Oakland University Senate
March 10, 1983
Sixth Meeting
MINUTES
Senators Present: Akers, Appleton, Boddy, Boulos, Briggs-Bunting, Chagnon-Royce, Chipman, Christina, dark, Dawson, Eklund, Eliezer, Evarts, Feeman, Grossman, Hildebrand, Ketchum, Kleckner, Kingstrom, Lindell, Macauley, Mallett, Miller, Moeller, Lentz, Pak, Pine, Sakai, Schochetman, Schwab, Stamps, Stanovich, Strauss, Tepley, Witt, Workman, Zorn.
Senators Absent: Arnold, Brown, Champagne, Chapman-Moore, Copenhaver, Coppola, David, Doherty, Downing, L. Gerulaitis, R. Gerulaitis, Ghausi, Gregory, Hightower, Horwitz, Howes, Kurzman, Lambric, McClory, Russell, Scherer, Sevilla, Stokes, Tripp, Wilson.
SUMMARY OF ACTIONS:
1. Motion to approve the minutes of February 10, 1983. Moved, Ms. Briggs-Bunting. Seconded, Mr. Workman. Approved.
2. Motion to recommend the establishment of a Master of Science program in Engineering Management. Moved, Mr. Russell. Seconded, Mr. Chipman. Second reading. Approved.
3. Motion to approve new credit distributions for physical therapy courses. Moved, Mr. Akers. Seconded, Ms. Boulos. First reading.
Mr. Kleckner called the meeting to order at 3:15. The minutes of the February 10, 1983 Senate meeting were approved as distributed upon the motion of Ms. Briggs-Bunting, Seconded by Mr. Workman. The single item of old business was the motion from the Academic Policy and Planning Committee concerning the establishment of a Master of Science program in Engineering Management. (Moved, Mr. Russell, Seconded, Mr. Chipman).
MOVED that the University Senate recommend to the President and the Board of Trustees the establishment of a program leading to the Master of Science in Engineering Management as specified in a "Proposal for a Master of Science in Engineering Management," with implementation being contingent upon the availability of adequate resources.
Mr. Dawson initiated the discussion by requesting a description of the content of Mgt 535. Mr. Tower described it as the capstone course of the program, one involving in-depth analytical studies of five to seven cases related to management. Although not a thesis, the students must present their findings in both written and oral form and must respond to questions concerning their work. He added that this format is more appropriate than a thesis since the purpose of the program is to train managers, not researchers and that MBA programs typically do not have a thesis requirement. Speaking to Mr. Dawson's concern regarding the absence of a thesis or like requirement, Mr. Feeman commented that as the various masters level programs are reviewed, the Graduate School will consider and identify appropriate exit exercises for each program. There was no further discussion and the motion was unanimously approved.
Turning to new business, the Senate considered a motion from the Steering Committee to approve new credit distributions for physical therapy courses. (Moved, Mr. Akers; seconded, Ms. Boulos.)
MOVED that the University Senate recommend to the President and the Board of Trustees that the number of credits required for the Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Physical Therapy be increased from 136 to 162, the change to become effective with the junior class of Fall, 1983.
Mr. Pak noted that on page four of the "Proposal to Increase the Academic Credit Assigned to Physical Therapy Courses", the two electives should be listed under Roman numeral I and that the psychology requirements should read PSY 100,130 and 331. Along the same line, Mr. Appleton stated that CHE 147 should be deleted and CHE 148 should be CHE 149. With these minor corrections out of the way, Mr. Strauss led off the discussion by inquiring whether there were any other programs in the University requiring this many credits. Mr. Kleckner replied that the highest number is currently 136. Mr. Christina asked how many new faculty members would be required. Mr. Kleckner responded none, that this proposal doesn't change the existing program. Mr. Pak added that the faculty teaching physical therapy courses have been bearing a heavy load in terms of the time required for the clinical courses and that this proposed change in credits recognizes this fact. Further, the students will need to take some courses in spring and summer; even so, the degree will require a minimum of 4-1/2 years of study.
Mr. Zorn asked whether any consideration had been given to the students with regard to financial aid and the additional costs of the program. He noted that after a certain number of credits are acquired, students are not eligible for some kinds of financial aid. Mr. Pak replied that they talked with the students about the changes.
He also pointed out that the extra cost will be in the area of tuition, that the costs for books should remain about the same since the basic program is not being changed, only the credits awarded for certain courses. The changes will not apply to students currently in the program and students coming into the program will know ahead of time the financial requirements. Further, he noted that in the past some physical therapy students weren't eligible for financial aid because they weren't considered full time students due to the low number of credit hours assigned to clinical courses. Mr. Pak also stated that there are a number of scholarships available specifically for physical therapy majors and that this should help alleviate the additional financial burden being placed on the students. He noted too that many hospitals provide assistance with employment and may pay stipends to students during their clinical training.
Mr. Kleckner reported that a study was being made of physical therapy students and what they do if they don't get into the program. Mr. Beardslee stated that of the 48 students in the program, 7 have degrees already. Also, 627, of them already have more than 124 undergraduate credits, so that any system that makes financial aid conditional on the credits earned is already affecting two-thirds of the people in the program. He added that these students are willing to expend a lot of time, money and effort in order to become physical therapists. Mr. Miller pointed out that in addition to being concerned about financial aid for students, it was time we recognized and gave credit to the faculty in this program for their time and efforts.
Mr. Chipman asked about the implications of the recent legislation of the American Physical Therapy Association which will require the entry level for physical therapists to be at the masters degree level by 1990. Mr. Pak responded that it isn't clear what will happen. The APTA is going through a great deal of change now as it attempts to upgrade standards. However, there are not enough qualified faculty now to teach physical therapy courses, and a masters level requirement would make this shortage even more critical. Also, because state certification varies it's not clear whether this change will be nationwide or whether the states will have varying requirements.
Ms. Lindell asked what the ratio of clinical hours to credit hours would be. Mr. Griggs responded that it is around 3 hours of clinical work per credit. Mr. Strauss stated that requiring 162 hours for graduation is a dangerous precedent and expressed concern over the general education requirements. He asked if there was a national standard for this sort of program. Mr. Pak replied that there is no national authority that says a program must have a certain number of credits. However, the APTA does have a definite set of courses to be included and if that curriculum is followed, the result is a longer program. He also noted that the required general education component is included in the program.
Mr. Ketchum noted that one question to be considered is the difference between undergraduate and graduate degrees and how they are defined. In some programs there is so much technical information to be learned that it is questionable whether one can squeeze that many credits into an undergraduate program. He stated that this program seems close to being a graduate degree and that there is a great deal of concern over the large number of credits. Mr. Kleckner responded that a distinction must be made between the level of achievement and knowledge acquired and the number of credits amassed. Ms. Lindell agreed and commented on the possibility of combining undergraduate and graduate degree programs. She noted that the programs should be evaluated in terms of entry-level knowledge and not credit totals. Mr. Kleckner further noted that there were five-year undergraduate programs in the past that were changed to four-year programs. Now the movement seems to be towards reinstating five-year programs, but leading to a masters degree. Mr. Ketchum suggested that there are other ways of looking at this, that rather the distinction between undergraduate and graduate degrees there might be a certification program instead of a masters. Mr. Pak responded that there are no certification programs for physical therapists, that to become a certified physical therapist a student must go through the highly structured program specified by the APTA. He noted too that a masters level program differs from an undergraduate one in that it involves a higher level of courses and a broader scope and not just additional credits.
There being no further discussion of the motion, the Senate then turned its attention to several information items. Mr. Kleckner said that there will probably be an extra Senate meeting or two scheduled for April. He also reported on the actions taken by the Board of Trustees at its February 16, 1983 meeting with regard to program phase-outs. He added that he does not foresee any more program deletions, that the focus now will be on controlled building.
Mr. Feeman reported that a committee was established to review the Graduate Council constitution. There is a section in the Senate Constitution dealing with the Graduate Council as well as a separate Constitution of the Graduate School. The two documents are not consistent and so the committee was formed to reconcile the discrepancies. A report will be coming to the Senate to amend the Senate Constitution in order to put the Graduate Council on a sound legal basis. Mr. Kleckner noted that an amendment to the constitution requires a mail referendum.
Mr. Kleckner also reported that Mr. Champagne has been in North Carolina gathering information on the origins and development of the Research Triangle in anticipation of using this information in connection with the proposed research park next to the University. Ms. Collins announced that she would be willing to answer any questions regarding the certification and endorsement of teachers. Mr. Kleckner stated that they will be setting up schedules for program phase-outs. Mr. Tower announced that the Chairman of the Board of Comerica Corporation will be speaking on campus, Wednesday, March 16 at 7:30 in 202 O'Dowd Hall. There being no further business, the Senate adjourned at 4:05.
Respectfully submitted,
Linda L. Hildebrand
Secretary to the University Senate