skip to main content Indiana State University University Faculty Senate EC#9 Approved,. November 7, Minutes Indiana State University Faculty Senate 2006-07 Time: 3:15 p.m. Place: Hulman Memorial Student Union 227 Present: Chairperson S. Lamb, Vice Chair B. Evans, Secretary C. Hoffman S. Davis, B. Frank, A. Halpern, J. Hughes, M. Miller, T. Mulkey Ex-Officio: Provost J. Maynard Guests: J. Buffington (SAC), A. Hay (Registrar's Office), R. Guell (TAFFY) I. Administrative Report – none II. Chair Report The 360 review is taking place. Forms have been sent out already to the 50 individuals who have been asked to participate. On Wednesday, Nov. 1, I was asked by Trustee Alley to submit five faculty names, including my own, by Friday, Nov. 3. I have done so with the help of the other Senate officers. The four faculty selected are highly respected by all. Trustee Alley has stated that the evaluation and comments will remain anonymous. The assessment form is returned directly to him and will not be opened by anyone else. The completed assessment form will be viewed by Trustee Alley only, and will not be shared directly with the President. Trustee Alley will compile the statistical results of the assessments, along with applicable comments, to be presented in a Summary Report to the President and the Board of Trustees during an executive session. I am very pleased to report that, at the most recent Board meeting, Trustee Thyen approached me to ask about the nature of the Writing Center, which I had referenced in my comments. After a brief discussion, Provost Maynard joined the conversation and informed Trustee Thyen that the Center would receive funding, that it was a worthwhile entity, and that it impacted positively upon the education of students. I am also pleased to inform you that at yesterday's meeting of Executive Committee officers with the provost, the issue of no one-time payment going to one–year or special purpose faculty was raised. This is immoral. We asked that individuals who are in their Xth one-year (or more) appointment of full- time employment be eligible for the payment. The Provost stated that he would be willing to consider it. He stated that he was unwilling to reduce the amount that was already promised to other individuals in order to accommodate this, but he would investigate if there were a way to accommodate this request. EC # 9, 11/7/06 Page 2 Chair Report – continued At this point, I would like to share some written concerns forwarded to me by Jim Buffington, Chair of SAC: “Steve, Thanks for sharing my concerns about declining international enrollments, encouraging SAC's efforts to investigate the situation, and your willingness to share this concern with the Exec. Committee, Faculty Senate, and Board of Trustees. I am grateful that, because of your position as Faculty Chair, these concerns will be shared at the highest level. I'm attaching information showing international enrollments and graphs depicting the data. I'll be happy to distribute this information to Senators at the next Senate meeting on Nov. 16, if you believe that would be useful. Here is a condensed, and perhaps too quantitative, version of this concern. International Student enrollments have declined precipitously since 1985, when international students comprised 9.4 per cent of the student body. Today, that percentage is 4.2 percent. If we had maintained the 9.4 percentage, we would today enroll 952 international students instead of 448, and current enrollment would be 11,072 instead of the actual 10,568. The decline in international undergraduate students is especially troubling. In 1985, 9.1 percent of our undergraduates were international; in fall 2006, only 1.6 percent are. The numbers do not allow us to attribute this decline solely to the events of 9/11 and to SEVIS [Student and Exchange Visitor Information System]. By fall of 2000, total international enrollments had declined to 4.1 per cent, and undergraduate enrollments were 2.6 percent of the student body, numbers relatively comparable to 2006 data. The Student Affairs Committee has undertaken a preliminary investigation of this situation, and has learned there are some factors that are beyond our control; for example, many universities abroad have discovered the enormous economic benefits associated with international students and have responded accordingly. We also have learned that there is a wealth of resources on this campus, faculty and administration--including individuals in the International Affairs Office and the Study Abroad Program--who are already taking steps to reverse this decline. We believe that with the proper direction and through well-coordinated collaborative efforts, Indiana State could be a very competitive player in attracting high-quality international students. We believe these efforts would reverse the decline in total enrollments, offer our domestic students enhanced cultural experiences, and provide an inestimable benefit to those international students who select Indiana State as their university of choice. Jim Buffington" I am glad that Jim mentioned the effective work done in the Study Abroad Program. The Coordinator of that program, Janis Halpern, runs an extremely effective office. She has been approached by other universities and colleges that are interested in modeling her office both because of its minimum expense as well as its effectiveness. She has served as elected Chair of the Council of Advisors at the International Student Exchange Program, of some six thousand members. Through her efforts, ISU students have received competitive placements. We must do all that we can to retain such effective and dedicated people. I do know that the Arts and Sciences Chairs Council passed a motion questioning the advisability of moving the Study Abroad Program (an academic office) back under the International Affairs Center. That motion is being sent to the Provost’s office. EC # 9, 11/7/06 Page 3 On a final, sad, note: is retiring at the end of this semester. She will be greatly missed. Frankly, I do not know how we will be able to function without her organizational skills. I think that Mary started working in the Faculty Senate office in August of 1996. She has mastered the system and has improved upon it greatly, and has been a tremendous resource for the Faculty Senate. I do not know how many know that Mary obtained an undergraduate degree from ISU while being employed here. We do produce superior products. Mary has wonderful retirement plans with her husband, which include Prince Edward Island. She is excited. That concludes my report. III. Fifteen Minute Open Discussion 1) Welcome Center – $ expended ? Provost: Still no response from G. Floyd. 2) One-time payment for non-tenure-track faculty. Can something be done for these hard-working people ? Provost: All the $1.5M is committed, but he will discuss the issue with President Benjamin on Wed 11/8. 3) Promotion increments – inadequate. Can they be raised to be attractive and competitive? -- Options and problems were discussed. 4) Director of Affirmative Action search – progress? Provost: Nothing new to report. Search will wait for appointment of new VP in Human Resources. 5) Academic Programs Abroad – discussion of the recently-announced restructuring -- SAC, FAC, and AAC should have been involved in any restructuring. -- The current Coordinator is competent, enthusiastic, effective, and has been very successful at interacting with high-achieving students. -- As currently structured and operated, the office has had a significant positive effect on faculty. -- Academic programs should be separate from the affairs proper to the International Affairs Office. [Provost noted that some commonalities exist.] -- What groups were involved in this "strategic" decision? [Provost: Discussions have been taking place for over a year.] 6) Graduate Study – Funding -- We are funding too few semesters for graduate students to complete their programs, especially if they are also teaching. -- This issue was (supposedly) satisfactorily addressed in the past. -- The issue needs further examination and may be an appropriate charge for the Grad. Council. 7) Complaints about cigarette butts around the College of Business IV. Approval of the Minutes – Minutes #8 (Oct. 24) APPROVED as amended (Davis, Miller 9-0-0) EC # 9, 11/7/06 Page 4 V. Agenda Items SAC – Elimination of Printed Schedule of Classes Guests were invited to the table (acclamation) and explained the proposal. Discussion focused on benefits vs drawbacks, how students and advisors are best served, and on existing and proposed enhancements to the on-line system. Concerns raised: -- backup printed copy necessary until online features are fully developed and tested -- effect of high use should be tested and documented -- current iteration not fully compatible with MAC platform -- search features not fully operational, especially some which are distance-related Consensus: A significant faculty/advisor preference exists to retain the printed schedule, at least for advisors. Fewer copies may be adequate. TABLED – (Hoffman, Hughes 7-0-1) FAC – Slates for Select Committees: APPROVED (Miller, Mulkey 9-0-0) UAAC – Recommendation on Eliminating Permanent Incompletes: Referred to Faculty Affairs Committee (Hughes, Halpern 9-0-0) VI. Old Business – none VII. New Business VP for Enrollment Management, Marketing, and Communication The Committee selected a slate of faculty nominees to the search committee (consensus). The Committee went into executive session (Frank, Davis 9-0-0). The Committee came out of executive session and adjourned at 5:10 (Hoffman, Evans 9-0-0). Respectfully submitted, C. Hoffman Secretary Last modified: September 09, 2008  Copyright © 2009 by Indiana State University.