PURDUE UNIVERSITY CALUMET

 

COUNCIL OF FACULTY DELEGATES

 

MINUTES

 

6th Meeting                                                                                          March 3, 1997

 

 

Present:  Professors C. Chancey, R. Colon, S. Conners (Sergeant-at-Arms), M. Dobberstein, A. Elmendorf, R. Evans, R. Foreman, J. Hack (Presiding Officer), J. Jennings, L. Mura, B. Pai, K. Pierce, L. Rittenmeyer, C. Sekhar, S. Sil, C. Stacy, R. Stankowski, W. Ting, C. Torres-Robles, J. Walker, G. Wegner, L. Willer, Vice Chancellor S. Singer, Vice Chancellor L. Bryant, Vice Chancellor G. Newsom, Chancellor J. Yackel, M. Dakich (Parliamentarian), J. Mitchell (Student Government), J. Wermuth (Secretary),

 

Absent: Professors D. Pick, S. Tickoo

 

   I.       The meeting was called to order by Professor Hack.

 

II.       Professor Dobberstein moved the approval of the minutes of the February 3,1997, meeting of the Council of Faculty Delegates.  Professor Foreman seconded the motion.  The motion to approve the minutes passed.

 

III.       Professor Dobberstein moved the acceptance of the agenda for the March 3, 1997, meeting of the Council of Faculty Delegates.  Professor Chancey seconded the motion.  The motion to accept the agenda passed.

 

IV.       Chancellor's Report

 

Chancellor Yackel said the Board of  Trustees held their business meeting on campus on Friday, February 28.  He said the Board extended President Beering’s appointment to July 1, 2000; promotions were approved; and Purdue Calumet’s  academic reorganization was approved “in principle”.  He said the Board had met Thursday also, and that he, Vice Chancellor Singer, and Associate Vice Chancellor Dunn met with a committee of the Board on the academic reorganization.  He said a presentation on Purdue Calumet’s outreach to K-12 was made to the Trustees Thursday evening.

 

Chancellor Yackel said the Indiana House has approved a budget bill and sent it on to the Senate.  He said the House bill contains more for the universities than the State Budget Committee recommendation but less than the Commission for Higher Education proposal, which included a 1% base budget increment for new initiatives.  He said the bill contains a 1% of base budget cash amount for one year.  He said the university will make its presentation before the Senate Finance Committee in mid-March.  He said the House bill contains the $8M for Anderson and the $1.8M for the Classroom Office Building.

 

Chancellor Yackel said that the building is about three weeks behind schedule, and that the steel superstructure should start going up within a few weeks.  He said completion of the building will then result in the movement out of Anderson in 1998; and that the timing is dependent on the financing for the buildings.

 

Chancellor Yackel said that the men’s and women’s basketball teams will be in the NAIA tournament if each wins its next two games.

 

Vice Chancellor Bryant noted the success of  Black History Month, due to support from the university and the community for the many activities presented..

 

In response to a question from Professor Elmendorf, Vice Chancellor Singer said the new school structure will be effective July 1, but that not all schools will have permanent deans at that time.

 

Chancellor Yackel said that a Town Hall meeting on the budget is being planned for noon,  Thursday, April 10, in Alumni Hall, to which all are invited.

 

Professor Hack said that the Senate Document  96-3 Grades and  Grade Reports for Incomplete Work was withdrawn from consideration at the February meeting of the Purdue University West Lafayette Senate.  She said that both she and Mr. Mitchell had the opportunity to address the Board of Trustees at its meeting on Friday, February 28.

 

V. Special Business of the Day

 

Council Document 97-02.  Establishment of the General Education Review Committees.  Research and Educational Policy Committee.  For Discussion.

 

Professor Mura introduced the document.  Professor Jennings suggested that the second paragraph should begin, “In the event a committee determines that a program has not identified and implemented the general education requirements, ...” to make it consistent with the general education documents.  Professor Lerner was recognized by the presiding officer of the Council with the consent of the Council.  He introduced, distributed and spoke to a personal revision of Council Document 97-02.  Professor Hack said that such a document would need to get itself to the Agenda Committee before being discussed by the Council.

 

Professor Mura, noting the Fall 1997 effective date of the general education requirements said that a document needed to be passed to meet the Council’s responsibility for ensuring that programs have met their general education requirements.  During the discussion which followed, it was noted the documents moved to action must so move with no amendments.  After further discussion, Professor Mura moved Council Document 97-02 to action after two changes, ruled non-substantive by the chair, had been made; viz., in the second sentence of paragraph three, the substitution of “Nominations...” for “Appointments...”; in the third sentence of paragraph three, the deletion of the terminal “s”; and the name of Professor Stacy moved from “Approved” to “Absent”.  Professor Conners seconded the motion.  After some further discussion, the motion to move Council Document 97-02 to action did not pass.

 

Council Document 97-03.  Appointments to the General Education Review Committees.  Research and Educational Policy Committee.  For Information.

 

Professor Mura introduced the document, and described how Council members were picked to serve on the committees.  She said the process will involve the updated bingo sheets being sent to the committees for their review.  A lengthy discussion followed, which focused on the content of Council Document 97-02 rather than Council Document 97-03.  One group maintained that the departments determine which courses meet general education requirements in their programs, with the role of  the Council being to determine that appropriateness was present in the departments’ actions.  Another group maintained that the Council has the responsibility to determine whether specific courses or recommendations by departments met the established general education requirements.  It was noted in the discussion that the General Education Review Committee memberships need to be approved by the Council in accordance with ByLaw 4.01.C.


Council Document 97-04.  Nominations to Council Subordinate Committees.  Nominating Committee.  For Discussion.

 

Professor Ting introduced the motion.  Professor Foreman moved Council Document 97-04 to action.  Professor Pai seconded the motion.  The motion passed.

 

Professor Ting moved approval of Council Document 97-04.  Professor Foreman seconded the motion.  The motion to approve Council Document 97-04 passed.

 

 

Council Document 97-05.  Proposed Constitution of the Faculty of Purdue University Calumet.  Agenda Committee.  For Discussion.

 

Professor Hack thanked those who had served to develop the new constitution.  She requested and received the Council permission for Professors P. Gupta, D. Kirkpatrick, and R. Rivers, members of the Council on Academic Reorganization to address as needed the Council on the proposed constitution.  Professor Dobberstein introduced the document and agreed that the document should be reviewed by the Council item by item.  The following summarizes the discussion of and comments on each item of the constitution.

 

Preamble  No changes were proposed.

 

I. Composition of the Purdue University Calumet Faculty 

 

The exclusion of the President of the University from the faculty was noted.  Reasons for doing so included the lack of presidential participation in campus governance activities in the past, and to demonstrate the campus’s autonomy.  Chancellor Yackel noted that the President was excluded but visiting faculty were now to be accorded voting rights.  Professor Wermuth said that the Board of Trustees has designated the President as “...the President of its Faculty...” which will likely preclude excluding the President from the Purdue Calumet Faculty.

 

II.  Establishment of the Governing Body

 

Professor Dobberstein said this section changes the governing body’s name from Council of Faculty Delegates to Senate.  He said the section is essentially identical to Article I. A. paragraph two of the Articles of Organization.

 

III. Amendments

 

Professor Dobberstein said that this section is essentially identical to Article I. B. of the Articles of Organization.

 

IV. Powers and Responsibilities of the Faculty

 

Professor Dobberstein said that section A. General Powers is essentially identical to Article III. A. of the Articles of Organization.

 

There was much discussion of section B. Authority.  It was noted that the Board of Trustees has given to the Faculty specific powers and responsibilities, which are spelled out in Academic Regulation A. 4.05.; and that the list of authorities in IV.B. of the draft constitution does not agree with that list.  After much discussion, it was agreed to review and compare the the authorities in the draft for differences with the powers and responsibilities granted by the Board of Trustees.

 

Professor Dobberstein said some of the previous authorities were split into two items for clarity.

 

There was discussion of Section C. Advisory Role.  Vice Chancellor Newsom noted that in section C.3., audio visual services were included with the library.  He said that unit no longer reports to the library.  He recommended placing audio visual services in section C.4.  It was noted that section C.7. is identical to item III.C.7 of the Articles of Organization except for the deletion of the terminal phrase, “...in the attainment of the educational objectives of Purdue University Calumet.”.  It was noted that section C.8. is a proposed advisory role for the faculty.

 

There was discussion of Section D. Appeal to Trustees.  It was noted that this section is identical to Article III.D. of the Articles of Organization, but that the approach of the Faculty to the Trustees seems unclear in that the words “directly” and “through the President’ seem contradictory or at best ambiguous.

 

It was noted that Section E. Purdue University System-wide Faculty Government is essentially identical to Article III.E. University-wide Faculty Governance, except for the substitution of “system-wide” for “university-wide” in the title and body of the item.  There was a discussion of the difference between an university and a university system, and whether the section needed to be reviewed.

 

Professor Hack halted the discussion of the draft constitution due to time constraints. 

 

VI. Unfinished Business

 

There was no unfinished business.

 

VII. Reports of Committees

 

Agenda Committee:  Professor  Dobberstein said the committee had met and prepared the present agenda, and will consider the need for a special or May meeting.

 

Faculty Affairs Committee:  Professor Evans said the committee will meet later in the day to continue its discussion of promotion and tenure.

 

Nominating Committee:  Professor Ting said the committee met February 18 and elected Professor Walker chair of the committee for the 1997-98 academic year.  She said the committee is preparing a ballot for election to the Council presidency for the 1997-98 academic year.  She urged those who are eligible but choose not to serve as presiding officer to notify her.

 

Research and Educational Policy Committee:  Professor Mura said the committee will meet later in the day to discuss Council Documents 97-02 and 97-03.  She noted her and Professor Hack’s letters to the Chronicle, and the Administrative Update column’s attempt to correct the information previously presented in the Chronicle on the general education issue.

 

Resources and Planning Committee:  Professor Dobberstein said the committee had met February 11 and discussed the fall break.

 

Student Affairs Committee:  This committee will meet March 7.

 

Intercampus Faculty Council:  Professor Dobberstein said the committee will not meet during the present semester..

 

Student Government:  There was no report from Student Government

 

VIII.     Other New Business

 

There was no other New Business.

 

IX. Adjournment

 

With no further business before the Council, Professor Hack declared the meeting adjourned.

 

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