University of Baltimore Faculty Senate Meeting of April 18, 2012

Minutes

Attendance: Jose Anderson, LAW; John Callahan, CUSF; Dan Gerlowski, MSB, UFS President; Catherine Johnson, LIB; George Julnes, CPA; Joshua Kassner, CAS; Kenneth Lasson, LAW; Dennis Pitta, MSB; Jeffrey Ross, CPA Senate President; Julie Simon, CAS Senate President; Christine Spencer, CPA; JC Weiss, MSB Senate President; Betsy Yarrison, CAS; Robert Bogomolny, UB President (guest); Joseph Wood, Provost (guest); Heather Pfeifer, CPA (guest); Gargi Bhattacharyya, CAS (guest)

The meeting was called to order at 12:05 p.m. by senate president Dan Gerlowski. The April agenda as circulated was approved.

John Callahan reported from CUSF that the budget impasse remains unresolved and emergency budget planning is underway at most campuses. He commented at some length on the proposed child abuse policy that is currently under discussion. Faculty will now have a duty to report abuse whenever it occurred. This includes a duty to report, for example, old instances of childhood abuse that come to their attention through course assignments as well as direct disclosure. This has raised concerns has to how faculty will be protected from charges of defamation. The system faculty supports some clear form of indemnification for faculty. The policy is still being worked on. CUSF is also not in support of the “meet and confer” status granted by the university to adjunct faculty and graduate assistants. Discussions continue. The academic freedom policy proposed by Professor Stephanie Gibson will be considered at the May meeting of CUSF.

The provost’s office requested consideration of the third item on its placement testing exemption proposal, the exemption of students with certain qualifying standardized test scores in English Composition and mathematics. Senate President Gerlowski asked Heather Pfeifer to present the proposed exemption for writing. Professor Pfeifer reviewed the Analysis of Writing and Math Placement (attached) and suggested that the senate consider lifting the requirement for students with qualifying scores to see if the SAT Writing test can be used to predict performance in English composition. She reported that questions have been raised about the appropriateness of Accuplacer for UB students; Provost Wood confirmed and added that he has already called for an analysis of Accuplacer as a placement testing instrument for UB now that it has been in place for five years.

Betsy Yarrison reported that the Academic Policy Committee supports the experimental use of the SAT Writing test, subject to ongoing review by the committee and the senate as well as by the provost’s office.

Discussion then turned to the SAT mathematics. Mathematics professor Gargi Bhattacharyya spoke for the Division of Science, Information Arts and Technologies, which opposes the use of SAT scores as a substitute for placement testing. She reviewed the pass rates for developmental and college algebra among UB students, which are low. Many students are repeating the developmental mathematics course more than once and are not transferring the skills learned in the course into success in college algebra. The mathematics faculty feels that exempting students from placement testing will shift the burden of developmental mathematics instruction from the developmental mathematics course into college algebra. They also feel that by pushing them into college algebra, we may be setting them up to fail. The data gathered while this proposal has been studied internally support this conclusion. Betsy Yarrison added that the SAT Math test, unlike the Writing test, is a test of mathematical reasoning aptitude and not a measure of acquired skills.

Discussion followed. Betsy Yarrison proposed the following motion on behalf of the Academic Policy Committee:

Students entering the University of Baltimore will be exempted from placement testing for 100- level English Composition courses under the following circumstances:

3) The student has attained a score of 500 or above on the SAT Writing exam. Students whose score is 550 or above will be placed in WRIT 101. Students whose score is 500-549 will be placed in both WRIT 101 (3 credits) and the co-requisite WRIT 95 (2 credits).

Seconded by John Callahan, the motion passed 11 to 1, with one abstention.

The process for testing students for placement in 100-level mathematics courses at the university will remain unchanged.

Professor Gerlowski reminded the constituent faculty senate presidents and the law faculty representatives to get nominations for the Regents’ Faculty awards to Dennis Pitta, chair of the Faculty Work Life Committee. The committee will be serving as the institution’s faculty-only nominating committee.

The provost then asked the senate to consider creating the system rank Professor of the Practice at the university. Stephanie Gibson asked what the hiring process would be for such a faculty member. The provost replied that it would be a regular faculty hire through an academic unit. Dennis Pitta asked how this rank would be related to or affect the current rank of Executive in Residence. The provost replied that it would be parallel but not overlapping. Executives in Residence could apply for consideration for appointment as Professor of the Practice; the process would be similar to a rank or tenure status request among tenure-track faculty. The provost added that Professor of the Practice could also apply for consideration as tenure-track faculty but could not be moved directly from that rank to tenure-track or tenured status.

Stephanie Gibson moved that the rank be created/second by Betsy Yarrison. The motion passed unanimously.

Joshua Kassner presented the latest shared governance proposal from the Shared Governance Phase II Task Force. The proposal is intended to facilitate coordination and communication at the university both laterally and vertically, as well as to create a logical division of labor among shared governance units, with the Governance Steering Council providing some oversight but having no binding decision-making power. The Phase II committee is still seeking feedback from faculty on the draft document.

John Callahan asked about the approval procedure for the document and the timetable. The plan is to present the plan to the Senate for approval at its May meeting. Ken Lasson suggested that a date be established by which the document will be frozen for a vote. Stephanie Gibson asked if the faculty senates of the academic units have a voice in the approval process. Josh Kassner and other members of the Phase II committee confirmed that their role is advisory; the document will be voted on in the University Faculty Senate, the University Council, the Administrative Council and the Student Senate. A plan for ensuring that these bodies vote on the identical document is being prepared by the Phase II committee. If the proposal is approved by the constituent bodies, it will be sent to the Executive Committee. Professor Gibson then asked if the document provides a seat for a Shared Governance representative on the Executive Council or for oversight over committee duplication. Professor Kassner confirmed that it provides for committee oversight but does not include a provision that a Shared Governance representative sit on the Executive Committee.

The meeting was adjourned at 2:05 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Betsy Yarrison Secretary