Oakland University Senate
Fifth Meeting
January 19, 1978
3:00 p.m.
128-130 Oakland Center
AGENDA
Submitted by George T. Matthews for the Steering Committee.
A. Old Business
1. From the agenda of December 8, 1977, item 1. (New Business). Motion from the Center for Health Sciences (Stransky/Jones) as follows:
a. MAIN MOTION
MOVED THAT THE UNIVERSITY SENATE RECOMMEND TO THE PRESIDENT AND THE BOARD THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A PROGRAM IN PHYSICAL THERAPY LEADING TO THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN PHYSICAL THERAPY, EFFECTIVE UPON AUTHORIZATION BY THE APPROPRIATE FUNDING AGENCIES OF THE STATE. DEGREE REQUIREMENTS SHALL BE AS FOLLOWS:
In order to graduate with the B.S. in Physical Therapy, a student must:
1. Have successfully completed a minimum of 128 credits.
2. Have successfully completed or met all general undergraduate degree requirements.
3. Have successfully completed the program of instruction leading to the B.S. in Physical Therapy as prescribed by the Center for Health Sciences with credit distribution as follows:
a. Learning Skills - 8
b. General Education - 24
c. Basic Sciences - 55
d. Clinical Sciences - 41
4. Be admitted to degree candidacy by the University and the Center for Health Sciences.
b. AMENDMENT (Jones/Ozinga)
THAT DEGREE REQUIREMENTS LISTED IN THE MAIN MOTION BE AMENDED AS FOLLOWS:
1. 128 changed to 136 credits
2. No change
3. (Introductory phrase no change):
a. Learning Skills - 8
b. Basic Sciences - 55
c. Clinical Sciences - 41
d. General Education - 32 credits, including 8 free electives with the proviso that no credits in courses in the Basic and Clinical Sciences may be offered to fulfill the General Education requirement.
c. SUBSTITUTE AMENDMENT (Grossman/Heubel)
THAT THE DEGREE REQUIREMENTS LISTED IN THE MAIN MOTION BE AMENDED AS FOLLOWS:
1. 128 changed to 136 credits
2. No change
3. (Introductory phrase no change):
a. Learning Skills - 8
b. Basic Sciences - 55
c. Clinical Sciences - 41
d. General Education - 24 credits with the proviso that no credits in courses in the Basic and Clinical Sciences may be offered to fulfill the General Education requirement.
e. Free Electives - 8
Second Reading: Debatable, amendable and eligible for final vote at this meeting.
Comments:
1. Procedural: The Grossman/Heubel Substitute Amendment will be considered and voted on first; should it fail to carry, the Jones/Ozinga Amendment will be considered and voted upon; if either carries, the Main Motion as amended will be considered and voted upon; if both fail, the Main Motion unamended will be considered and voted upon.
2. The Summary Proposal concerning the Physical Therapy program may be found attached to the agenda of December 8, 1977.
2. From the agenda of November 17, 1977, item 2. (New Business). Motion from the Athletics Committee (Jackson/Coffman) as follows:
RESOLVED THAT THE SENATE SUPPORT THE MARCH 1977, POSITION STATEMENT OF THE ATHLETICS COMMITTEE
Second Reading: Debatable, amendable and eligible for final vote at this meeting.
Comments: 1. This item has been held over from the meeting of November 17 for second reading at this time.
2. Attached please find attachment 1 which, following the ruling of the .Chair of November 17, 1977, the Athletics Committee submits in compliance; Attachment 1 is the original report corrected to take account of suggestions made at that meeting (see minutes of November 17, 1977, as corrected by Senate action December 8, 1977).
B. New Business
1. Motion from the Academic Policy and Planning Committee (Mr. Heubel)
MOVED THAT THE UNIVERSITY SENATE RECOMMEND TO THE PRESIDENT AND THE BOARD THAT THE SCHOOL OF PERFORMING ARTS BE PROVIDED WITH A FACULTY COUNCIL FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS WHICH SHALL SERVE AS THE ACADEMIC GOVERNANCE AUTHORITY OF THE SCHOOL UNTIL SUCH TIME AS A FULLY CONSTITUTED ORGANIZED FACULTY OF PERFORMING ARTS SHALL BE APPROVED. THE MEMBERSHIP AND POWERS OF THE FACULTY COUNCIL SHALL BE AS FOLLOWS:
I. MEMBERSHIP: The membership of the Faculty Council for the School of Performing Arts shall comprise:
A. At least thirteen initial faculty:
1. Eight shall be appointed by the Provost upon recommendation of the Dean of Arts and Sciences, terms shall be three years renewable, initially staggered such that two serve for one year, two for two years and four for three years.
2. Three shall be appointed by the Provost upon recommendation of the Dean of Education, the terms to be three years renewable, but initially staggered such that one serves for one year, one for two and one for three.
3. Two shall be appointed by the Provost upon recommendation of the appropriate dean from the faculties of Economics and Management, Engineering, the Library and Nursing; the terms to be three years renewable, but initially staggered such that one serves a one year term.
B. The Provost (or his designee) ex officio.
C. At least three students appointed by the Provost upon recommendation of the Council. ,
D. Such others as may be appointed from time to time by the Provost upon recommendation of the Council. For this and subsequent footnotes see Special Comments.
E. The Chair of the Council shall be appointed by the Provost from the initial faculty membership of the Council upon recommendation of the Council; the Provost (or his designee) shall Chair pro tempore until a permanent Chair is appointed; the Chair-shall serve a three year term renewable.
II. POWERS: The Faculty Council shall have authority to:
1. Adopt such bylaws and create such committees, but including a Curriculum Committee, as nay be necessary for the conduct of its business.
2. Offer programs of instruction leading to, and to present candidates for, the decrees of Bachelor of Music (B.Mus.) and Master of Music (M.Mus.) and such other performing arts. decrees including the Bachelor (Masters) of Performing Arts [B.(M) P.A.], as may be authorized: offer other than decree programs of instruction in performing arts disciplines.
3. Determine and prescribe curricula and requirements for such decrees and programs as may be authorized.
4. Offer courses of instruction, in its own name under performing arts rubrics as approved by the Committee on Academic Policy and Planning.
5. Establish such internal academic regulations, including those affecting decree candidacy, as nay be necessary to the conduct of its programs.
6. Recommend plans for the future development of the School of Performing Arts.
First Reading: Debatable, amendable, but not eligible for final vote at this meeting.
GENERAL COMMENTS
This proposed action to establish a Faculty Council for the School of Performing Arts is recommended for two purposes: a) to provide an appropriate academic governance authority under which the Department of Music may offer its pre-professional, professional and applied decree programs and b) to provide the University with a recognized and competent agency for the planning of a reorganization and a revitalization of the School of Performing-Arts. Both purposes require elaboration.
1. The Department of Music, has for several years been developing music curricula of an increasingly applied and professional character. On the undergraduate level this has been done under an Arts and Sciences B.S. canopy with which both the College and the Department have been uncomfortable; the requirements for a professional and applied undergraduate degree in music cannot be accommodated within the liberal arts curricula of the College while the B.S. designation for a degree in applied music grows increasingly awkward to all concerned. In the evolving common meaning of words "science" bears no relation to ''music"; but to designate a professional music degree as Bachelor of Music is consistent with academic usage in many distinguished universities (in the history of academic degrees B.Mus. is at least as ancient as B.A.), and accords with the wishes of faculty, students and professionals in the field. In the spring of 1977, the Committee on Instruction of the College of Arts and Sciences informed the department that its B.S. with a major in music curriculum could be housed in Arts and Sciences for only a year pending University action providing a more appropriate home. Upon approval of this notion by the Senate and the Board the B.Mus. would be established under the authority of the proposed Faculty Council; the Council at a future date would present to the Senate the specific requirements for such degree. The M.Mus. degree was approved by the Senate March 17, 1977, and the Board April 27, 1977, and has been authorized by the State.
There is no intention to shift authority for the B.A. with a major in music from the College of Arts and Sciences to the Faculty Council for the School of Performing Arts; such a major presents no curricular difficulties to the College and belongs within that body's purview. The location of the B.Mus. and the M.Mus. degrees within the Faculty Council for the Performing Arts and the notion to establish the Council has the endorsement of the Dean of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Music, and of the Committee on Instruction of Arts and Sciences; it also has the support of the Dean of Education, of the Provost, and of the Academic Policy and Planning Committee.
The establishment of the Council with jurisdiction over the B.Mus. and the M.Mus. degrees has no budget or space implication in and of itself. Both are funded, staffed and in place. Incremental funding based on growth will of course be needed; but this is not different than the normal incremental funding: of any existing program.
2. The establishment of the Faculty Council for the School of Performing Arts is the first cautious step toward a future development of this area of Instruction. The School of Performing Arts was first approved by the Senate and the Board in 1965 and was envisioned as encompassing the professional disciplines of dance, music, musical theatre and theatre arts. Space limitations (Varner Hall,.designed for the School has housed since its opening in 1970 a host of activities not associated with the performing arts), budget constraints, and the liberal arts character of the still small Department of Music of the late 1960's and early 1970's inhibited the full articulation of the School. Only the Academy of Dramatic Art, offering a two year diploma program with a narrow (if excellent) focus upon acting, became operative. In 1974 a University-wide study committee recommended implementation of the School to include the four performing arts disciplines, but lean times not only precluded action on this recommendation, but forced suspension of the Academy in 1976 as well.
At the time the Senate expressed regrets and hope that some new way of funding the enterprise might be found. In its turn the Board, in accepting the recommendation to suspend, directed that "alternative approaches to training students for careers in theatre be explored by an appropriate committee." In the 1977-71 catalog the School of Performing Arts is listed on page 307 as an inactive program "under-going extensive reorganization."'
This action responds to but also broadens the Board's directive by placing governance responsibility for planning" the future development of the School of Performing" Arts within the competence of the Faculty Council (see II, 6. of the motion).
While in the end professional degree programs at the baccalaureate and master's levels in dance, musical theatre and theatre arts as well as in music are contemplated, while new academic administrative units and subunits would be called for, the Senate should be assured that there is as yet no "'plan"', no set of commitments, no schedule. Limitation in space is one obvious constraint: nothing much beyond the music program and an enriched program in dance, can happen unless COB II comes on line in 1900. Funding is another obvious constraint; new degree programs implying new faculty, new academic administrative and support services will not be developed without assurance of state and perhaps private funding. But the Faculty Council will provide academic leadership in developing plans for the several options which night be taken when, and if, resources permit. The proposed Faculty Council would then, perform a necessary role in accommodating the Department of Music at least; at most, should fortune smile, it would perform the equally valuable service of developing other components in the performing arts.
At some point, if dance and theatre are established as academic units the Council would relinquish its burden in favor of a fully constituted Organized Faculty of Performing Arts, endowed with complete academic authority including the power to recommend primary appointment of faculty and, no doubt equipped with academic administrators and similar irksome but necessary appurtenances. But when all this might occur, or even whether it will occur at all, remains for the future to tell. Meanwhile, approval of this notion will enable the Department of Music to offer the degree programs it is prepared and eager to implement.
SPECIAL COMMENTS
1. The use of a Faculty Council invested with some, but not all of the governance authority of an Organized Faculty, to provide academic leadership to specified programs is an established practice. Without considering the Graduate Council which is established by the Senate Constitution and is, a special case, the Senate and the Board have approved three such entities: the Council for Community and Human Development (1973), the Council for General and Career Studies (1975) and the Council for Health Sciences (1975), each with varying degrees of authority. When the School of Nursing was established (1974) its faculty was authorized to operate as a council until it became an Organized Faculty upon approval of a Constitution.
2. The powers with which the Faculty Council would be entrusted by this action are limited initially to two functions: a) providing governance for the B.Mus. and the M.Mus. degrees and b) planning the development of the School of Performing Arts including new degree programs. The Council would have no power to recorded prinary appointment of faculty. The Department of Music would not be shifted administratively, budgetary or for purposes of faculty appointment, review and promotion from the College of Arts and Sciences until an Organized Faculty of Performing Arts is established.
3. A standard formula.
4. Initially the Council would control the MUE, MUA, MUT music rubrics and a new? rubric in dance (DAN) this latter to permit it to develop a performing-arts program in that discipline. As theatre arts and musical theatre develop, new rubrics would be required; and authorization from the Academic Policy and Planning Committee would be needed.
5. A standard formula. .
6. This is to enable the Faculty Council to assume the planning function discussed in the above general comments.(2).
2. Motion from the University Committee on Undergraduate Instruction (Mr. Tower)
MOVED THAT THE SENATE RECOMMEND TO THE PRESIDENT AND THE BOARD THAT THE DEGREE REQUIREMENTS OF THE B.G.S. DEGREE (SEE COMMENTS BELOW ) BE AMENDED BY ADDITION TO DEGREE REQUIREMENT # AS FOLLOWS (NEW WORDING UNDERLINED):
7. Admission to candidacy for the B.G.S. degree by the University and the Faculty Council for General Studies. The student must declare candidacy for the B.G.S. degree and be enrolled for at least eight months before the degree is conferred or must successfully complete at least 24 credits after declaring B.G.S. candidacy.
First Reading: Debatable, amendable but not eligible for final vote at this meeting.
Comments:
1) Present decree requirements;
1. Completion of 124 semester credits.
2. Completion of 32 credits at the 300 or 400 level.
3. Completion of 32 credits at Oakland University and completion of the last 8 credits at Oakland University.
4. Achievement of a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 in courses taken at Oakland University.
5. Demonstration of writing proficiency by meeting the University standards in English composition.
6. Compliance with legal curricular requirements of the State of Michigan. .
7. Admission to candidacy for the B.C.P. degree by the University and the Faculty Council for General Studies.
2) Based on two years of experience in providing academic governance and advisement for the 3.G.S. degree program, the Faculty Council for General Studies considered and debated a change in the B.G.S. degree requirements. At the February, 1977 Council meeting, a proposal was accepted to require a student to spend at least eight months as a B.G.S. student or to complete 24 credits after enrolling in the B.G.S. program.
The proposed change in degree requirements are advanced by the Advising Committee of the Council which reviews each student's rationale for study and plan of work. These materials are developed by each student in cooperation with a faculty advisor who is selected by the student and provides feedback and assistance each semester. The philosophy of the advising system is to ensure program flexibility and freedom of choice for the student within the general framework of Oakland's educational resources and the B.G.S. degree requirements.
Because of the flexibility of these requirements, the Advising Committee determined that some students elected the degree after accumulating 124 credits in other academic programs and wished to secure the B.G.S. without enrolling in any coursework as a B.G.S. student. The Council discussed cases in which some students elected the decree without a positive educational rationale, but simply as a matter of expediency. On the other hand, a study of 131 B.G.S. students revealed that the majority of students chose the B.G.S. degree program for positive educational reasons related to personal growth, subject matter mastery and career development. Furthermore, as a group, the cumulative grade point averages were comparable to the grade point averages of the total population of Oakland undergraduates. Students who wished to receive the B.G.S. on an ex post facto basis were frequently seeking to escape a requirement of other degree programs, had accumulated credit hours without any apparent educational rationale, or received no timely advising or counseling which would have permitted corrective action. The Council's sentiment was to provide a framework of degree requirements in which students would spend a reasonable amount of time in the flexible program and formulate a self-chosen plan of study. Such a requirement would support the spirit of the original legislation for the degree and avoid the negative image of the degree as an escape route from educational requirements in other programs. Many returning adults desire both program flexibility and high academic standards; however, they would avoid the B.G.S. if it is stigmatized by graduates who received the degree without engaging in positive educational planning. During the eight months preceding graduation or the time frame for completing 24 credits, a student must be enrolled in at least one course each semester, and will select and work with an advisor. The intent is to provide opportunities for a thoughtful student response to educational experiences at Oakland; however, graduation would not be denied because students did not follow the advice of the faculty advisor. Petitions of exception to the proposed degree requirement would be considered by the Curriculum Coronate of the Faculty Council for General Studies.