FACULTY SENATE MEETING
February 14, 2003

MEMBERS PRESENT: P. Anderson, G. Avent, P. Bagley, R. Barton, E. Bateman, D. Borino, C. Eikenberry, E. Henderson, C. Hyslop, L. Hyslop, R. Kampf, J. Kempster, J. King, M. Kuhl, J. Larson, M. LaSalle, K. Martin, C. McMullen, K. Mowrey, B. Murphy, S. Neilsen, E. Nickel, C. Pyatt, L. Reber, J. Rice, B. Robertson, L. Sanchez-Saenz, J. Shaw, J. Shrock, Ju. Smith, P. Smith, G. Tenney, L. Uhlenkott, P. Warren, J. Williams

OTHERS PRESENT: Nevada State Association of Land Surveyors Representatives, Chuck Armet, Eric Heron, Bill Nisbet.

  1. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS : Chair Pete Bagley welcomed everyone to Senate.
  2. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 1:19 p.m.
  3. ATTENDANCE: Silent roll was taken Chair Pete Bagley declared a quorum present. Four proxy votes were recorded.
  4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The minutes of the January 17, 2003, Faculty Senate meeting were unanimously approved with the following clarification:
    1. Under Item VII.A. Academic Standards Committee report, the proposal for course duration should read: "[Pres. Killpatrick] proposes M, W, F courses at 50 minute intervals to be held during morning hours; M, W, and T, Th courses at 1.25 hour intervals to be held during the afternoon/evening hours."
  5. SENATE CHAIR REPORT:
    1. Board of Regents - There was not a lot of activity at the last meeting. The board is concentrating on preparation for the upcoming legislative session.
    2. Faculty Workload - At a meeting on January 31, a model for workload was presented based on proposal from Western Kentucky University. Chair Bagley asks that the model be circulated through Department Chairs for review. Comments and alternatives will be brought back to Executive Committee.
      1. Twelve credits or more (any combination of delivery mode) of high workload courses will equal a three credit reduction. Faculty must consider team teaching circumstances at a 12 - 15 credit rotation. The WKU model only gives a course reduction every three semesters.
      2. A policy must be realistic for Administration to give consideration. The discussion for Department Chairs may occur via email; however, cannot guarantee that it will be brought back before the next Senate meeting.
  6. COMMITTEE REPORTS:
    1. Curriculum and Articulation - Written report submitted; unanimously approved with the following amendments. Add a "B" designation for FREN 102 - Conversational French II. There are questions with regards to the Agriculture program content and approval will be withheld until specific program requirements are outlined to Senate.
    2. General Education - Written report submitted; information only. The committee is working on the evaluation of Gen Ed courses with concentration on English 102 courses. Also, they have begun the evaluation of communication skills across the curriculum and re-designing the Gen Ed grid. Outcomes for all will be brought back to Senate for approval.
    3. Distance Education - Written report submitted; unanimously approved.
      1. The forums on February 7 for IAV and online instructors went well with the committee gaining a lot of beneficial information and they wish to thank everyone for their input. The committee requested reinforcement of compensation issues and delegated responsibility to individual departments to better support distance education delivery. The committee has proposed a solution for replacing older computers for online instructors. The committee strongly suggests that any instructor undertaking online instruction attend the workshops provided by Lisa Frazier, and those undertaking IAV instruction sit-in on an IAV class.
      2. The committee presented the final copy of the Intellectual Property Rights document. The document is the same as previously approved except for the addition of item seven which states, "This agreement will be enforced unless UCCSN develops a policy that effectively supercedes what is spelled out in this arrangement."
    4. Personnel - Verbal report; information only. The Ely English candidate is scheduled to be interviewed in March. The IAV Coordinator position has six applications which will be reviewed the week of February 17 by the committee headed by John Rice. The replacement for Lisa Frazier has received three applications which will also be reviewed the week of February 17 by the committee headed by Janice Kempster.
  7. FOUR YEAR COMMITTEE REPORTS:
    1. Bachelor of Applied Science -
      1. Dr. Jay Larson, Lead Faculty for the BAS program, invited members of the Nevada State Association of Land Surveyors to address the Senate regarding the Land Surveying Program component of the BAS degree. NSALS is a non-profit state organization which works with National Society of Professional Surveyors and the American Commerce of Surveying and Mapping for the Advancement of the Surveying Profession. This degree had been part of the BAS degree program since inception with little progress made. Recent events have placed the program center stage in development. Eric Heron, Secretary for the NSALS, provided the following information on the proposed program:
        1. Nevada Bill 542 passed in 1998 calling for a four-year surveying program for state surveyors to be in place by 2006 with the bill to become law by 2010 (the bill dies if program not realized). Letters of support from private industry are forthcoming.
        2. Three state chapters of the NSALS control their own scholarship dollars; Elko has $8,000 available. There well over $35,000 set aside for an endowment. Grant money is available to provide the expensive instructional equipment for a AAS program component.
        3. The program was initially offered to UNLV, but the institution is too large to give the program the attention it needs to develop. Henderson State College's budget fell out and is not capable of hosting the program. UNR turned down the program. Elko is the perfect location because there is a lot of land and there are actual GLO surveys in the area from as far back as the 1860's.
        4. ABET accreditation for the program is the biggest issue. Securing surveying instructors may be difficult as the largest program in the country at Purdue University only graduates two doctorates per year. Most of the courses can be met with current faculty. The NSALS is looking to gather a pool of qualified instructors for the specialized course work.
        5. The program will be relying on GBC to provide the upper-division math course work. GBC has had problems filling upper-division math classes; however, the degree will bring students. Also, GBC works from the premise that if a course is a degree requirement it will be taught.
        6. Distance education delivery modes will be utilized for transmission on a rotation schedule (particulars to be negotiated). Cooperation between educational institutions within UCCSN will allow program students to remain at their current location while pursuing their certification. Most prospective students are not necessarily in Southern Nevada, but reside in the rural areas of the state.
        7. The only four-year program similar to the one being proposed is in Oregon. Two-year programs are available at CCSN and in Idaho and Utah (Idaho participants math ready for the four-year program). GBC's BAS program gaining accreditation will assist in the approval of the Surveying program. If GBC offers this program, the students must attend; although there are no hard number enrollment predictions. If the four-year program is in place by 2010 when the bill becomes law, surveyors would not be able to apply for their ROS must have this program certification. There is a grandfather clause in place.
        8. This program works into the hire prioritization for approval.
        9. A draft outline of the program requirements is available. A motion was made and unanimously approved as a formal voice of support for the Land Surveying Program as an emphasis of the BAS degree at Great Basin College.
      2. Dr. Jay Larson has been invited to present "Creating Innovative Leaders Using A Unique Curriculum" in Los Angeles, California, at the Chair Academy and the Western Management Academy (Layola Marimount). The report details GBC's work in creating its General Education program and how the BAS was designed to create ethical and innovative managers.
      3. The program has been speaking with the fire science programs at Carlin and TMCC on using GBC in a 2 + 2 degree. TMCC is responsive to a program similar to the above presented Land Surveying program.
    2. Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education - The Special Education endorsement is moving forward. The Secondary Education program is stalled because there is no lead faculty member in place to develop the program. The committee will query Administration on priorities since there is a large student interest and faculty support.
  8. DEPARTMENT CHAIRS: Written report submitted; information only. The committee suggested modification to the scheduling of IAV classes to better utilize rooms and equipment and will continue working toward a solution for Spring 2004 course scheduling which benefits students and instructors' schedules. The committee will review the UCCSN Academic Masterplan touching on discussion points provided by the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
  9. OLD BUSINESS:
    1. Faculty Hire Prioritization - An outline of the Executive Committee's findings for the prioritization of faculty hires was presented. The modified outline encompasses findings of the Committee following the submissions for justification as requested as the last Senate meeting. Copies of justifications are available upon request.

      1. High Priorty
        Math
        Secondary Education
        Sociology/CRJ
        Medium Priority
        Art
        Faculty-in-Residence
        Technical Theatre
        Contingent
        English
        Fire Science
        GIS/Survey
        Nursing

      2. Contingent Category can jump above High Priority positions if the outside funding source is secured. The High Priority and Medium Priority positions will be funded through GBC if the budget allows.
      3. Faculty are reminded that these are one-year priorities. It will be requested that the entire High Priority category be advertised for with the note of "contingent upon funding." The Medium Priority category should be similarly advertised.
      4. A justification for the EMS position was not brought forward and was, therefore, dropped from consideration.
      5. The Nevada Hospital Association has found $15 million of the required $20 million through federal funding for health professional in urban and rural areas. This will be brought in bill form to the legislature. Chancellor Jane Nichols has been working closely with this group and other interested lobbyist parties.
      6. The Faculty-in-Residence position will be designed as a permanent faculty line for one-year or one-semester, rotating appointments to strengthen the various institutional disciplines as needed and as opportunity arises.
      7. The Personnel Committee chair may still have to work summer hours to bring the positions into place. Guidelines for summer compensation for the committee chair has been adopted by the President.
      8. A motion and was made and unanimously approved to accept the proposed hire prioritization.
  10. NEW BUSINESS:
    1. Senate Bylaw Committee - The ad hoc Bylaw Committee presented the proposed modifications to the committee structure of Faculty Senate. Adjustments were made to committee appointment procedures and committee responsibilities as reflected in past Senate actions. The proposal indicating the combining of certain committees with the reasoning that fewer committees with rotating membership would mean more participation and less distracted concentration on the business responsibilities. The policy holds faculty responsible for committee participation.
      1. The Library Standing Committee requests that the statement which reads "The administrator who oversees the Library shall serve as an ex-officio member of this committee" be reinstated to the committee description. This is an insurance for inclusion if the term "administrative faculty" is ever fully defined by Senate. A motion was made to accept the statement as part of the committee description and was approved with two opposed.
      2. The newly titled Assessment Committee which was combination of the Faculty and Administrative Evaluations Committee and the General Education Committee requests that the committees retain their separate committee designations. Both committees are attempting a major review of components specific to the operation of the faculty. A combining of the two at this point is not feasible. Following extensive discussion, a motion was made and unanimously approved to keep the two committees separate. The committees' descriptions of responsibilities should read as follows:
        1. Assessment - Appointment for this committee extends for two years. This committee serves to periodically review and make recommendation relevant to standards, educational quality, implementation, oversight, and assessment of the academic program for the college. The administrator who oversees institutional assessment shall be an ex-officio member of this committee.
        2. Faculty and Administrative Evaluations - The committee formulates the criteria, monitors the evaluations of supervisory and executive faculty and prepares and maintains forms and procedures for student, peer, and administrative faculty.
        3. This is friendly amendment which did not require a vote.
      3. The Scholarships and Awards Committee and the Student Relations Committee were combined under the new bylaw descriptions. The committees requests that they retain their separate committee designations due to the amount of work and responsibilities required by the Scholarship and Awards Committee. The work of the Student Relations Committee is extremely minimal and it was felt by the Bylaws committee that this minimal activity can be absorbed into the Scholarship and Awards Committee. As the college continues to grow, separation may be feasible because the committees serve two separate functions. A motion was made to retain the structure of two separate committees; the motion failed due to lack of quorum.
      4. A motion was made to accept the revisions of the ad hoc Bylaw Committee with the amendment of the above approved modifications. Quorum was met via proxy and the motion passed with one opposed.
  11. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS:
    1. ENG 100 - Professor Janice Kempster provided program background on the addition of English 100 to the Fall 2003 semester. The course is designed for students who are above the 095 level in their ability, but do not quite meet the level for 101. The five-credit course will allow students to fulfill their first semester of English requirement (ENG 101) while completing the remedial process. This does not replace ENG 102. Placement will be based writing sample analysis. The course has been approved by Curriculum and Articulation and live versions will be offered at the Elko campus for Fall 2003 with online versions of the course available for Spring 2003.
    2. Emergency Procedures/Accreditation - Pat Anderson, GBC Safety and Security Officer, informed faculty that for accreditation purposes, those classes which have a lab or hands-on component to their instruction, course documentation must cover safety procedures in use.
    3. Employee Photo ID - Attachment of a photo to the underside of the UCCSN Employee Identification cards are available through Student Central. This assists the Fitness Center in ensuring those using the facilities are, in fact, enrolled in some type of open workout course. Faculty requests that employees of the Fitness Center begin to actively check the users of the facilities to ensure that health-related complications do not arise or are intercepted.
  12. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 3:43 p.m.(quorum for adjournment met through proxy votes). The next Senate meeting is scheduled for March 21, 2003, at 1:15 p.m.