2009-2010 FACULTY SENATE
California State University, Sacramento

AGENDA
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Foothill Suite
3:00 - 5:00 p.m.

OPEN FORUM

CONSENT ACTION

REGULAR AGENDA

FS 09-73/Flr.

MINUTES OF OCTOBER 29, 2009

INFORMATION: PROPOSED FTES REDUCTION 2010-2011 – PROVOST JOSEPH SHELEY (30 MINUTES)

SECOND READING

FS 09-70/FPC/Ex.

OUTSTANDING TEACHING, UNIVERSITY SERVICE AND COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARDS, INCLUSION OF SCHOLARLY AND CREATIVE ACTIVITY

Background: During the Spring of 2009, and following debate on the level of recognition and nature of the award programs, the Faculty Senate passed the following:

Resolved: The Faculty Senate affirms its support of the current Faculty Awards model, which provides for University-wide recognition of faculty from each of the colleges or equivalent units in the categories of Teaching, Service to the Institution and Service to the Community.

Resolved: The Faculty Senate refers to Faculty Policies Committee the task of reviewing policies and procedures pertaining to the awards, including the composition of selection committees, with the goal of preparing a single integrated policy document that addresses all three awards, selection committees, award criteria, procedural matters, and manner(s) of recognition of award recipients. If FPC is to expend resources compiling and streamlining the policies and processes as the Senate has directed it to do, it is beneficial to determine in advance whether the Senate desires to add the fourth category, consistent with the fourth RTP review category, to avoid the later duplication of committee work. (FS 09-20/Ex.)

In his memo authorizing the action, the President added the comment:

“I note that the reaffirmed awards structure attends to three of the four areas of faculty activity and responsibility at Sacramento State. I ask that the Executive Committee and the Provost please discuss the issue of attention to Senate Awards, administered at the college level, by which to give the same measure of University-wide recognition of faculty in the area of scholarly and creative activity as is now provided in the areas of teaching, service to the institution,. And service to the community.” (Gonzalez memo to Senate Chair, 4/21/09)

If FPC is to expend resources compiling and streamlining the policies and processes, as the Senate has directed it to do, it is beneficial to determine in advance whether the Senate desires to add the fourth category, to avoid the duplication of work.

The Faculty Senate affirms the addition of the category of Outstanding Scholarly and Creative Activity to the current complement of college-level Faculty Awards. Furthermore, the Faculty Senate refers to the Faculty Policies Committee the task of incorporating the policies and procedures pertaining to such an award into the already existing task of preparing a single policy document that addresses the awards, with respect to selection committees, award criteria, procedural matters, and manner(s) of recognition of award recipients.

FS 09-71/CPC/GE/GRPC/Ex.

WRITING INTENSIVE COURSE – PASSING GRADE

Background: As part of a series of changes to the Comprehensive Writing Program approved by the Senate in 2006 and fully implemented in fall 2009, certification of GWAR was changed from a passing score on the WPE to a passing grade in a Writing Intensive (WI) course. During the process of advertising the changes to the campus, a number of faculty, deans, and department chairs expressed concerns that a passing grade in a WI course was too low of a standard for the GWAR. In response to these concerns the Reading and Writing Subcommittee feels that changing the certification to a C- would bring the requirement in line with the GE Area A Written Communication requirement and set a more rigorous standard. This change was presented to the Curriculum Policies Committee and the GE Policies Committee and both committees voted unanimously in favor of the change, with one abstention.

The Faculty Senate recommends changing the certification of completion of the undergraduate Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) from "a passing grade in a Writing Intensive course" to "a C- or higher in a Writing Intensive course."

FS 09-72/GSPC/Ex.

GRADUATE/CREDENTIAL PROGRAM BUDGET ALLOCATION AND ADMISSION DECISION MAKING

1. The Faculty Senate recommends that, when budget allocations and admissions numbers are determined for AY 2010-11, the Vice President for Academic Affairs maintain the current undergraduate and graduate/credential program percentages across the University.

2. The Faculty Senate asks the Vice President for Academic Affairs to supply by November 30, or sooner if possible, specific numbers to colleges on total numbers of graduate students to be admitted to each college.

FS 09-65/Flr.

MITIGATION OF THE IMPACT OF PRIORITY ADMISSIONS ON GRADUATE PROGRAMS AND PROPOSED “FIRST COME/FIRST ADMISSIONS” AS A GUIDE TO PROGRAM PRIORITIES

WHEREAS:	The Academic Senate of the California State University (ASCSU) unanimously passed a resolution entitled, "Mitigation of the impact of Systemwide Enrollment Management Policies on Graduate and Post-baccalaureate Credential Programs;" and
WHEREAS:	The ASCSU resolution encourages campus senates to "consider ways to mitigate the impact of enrollment management policies on graduate and post-baccalaureate credential programs including ...requesting a variance of the deadline from the Chancellor..." and
WHEREAS:	California State University Sacramento has a policy, "Instructional Programs Priorities: Academic Planning Resource Allocation and Enrollment Management" (www.csus.edu/umanual/acad/UMI07100.htm), the specific purpose of which is to guide "short-term and long-term resource allocation and enrollment management decisions;" and
WHEREAS:	the Priority Admissions (first come first served) method of enrollment management as proposed by the Chancellors Office does not allow for rational, educationally sound decision making with regard to academic program priorities, including size, as spelled out in this campus' policy on Instructional Programs Priorities; and
WHEREAS:	Academic Programming (type, size, quality) and admissions is the responsibility of a faculty; be it
RESOLVED:	the Faculty of CSUS request a variance from the November 30, 2009 deadline; and be it further
RESOLVED:	that the Graduate Studies Policy Committee and the Curriculum Committee, in consultation with the Provost, use the policy on Instructional Programs Priorities to develop a plan to reduce enrollments for the 2010/2011 Academic year that maintains the minimum of an 80/20 balance of undergraduate to graduate headcount enrollment AND is consistent with the criteria specified in the policy for "Priorities within Priority Program Categories" (section IV of the policy).

FIRST READING

FS 09-74/GE/GRPC/Ex.

BACCALAUREATE LEARNING GOALS

The Faculty Senate recommends the adoption of the Updated Baccalaureate Learning Goals:

Sacramento State Baccalaureate Learning Goals for the 21^st Century

DRAFT

Current Sacramento State Baccalaureate Learning Goals

Proposed Updated Baccalaureate Learning Goals

COMPETENCE IN THE DISCIPLINES: The ability to demonstrate the competencies and values listed below in at least one major field of study. Additionally, this learning goal requires students to demonstrate informed understandings of other fields, drawing on the knowledge and skills of disciplines outside the major.

ANALYSIS AND PROBLEM SOLVING: The ability of students to identify and diagnose problems; organize and critically evaluate relevant information of a qualitative and quantitative nature; develop reasonable arguments and effective solutions.

COMMUNICATION: The ability to read, write, speak and listen effectively. The ability to respond, with understanding and appreciation to a wide variety of communicative acts.

INFORMATION COMPETENCE: The ability to make effective and ethical use of information resources and technology for personal and professional needs.

CULTURAL LEGACIES: Acquisition of knowledge of human accomplishments in the creative and performing arts and the achievements of human thought.

VALUES AND PLURALISM: The ability to apply ethical standards in order to make moral judgments with respect to individual conduct and citizenship, and to recognize the diversity of human experiences and cultures, both within the United States and internationally. The development of positive social attitudes, values and behaviors.

Competence in the Disciplines: The ability to demonstrate the competencies and values listed below in at least one major field of study and to demonstrate informed understandings of other fields, drawing on the knowledge and skills of disciplines outside the major.

Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural World through study in the sciences and mathematics, social sciences, humanities, histories, languages, and the arts. Focused by engagement with big questions, contemporary and enduring.

Intellectual and Practical Skills, Including: inquiry and analysis, critical and creative thinking, written and oral communication, quantitative literacy, information literacy, teamwork and problem solving, practiced extensively, across the curriculum, in the context of progressively more challenging problems, projects, and standards for performance.

Personal and Social Responsibility, Including: civic knowledge and engagement—local and global, intercultural knowledge and competence, ethical reasoning and action, foundations and skills for lifelong learning anchored through active involvement with diverse communities and real-world challenges.

*Integrative Learning, Including: synthesis and advanced accomplishment across general and specialized studies.

All of the above are demonstrated through the application of knowledge, skills, and responsibilities to new settings and complex problems.

* Interdisciplinary learning, learning communities, capstone or senior studies in the General Education program and/or in the major connecting learning goals with the content and practices of the educational programs including GE, departmental majors, the co-curriculum and assessments.

The Faculty Senate further recommends that:

The "Baccalaureate Learning Goals" serve as a template for undergraduate learning for all undergraduate students at Sacramento State
The “Baccalaureate Learning Goals" be incorporated into the University's Strategic Plan.
The Curriculum Policies Committee (CPC), together with the General Education/Graduation Requirements Policy Committee (GE/GRPC) incorporate these goals into consideration of program review, in the ongoing, cyclical process that will guide the University in meeting these expectations of undergraduate learning at Sacramento State.
The CPC and GE/GRPC committees to initiate a review of the BLGs during Academic Year 2015-16, and to then consider revisions or amendments that will tailor the BLGs to the uniqueness of Sacramento State and reflect the changing landscape of undergraduate education.

Background:

The current Baccalaureate Learning Goals (BLGs) were designed and adopted by the Faculty Senate in February 2002 (FS 02-29/CPC, Ex.) and this would be the first reconsideration. Between that time and now, several aspects of the educational landscape have shifted---program review expectations, a strong focus on interdisciplinary and integrated learning, and an emphasis on community and civic engagement, for example. The recently completed GE/GR program review and the WASC accreditation review addressed the need for coherence between University Goals and GE Area and Program Objectives in order to realize the goals of program assessment: to better understand student learning and to make thoughtful and evidence based decisions at the level of programs.

General Education has taken the lead in updating the BLGs, in part because there is strong incentive (EO 1033 Learning Goals, GE Program Review, and WASC) for having BLGs that permit a more thorough and focused review of General Education learning outcomes at the level of the program, approximately 40% of the curriculum and about 50% of the undergraduate courses in any given semester. Extensive consultation with colleagues across the campus (partial list below), within the CSU system (Chico and San Jose) and across the country (see the AAC&U link below), provided evidence used to update the Sacramento State BLGs. This affirmed the integrity and value of the original Sacramento State BLGs in terms of disciplinary knowledge and endorsed the modification of the remainder of the original goals into the four updated learning goals above. These five goals are consistent with key outcomes identified by the Association of American Colleges and Universities, several comprehensive university systems (Oregon and Wisconsin in addition to California), and several professional associations including the Association of College and Research Libraries.

The GE/GRPC and other campus programs and groups advocate the adoption of these goals without amendment, because, in addition to being timely and congruent with our current goals, they have existing rubrics, already field tested and piloted in programs like ours that are associated with these BLGs, that may be tailored to program review and assessment initiatives, making that process more efficient and cost effective in terms of time and resources.

Groups/Individuals Consulted: (AY 2008-09; AY 2009-10)

Groups Consulted

Individuals Consulted

· General Education/Graduate Requirements Policies Committee

· Curriculum Policies Committee

· Graduate Studies Policies Committee

· Student Affairs

· Provost’s Department Chairs Meeting

· Sacramento State ASI Board

· Reading and Writing Subcommittee

· First Year Programs

· Faculty Senate Executive Committee

Greg Wheeler, GE/FYP Associate Dean

Lori Varlotta, Vice President Student Affairs

Jackie Donath, Chair HRSD, author of WASC Document, and current BLGs

Roberto Pomo, Director Honors Program

Terry Underwood, Assessment Coordinator

Sue Holl, Engineering Chair

Sheree Meyer, English Department Chair

Tim Fong, Ethnic Studies Chair

Dave Evans, Geology Chair

Dana Kivel, RPTA Chair

Chris Castaneda, History Chair

Vanessa Arnaud, French, Honors

Shannon Datwyler, Biology

Jeffrey Brodd, HRS, Chair PROC

Juanita Barrena, Biology

Beth Strasser, Anthropology

Key Documents:

Sacramento State Strategic Plan http://www.csus.edu/acaf/2007CSUS_StrategicPlan.pdf

Sacramento State WASC Reaccreditation Action Letter: http://www.csus.edu/wascaccreditation/WASC%20Reaccreditation%20Action%20Letter%20June%202009.pdf

Sacramento State GE/GRPC Response to Program Review http://www.csus.edu/acse/archive/0809/GE-GRPC_Final%20Draft.htm;

Actions of the Sacramento State Faculty Senate 08-09 related to GE (FS 09-40/GE/GRPC/Ex.) http://www.csus.edu/acse/08-09_actions.htm#FS%2009-40

The Association of American Colleges and Universities (http://www.aacu.org/)

Sacramento State’s Compass Project (http://www.aacu.org/compass/index.cfm)

Leap Essential Learning Outcomes (http://www.aacu.org/leap/vision.cfm)

Global Century Report (http://www.aacu.org/leap/documents/GlobalCentury_final.pdf)

Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education, or VALUE (http://www.aacu.org/value/index.cfm

NEXT SENATE MEETING – THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2009

Schedule of meetings:

· Thursday, November 12, 2009 – no Senate meeting

· Thursday, November 19, 2009 – Senate meets

· Thursday, December 3, 2009 – Senate meets

· Thursday, December 17, 2009 – tentative

INFORMATION:

Statement on Governance and Consultation – REPORT

Comments should be sent to Janet Hecsh (jhecsh@csus.edu)