Oakland University Senate Archives - Oakland University Senate

Oakland University Senate

Second Meeting
October 17 , 1996
3:10 p.m.
Oakland Center-Gold Rooms B and C

Agenda

Submitted by Mr. Connellan on behalf of the Senate Steering Committee

A. Information Items

-Approval of minutes September 19, 1996
-Need for volunteers for committee vacancies

B. Committee reports

Teaching and Learning Committee--Susan Wood

Comment: In order to inform senators about the contributions of Senate committees, which quietly carry out much of the work for which this body is responsible, the Steering Committee has invited the 1995-6 chairs of these bodies to make brief oral presentations to the Senate at the beginning of the academic year. This also provides an opportunity for senators to recommend agenda items these groups might appropriately address as they continue their service.

C. Old Business

1. Motion from the Steering Committee to revise the charge to UCUI (Ms. Reynolds, Ms. Gilroy)

MOVED that the charge to the University Committee on Undergraduate Instruction be revised to read as follows:

1. To recommend to the University Senate academic policies and procedures concerning undergraduate education and, when necessary, seek advice from other appropriate bodies concerning the impact of these policies and procedures;

2. To evaluate and monitor petitions of exception regarding university-wide undergraduate academic requirements except for university-wide general education requirements;

3. To prepare an annual report on all petitions of exception to be shared with the Office of Academic Affairs, the Registrar, individual Committees on Instruction, and the Senate Planning Review Committee;

4. To make recommendations to the University Senate regarding proposed and existing undergraduate programs, including recommendations for program modification, suspension or discontinuance;

5. To advise the Senate Planning Review Committee (SPRC) and the Senate Budget Review Committee (SBRC) concerning proposed new undergraduate programs and to maintain regular communication with SPRC and SBRC through exchange of minutes;

6. To cooperate with the General Education Committee in overseeing the undergraduate instruction throughout the University and to maintain regular communication with that committee through the exchange of minutes;

7. To schedule and monitor decennial reviews of all undergraduate programs in a timely fashion and to report findings to the Senate Planning Review Committee and the University Senate;

8. To evaluate ongoing and proposed undergraduate programs for their consistency with University academic policies and mission, to monitor catalog copy to ensure compliance with all such policies, and to monitor all catalog changes impacting outside of the Committee on Instruction making the change;

9. To approve, disapprove and monitor courses which satisfy the university-wide ethnic diversity requirement; and

10. To advise the Senate on all matters that body or its Steering Committee may refer to the University Committee on Undergraduate Instruction concerning undergraduate instruction and the general requirements within which the specifics of the undergraduate degree programs function.

Second reading: Debatable, amendable and eligible for final vote.

Comment: Changes are underlined and a copy of the current charge to UCUI was included as Appendix A with the Sept. 19th agenda.

C. New Business

1. Motion from the Steering Commitee to establish the Honorary Degree Screening Committee (Mr. Andrews):

MOVED that the Senate establish the Honorary Degree Screening Committee as a Senate standing committee, with the following charge and membership:

Charge: To consider and recommend candidates for honorary degrees, according to the attached criteria and procedures.

Membership: Six faculty, serving staggered three-year terms, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs (or designee), ex-officio and voting, who shall serve as chair.

First reading: Debatable, amendable, but not eligible for final vote.

Comment: The granting of honorary degrees was once a regular feature of Oakland University commencements but in recent years this practice has fallen into disuse. The purpose of this motion is to provide a structure for the revival of such degrees, in a manner informed by the experience of other institutions and consistent with our own tradition of shared governance. The criteria and procedures are attached to the agenda as Appendix A.

2. Motion from the Steering Committee to establish the Library Committee (Mr. Brieger):

MOVED that the Senate establish the Library Committee as a Senate committee, with the following charge and membership:

Charge:

1. To serve as a liason between the library and the faculty and students of the University; to bring faculty and student opinion before the library and to interpret library policies to faculty and students.

2. To participate equally with the library in the formulation of broad general policies on collections, buildings, facilities and services. These policies shall be presented to the University Administration by the Dean of the Library.

3. To receive timely and regular reports from the Dean of the Library on current and proposed library plans and policies.

4. To receive timely and regular reports from the Vice President for Academic Affairs on current and proposed university plans and policies which may impact the library and to advise and make recommendations on same.

5. To receive reports and recommendations from other duly constituted committees and to advise and make recommendations to the Senate and its committees, as needed.

6. To take on additional duties as directed by the Senate Steering Commitee.

7. To meet regularly, but at least once each semester.

Membership: Four library faculty, four college faculty (one each from the four faculty groups), one faculty member from each of the other organized faculties, serving two year staggered terms, two students; the Dean of the Library and the Vice President for Academic Affairs (or designee), both ex-officio and non-voting.

First reading: Debatable, amendable, but not eligible for final vote.

Comment: Most provisions of the Constitutions of the College and the Schools deal exclusively with matters of organization internal to those units. However, the structure of the Library Council is currently provided for in Article VI of the Library Constitution, despite its university-wide membership and responsibility. To remove this anomoly and to give greater visibility to the central importance of the Library in the University's academic mission this motion is offered to create the Library Committee as a Senate standing committee. This form of organization would also permit greater flexibility in making any future changes. To ensure continuity between the existing Library Council and the Library Commitee this motion, if approved, would take effect upon Board approval of the amended Library Constitution. All current appointed members of the Library Council would serve as members of the Library Committee until the expiration of their current terms, whereupon their successors would be chosen by the usual procedures for staffing Senate Committees.

3. Motion to approve the revised Library Constitution (Ms. Frankie)

MOVED that the Senate recommend to the President and the Board approval of an amended Constitution of the Library.

First reading:Debatable, but not eligible for final vote at this meeting. Senate protocol holds that constitutions may not be amended on the floor. If corrections are needed, this document should be referred back to its sponsors.

Comment: The Constitution of the Library was last approved by the Board of Trustees in December 1985. A copy of the current revision of the Library Constitution, approved by the Library Faculty on April 18, 1996 and a list of the changes made from the previous version are attached to the agenda (Appendix B)

4. Good and welfare

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APPENDIX A:

Oakland University

Honorary Degree Guidelines

I. Purpose

From time to time Oakland University honors distinguished individuals of outstanding achievement by conferring honorary degrees. In doing so the University reaffirms its scholarly, creative and humanitarian values and its ties to the wider community. Honorary degrees are awarded only to the individuals who have been selected according to the criteria and procedures outlined below.

II. Eligibility and Criteria

No current employee of Oakland University may receive an honorary degree but eligibility is otherwise unrestricted. Thus recipients may be drawn from persons with records of accomplishment in such areas as academe, business, government, the professions, or civic, cultural, humanitarian, or public affairs. To receive an honorary degree, an individual should have a record of outstanding achievement within one or more of the areas previously identified. Examples of such achievements include original and creative accomplishments within one or more academic disciplines or significant contributions to humankind's intellectual, cultural, commercial, aesthetic, social, or civic betterment. Honorary degrees will be awarded only on an occasional basis to individuals of special merit. Consequently, the number and frequency of such awards should reflect their distinctive character.

III. Nomination and Selection

The Board of Trustees confers honorary degrees. Prior to conferring such degrees, the Board shall seek the recommendation of the university community through the Honorary Degree Screening Committee, the Senate Steering Committee and the President in the manner described below.

Initial screening of candidates for honorary degrees shall be done by an Honorary Degree Screening Committee. This Committee will be a Senate standing committee and will consist of six faculty members and the Vice-President for Academic Affairs (or designee), who will act as chair. The six faculty members will be appointed to staggered three-year terms by the Senate, upon nomination by the Steering Committee. Each fall the Committee will invite nominations from all members of the university community. Letters of nomination should include a clear statement of the outstanding achievements of the individual that justify the conferral of the degree. Nominators may be contacted by the Committee and asked to assist in providing additional biographical material and supporting documentation. In addition to receiving nominations and additional materials from the community, the Committee may also solicit letters of nomination and develop additional leads. Nominations from such traditionally underrepresented groups as minorities and women are especially welcomed and encouraged. In developing its recommendations the Committee may consult with other individuals or offices internal or external to the campus, as appropriate.

After reviewing all materials, the Committee may recommend one or more candidates to the Senate Steering Committee. The Committee may also choose to recommend no one. Recommendations will include the type of degree to be conferred, which will be selected from the following list: Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Humanities, Doctor of Sciences, or Doctor of Arts. The degree will usually be conferred at a commencement ceremony. The Honorary Degree Screening Committee will normally conduct its business in the fall semester and forward its recommendation(s) to the Senate Steering Committee by the start of the winter semester. However, in order to respond in a timely way to unusual opportunities, the chair of the Committee may also convene the Committee at other times.

In any case, the Senate Steering Committee will promptly consider the candidate(s) presented to it and forward the name(s) of all of the candidates, together with its recommendation(s), to the President. The President, in turn, will present his or her selection(s) to the Board of Trustees, for its consideration and approval.