Oakland University Senate
Seventh Meeting
Thursday, April 9, 1981
3:00 p.m.
128-130 Oakland Center
AGENDA
Respectfully submitted by Frederick W. Obear for the Steering Committee.
A. Old Business:
1. Resolution from the Library Council (R. Christina).
RESOLVED that the University Senate urges the President, during this period in which the University's financial priorities are being reassessed, to ensure that sufficient funding will be provided to maintain an adequate level of acquisitions of materials by Kresge Library in future years.
COMMENT: The reduced funding for the current year coupled with inflation in subscription costs has led the library staff to see advice from the Council on procedures to be used to determine which journals will be cut for the next academic year. Although Council members are participating in this effort, the idea of further journal cuts is repugnant to the Council. Monograph acquisition has effectively ceased. Periodical subscriptions were cut in previous academic years, i.e., 1972-73, 1974-75, 1976-77, and 1979-80. Meanwhile, vital new academic programs have been developed resulting in the need to spread an already strained budget over more subject areas. It is both common knowledge and demonstrated by recent surveys that Oakland faculty and students perceive the need for more journals, beyond the titles currently available. Further reductions in periodicals would prevent the Library from even minimally serving the needs students and faculty to the extent that the University would be irreparably damaged. The Library Council considers this situation an emergency. But, an infusion of funds toward the end of the academic year, and other short term infusions of funds, will not alleviate the problem, since journal subscription commitments must be made prior to July 1 for the following year. Therefore, the Council supports a permanent budgetary commitment to maintain present journal subscriptions and a sufficient level of funding for
other needed resource materials.
First Reading: Debatable, amendable but not eligible for final vote at this meeting.
2. Resolution from the Admissions Committee (P. Strauss).
RESOLVED that the Senate requests the President to appoint a University Commission to study the feasibility of a name change for Oakland University and to make a recommendation to the Senate by the Winter of 1982.
Rationale: This proposal emanates from the Senate Admissions Committee in response to a Steering Committee request that it investigate ways of resolving confusion between Oakland University and Oakland Community College. After consultation with public relations and admissions personnel, faculty, and alumni, the sub-committee exploring this issue recommended consideration of the name Oakland State University. The Admissions Committee now feel the need for university-wide study of the sub-committee findings Proposed Commission Membership: The commission of nine members appointed by the President should include the Director of Public Relations, the Director of Alumni Relations, the Director of Admissions, three faculty members nominated by the Steering Committee, two students nominated by the University Congress, an an alumni representative nominated by the Alumni Board.
First Reading: Debatable, amendable but not eligible for final vote at this meeting.
3. Motion from the Graduate Council (G. P. Johnson).
MOVED that the Senate recommend to the President and the Board establishment of a program in Medical Physics leading to the Ph.D.degree, the start of the program to occur as soon as the program financial needs can be met.
COMMENT: The Graduate Council approved this proposal on April 2 1981. As of this writing, the Academic Policy and Planning Committee has not taken final action on the proposal but expects to do so by April 9. If APPC endorsement is not forthcoming, the motion will not be presented. Accompanying the agenda are copies of (1) a summary of the program proposal (2) Mr. Johnson's compendium of reports on the proposal by three outside consultants and (3) Mr. Tepley's comments on the consultants' reports. The full proposal and the reports are available in the Graduate School.
The program would be an exceedingly attractive undertaking. Students of the proposal agree that it is novel, well-planned, academically sound and needed. It has good grant potential. Through the program the university would establish formal affiliations with several medical research centers, centers which are internationally recognized and which are prepared to provide excellent personnel and equipment and to pay for some students in support of the program. There is a likelihood that developer and manufacturers of medical equipment, constituting now considerably more than a cottage industry/would be attracted by the program, a possibility that some eventually would choose to locate nearby. The program has been commended highly by state officials and the Legislature has approved it.
The trouble is that the Legislature did not appropriate money for it. As is discussed in the accompanying materials, efforts are going forth to bring from outside sources enough funds to put the program on a sound financial base and allow it to start. As is meant to be reflected in the wording of the motion, when that will
be is uncertain.
First Reading: Debatable, amendable but not eligible for final vote at this meeting.
4. Motion from the Academic Policy and Planning Committee (K. Kleckner)
MOVED that the Senate recommend to the President and to the Board of Trustees the establishment of an academic unit in theatre. The unit shall have the authority to appoint faculty, offer courses, and conduct professional degree programs in theatre.
COMMENT: The motion calls for four related actions:
1. Authority to establish an academic unit in Theatre.
2. Granting of power to appoint faculty.
3. Authorization to offer professional degree programs in Theater (such as the B.F.A. and/or M.F.A.) if and when such programs are approved.
4. Authority to offer courses in Theatre. These courses would include, but not be restricted to, those needed in servicing the B.A. program (with a theatre major) in the College of Arts and Sciences.
The motion assumes the transfer of the existing program in Theater Arts (currently housed in the Department of Communication Arts) from the College of Arts and Sciences to the School of Performing Arts. In accordance with past precedent, however, the administrative location of the new academic unit is not specified. The motion does provide that the School of Performing Arts be empowered to formulate a professional theatre program and to hire faculty as needed to implement such a program (under the usual budgetary restraints).
First Reading: Debatable, amendable but not eligible for final vote at this meeting.
5. Motion from the Academic Policy and Planning Committee (K.Kleckner)
MOVED that the School of Performing Arts be authorized to initiate a program leading to the BFA degree in Dance.
COMMENT: After several hearings, the members of the APPC are satisfied that the present proposal is realistic in terms of its budget, faculty need, student enrollment projections, and competitiveness with other similar programs in the area. The program is built on a solid base of credit and non-credit activity in dance at Oakland. It is, therefore, "new" only in that it now proposes enough additions to raise it to the status of a major.
The Committee dealt at some length with the question of jobs for graduates, considering that this is a "professional" program. We are satisfied that the job prospects for Oakland dance graduates will be as good as or better than those of other graduates of area dance programs. It should go without saying that anyone who chooses to major in the performing arts must do so without the same assurances of employment that an engineering or nursing graduate might have. However, we do not believe that such a fact should preclude the offering of such programs. Fortunately for all of us, there will always be young people who are interested enough in these activities in themselves to spend four years of very hard work and study in learning them.
First Reading: Debatable, amendable but not eligible for final vote at this meeting.
6. Motion from the Steering Committee nominating certain faculty members to Senate Standing Committees (E. Hitchingham).
MOVED that the faculty nominated below be confirmed as appointed Committees and terms as specified:
a. Academic and Career Advising Committee
NOMINEES to new two-year terms (1981-83) effective Fall, 1981.
Jerrold Grossman, Chair, Mathematical Sciences
Linda Lentz, Human and Educational Services, Second Preference
CONTINUING MEMBERS serving final year (1981-82).
Paul Kingstrom, Economics/Management
Ann Sakai, Biological Sciences
Janice Schimmelman, Art and Art History
b. Academic Computing Committee
NOMINEES to new two-year terms (1981-83) effective Fall, 1981
Ann Jaworski, Human and Educational Services, First Preference
Ted Landau, Psychology, First Preference
CONTINUING MEMBERS serving final year (1981-82).
David Doane, Economics/Management
Donald Malm, Chair, Mathematical Sciences
William Macauley, Political Science
Robert Schwartz, Human and Educational Services
c. Academic Conduct Committee
NOMINEES to new two-year terms (1981-83) effective Fall, 1981
William Cramer, Library, Second Preference (alternate)
Robert Gaylor, Chair, Library, First Preference
M. Kazem Mostafapour, Institute of Biological Sciences, First Preference
CONTINUING MEMBERS serving final year (1981-82).
Anne Cairns-Federlein, Human and Educational Services
Janice Guerriero, Human and Educational Services
J. Barry Turett, Mathematical Sciences
Sarma Vishnubhotia, Engineering
d. Academic Policy and Planning Committee
NOMINEES to new two-year terms (1981-83) effective Fall, 1981
Jean Easterly, Human and Educational Services, First Preference
Elizabeth Pinkstaff, Nursing, First Preference
CONTINUING MEMBERS serving final year (1981-82).
J. Curtis Chipman, Mathematical Sciences
Carlo Coppola, Chair, Modern Languages and Literatures
Ronald Sudol, Learning Skills, Chair, UCUI
e. Academic Standing and Honors Committee
NOMINEES to new two-year terms (1981-83) effective Fall, 1981
Martins Linauts, Biological Sciences, First Preference
Subbaiah Perla, Mathematical Sciences, First Preference
CONTINUING MEMBERS serving final year (1981-82).
Daniel Ring, Chair, Library
Mark Workman, English
f. Admissions Committee
NOMINEES to new two-year terms (1981-83) effective Fall, 1981
Barbara Hamilton, Learning Skills, Second Preference
Mildred Merz, Library, Second Preference
Billy Joe Minor, Human and Educational Services, Second Preference
W. Patrick Strauss, Chair, History, First Preference
CONTINUING MEMBERS serving final year (1981-82).
Carol Halsted, Performing Arts
Keith Stanovich, Psychology
g. Campus Development and Environment Committee
NOMINEES to new two-year terms (1981-83) effective Fall, 19!
Robert Edgerton, Engineering, First Preference
Amit Tagore, Modern Languages and Literatures, First Preference
CONTINUING MEMBERS serving final year (1981-82).
Louis Bragg, Mathematical Sciences
David Meyer, Human and Educational Services
Uwe Reischi, Chair, Health Sciences
h. Financial Aids Committee
NOMINEES to new two-year terms (1981-83) effective Fall, 191
Linda Guyotte, Library, Second Preference
Virinder Moudgil, Biological Sciences, Second Preference
CONTINUING MEMBERS serving final year (1981-82).
Alphonso Bellamy, Chair, Economics/Management
Sze-Kai Tsui, Mathematical Sciences
i. Research Committee
NOMINEES to new two-year terms (1981-83) effective Fall, 19
John Barnard, History, First Preference
John Dettman, Mathematical Sciences, First Preference
Arun Roy, Biological Sciences, First Preference
Vacancy (to be filled by Graduate Council)
CONTINUING MEMBERS serving final year (1981-82).
Robert Christina, Chair, Human and Educational Services
J. Christopher Maloney, Philosophy
David Stevens, Communication Arts
Keith Stanovich, Psychology (Graduate Council Designee)
j. Teaching and Learning Committee
NOMINEES to new two-year terms (1981-83) effective Fall, 19
Harvey Burdick, Psychology, First Preference
Janice Guerriero, Human and Educational Services, First Preference
Carol Milewski, Nursing, Second Preference
CONTINUING MEMBERS serving final year (1981-82).
Steven Miller, Chair, Chemistry
William Schwab, Linguistics
Robert Stewart, Psychology
Procedural Motion: Debatable, amendable and eligible for vote this meeting.
C. Good and Welfare: Private Resolutions
D. Information Item:
The Steering Committee has scheduled an extra meeting of the University Senate for Thursday, April 16, at 3:00 p.m. in Gold Rooms A and B, Oakland Center.