Strategic Topics Identified by the Faculty Senate
Spring 2003

Topics ranked by vote count:

1. Priorities for faculty—teaching loads versus research expectations

2. Grade inflation

3. University College—effects on the curriculum

4. Teaching evaluations—consistent with expectations?

5. Strategic reduction in number of adjunct faculty

6. Fewer graduate programs

7. Stimulate faculty to raise the level of their courses

8. Transparency in the budget development process

9. Get rid of the 8:10 time slot?

10. Academic conduct code and related issues

11. Faculty evaluation of administrators

12. Campus and community partnerships for research and other initiatives

13. Diversity issues

14. Research resources

15. Too many offerings of too small a size? (both research and focus issues)

16. Faculty compensation for supervising multiple graduate internships

17. Clarify the 15 points

18. Improvement in adjunct salary levels

19. Become a smaller university

20. More access to data and electronic journals through the library

21. Basic infrastructure support

22. Ability of the bookstore, the registrar, and room assigners to accommodate one-week and other atypical courses

Updates, Fall 2003:

University College – Nanette Levinson, chair of the University College Project Team, presented a draft proposal to the Senate on September 10. Provost Kerwin reported at the November meeting that the project team’s final report will be available for review by the campus community by the end of the fall semester.

Grade Inflation/Teaching Evaluations – Laura Langbein, School of Public Affairs, reported on October 1 that she would present her findings to the Senate during the spring semester. In addition, Lyn Stallings, Associate Director, Teaching and Learning Services, reported that the newly formed Student Evaluations Committee was beginning work on improving the existing teaching evaluation instrument.

Diversity Issues – Mary Kennard, Vice President and General Counsel, and Caleen Jennings, Department of Performing Arts, led a discussion about diversity at the November 5th meeting. Professor Jennings distributed a questionnaire in order to get a sense of how members of the Senate feel about addressing issues of diversity at American.