Oakland University Senate
Third Meeting
Thursday, December 11, 1980
3:00 p.m.
128-130 Oakland Center
AGENDA
Respectfully submitted by Frederick W. Obear for the Steering Committee.
A. Old Business:
1. Motion from the Admissions Committee (Strauss/Jones). Item B.3. from the Agenda of October 9, 1980. Stylistically emended.
THAT THE MEMBERSHIP SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE ADMISSIONS COMMITTEE BE AMENDED TO ADD ONE (1) REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Second Reading: Debatable, amendable, and eligible for final vote at this meeting.
B. New Business:
1. Motion from the Teaching and Learning Committee (S. Miller).
MOVED that the Senate recommend to the President and the Board the formation of a Teaching Consultant position at Oakland University to help faculty members resolve teaching problems and develop or diversify their instructional competence. The Consultant shall:
a. Provide assistance to any faculty member at that person's request: consulting, observing, and making recommendations to help the faculty member resolve instructional problems in the context of the instructor's teaching goals. At no time shall the Consultant impose counsel on anyone;
b. Maintain scrupulous confidentiality and completely separate his/her office from reappointment, tenure, and promotion review evaluations;
c. Report annually to the Senate on his/her activities, indcating the number of faculty members consulted but not identifying specific persons or departments;
d. Be a tenured member of the faculty, serving 1/2 or 2/3 time as Consultant but continuing to teach each semester of a three-year consultancy appointment; and
e. Be appointed by the Provost upon nomination by the Teaching and Learning Committee, which will poll the faculty for recommendations before identifying and interviewing candidates.
COMMENT: An exact model of the Teaching-Consultant has been in successful operation for over three years at Earlham College. The Teaching and Learning Committee would like very much to invite one of the Earlham consultants to visit Oakland some time next semester to discuss with the Committee and all other interested persons his experiences as a Faculty Consultant and to help us get a good start. Their article in the June, 1980, issue of the AAHE Bulletin provides useful information for anyone who is interested in this idea or has questions about its viability.
The Committee feels that the cost of running a Faculty Consultant Office's 1/2 or 2/3-time position plus a phone line is a small price to pay for the benefits of increased teaching effectiveness faculty morale, and concrete evidence of the University's commitment to quality instruction.
First Reading: Debatable, amendable, but not eligible for final vote at this meeting.
2. Motion from the Teaching and Learning Committee (S. Miller).
MOVED that the Senate recommend to the President the establishment of an annual Award for Teaching Excellence to recognize outstanding teaching at Oakland University. The recipient shall be nominated by a group specially appointed by the Teaching and Learning Committee, shall be honored by the President at University commencement exercises, and shall receive a financial award when funds are available.
COMMENT: In fulfillment of its charge to "promote the teaching function and the learning process by sponsoring incentives for good teaching," The Teaching and Learning Committee designated a subcommittee in the Fall of 1977 to study the feasibility and merit of a Teaching Excellence Award. The amended subcommittee report recommends a financial stipend drawn from non-general fund sources but advises establishment of the Award on a purely honor basis until funding can be worked out. All full-time teaching faculty, at any rank, who have been at the University at least one year would be eligible. Nominations would come from alumni, students, faculty, and staff; selection would be accomplished by an Awards Subcommittee of the Teaching and Learning Committee, deriving administrative support from the Office of Research and Instructional Services. Criteria for the award would be flexible although the study committee advocates attention to recognizable signs of teaching achievement: classroom performance; preparation of instructional materials; fairness, depth, and rigor in evaluating students; evidence of professional commitment; and personal interest in students. At its discretion, to Awards Subcommittee might divide the Award or decide not to give it for any particular year.
First Reading: Debatable, amendable, but not eligible for final vote at this meeting.
C. Good and Welfare: Private Resolutions.
D. Information items:
1. Responding to recommendations in the report of the ad hoc Committee on Cable Television, the Steering Committee has charged both the Academic Policy and planning Committee (APPC) and the Teaching and Learning Committee (TLC) to give attention to specific cable TV issues falling within their respective juristictions.
2. The Steering Committee has requested President Matthews to consider appointing a single, joint faculty/administration committee to concern itself with cable TV matters falling outside the purview of the APPC and TLC.