UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND
Kingston, Rhode Island
FACULTY SENATE
MINUTES
Faculty Senate Executive Committee Meeting #8 -- October
14, 2003
1. The meeting was called to order at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday,
October 14, 2003 in the third floor conference room in Green Hall,
Chairperson Beckman presiding. All members were present.
2. The minutes of Executive Committee Meetings #4, September 16,
2003, and #7, October 7, 2003 were approved with minor corrections.
3. Announcements/Correspondence
a. A copy of the May, June, July 2003 edition of URI
In the News was circulated for information.
b. Chairperson Beckman reported that Ms. Morrissey had forwarded
to the Executive Committee copies of Chapters 1 and 3 from New
Directions for Institutional Research, no. 116, Winter 2002 in
response to questions raised at the previous JSPC meeting about what
academic institutions use as a basis for measuring performance. She
said that she would read the materials as soon as possible and would
then share them with members of the Executive Committee.
c. Chairperson Beckman announced that the next meeting of the
Board of Governors would coincide with the October 30 Faculty Senate
meeting and her subsequent class that evening. Senator Rosen said
that he would represent the Senate at the meeting.
4. The Executive Committee reviewed a draft Agenda for Faculty
Senate Meeting #2, October 30, 2003. Ms. Grubman explained that
additional reports might be forthcoming because the deadline for
submission was the following day.
5. The Executive Committee was brought up to date on the
following matters of continuing concern:
a. Graduate Education, Research and Outreach:
Chairperson Beckman reminded the Executive Committee that Senator
Rodgers would join them on October 21 to discuss the charge to the ad
hoc committee.
b. Library Committee: Ms Grubman reported that after she had
learned that University Libraries did not maintain a list of faculty
members who serve as college/department liaisons, she had contacted
all of the college deans and had asked them for names. She noted that
she had only heard from a few colleges, not all of which had
designated a faculty member to served in that role.
c. University Policy: In order to allow additional time for
review, the Executive Committee agreed to postpone consideration of a
request from Vice Provost Gandel that they determine whether the
proposed Computing and Network Use Policy requires review and
approval by the Faculty Senate.
d. PCA Accompaniment/Complement: The Executive Committee agreed
to raise with the JSPC their conviction that qualitative information
to accompany the PCA analysis was needed. They also decided to
reassert their opinion that a pilot project be undertaken to give
academic department chairs the opportunity to complete the PCA
accompaniment/complement, to comment on the materials, and to suggest
questions that might better reflect issues of quality.
6. The Executive Committee met with Professor Holmes, Chair of
the Teaching Effectiveness Committee (TEC) from 3:25 to 4:20 p.m.
Specific charges to the TEC were discussed. The Executive Committee
encouraged Professor Holmes to ask the committee to focus on matters
of greatest concern. The following issues were identified during the
discussion:
a. Review those factors that have been identified as
promoting retention to learn which teaching-related behaviors and
activities support student retention and to find ways to advance
these practices.
b. Consider the development and regular distribution of a
questionnaire for students on teaching at URI similar to one that was
undertaken in 1995-96. The intent of the questionnaire is to provide
for regular feedback to, and acknowledgement of, faculty members
identified by students as having been effective teachers.
c. Continue to pursue the classroom improvements that had been
initiated by the Faculty Senate and supported by a classroom
management team that has adequate resources to follow-through.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:20 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Sheila Black Grubman