December 2, 2008
Black Hills State University Faculty Senate Minutes
Meier Hall Conference Rm. / Meier Hall 306
Members present: Laura Colmenero-Chilberg (Pres.), Sheng Yang (VP), Bobbi Sago (Secretary), Jim Hesson, Parthasarathi Nag, Dan Bergey, Annette Ryerson, David Cremean, Kathleen Parrow, Chris Hahn, Robbie Calvert for Jodi Oliver
3:30pm. Faculty Senate called to order. Agenda approved. Minutes approved with changes.
Old business:
- Commencement: The music selections for graduation were discussed. There is a feeling that the selections are not always in keeping with the formality of the event. The prevailing sentiment was that more traditional music is preferred.
- Mobile Computing Initiative: The Student Senate at South Dakota School of Mines put forth a resolution stating their concerns about the Mobile Computing Initiative, many of which are the same as those expressed by the BHSU Student Senate including the need for flexibility in selection of equipment, how to advertise the initiative to students, what to do about students who already have their own laptops.
- FY 2010 Budget: Concern was voiced about what the will happen with faculty salaries, travel, etc.
New business:
- Curriculum Change Proposals: Faculty Senate reviewed and approved proposals for a variety of curriculum changes that included the following:
- BADM 456 Cyberlaw-Add existing common course
- HRM 456/556 Employment Law and Policy Change to no prerequisite
- TECH 120 Introduction to Smart Homes-Change name to Smart Buildings, Change course description
- TECH 181 Safety Management-Change course description
TECH 185 Technology in Our Lives-Change course description
- TECH 220 Home Automation and Smart Building Design-Change name to Smart Homes and change course description
- TECH 229 Computer Hardware Technologies-Expand course prerequisite,
change course description
- TECH 321 Residential Wiring-Expand course prerequisite, change course description
- TECH 327 Robotics-Expand course prerequisite,
Change course description
- TECH 362 Energy, Power, and Transportation-Add a Math prerequisite and change course description
- TECH 381 Construction-Change course description
- TECH 445 Computer Aided Manufacturing-Add TECH prerequisite, change course description
- HLTH 499 Human Nutrition-Experimental course
- PE299 Fundamentals of Personal-Training Experimental course
- MCOM 450 Alternative Photographic-New Course
Printing Processes
- MCOM 430 Media Law-Delete this course;
replaced by MCOM 450
- BSBA Specialization in Management Specifying 15 of 18 credits allowing 3 credits of elective from a specific group
- PE Major Professional K-12 Teaching Core-Delete SEED 408 from requirements replacing it with more specific choices
- Sabbatical and Leave Requests: Faculty Senate is reviewing requests and will take a vote on their recommendation on December 12th.
- Academic Council Meeting of December 2nd:
- Speaker Reese Erlich will be on campus February 17th, his topic is Korea.
- The South Dakota state budget was discussed and Faculty Senators were reminded to review the BOR message forwarded by President Schallenkamp. There is a freeze on hiring a new Library Director. All non-essential travel is frozen. Cost-cutting measures on travel to Rapid City are being discussed. Some options discussed are using faculty who live in Rapid City for Rapid City classes, putting more classes online, and faculty carpooling. There is a concern about what will happen to grant funded projects if grant funds disappear.
- Each tenure track and tenured faculty member will be required to create a Professional Development Plan (PDP) as part of their Professional Staff Evaluation (what used to be called Appendix F). Tenure track faculty who have been at BHSU for two years or less will be the first group to write these PDP’s with a due date of September 1st 2009.
- A list of students who are not pre-registered for Spring semester has been compiled. The names will be sent to the students’ advisors so that they can contact the student.
- Distinguished Faculty Award: The committee will be sending requests for nominations out on January 17th.
- Student Senate Report: The two issues under discussion by Student Senate are the smoking ban and the moving due to the Student Union construction. Student Senate has had numerous complaints from non-smokers about smokers not using designated areas. Related to the Student Union construction, they were a little frustrated that for about a week they didn’t have a designated spot and felt scattered.
- General Education Committee: Cheryl Anagnopoulos has reported that the committee is finishing the assessment plan of the General Education curriculum and forwarding it Kristi Pearce before the end of the semester. Dr. Pearce has reiterated that the development of the assessment template is an effort to make assessment easier for faculty and not simply another layer of bureaucracy.
- Meeting on December 16th: There will be a brief Faculty Senate meeting on December 16th to review remaining curriculum proposals.
5:00 p.m. Senate meeting adjourned
Respectfully submitted by Bobbi Sago
Faculty Senate Secretary