to 3%), with an average grant of $3200 (our average is $1200). We are not competitive and lose many of our best applicants. To give the average grant of cohort schools, we would need to add $20 million to our endowment.
   • Naming of buildings: She believes that, in future, the naming of buildings, like honorary degrees, should come before the Faculty Senate for a vote of recommendation. The Senate needs to work out such a process.
   • Introspection: Having conducted a series of forums on benchmarks comparing us to cohort schools, she has asked the University Planning Council to consider the results of discussion on the questions Who are we? and What are our core values?
   • Task forces: Various bodies have begun work or will shortly: a diversity committee, a first-year-experience committee, a Basic Studies committee, an international task force, and a physical-master-plan committee.
   • Parking fees: The Senate's motion requesting free parking for faculty and staff is under consideration.
      
2. Marquita Lewis, SGA vice-president for multi-cultural affairs, commended recent efforts to improve diversity and hopes for sustained efforts following the report of the diversity task force.
    
3. Assistant Vice Chancellor for Admissions Roxie Shabazz reported on admissions, including the following:
   • We had 8902 applicants for our current freshman class, a big increase.
   • We accepted 51%, a very competitive percentage.
   • 1772 students enrolled, for a yield rate of 39% (the latter is average).
   • The SAT range for the middle 50% of our freshmen was 1060-1220; their high school GPA range was 3.7-4.0.
   • Composition of our current freshman class: 87% from North Carolina, 60% from our 8-county region, 64% female, 36% male, 8% athletes, 12% minorities (up from 8%), 5% African-American (a slight increase), 77% stating UNCW was their first choice (up from 74%)
   • Applications are up an additional 18-20% for next year's class.
   • She seeks to involve faculty in the admissions process; faculty volunteers will read applications from 3000 students.
      
4. Senate Vice-president Mark Spaulding reported as follows:

• RPT review: The Steering Committee is taking over the task of RPT overhaul. The first recommendations will be presented to the Senate in December.
• Basic Studies review: The following have been appointed to an ad hoc Basic Studies Review Committee: Kemille Moore (A&T), Ken Gurganus (MAT), Andrea Deagon (FLL), Tom Schmid (P&R), Pat Lerch (SOC), Mike Wentworth (ENG), Tim Ballard (BIO), Brad Walker (EDN), Luther Lawson (E&F), and one member of the University Curriculum Committee.

Committee reports

1. The following motions from the Academic Standards Committee carried:
    
   1. [Motion 04-03-09; revise retention policy; carried]:

      That the last two paragraphs under RETENTION, DISMISSAL AND READMISSION on page 73 of the 2003-2004 Undergraduate Catalogue be changed as follows [additions, deletions]:

      Only Sstudents within 12 hours of graduating that have been declared academically ineligible for the first time may seek appropriate administrative review of mitigating circumstances for authorization to continue with their studies on a conditional basis. Written permission must be obtained from the appropriate dean prior to the beginning of the semester in which such students wish to enroll.

      A second declaration of academic ineligibility will result in dismissal from the university. and is final unless eEligibility for continued residence or for readmission is restored by completion of sufficient work only during the summer sessions at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

      The motion carried after debate about whether all students should have the right to appeal a declaration of ineligibility.

   2. [Motion 04-03-10; revise residency requirement; carried]:

      That the following passage on page 72 of the 2003-2004 Undergraduate Catalogue be changed as follows [additions, deletions]:

      RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT

      To qualify for the bachelor's degree, students must complete at least the following through coursework offered by through the University of North Carolina at Wilmington: (1) the final 20 semester hours of credit, (2) (1) the final 15 semester hours in the major at the 300-400 level, and (3) (2) a total of 31 semester hours. Exceptions to requirements (1) and (2) may be made only with the approval of the department chair and the appropriate dean and the vice chancellor for Academic Affairs. Requirement (3) (2) may not be waived.

      The revised policy will, for example, allow students who have completed their major requirements to study abroad during their senior year and still receive their UNCW degree.

2. The following motion from the Steering Committee carried after the original proposal was amended [Motion 04-03-11; define emeritus status and criteria; carried]:

        Whereas, emeritus status at UNCW is currently undefined, and selection criteria are currently unspecified and, consequently, vary considerably from department to department; and
        Whereas, both consistent definition and uniformity of criteria across the campus are desirable; and
        Whereas retirement under honorable circumstances should be an occasion for honoring a colleague and not for subjecting that person to an additional process of evaluation; therefore,
        Be it resolved that the section “Emeritus faculty” in the Faculty Handbook be revised as follows [additions, deletions]:

   Emeritus faculty

   Emeritus status is an honor accorded to retired faculty in recognition of their distinguished and sustained service to the university. Retiring tTenured faculty members who hold retire at the rank of assistant professor or higher with a minimum of eight years of service at UNCW are eligible for emeritus status in the rank held and in the department served at the time of retirement. All recommendations for emeritus appointments must be initiated at the department level. Following consultation with and approval of the departmental faculty, the chairperson shall submit a recommendation to the appropriate dean who shall recommend to the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. The Provost shall recommend to the Chancellor, who shall, in turn, recommend to the Board of Trustees for approval.

   Emeritus faculty are (1) invited to formal convocations and general faculty events, (2) listed in the Undergraduate Catalogue and University Telephone Directory, (3) accorded library privileges, e-mail, free ID cards, and free parking, if requested, and (4) admitted to athletic and cultural events at faculty rates. Emeritus faculty are not eligible to hold office or to vote in faculty elections.

   The Senate debated whether emeritus status should be a courtesy routinely granted to retirees or a more significant honor accorded to selected retirees, and the latter view prevailed. Following an amendment changing criteria from "satisfactory service" to "distinguished and sustained service," the motion carried.

Adjournment

Minutes by Richard Veit, Senate Secretary