Minutes: May 4th, 2010

ACADEMIC SENATE MEETING

MINUTES

TUESDAY, May 4,
2010

SEVEN HILLS
CONFERENCE CENTER, NOB HILL ROOM

2:00 - 4:00 p.m.

OPEN FLOOR PERIOD: 2:00 -
2:10 p.m.

The Open Floor Period
provides an informal opportunity for faculty members to raise questions or make
comments directed to Senate officers or to university administrators. Please arrive promptly at 2:00 p.m.

CALL TO ORDER: 2:10 p.m.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Chair Whalen

The final meeting of the 2009-2010 Senate
will be May 11, 2010.

AGENDA
ITEM#1—Approval of the Minutes for the April 20, 2010. The minutes
were approved.

AGENDA ITEM #2—Approval of the Agenda for May 4, 2010. The
agenda was approved.

AGENDA ITEM #3—Announcement from Genie Stowers, Chair of Faculty
Honors and Awards Committee: 2010 Distinguished Faculty Awards. FHAC Chair
Stowers presented the winners of the following awards: The Excellence in
Professional Achievement Award: Edward S. Conner (Biology); The Excellence in
Service Award: Gail Weinstein (English); and The Sarlo Excellence in Teaching
Award: John Elia (Health Education).

AGENDA ITEM #4—Recommendation from the Academic Policies
Committee: Proposed Requirements
for the Baccalaureate Degree: Majors, Concentrations, Minors, & Certificates,
2^nd Reading.

a. Senator Holzman
introduced a proposed amendment to add Environmental
Sustainability as an overlay requirement.

·
The
addition of

“5) Environmental
Sustainability Requirement” (p.4 Section II General Education and other
requirements to all Baccalaureate Degrees added as line 47)

·
The
addition of

“Environmental Sustainability (ES) LD or UD
3*” (after Global Perspectives in Table 1 page 6)

·
The
addition of the following text after line 199, p. 9

“G. Environmental Sustainability Requirement

All students must earn a passing or
better grade (or “CR”) in a course (one in general education, a major, a minor,
a certificate, complementary studies, or an elective) that is designated as a
Environmental Sustainability (ES) course. The student learning outcomes and
course expectations for Environmental Sustainability courses are described in
the GRTF final report (see Appendix G).

· The addition of the following to the Appendix Table
of contents on p. 30

Appendix
G: Course Expectations, Student Learning Outcomes, and Links to Goals for

Environmental
Sustainability

· Lastly, the addition of the following as Appendix G
following Appendix F that currently concludes on p. 65 line 2211, with
subsequent appendices that follow G to be re-lettered”

Environmental Sustainability

Course Expectations for Environmental Sustainability
(overlay):

1.The course may be a lower or upper division course,
with or without prerequisites, a transfer course or a course taken in
residence, and it may be anywhere in the curriculum (e.g., GE, major, minor,
certificate, electives, etc.). Each student earning a baccalaureate degree from
San Francisco State University is required to complete at least one
Environmental Sustainability class.

2. The course must examine some aspect of environmental
sustainability. The perspective can be from social sciences, natural sciences,
arts, humanities, business, etc.

3. The course syllabus must list the university-approved
student learning outcomes for environmental sustainability and link them to
activities and/or assignments that students complete to demonstrate they have
met the outcomes.

Student Learning Outcomes for Environmental
Sustainability (overlay): After
completion of a course designated as fulfilling the environmental
sustainability requirement, students will be able to do at least two of the
following:

1. demonstrate
   how their personal activities impact the environment, and as a result
   affect the health and well-being of themselves and society.
2. analyze
   how the well-being of human society is dependent on ecosystems and the
   materials and services they provide to humanity.
3. explain
   the interconnectivity of economic prosperity, social equity and
   environmental quality.
4. identify
   the most serious environmental problems globally and locally and explain
   their underlying causes and possible consequences.
5. students
   will be able to create models, products, designs or creative
   representations that highlight an understanding of the connections between
   people, processes and the environment.

Links between Educational Goals and Outcomes for
Environmental Sustainability

The student learning outcomes were developed in
relationship to the “Educational Goals for the Baccalaureate at San Francisco
State University.” The chart below illustrates that relationship for
Environmental Sustainability. The numbers correspond to the way the educational
goals and student learning outcomes are numbered above.

Educational Goals Student Learning Outcomes for
Environmental Sustainability

“

Senator Sinha proposed an
amendment to the amendment to add “engineering” to the list of perspectives
suggested in the second course expectation.

Vice Chair Trautman proposed
an amendment to the amendment to add on line 669, to change the “i.e.” in the
parenthetical to an “eg.”

Discussion included the
wisdom of adding an additional overlay without consideration of the effects on
other parts of the document.

The proposed amendment was passed.

b. Vice Chair Trautman
proposed an amendment to retain the current requirement in basic information
competency.

·
The
following change was proposed:

“L.
Basic Information Competence Requirement

To be
awarded a baccalaureate degree, students must have completed the basic

information
competence requirement as specified in Academic Senate policy #S99-

207 or any successor policy.” (After line 223)

Discussion included the
instructional value of the current basic information competency requirement vs.
the proposed policy, which integrates library research skills and information
competence into disciplinary coursework.

The proposed
amendment failed.

c. Vice Chair Trautman
proposed an amendment to change minimum grade requirements for the overlay
courses (Area E) from the current standard of “passing” to “C- or better.”

·
The
following change was proposed:

“passing” to “C-” (lines 183, 189, and 195)

The proposed
amendment failed.

d. Vice Chair Trautman proposed an amendment to delete
all references to requirements for complimentary studies.

·
The
following changes were proposed:

1.
Line 56: Delete “the two following requirements:”

2.
Line 57: Delete entire line.

3.
Line 58: Delete “2)” and change “S” to “s”

4.
Lines 59-60; 367-368; and 417-418: Delete the phrase “and complementary

studies”

5.
Lines 67, 184, 190, 196, 1992, and 2053: Delete “complementary studies,”

6.
Line 78: Insert “or” before “certificate” and delete “, or complementary
studies”

7.
Lines 287, 296, and 305: Delete “ or complementary studies (see below)”

8.
Insert on line 302 the following sentence, “The maximum number of units is

increased
to 57 units for major programs that include 12 or more units of

coursework
outside the primary prefix for the major.” before the sentence beginning

“It
is expected…”

9.
Delete lines 307-327.

10. Delete appendix H (lines 2787-2868).

Discussion included the value of adding a requirement that
does not appear on student transcripts, as well as how this would fit into the
number of units students would be required to complete. The flexibility of the
complimentary studies proposal was clarified. The availability of courses was
raised.

The proposed
amendment failed.

e. Senator Sherwin
proposed an amendment to change the description of writing in the major.

·
the
following revision was proposed:

lines 256-259:

Revise:

Major
programs must require that majors complete a GWAR (Graduation Writing
Assessment

Requirement)
course. In addition major programs should provide extensive experience, as

defined
by the program, at the senior level. Major programs are encouraged, but not
required, to

provide
capstone courses or other culminating experiences.

to read:

Major programs must require that majors
successfully complete a junior-level GWAR

(Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement) class.
In due course—by a date or dates to be determined by CWEP (Committee on
English Written Proficiency)—major programs must also provide
opportunities for more advanced discipline-specific writing assignments once
students have progressed further in their studies. Major programs are
encouraged to incorporate substantial writing assignments into capstone or
similar culminating experience courses, but programs may adopt other
appropriate ways for students to satisfy the second, senior-level writing
requirement in the major.

f. Vice Chair Trautman proposed an amendment to include
at least six units of lower-division coursework.

· the following revision was proposed:

1.
Line 253: Change “are encouraged to” to “must”

The proposed
amendment failed.

g. Vice Chair Trautman proposed an amendment
to specify who
appoints the Advising Center and Student Affairs representatives to the BRC,
LDCC, and UDCC; and to clarify that the committees certify courses as meeting
specific graduation requirements.

· the following revision was proposed:

1.
Line 488: Add “professional staff by the director of the Undergraduate Advising

Center”
after the word “Center.”

2.
Line 489: Add “professional staff by the associate vice president for Student
Affairs”

after
the word “area.”

3.
Line 519” change “addition and deletion” to “certification and
decertification.”

4.
Line 548: Add “professional staff by the director of the Undergraduate Advising

Center”
after the word “Center.”

5.
Line 618: Change “elected” to “selected” and add “professional staff by the
director

of
the Undergraduate Advising Center” after the word “Center.”

The proposed
amendment passed.

h. Vice Chair Trautman proposed an amendment to clarify the
implementation of the new degree.

· the following revision was proposed:

1.
Delete from and add to lines 970-974 as follows:

Students
who begin their studies at San Francisco State University, at another

California
State University, or at a California community college, after the conversion
date or who have not maintained continuous enrollment before the conversion
date must satisfy the requirements specified in this policy the fall semester
after the approval of the policy or any revised requirements in effect before
they begin their studies and when the Baccalaureate Requirements Committee
determines sufficient courses have been approved under the new policy. All
students who submit a graduation application after the starting date may elect
to satisfy the graduation requirements specified in this policy.

For
the purpose of describing the implementation of this policy, “starting date” is
defined as the date that the President approves this policy and “conversion
date” is

defined
as the date that the Academic Senate reports to the Provost and President

that
sufficient courses have been approved to satisfy the requirements of this
policy.

“Continuous
enrollment” is defined as matriculated attendance in at least one

semester
or two quarters each calendar year.

The
revised statement would read as follows:

Students
who begin their studies at San Francisco State University, 970 at another California

971 State
University, or at a California community college, after the conversion date or
who

972 have
not maintained continuous enrollment before the conversion date must satisfy
the

973 requirements
specified in this policy or any revised requirements in effect before they

974 begin
their studies.

975

976 All
students who submit a graduation application after the starting date may elect
to

977 satisfy
the graduation requirements specified in this policy.

978

979 For
the purpose of describing the implementation of this policy, “starting date” is

980 defined
as the date that the President approves this policy and “conversion date” is

981 defined
as the date that the Academic Senate reports to the Provost and President that

982 sufficient
courses have been approved to satisfy the requirements of this policy.

983 “Continuous
enrollment” is defined as matriculated attendance in at least one semester

984 or two quarters each calendar year.

The proposed amendment passed.

i.
Vice Chair Trautman proposed an amendment to require action by the Academic Senate to
revise course expectations and student learning outcomes for General Education
Requirements.

Delete
from and add
to lines 1016-1024 as follows:

The
appendices which that follow provide supplemental integral
information for

Academic
Senate policy S10-254, “Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees,

Majors,
Concentrations, Minors, and Certificates.” Only the Academic Senate, with

approval
of the President, can change Academic Senate policy S10-254, or the

“Educational
Goals for the Baccalaureate at San Francisco State University,” or any

course
expectation or student learning outcome.” The other items in the appendices

below
are not Academic Senate Policy documents statements but provide
some

context
for the intentions of S10-254. Consequently, the Baccalaureate

Requirements
Committee may make changes in the wording of course expectations,

student
learning outcomes, or
extended descriptions or examples of requirements,

without
sending those changes to the Academic Senate for review and approval,

provided
the changes do not call for changes in the policy document. All such

changes
made by BRC shall be communicated to the Academic Senate in the

BRC’s
quarterly reports. The
following is a list of the appendices which that follow:

The
appendices that follow provide integral information for 1016 Academic Senate policy
S10-1017 254, “Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees, Majors,
Concentrations, Minors, and

1018 Certificates.”
Only the Academic Senate, with approval of the President, can change

1019 Academic
Senate policy S10-254, the “Educational Goals for the Baccalaureate at San

1020 Francisco
State University,” or any course expectation or student learning outcome. The

1021 other
items in the appendices below are not Academic Senate Policy statements but

1022 provide
some context for the intentions of S10-254. Consequently, the Baccalaureate

1023 Requirements
Committee may make changes in the wording of extended descriptions or

1024 examples
of requirements, without sending those changes to the Academic Senate for

1025 review
and approval, provided the changes do not call for changes in the policy

1026 document.
All such changes made by BRC shall be communicated to the Academic Senate

1027 in the BRC’s quarterly reports. The following is a
list of the appendices that follow:

The proposed amendment failed.

The proposed Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees, Majors,
Concentrations, Minors, and Certificates Policy passed.

AGENDA ITEM #5—Recommendation from the Educational Policies
Council: Proposed Revisions to the
Discontinuance Policy (#F93-177), 1^st Reading. Time certain for
adjournment was reached prior to the hearing of the proposed revisions; the
item will be returned to the May 11^th, meeting of the Academic
Senate.

AGENDA ITEM #6—Adjournment—4:00p.m.