2008-2009 FACULTY SENATE
California State University, Sacramento
AGENDA
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Library 11
OPEN FORUM
CONSENT ACTION
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FS 08-55/Ex. |
COMMITTEE APPOINTMENT - SENATE |
Center for Teaching and Learning
Advisory Board
Elaine Gale, At-large, 2010
|
FS 08-56/Ex. |
COMMITTEE APPOINTMENT - UNIVERSITY |
Search Committee, Dean, College
of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies
Dana Kivel, H&HS
REGULAR AGENDA
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FS 08-57/Flr. |
APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF OCTOBER 30, 2008 |
SECOND READING
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FS 08-54/Ex. |
COMMITTEE ON GRADUATE STUDIES, ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMITTEE ON GRADUATE STUDIES |
The Committee on Graduate Studies shall be established as a Standing Committee of the Faculty Senate.
CHARGE
A. The Committee on Graduate Studies
shall be the consultative deliberative body of the faculty on matters relating
to graduate education, graduate curriculum, planning and research including
post-baccalaureate course offerings, degree programs, extension, admission and
matriculation requirements, assistantships, fellowships, graduate student
awards, grading, library services, and other matters related to
post-baccalaureate and graduate instructional development and delivery.
A. The Committee on Graduate Studies
shall, in consultation and collaboration with the Faculty Senate’s standing
committees (Curriculum Policies, Faculty Policies, Academic Policies, and
General Education/Graduation Requirements), develop, periodically review,
revise as appropriate and recommend such university-wide graduate policies,
standards, and procedures as are conducive to the maintenance of quality in
advanced degree programs throughout the University. Pursuant to this, it shall coordinate
policies, standards, and procedures of the departments and schools and the
University as a whole, insofar as they relate to degrees and/or programs beyond
the bachelor’s degree.
B. The Committee on Graduate Studies
shall also serve as a consultative body to the Dean of Graduate Education for
policy-related matters in consultation and collaboration with the Faculty
Senate’s Standing Committees.
OPERATIONS
A.
The Committee on Graduate Studies shall be a committee
of the Faculty Senate, reporting to the Executive Committee.
B.
Although the Faculty Senate’s Curriculum Policies,
Faculty Policies, Academic Policies, and General Education/Graduation
Requirements Committees have the major policy-recommending functions for the
University in their respective areas, the Committee on Graduate Studies may, in
collaboration with those Committees, review existing policies and initiate
co-sponsored policy recommendations related to graduate studies and graduate
programs. The Committee on Graduate
Studies will work in close coordination with other Faculty Senate standing
committees in the disposition of its duties.
C.
Issues considered by the Committee on Graduate Studies
may be referred by the Executive Committee to any of the other standing
committees of the Faculty Senate as well.
Any standing committee may similarly refer issues to the Committee on
Graduate Studies through the Executive Committee.
D. The Committee on Graduate Studies shall elect a Chair at the end of each academic year to serve during the coming academic year.
1) The Chair is responsible for establishing the agenda for each meeting, and for producing an end-of-year report.
2) A quorum of the Committee shall require the presence of at least five voting members.
MEMBERSHIP
The Committee on Graduate Studies shall be composed of 9 voting members: one faculty representative from each of the seven Colleges and the Library, and one faculty representative of the Dean’s Graduate Advisory Council elected by that Council. Elected members shall serve three year staggered terms. One representative from each of the Faculty Senate’s standing policy committees shall serve in a liaison role as ex-officio, non-voting members. The Dean of Graduate Education and a representative from the College of Continuing Education shall also serve as ex-officio, non-voting members, as shall one post-baccalaureate student selected according to procedures determined by Associated Students Incorporated.
FIRST READING
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FS 08-57/FPC/Ex. |
THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COLLEGE TEXTBOOKS TRANSPARENCY ACT (CALIFORNIA EDUCATION CODE SECTION 66406.71 (RECOMMENDATIONS ON) |
The Faculty Senate endorses these recommendations and specifically requests that the Provost communicate to all faculty the following provisions contained in the College Textbooks Transparency Act, which
1. Encourage faculty with course material selection responsibilities
· To place their orders by the specified due date to enable the bookstore to confirm the availability and subsequent purchase of the requested materials.
· To submit their textbook adoption information to the bookstores as early as possible to enable the bookstores to obtain as many used books as possible and to purchase books back from students at higher prices.
· To consider price in the textbook adoption process without compromising the academic freedom of faculty in the selection of course materials.
· To consider adopting textbooks that are not bundled with supplementary products, unless all the components are required for the course.
2. Inform faculty that they must not demand or receive anything of value, including the donation of equipment or goods, any payment, loan, advance, or deposit of money, present or promised, for adopting specific course materials.
3. Inform faculty that they may, however, receive any of the following:
1) Complimentary copies, review course materials, or instructor copies. The adopters shall not sell instructor copies.
2) Royalties or other compensation from sales of course materials that include the instructor's writing or other work. Receipt of these royalties or compensation is subject to the employer's standing policies or collective bargaining agreements relating to employee conflicts of interest.
3) Honoraria for academic peer review of course materials. Receipt of honoraria is subject to the employer's standing policies relating to employee conflicts of interest.
4) Training in the use of course materials and course technologies. Payment for travel and lodging and or meals shall be subject to the employer's standing polices relating to employee conflicts of interest and compensation.
Background. In August, 2008 the California State Auditor
released Report 2007-116 entitled Affordability of College Textbooks.2
The Auditor found, among other things, that
·
Textbook
costs have risen at higher rates than have the median household income, and at
higher rates than student fees (between academic years 2004-05 and 2007-08,
student fees charged by CSU rose by approximately 18%, but retail prices for
textbooks increased by 28%)
·
CSU
students spent an average of $812 on textbooks in academic year 2007-08, which
was roughly 23 percent of the total for both mandatory fees and textbooks.
In an effort to
address this issue, recent state laws have encouraged faculty and others on
campus to help to reduce textbook costs.
·
Assembly
Bill 2477, which took effect on January 1, 2005, requires CSU leaders to work
with their academic senates to encourage faculty to consider the least costly
practices in assigning textbooks.
·
Assembly
Bill 1548, effective January 1, 2008, encourages faculty to consider cost in
the adoption of textbooks.
The Executive Vice
Chancellor/Chief Academic Officer of the California State University has
requested campus Presidents send a message to all faculty, making these points
and to do so at appropriate times each term as a reminder of the need to take
actions, as appropriate, that may result in lower costs to students for
textbooks and learning materials.
2The Report
may be reviewed online at: http://bsa.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2007-116_pdf
Attachment A is a copy of the most recent legislation,
the College Textbooks Transparency Act, California Education Code Section
66406.7
INFORMATION
NEXT FACULTY SENATE MEETING:
NOVEMBER 20, 2008
1. Faculty Senate's home page: www.csus.edu/acse, or, from the CSUS home page, click on Administration and Policy, then Administration, then Faculty Senate.
2. The Structure of Senate Meetings
3. Actions of the 2008-2009 Senate