Present:

Present: C.Burns, J.Murphy, K. Carico, D. Dietz, S. Brown, G. Carson, L. Cass, F. Chua, J.Floyd, M. Gaballa, A. Gaskievicz, C. Hoy, V. Jenkins, A. Johnson, P. Junius, W. Keeth, P. Keller, L. Labuski-Brown, J. Mansfield, T. Murphy, D. McKee, M. Renner, J. Purk, P. Savoye, R. Stage (for R. Stender), S. Stein, K.Thorne, W.Thornsley

I.

I. C. Burns called the meeting to order at 3:34. Senate minutes of February 9, 2006 were approved (K. Thorne/C. Hoy).

APPROVED

II.

Treasurer's Report (D. Dietz)

No change. $127.00 needed before the next scholarship withdrawal of 750.00.

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APPROVED

III.

Announcements

Guest Announcement (Dia Carleton): Each candidate for MU President will be given a day-long interview during March 26-28th with the chancellor and others. From there, each candidate gets an hour with the executive committee of Board of Governors (on the 5th or 6th). On April 19th, the committee will vote and make their decision by April 20th. The concern that other searches on a faster track may eliminate some of our candidates.

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IV.

Committee and Other Reports

Academic Affairs (J. Floyd)

AAC Motions
Feb.14, 2006

1. Business- Travel and Tourism

New Course: TRT 3340 Meetings, Conventions, Special Events Planning and Management 3 s.h.
Purpose and Nature of the Course: TRT 3340 is a comprehensive study of professional meeting management: sponsors; planning and development; management and evaluation; sales, marketing and services; conventions, special events, exhibitions, and trade shows.
Course description for Catalog: This course is an overview of the scope, nature, and basic concepts of planning and managing meetings and conventions. It explores the relationship of meeting/conventions and marketing. The student will develop an appreciation of how meeting/conventions/special events are planned, implemented, managed, and evaluated. Additionally, the course will explore the intimate relationship of the travel industry to the meeting world.

Discussion
K. Thorne: Question about the proposed level. It was a 4440; now it is a 3340.
P. Savoye: No prerequisites? None. M. Renner: The description says students will be studying these events rather than undergoing training in how to do the rudiments of event planning. D. Solen: They should know the rudiments. Plus there is a class project and a property and community survey. JMurphy: Is this required? DS: Not now. May be proposed asap. It is offered once every third semester.

Motion Carried.

2. New Course: ELE 5391 Contemporary Issues in Classroom Management 3 s.h.

Purpose and Nature of Course: To provide graduate course for addressing “at- risk” factors in children and classroom techniques that teachers may use to address students’ behavioral, social, and emotional needs.
Course Description for Catalog (limit to four sentences): Course addresses “at- risk” factors in children and classroom techniques that teachers may use to address students’ behavioral, social, and emotional needs. Content covers current research in contemporary issues in students’ developmental levels, at-risk factors, diversity, gender-related factors, family issues, SES, homelessness, and motivation for learning. Students will compile professional portfolio to support their implementing course knowledge in the classroom.
Dual listed with ELE 3391

Discussion
Questions centered on the implications of the dual-listing with ELE 3391: Is it a new course? Is the content different? Can students take it twice? Why is the title different? Is that necessary? Is assigning a new title to the graduate equivalent in a dual-listed course a new practice? Is the evaluation performance-based? Do we have a policy about the relationship between grad and undergraduate courses? Will courses with two different names be considered two preparations?

C. Burns: Our understanding it is the same course, but at a higher level performance than undergraduate. Perhaps we need an examination of the policy. It could be done at graduate council. K. Carico will take it to graduate council. Also, we need to hear from Lynne Hammann, who submitted the course change. (D.Dietz called Lynne, who was available and could come immediately to respond to questions.)

S. Young: Move to postpone this until a later time in this meeting when Lynne can come over. (KThorne/T/Murphy)

(At 4:00, Lynne Hammann arrived to respond to questions):

T. Murphy: Is the description of ELE 3391 the same as this description? LH: No. This was developed as a special topics course. LH crafted the language to reflect a graduate approach. If a student had taken the undergraduate course and was enrolled in the graduate level, Lynne would do individualized papers and would do more individual planning for the course, giving them more of an opportunity to expand on their basic knowledge. TM: What is the title of 3391? LH: Behavioural, Social and Emotional Issues. 1/3-1/2 is classroom management and the rest at risk issues, e.g.bullying, death in family.

C. Burns: Would it be much more common for a student to take it as graduate level as a first course rather than as a second one? LH: Yes, it is a certification course, and the ones we have in the program usually have not already taken it as an undergraduate.

J. Murphy: Should it have been a course change or new course? IF it’s a required course, should we not also have a curricular change? C. Burns: It’s not a required course in the graduate program; it is a required course in the certification program. LH: The two courses that are available are focused on special education rather than elementary and secondary majors working w/students in the regular class. JM: So certification is a program not addressed by AAC? CB: Certification is addressed within the grad program and elementary program. We have a lot of New York students who complete the master’s degree in elementary education and do not try to get certification in PA.

T. Murphy: Troubled by “Behavioral, Social, and Emotional Issues” and “Contemporary Issues in Classroom Management”. They seem to be fundamentally different courses. Strikes me as confusing. If faculty is willing to put up with the confusion, though, it can be up to them. C. Burns: The certification requirements can clearly list it as a graduate equivalent of ELE 3391.

LH: When it was developed as a special topics course, I was advised to make it different so it wouldn’t sound the same as the undergraduate. It has been offered it as many times as possible as a special topics course. J.Floyd: On the certification equivalency form, there was NOT an appropriate graduate equivalency. This gives graduates an opportunity to take the certification requirement as a graduate.

C. Burns: Is it safe to say that most of the students who take the graduate-level course didn’t already have the undergrad course? LH: Yes. I haven’t had anyone taking it as a repeated course.

P. Keller: It may be appropriate since we have courses that are dual-listed that there be a note that says it’s “advanced and expanded” version of the course. CB: Does the final statement in the description suffice? PK: Yes.

J. Murphy: We need to have some institutional consistency. It’s been through Grad. Council, TEC, and AAC. P. Keller: That underscores the importance of K. Carico taking the issue to the Grad. Council.

B. Keeth: Is there a different syllabus? LH: Yes, with similar components as appropriate.

JMurphy called the question.

Vote on the proposal for a New Course: ELE 5391 Contemporary Issues in Classroom Management. In Favor: 26 Opposed: 1

Motion Carried.

3. New Course Request: COM 3306 Nonverbal Communication

Purpose and Nature of Course: To allow students to study nonverbal communication. This is a standard area of research in the communication field, and most universities include this course in their curriculum. Adding this course will give students in our field as well as in any other to have an elective that will help them to become better communicators.
Course Description for Catalog (limit to four sentences): This course covers the importance of nonverbal messages in communication. Attention is given to facial expression, body movement and posture, symbols and other forms of nonverbal expression. Students taking this course will (1) better understand the nonverbal communication they project, (2) learn how to interpret the nonverbals of others around them, (3) recognize the intercultural differences in nonverbal communication, (4) be better able to communicate nonverbally in today’s global society, and (5) be able to understand the implications of communicating without nonverbals when using specific communication channels such as email.
Prerequisites: COM 101_

Motion Carried.

AAC Motions To Senate
March 7, 2006

1. Course Change: ED 5596 Supervision: Principles and Current Practices

Purpose and nature of change: Prerequisite requirement for the upper level graduate course, ED 5596 Supervision: Principles and Current Practices
Prerequisites: Certification in an area of education or one of the following courses: ED 5545 Analysis and Evaluation of Pupil Growth, ED 5531 Social Foundations of Education, ED 5532 Historical Foundations of Education, ED 5533 Philosophical Foundations of Education, ED 5535 Foundations of Education.

Motion Carried.

2. New Course PHY 4440 Physics Practicum

Purpose and nature of change: Physics presently has no internship course options and we want one.
Course Description: The physics internship gives students the opportunity to apply knowledge and skills in physics while working with a private or public agency. The practical experience required augments the physics learned in the classroom. May be taken for 1 to 6 credits. No more than 3 credits can be count towards the major.
Typo on: instead of “internship” put “practicum.” Applies to next line as well. Corrected version as follows:
Purpose and nature of change: Physics presently has no practicum course options and we want one.
Course Description: The physics practicum gives students the opportunity to apply knowledge and skills in physics while working with a private or public agency. The practical experience required augments the physics learned in the classroom. May be taken for 1 to 6 credits. No more than 3 credits can be count towards the major.

Motion Carried.

3. Course Change SCI 3270 Nanotech Research Apprenticeship

Purpose and nature of change: (i) remove existing physics prerequisites and require permission of the instructor-this course can be accessible to other majors, but it does have required content competencies (see the attached sheet) and (ii) offer the course as a research apprenticeship (treated for compensation as an internship) - this course is completed off-campus(similar to student teachers) and the students' progress is monitored throughout the semester by the Nanotechnology Coordinator

Motion Carried.

4. New Course Request: BI 3381 Environmental Microbiology (4 credits)

Purpose and Nature of Course: To provide a course which presents the major principles of microbiology through an environmental perspective for those students concentrating in areas such as Fisheries and Environmental Science.
Course Description for Catalog (limit to four sentences): An introductory environmental microbiology course with an emphasis on the basic principles and concepts of microbiology focusing on the diversity of microbes, their metabolism, and their role in the environment. The laboratory helps students develop culturing techniques and other experimental methods commonly used for the study of microbial populations in their environment.
Prerequisites: BI 3370

Motion Carried.

5. Motion for Academic Affairs Committee: Minimum Academic Standards

Motion: Change the credit hours attempted for students from 0-15 to 0-16 for 1.20 QPA and from 16-30 to 17-30 for 1.4 QPA to reflect the fact that most students take up to 16 credits in their first semester at Mansfield University.

MINIMUM ACADEMIC STANDARDS

All degree-seeking students must meet the minimum academic standards of the institution. The minimum academic requirements for continuation at Mansfield are:

[0-16] credit hours attempted – 1.20 QPA
[17-30] credit hours attempted – 1.40 QPA
31-45 credit hours attempted – 1.60 QPA
46-60 credit hours attempted – 1.80 QPA
61+ credit hours attempted – 2.00 QPA

Credit hours attempted include transferred credit hours.
Rationale for change: Members of the ASRB saw freshmen who were dismissed with a 1.36 overall QPA because they had 16 credits attempted. UNV 1100 has raised the level of registered credits for regular admit students above the former 15 credit limit. The board feels the freshmen students should not be penalized with a dismissal for the additional credit.
Submitted for AAC 2/16/06 lac

Motion Carried.

6. Motion for Academic Affairs Committee: Academic Dismissal Policy

Motion: Add statement “The decision of the A.S.R.B. is final and may be appealed only in instances of alleged discrimination or failure of the board to properly follow university specified procedures and policies” to the academic dismissal policy contained in the catalog to clarify the appeal process for students who are dismissed for failure to meet academic standards. Add statement “and will be assigned an advisor in the Academic Advising Center” to clarify process for advising support when a student is reinstated.

ACADEMIC DISMISSAL

A degree seeking student who earns a cumulative quality point average (QPA) that is below the required minimum academic QPA at the end of any semester will be dismissed from Mansfield University. The minimum QPA varies depending upon how many credits you have attempted at Mansfield University and how many credits the university has accepted in transfer. (See “Minimum Academic Standards” above.) If you are academically dismissed, you may be reinstated to the university by appealing to and appearing before the Academic Standards Review Board prior to the beginning of the next semester, or you may apply to the Admissions Office for re-admission following an interval of one year. [The decision of the A.S.R.B. is final and may be appealed only in instances of alleged discrimination or failure of the board to properly follow university specified procedures and policies.] Students who are reinstated by the A.S.R.B. would be given two semesters to acquire the necessary Q.P.A. for continued matriculation. This is contingent upon earning a minimum 2.0 semester Q.P.A. for the semester immediately following their 1st dismissal. A student who has attempted 45 or fewer credits and is academically dismissed and is then subsequently reinstated by the Academic Standards Review Board will be assigned to the University Learning Center to participate in the Academic Skills Development Program [and will be assigned an advisor in the Academic Advising Center]. The purpose is to help the student improve his / her overall academic performance. Failure to participate in the Academic Skills Development Program will be considered at any subsequent dismissal hearing. Academic dismissal may impact your eligibility for financial aid. A second or subsequent dismissal terminates your association with Mansfield University.
Rationale: The additional statement [yellow] is to clarify policy. Students denied by the board will have no appeal to the Dean or Provost unless there is evidence of discrimination or failure of the board to follow university specified policies and procedures. Revision submitted 3/7/06 lac.

Motion Carried.

B.

Academic Planning (P. Savoye)

Program Change: Associates Degree program in information science. Intro to Logic is replaced by student option: Formal Logic or Reasoning. Join at 8:00 on Friday on the 5th Floor.

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C.

Administrative Affairs & Elections (C. Burns for S. Holderby)

Call for Nominations has been solicited by Shawn. Both VP and Secretary are two years. VP becomes president (4 years).

The search for Dean of Student Development – Narrowed to three candidates. One withdrew; committee returns to pool.

D.

Student Affairs & Admissions (L. Labuski-Brown)

No report.

E.

Information Technology (A. Gaskievicz)

No report.

F.

Library Advisory (A. Gaskievicz)

Committee met on 20th of February. Major issues were staffing and JSTOR.

• Staffing is a major issue b/c they lost Beth Henry and shortly going to lose Amber Johnson. Amber: Scott Dimarco informed Amber this week that, according to the Provost’s office, the position will be filled and they are getting a part-time position for inter-library loan. Left one fulltime position down.
• JSTOR is still in legal wrangling over which courts would have jurisdiction if there were any legal action. We want ot in PA; JSTOR wants it in CA.
• Andy has completed his term as chair of Library advisory. Holly Pieper will take over as new chair of library advisory.

Provost (M. Renner)

No report.

V.

Old Business

None.

VI.

New Business

None.

VII.

Adjournment at 4:20 (T. Murphy/K. Thorne).

Respectfully submitted,
Kathleen Carico
Interim Senate Secretary