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DOCUMENTS OF THE GENERAL FACULTY
The minutes of the regular Faculty Council meeting of
March 20, 2000, published below, are included in the Documents of the
General Faculty for the information of the members.
<signed>
John R. Durbin, Secretary
The General Faculty
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR FACULTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF
March 20, 2000
The fourth meeting of the Faculty Council for the academic
year 1999-2000 was held in Room 212 of the Main Building on Monday, March
20, 2000, at 2:15 p.m. 1
ATTENDANCE.
Present: Urton
L. Anderson, Katherine M.
Arens, Efraim P. Armendariz,
Neal E. Armstrong, Richard
A. Cherwitz, Michael B.
Clement, Donald G. Davis,
Patrick J. Davis, Robert
A. Duke, John R.
Durbin, Sheldon Ekland-Olson, Parisa
Fatehi, Rachel T. Fouladi,
Robert Freeman, Sara C.
Galvan, John (Jack) C. Gilbert,
Linda L. Golden, Edmund (Ted)
Gordon, Lawrence S. Graham,
Sue A. Greninger, Thomas
A. Griffy, James L.
Hill, Martha F. Hilley,
Vance R. Holloway, Elizabeth
L. Keating, Lester R.
Kurtz, Desmond F. Lawler,
Steven W. Leslie, Margaret
N. Maxey, Gregory R.
Murphy, David A. Nancarrow,
Dean P. Neikirk, Edward
W. Odell, Patricia C.
Ohlendorf, Eric C. Opiela,
Alba A. Ortiz, Thomas
G. Palaima, Bruce P.
Palka, Randall M. Parker,
Shelley M. Payne, Theodore
E. Pfeifer, Andrew M.
Riggsby, Gretchen Ritter, Juan
M. Sanchez, Roberta I.
Shaffer, M. Michael Sharlot,
John E. St. Lawrence, Michael
P. Starbird, Teresa A.
Sullivan, Janice S. Todd,
Michael C. Tusa, James
W. Vick, Karin G.
Wilkins.
Absent. Christopher
O. Adejumo, Victor L. Arnold, Joel W. Barlow, Phillip J. Barrish (excused),
Joseph J. Beaman, Gerard H. Béhague (excused), Harold W. Billings,
William D. Carlson, Loftus C. Carson, Richard L. Cleary, Alan K. Cline,
Jere Confrey, Richard L. Corsi, Edwin Dorn, John S. Dzienkowski, Catharine
H. Echols (excused), Larry R. Faulkner (excused), G. Charles Franklin,
G. Karl Galinsky, James D. Garrison, Erayne N. Gee, Julie Hallmark, Tracy
C. Hamilton, Barbara J. Harlow, Roderick P. Hart, Thomas M. Hatfield,
Sharon H. Justice, Manuel J. Justiz (excused), Kerry A. Kinney, J. Parker
Lamb, Richard W. Lariviere, Michael L. Lauderdale, Brian P. Levack, William
S. Livingston, Laura E. Luthy, Vincent A. Mariani, Robert G. May (excused),
Atisha G. Patel, Ana Cristina Pinto-Bailey, Elmira Popova, Robert A.
Prentice,
Mary Ann R. Rankin, Johnnie D. Ray, Elizabeth Richmond-Garza (excused),
Victoria Rodriguez, Dolores Sands, Joel F. Sherzer (excused), Lawrence
W. Speck, Ben G. Streetman, Alexa M. Stuifbergen, Lonnie H. Wagstaff,
N. Bruce Walker, Ellen A. Wartella, Barbara W. White (excused).
| Voting Members: |
41
|
present, |
35
|
absent, |
76
|
total. |
| Non-Voting Members: |
12
|
present, |
19
|
absent, |
31
|
total. |
| Total Members: |
53
|
present, |
54
|
absent, |
107
|
total. |
1 Changed " fifth meeting" to "fourth meeting."
472
|
I.
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REPORT OF THE SECRETARY.
There were no questions about the written report
(D
341-348). The secretary announced that he had received protests
to language requirements in proposed catalog changes for BS degrees
in biological sciences, chemistry and biochemistry, and physics. He
said these would be considered at the April 17 meeting of the Council.
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II.
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APPROVAL OF MINUTES.
The minutes of the Faculty Council meeting
of February 21, 2000 (D
349-354), were approved by voice vote.
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III.
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COMMUNICATION WITH THE PRESIDENT.
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A.
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Comments by the President – None.
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B.
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Questions to the President.
Tom Palaima (classics) expressed concern
about a reduction in the University's direct support for KUT-FM.
He said he thought that KUT and KLRU were two of the University's
best ways of reaching out to the public. Speaking for President
Faulkner in his absence, Provost Ekland-Olson explained that
the reduction was in response to a proposal from the dean of
the College of Communication three years ago to reduce the University's
subsidy over three years from approximately $600,000 per year
to $300,000 per year. The difference has been used for such
items as seed money for faculty programs, for faculty research,
and to bring in visiting scholars. He said he thought the investment
in KUT is wise, but that the new uses of the money from the
reduced subsidy of KUT are also worthwhile
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IV.
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REPORT OF THE CHAIR.
Chair Hilley introduced Roberta Shaffer, newly-appointed Dean of the
Graduate School of Library and Information Science, and Robert Freeman,
newly-appointed Dean of the College of Fine Arts.
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V.
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REPORT OF
THE CHAIR ELECT.
Vice Chair Pat Davis
discussed plans for the annual joint meeting of the Council with
the Faculty Senate of Texas A&M, scheduled for Monday, March
27, in College Station.
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VI.
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SPECIAL ORDERS – None.
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VII.
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PETITIONS – None.
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VIII.
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UNFINISHED BUSINESS.
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A.
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Report of the e-University Task Force.
Tom Edgar (associate vice president) and Pam
McQuesten, both from academic computing and instructional
technology services, reported to the Council on the work
of
the e-University Task Force. They said the e-University should
be viewed as a method for the transformation of key service,
academic, research, outreach, and business processes through
the use of internet technologies.
One of the immediate goals
of the task force
is the creation of the student portal. This would provide,
for each student, a way to consolidate and simplify the different
ways in which the student makes use of the University and
its services, including scheduling,
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473
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financial aid and scholarships, billing, library
use, communication with instructors, and academic planning.
This would later be extended to cover more of the ways in
which faculty and staff interact with different components
of the University.
Janice Todd (kinesiology and health education)
asked if all faculty would have updated computers and software,
so the system could be made to work. The provost said this
was a priority item, and that an announcement about what
is
planned would be made in a month or so. He said that the
athletics department was providing money to help begin the
program this
year.
More information on the e-University will
be available in the months ahead. The task force can be contacted
through Janice Longridge, janice@forum.cc.utexas.edu.
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B.
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Report of the Technology Enhanced Learning
Committee.
The work of a committee charged to develop
a plan for technology enhanced learning,
with particular applications
to distance education, was outlined by Jack Gilbert (chemistry
and biochemistry), chair of the committee.
This committee is
faced with the challenge of developing an overall framework
to include faculty capacity, incentives,
and compensation; infrastructure
requirements and delivery technologies; course/program priority
and selection mechanisms; instructional design,
quality, and
standards; and student-faculty and faculty-faculty interactions.
Thus
far the committee has developed six principles,
twelve assumptions, and fifty-one recommendations.
Gilbert
expects that the committee will soon have a web site reflecting
its work.
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IX.
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NEW BUSINESS.
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A.
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Report from the Educational Policy Committee
on Computer Competency.
In its response to the accreditation report
prepared by UT during 1996-1998, the Southern Association
of Colleges and Schools has urged the University to adopt
a formal statement ensuring the computer competency of undergraduates.
Based on conversations between the Educational Policy Committee
and the administration, the committee proposed two changes
in the Basic Education Requirements as stated in the Undergraduate
Catalog (D
335-337). The first would state that every graduate is
expected to "be competent in the basic use of computers."
The second would state that "within each discipline, the
faculty defines and assesses computer competency through
learning
activities that require the use of computers."
Urton Anderson
(accounting), speaking for the committee, said that it did
not envision something as
centralized as the substantial writing requirement, but intended
for each school and college to implement the policy to fit
its own circumstances. The Council approved the recommendation.
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B.
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Recommendation from the Educational Policy
Committee on the Residency Requirement.
The Educational Policy Committee also
introduced a proposal to increase the amount of work that
must be completed in residence for an undergraduate (D
333-334). Instead of "at least two long session semesters,
or an equivalent period, and at least thirty semester hours"
in residence, the committee proposed "at least sixty semester
hours" in residence. In addition, at least two thirds of
the upper-division semester credit hours in the major would
need
to be completed at the University, rather than at least twenty-four
of the last thirty semester hours, as currently required.
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474
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Eric Opiela (student government) asked about
the impact on transfers from two-year colleges. Anderson
said that there would be essentially no impact since two-year
colleges
cannot offer upper-division courses.
Desmond Lawler (civil
engineering) spoke in some detail about why he thought the
new proposal would be
overly restrictive, both in the number of hours involved
and in a separate requirement that would affect hours taken
in
study abroad programs. In answering, Anderson said that part
of the committee's motivation in making the proposal had
to
do with the potential future impact of distance education.
In
the end, the proposal was referred back to the committee
for further consideration.
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C.
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Report from the Committee on Committees.
In April of 1999, during the Council's consideration
of the report of the ad hoc Committee on Intercollegiate
Athletics, chaired by Charles Alan Wright (law), Alan Friedman
(English) proposed the creation of a standing faculty committee
on academics and athletics. Shelley Payne (microbiology),
then chair of the Council, referred this item to the Committee
on Committees. Bruce Palka (mathematics), current chair of
that committee, introduced a motion from the committee recommending
an ad hoc rather than a standing committee to deal
with one portion of Friedman's proposal (D
330-332). In particular, the ad hoc committee
would "outline the components of an intercollegiate athletics
program whose academic policies and standards furnish a 'best
case'
model for this and other institutions."
Palka reported that
the Committee on Committees was closely divided on the recommendation,
and referred to
a minority report that accompanied the recommendation. John
Durbin (mathematics), stepping out of his role as secretary
of the Council, presented the minority point of view. The
Council then voted against the creation of the new ad hoc
committee.
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D.
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Report from the Committee of Counsel on Academic
Freedom and Responsibility.
On behalf of the committee, Janet Staiger (RTF) introduced a
proposal stating that no later than the beginning of the fourth
year of the tenure track probationary period, assistant professors
shall receive a formal review to provide feedback to the faculty
member and the department regarding the faculty member's progress
toward meeting the standards for promotion with tenure (D
328-329).
After comments by Pat Davis (pharmacy) and
Steve Monti (vice provost), the proposal was amended and
then approved by the Council (D
365-366).
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X.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS AND COMMENTS – None.
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XI.
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QUESTIONS TO THE CHAIR – None.
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XII.
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ADJOURNMENT.
The meeting adjourned at 4:25 p.m.
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Distributed through the Faculty Council web site ( www.utexas.edu/faculty/council/)
on April 11, 2000. Copies are available on request from the Office of
the General Faculty, FAC 22, F9500.
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