November 30, 2022 Minutes

Printable version with links.

Power Point Presentation

Faculty Senate Meeting (Leon Johnson 346)

11.30.2022

3:15pm – 4:30pm

WebEx for those not able to attend in person:

I.            Call to Order

a.      Meeting was called to order at 3:15pm.

II.            Approval of FS Minutes from November 9, 2022

a.      Tomas Gedeon moves to approved. Susanne Cowan seconds. None opposed. No abstentions. Approved.

III.            FYI items

a.      MSU’s first-ever Research Development Day – Jan 12, 2023

In addition to a keynote from the Head of NSF’s Office of Integrative Activities, Dr. Alicia Knoedler, the event will feature informational sessions and one-on-one consultations with federal program officers (advance sign-up required).

https://www.montana.edu/calendar/events/43447

b.      Alumni Foundation Awards for Excellence Update – Return to the existing number of awards, the inclusion of Gallatin College and graduate students, rebranded and linked to Founders Day.  Today is last day for nominations.

https://www.montana.edu/calendar/events/44079

c.       BOR Meeting Update

i.      Academic Warning/Academic Suspension Policy change approved to start going into effect in Spring 2023

ii.      Dependent Tuition Waiver Changes Approved

d.      Fall 2023 Convocation announced. Speaker: Author Stephanie Land. 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023

e.      You are all invited to attend the 2023 MSU Library Open House on Tuesday, January 17, 2023. This year the event will be held in-person from 3-6 p.m. on the 2nd floor of the Library. For the 2023 Open House, the Library will broadly celebrate a theme of "Opening Possibilities." The Library is looking forward to gathering with MSU faculty, staff, graduate students, and Bozeman community members to enjoy food and beverages, listen to music, and explore the services offered by MSU Library and its partners. For more information, please visit this page: https://www.lib.montana.edu/about/news-and-events/annualevents/open_house/2023_open_house.html.

f.        Student Art Wall competition: The Norm Asbjornson Hall first-floor artwork panel (approximately 20 feet wide x 10 feet high) is adjacent to the main passenger elevator on the south side of the central atrium. Building visitors will see the Art Wall in its prominent location via nearby walkways, stairs, classrooms, and meeting areas. The winning student or team will receive a $2,500 scholarship and funding for the materials and installation. The online submission site for proposals will open soon and will remain open through the first few days of classes in the Spring 2023 semester. This allows any student to work on ideas and create a proposal during the semester break: proposals must be submitted electronically by Friday, January 20, 2023.

News release about the competition

           Competition website, including suggestions, guidelines, and deadlines

IV.            New Business:  Dr. Craig Ogilvie

a.      Proposed Graduate Policy Updates- Policy workflow

i.      Age of courses revision

A.      Comments

1.      If a PhD student has to go back and retake a course they took six years ago, that doesn’t help them get to graduation. 

a)       That almost never happens. Don’t remember that scenario ever happening. 

b)       Meant to encourage students who are close, to go ahead and finish their degree.

c)        Instead of retaking a course, an independent study could be completed where the student could experience some of the new things that have come out in their field of study.

2.      Working students are not just taking online courses. 

3.      Would increase tuition revenue. Don’t see how it helps student. 

4.      There is an appeals process. Simple appeal and a more difficulty appeal.

a)        We currently get about a dozen appeals per semester.

5.      In some cases, nothing has changed in a field. Still teaching the same physics, math, etc., for decades.

ii.      Age of comprehensive exam validity policy revision

A.      Comments

1.      Comprehensive exam could mean something different to each department.

a)       Each program needs something called a comprehensive exam, but what that looks like is up to the departments

b)       May need to change your language, and how you refer to your exams.

c)       Neither policy is intended to increase the time to graduation.

iii.      The review process for research faculty chairing graduate committees

A.      Filling a hole where a policy didn’t exist. 

B.      Dept can op in or out

C.      What’s wrong with co-chair? Some would like to be sole chairs. 

D.     Is their compensation for them? That is up to the department. 

E.      Worry about those other than faculty supervising our graduate students. 

F.       What happens if they take a new job, and they leave a graduate student in the lurch? 

G.     Worry about the erosion of tenure track faculty on campus.

H.     Remember that this was mentioned in your faculty handbook, referring to a policy that didn’t exist. This is filling that hole.

I.        Was a rich discussion at Senate about 4 years ago about those who want to ease out and work less than 1.0 FTE, so they would go into research faculty positions. 

V.            Undergraduate Courses and Programs

a.      Courses – First Reading

i.      MCH 242 : CNC Probing and Macros

ii.      ACT 253 : Intermediate Mountaineering

iii.      ACT 266 : Introduction to Bike-packing

iv.      ACT 267 : Introduction to Outdoor Gear Repair

v.      ACT 268 : Introduction to Ski/Board Repair and Maintenance

vi.      ACT 273 : Single Pitch Instructor Course

vii.      ACT 278 : Wilderness First Responder Recertification

viii.      ACT 282 : Personal Trainer Certification

ix.      AHMA 207 : Medical Assisting in Healthcare Specialties

x.      SOCI 415 : Sociology of Trauma

b.      Courses – Second Reading 

i.      EENV 202 : Sustainable Waste Management

ii.      HEE 340 : Methods of Health Education

iii.      HVC 260 : Commercial Air Conditioning and Refrigeration

c.       Course Changes- Second Reading

i.      EBME 100 : Introduction to Biomedical Engineering

A.      Credit change from 1 to 2

B.      Additional learning outcomes

C.      Combining EBME 100 and EBME 102 outcomes. Will become one course. 

d.      Course Inactivations- Second Reading

i.      BIOB 377 : Practical Genetics

A.      Course is no longer being offered as it was determined to be too similar in content to BIOB 375

ii.      HORT 447 : Advanced Plant Propagation

A.      Instructor who taught this course left MSU. Current programs don't need this course.

VI.            Graduate Courses and Programs 

a.      Graduate Courses – Second Reading

i.            BIOO 537 : Plant Development

ii.            CSCI 545 : Advanced Human Computer Interaction

iii.            HDCO 542 : Communication and Helping Skills

iv.            NRSG 639 : Midwifery Clinical Care Skills and Procedures

v.            NRSG 640 : Advanced Pharmacology II Nurse Midwifery

vi.            NRSG 641 : Midwifery Care During the Antepartum

vii.            NRSG 642 : Midwifery Care During the Intrapartum

viii.            NRSG 643 : Midwifery Care During the Postpartum and Care of the Neonate

ix.            NRSG 644 : Primary and Gynecologic Care

x.            NRSG 645 : Advanced Midwifery Clinical I

xi.            NRSG 646 : Advanced Midwifery Clinical II

xii.            NRSG 647 : Advanced Midwifery Clinical III

xiii.            NRSG 648 : Advanced Midwifery Clinical IV

xiv.            PSPP 501 : Navigating Graduate Studies

xv.            STAT 500 : Applied Methods in Statistics

b.      Graduate Courses Changes – Second Reading 

i.            NRSG 575 : Professional Paper and Project

A.      Credit change from 1-4 to 2

ii.            NRSG 604 : Evidence Based Practice I

A.      Credit change from 4 to 3

iii.            PHSX 575: Conceptual Physics for Teachers

A.      Number change from 497

B.      Some students are running into trouble with the 400-level course offering. Because they are graduate students, school districts and administrators are looking for 500 level courses. Plus, there is a limit on how many 400 level courses can be on a graduate Program of Study. This course is of appropriate breadth and depth to be considered a 500-level course.

iv.            PSCI 551 : Quantitative Research Methods

A.      Title change from Research Methods for Public Administrators

v.            SFBS 552 : State of the Food Environment 

A.      Title change from  State of the Environment: Policy, Management, and Practice

c.       Graduate Course Changes – First Reading

i.            NRSG 614 : Vulnerability and Health Care in Diverse Communities

A.      Add an additional lab credit for accreditation purposes

d.      Graduate Course Changes – Second Reading

i.            NRSG 575 : Professional Paper and Project

A.      Credit change from 1-4 to 2

ii.            NRSG 604 : Evidence Based Practice I

A.      Credit change from 4 to 3

e.      PHSX 575: Conceptual Physics for Teachers

i.            Number change from 497

ii.            Some students are running into trouble with the 400-level course offering. Because they are graduate students, school districts and administrators are looking for 500 level courses. Plus, there is a limit on how many 400 level courses can be on a graduate Program of Study. This course is of appropriate breadth and depth to be considered a 500-level course.

f.        PSCI 551 : Quantitative Research Methods

i.            Title change from Research Methods for Public Administrators

g.      SFBS 552 : State of the Food Environment 

i.            Title change from  State of the Environment: Policy, Management, and Practice

h.      Graduate Course Inactivation- Second Reading

i.            ECNS 575 : Professional Paper and Project

A.      This graduate program option is no longer available. Thus, the professional paper course is obsolete. This option was only used by 1 student since its inception over 30 years ago.

i.       New Graduate Programs – Second Reading

i.            CTCO-CERT : Chemistry Teaching

ii.            ELTO-CERT : Elementary Science Teaching

iii.            ESTO-CERT : Earth Science Teaching

iv.            LSTO-CERT : Life Science Teaching

v.            PTCO-CER : Physics Teaching

VII.            Senators’ Open Conversation

a.      College of Engineering wanted to bring forward a discussion on the issues with custodial services. Now common areas are now also faculty/staff responsibility. Diminishes the value of what we do. We see custodial staff in the building that are on their iPads all day long. 

i.            The bags don’t fit the cans. There is no way to wash them out if stuff does get in there. 

ii.            Don’t even know where the vacuum is, or cleaning supplies.

iii.            When from one COVID extreme to the other. 

iv.            Doing our own accounting, our own custodial work, takes away from the actual duties of our job. 

v.            The university should look at privatized services. 

vi.            If you are asking that of faculty, you should let them know in their job description, so they know what they are going to be expected to do. 

vii.            I would rather have someone who is trained to clean, to do the cleaning. 

viii.            This is a labor shortage issue, not a budget decision. 

ix.            Need to try and get the wages up so that people will want the job and will stay in the job. 

x.            Should we invite Facilities Services to come talk to us about this? 

A.      Suggest also invited the Chief Human Resource Officer. 

xi.            Our student workers when from 3,000 to about 100. Is now up to a couple of hundred. 

xii.            We aren’t allowed to just raise salaries. We have to go through OCHE. This isn’t just faculty, it’s on all of us. 

xiii.            We have never seen anything like the labor shortages we have now. 

xiv.            What is the reasoning behind not allowing high schoolers to work in the dining halls? Good question for HR. Think it’s an age issue.

xv.            Actively recruiting student workers.

VIII.            Public Comment

a.      None

IX.            Executive Session

a.      Nominee introduction for Special Election

i.            Do not have any firm nominees at this time.

ii.            If you have questions, please reach out to Jennifer or Eric.

iii.            Are there restrictions? Have to be TT, but do not have to be part of Senate currently.

iv.            Ideally it would be three semesters: Chair Elect, Chair, Faculty Affairs Chair.

v.            You do get compensations for your work. 

vi.            We need nominations before our next meeting. 

vii.            Please reach out to your faculty. 

viii.            Compensation on top of regular AY salary:

A.      Chair

a.      60 % of AY base + one month of summer pay

B.      Chair Elect

a.      35% of AY base + one month of summer pay

C.      Faculty Affairs Chair

a.      10% of AY base  

ix.            Chair and Chair elect split sitting on all of the councils. 

X.            Adjourn

a.      Chris Posbergh moves to adjourn. Susanne Cowan seconds. Meeting adjourned at 4:37pm.