THE UNIVERSITY SENATE OF MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

Minutes of Meeting 401

25 February 2004

SYNOPSIS:

(1) President Robert Keen reported that: (a) Proposals 15-04, 16-04, 17-04, and 18-04, have been sent to the Administration, (b) The Senate Statement on the December 2003 Referendum was transmitted to the Daily Mining Gazette, the Michigan Tech Lode, Provost Kent Wray, and Dale Tahtinen, MTU's Vice President for Governmental Relations and Secretary of the Board of Control, (c) Alan Brokaw (School of Business and Economics) has accepted an appointment as At-large Senator, (d) The remodeling of Wadsworth Hall will include a faculty retreat area near the Campus Café, and (e) Nathan Dickmeyer of Dickmeyer Consulting, LLC, will make a presentation on University budgeting practices to the Board of Control at its 5 March 2004 meeting. In other matters, he accepted, with regret, the resignation of Vice President Christine Williams, provided an explanation for the rescheduling of the Board of Control meeting from 12 March to 5 March 2004, and discussed the situation of Senator Craig Waddell, who is on sabbatical leave this semester.

(2) Chief Financial Officer Daniel Greenlee: (a) gave an update on the status of the University's General Fund, which now is projected to have a $1.8 million deficit rather than an earlier projected $6.3 million deficit, (b) reported that the Administration will ask the Board of Control to return the salaries and wages of those affected by the furlough days to previous levels, and (c) described the effects of the furlough [of the 732 employees affected, 183 employees (about 25% of the total) supplemented their salaries from designated, expendable restricted, and other funds; the total salary reduction was $926,051, to which must be added about 20% in fringes (TIAA-CREF contributions and FICA payments), to yield approximately $1.1 million. Supplements total $237,933 not including fringes.].

(3) The Senate referred Proposal 6-04, Wireless LAN Strategy and Policies, to the Senate Computer Committee with instructions to break the proposal into three separate proposals covering (a) a campus wide wireless infrastructure, (2) a wireless spectrum usage policy, and (3) a wireless LAN usage policy.

(4) The Senate approved Proposals 19-04, Suspension of the AAS Degree in Chemical Engineering Technology, 20-04, Graduate Certificates, 21-04, Suspension of the BS Degree in Mining Engineering, 22-04, Amendment to Proposal 16-97 Minors in Degree Programs, and 23-04, Graduate Certificate in Sustainability.

(5) The Senate began discussion of Proposal 24-04, The Title and Administrative Position of Dean, but adjourned before any action was taken.


President Robert Keen called University Senate Meeting 401 to order at 5:32 p.m., Wednesday, 25 February 2004, in Room B45 EERC.

1. ROLL CALL OF SENATORS
Secretary Terry Monson called roll. Absent were At-large Senators Anil Jambekar and Don Beck, representatives from Army/Air Force ROTC, Fine Arts, Humanities, Physics, Social Sciences, the Keweenaw Research Center, Auxiliary Enterprises, and Student Affairs and Educational Opportunity. Liaisons in attendance were Brandon Richards (USG) and Becky Christianson (Staff Council).

2. RECOGNITION OF VISITORS
Visitors included Brenda Helminen (IT), Jim Moore (School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science), Bob Warrington (College of Engineering), Dan Greenlee (Chief Financial Officer), Kent Wray (Provost), Sharron Paris (OSRR), Marcia Goodrich (Tech Topics), and the following MTU students: Austin Bensend, Jonathan Rumble, Garrett Godfrey, Corey Halls, Greg Arens, Samuel Miller, Maribeth Powers, and Dan Henry.

3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
President Keen presented the agenda and asked for modifications or additions. There were no modifications or additions and there were no objections to the agenda. [Appendix A. NOTE: Only official senate and library archival copies of the minutes will contain a full complement of appendices.]

4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM MEETING 400
President Keen presented the minutes from Meeting 400 and asked if there were any additions or corrections to these minutes. Senate Secretary Monson commented that Senator Scott Pollins had e-mailed him concerning a correction in the last sentence of the second to last paragraph of discussion of Proposal 6-04. That sentence should read: "To clarify another point with reference to functionality, he stated that MTU wireless connectivity would be functionally the same as the currently wired network; however, it is a shared network and will not provide the same performance as that provided by a wired wall jack." This correction will be made to the minutes. There were no other corrections, and, with no objections, these minutes were approved as corrected.

5. PRESIDENT'S REPORT
President Keen reported the following items:

A. Proposal 15-04, Master of Engineering - Civil Engineering and Master of Engineering - Environmental Engineering, Proposal 16-04, PhD Program in Industrial Archeology, Proposal 17-04, Minor in Polymer Science and Engineering - Department of Chemical Engineering, and Proposal 18-04, Senate Request for Financial Expertise by New Board of Control Appointee, have been sent to the Administration. President Keen noted that Proposal 18-04 did not require Administration approval; rather, it asked the Administration to support the Senate's request that the new Board of Control member have a background in financial accounting. [Appendices B-E]

B. The Senate Statement on the December 2003 Referendum was transmitted to the Daily Mining Gazette, The Michigan Tech Lode, Provost Kent Wray, and Dale Tahtinen, MTU's Vice President for Governmental Relations and Secretary of the Board of Control on Monday, February 23. President Keen apologized for its late transmittal. [Appendix F]

C. Alan Brokaw (School of Business and Economics) has accepted an appointment as At-large Senator, beginning at the next meeting (March 10). Brokaw will also serve on the Academic Policy Committee, which, among other items, needs to review the Sabbatical Leave Policy. This appointment is important since Brokaw was instrumental in developing the current policy.

D. The remodeling of Wadsworth Hall will include a faculty retreat area near the Campus Café. While not an ideal central location, it will provide a place for faculty to congregate. [Appendix G]

E. Nathan Dickmeyer of Dickmeyer Consulting, LLC, has completed a draft of his report on University budgeting practices and will make a full presentation to the Board of Control at its 5 March 2004 meeting.

F. The Provost sent a memo to the Senate advising it of implementation for a trial period of a 2+3 program leading to an AAS degree in Civil Engineering Technology and a BS in Civil Engineering. This program does not need Senate approval since no new degree is added. [Appendix H]

G. President Keen discussed the situation concerning Senator Craig Waddell, who is on sabbatical spring semester. Senator Waddell asked Keen whether he should continue as a Senator while on sabbatical. Keen sought advice from the Provost and responded to Waddell that continuing as a Senator while on sabbatical would be counter to the spirit, if not the rules, of sabbatical leaves. Keen was surprised with Waddell's response and will ask the President and the Chair of the Department of Humanities (who approved Waddell's sabbatical) to make a determination if it is appropriate for Waddell to represent the Department of Humanities in the Senate. Further, President Keen observed that the Senate President has no role in determining who can serve in the Senate other than filling vacant Senate At-large positions. [Appendix I]

H. President Keen accepted, with regret, the resignation of Vice President Christine Williams and asked Senators to send nominations for her replacement to him or Jeanne Meyers. He also noted that the Senate will need to nominate a replacement for her on the Conflict of Interest Committee.

I. President Keen provided information concerning the rescheduling of the Board of Control meeting from 12 March to 5 March 2004. The change in meeting dates had no nefarious intent. Rather, a Board retreat was planned around the initial date, which most members could not attend because of other plans. The date was changed to 5 March 2004 in hopes that more Board members would be able to attend the retreat. However, there were still scheduling conflicts that made the retreat impossible. Rather than changing the meeting back to 12 March, it was decided to meet at the earlier date.

J. President Keen asked that Provost Wray's memo to the faculty dated 24 February 2004 be entered into the record for this meeting. [Appendix J]

K. President Keen reported that he met with Senator Bill Gregg to plan incorporation of Senate policies into the new University policy format so that they could be included in the University web site on Policies and Procedures (http://www.admin.mtu.edu/admin/policy/index.htm).

Senator Ted Soldan inquired if it was necessary to submit a list of signatures supporting a nominee for the Senate Vice President position. President Keen indicated that he was unaware of this process and replied that nominations should be sent to him or Jeanne Meyers. He asked nominators to be certain that nominees are aware of their nomination. Ms. Meyers will confirm their willingness to stand for office.

6. COMITTEE REPORTS
Report on Faculty and Staff Furloughs:
Chief Financial Officer Dan Greenlee responded to a Senate request and made a presentation on faculty and staff furloughs. [Appendix K]

He began with an update on the status of the University's General Fund. In December 2003, he had projected a deficit of $6.3 million, based upon October 2003 data. This month, he projects a deficit of $1.8 million, based upon January 2004 data, i.e., the deficit is expected to be $4.5 million less than his earlier projection. There are two reasons for the change. First, $1 million of debt repayments will be charged to the Plant Fund. Second, the Graduate School typically transfers $1.9 million from the General Fund to the Expendable Restricted Fund; however, this year, it will transfer $1.6 million from the Expendable Restricted Fund to the General Fund, which results in a $3.5 net addition to the General Fund. He further noted that these changes are one-time events that may not reoccur. As a result, he projects a $4.5 -$5.0 million deficit next fiscal year unless revenues rise and/or expenditures fall.

Following this discussion, he read the following statement: "Because faculty and staff compensation is our highest priority, the MTU administration will ask the Board of Control to return the salaries and wages of those affected by the furlough days to previous levels. We are still working out the logistics as to how this will be accomplished, but we intend to have a plan of action for the Board of Control meeting on March 5. The recommendation was made after a periodic review of general fund revenues and expenditures. Based on the latest figures, the administration has determined that the general fund will be increased by approximately $4 million through transfers between other funds without compromising the university's overall financial condition."

He then described the effects of the furlough. There were 732 employees included in the furlough (7 executives, 31 academic administrators, 322 faculty, and 372 staff) of whom 183 employees (about 25% of the total) supplemented their salaries from designated, expendable restricted, and other funds (1 executive, 7 academic administrators, 123 faculty, and 52 staff). The total salary reduction was $926,051, to which must be added about 20% in fringes (TIAA-CREF contributions and FICA payments), to yield approximately $1.1 million. Supplements total $237,933 not including fringes. He also provided data on the distribution of employees who supplemented their salaries by department and employee type (see appendix for his overheads).

Senator Marilyn Cooper asked if reductions in medical benefits were separate from the values presented. Greenlee responded that they were not included in these estimates.

Senator Ron Roblee asked if those who supplemented their salaries from other funds will have those funds reimbursed if the Board approves the Administration's proposal to rescind furloughs. Greenlee responded that he did not know but that he assumed that these funds would be reimbursed.

Senator Susan Amato-Henderson commented that 31 members of the Math faculty supplemented their salaries. She wondered why there were so many and if those 31 had access to funding from research grants. Greenlee responded that he did not know the specifics of the supplements for Math faculty members, but that he would get the details.

Senator John Pilling observed that the Colleges of Sciences and Arts and Engineering account for about $32 million of the $68.5 million of General Fund salaries and fringes included in Greenlee's FY04 projection and then asked who received the remaining $36.5 million. Greenlee did not know but indicated that he would respond to the Senate with that information.

Senator Jim Pickens asked about the likelihood of Board of Control acceptance of the Administration's recommendation to rescind the furlough reductions and noted that five day furloughs represented 2.0% of salaries of those on 12-month appointments and 2.6% of salaries of 9-month academic salaries. He felt that this difference singled out faculty and would encourage current faculty unionization efforts. Greenlee responded that the recommendation had not yet been made to the Board Finance Committee but it will be proposed at the March 5 Board of Control meeting. Greenlee commented further that Governor Granholm used furloughs in her budget cuts for State of Michigan employees and that the Administration used the same furlough concept at MTU, so everyone received furloughs. However, he recognized that the furlough had a greater impact on faculty salaries than on staff salaries.

Senator Pickens asked how many 9-month employees did the State employ. Greenlee did not know. Pickens responded that university employment is institutionally different than State employment.

Senator Ted Soldan commented that there are numerous 9 and 10-month staff employees.

Senator Pat Heiden noted that two percent salary reductions have a greater impact upon employees earning $25,000 per year than on employees earning $150,000 per year. She further noted that MIT's model was better than the MTU approach since it applied salary reductions only to those earning more than $50,000 per year.

CFO Greenlee asked if the last salary reduction (in 1991) used a scaled system like MIT. President Keen responded that it did. Those earning less than $20,000 did not have their salaries reduced; there was a sliding scale for those earning between $20,000 and some higher salary, which he did not recall, and the full 4 or 5 percent cut applied after this higher salary.

Senator Mahdu Vable asked Greenlee when he would have an estimate of the order of cuts for next year. Greenlee thought that it was likely to be presented at the May Board of Control meeting. Vable asked if Greenlee would be able to present the proposed budget to the Senate prior to the May Board Meeting. Greenlee responded "hopefully," but he would not promise since the proposed budget was likely to be developed just prior to the Board meeting. He commented that the so-called Kershner Committee will present its estimate of next year's deficit (assuming no changes in revenues or expenditures) to the Board of Control at its March 5 meeting.

Senator Vable noted that several downstate universities have committed to the Governor's tuition recommendation (not to raise tuition above the rate of inflation) and asked if MTU will make that commitment. Greenlee responded that MTU is not yet ready to make that commitment. Further, he stated that if MTU did accept the Governor's recommendation, then the State rebate or "tuition incentive payment would be equal to an equivalent 8.8% tuition increase." If MTU raises tuition by 2.4% (the State's recommended "pledge" percentage), the total then becomes an equivalent 11.2% tuition hike, as long as the State honors its commitment to rebate part of MTU's FY 2004 appropriations reduction.

Senator Tony Rogers asked what effect rescinding of the furloughs would have upon the FY04 deficit. Greenlee responded that it would increase the deficit by as much as $1 million.

Senator Martha Sloan asked Greenlee if the Board Finance Committee gave him any guidance on next year's budget. Greenlee indicated that it had not. It was focusing upon projections for this year and discussing treatment of carry forwards.

With no further questions, President Keen thanked CFO Greenlee for his presentation.

7. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
A. Proposal 6-04, Wireless LAN Strategy and Policies [See minutes, page 10653, for a copy of this proposal.]

The Senate continued discussion of Proposal 6-04, which began at the last meeting.

Senator Scott Pollins MOVED (Senator Jim Turnquist support) to approve Proposal 6-04.

Senator Martha Sloan MOVED (Senator Bill Gregg support) to amend the first sentence of the second paragraph under the section headed "Proposal" on page 2 of the proposal to read "Telecommunications Engineering will work with users and departments to determine devices and services desired, identify areas that require special attention or limited wireless network access, priority for these services, and a schedule for deployment (underlines indicate the amended version)."

Senator Soldan asked the secretary to read the amendment, which he did, and then asked if the amendment would result in Telecommunications Engineering working more closely with departments. Senator Sloan indicated that was the amendment's intention.

She explained that the Department of Electrical Engineering does not want Telecommunications Engineering's work to interfere with the EE's wireless research and that it wants the fifth through eighth floors of the EERC to be a no wireless zone to serve as a buffer. Everyone on those floors has wireless access, the wireless enterprise group uses the sixth floor, and the eighth floor is devoted to wireless research. She commented further that Brenda Helminen (Telecommunications Engineering) provided the wording of this amendment.

The motion was approved in a voice vote.

Senator Gregg MOVED (Senator Monson support) to amend the section entitled "Cordless phones" on page 3 of the proposal to add the following phrase to the sentence beginning 2.4 GHZ phones … on campus in areas covered by the network (the underlined phrase indicates the amendment). Senator Gregg explained that there is no reason to forbid cordless phones where the network does not exist.

The motion was approved in a voice vote.

Senator Susan Amato-Henderson asked Senate Visitor Brenda Helminen (Telecommunication Engineering) if she needed to amend the section entitled 2.4 GHz on page 3 to include 802.11b or g WiFi AP Devices as a result of discussion on the Senate discussion list. Ms. Helminen responded affirmatively. Senator Amato-Henderson MOVED (Senator Sloan support) to add "or g" (as indicated above) to the phrase "802.11 b or g WiFi AP devices."

The motion was approved in a voice vote.

Senator Pollins MOVED (Senator Gregg support) to change the first sentence in the second paragraph under the heading "Policy" on the second page of the proposal to read: " The Wireless Spectrum Review Committee (WSRC) will have representation from … and a representative from Information Technology and a representative from Auxiliary Enterprises" [underlined section indicates the amendment, which would add a member from Auxiliary Enterprises and make the representative from Information Technology a voting (not ex officio) member of the Committee].

Senator Monson asked for the reason for the amendment. Ms. Helminen said that Dr. Jim S. Cross (Vice Provost for Information Technology) had requested one voting IT member on the Committee. Senator Pollins indicated that Senator Dick Prince (Auxiliary Enterprises) had asked Senator Pollins to add a voting member from Auxiliary Enterprises because he felt that Auxiliary Enterprises should have representation on the Committee since it would have a large part of the proposal's wireless network coverage.

Senator Christine Williams commented that this amendment means that the Telecommunications Engineering representative could chair the Committee. She did not believe that possibility was a good idea.

Senator Pickens thought that the addition of Auxiliaries was appropriate since it is a user, but that Telecommunications Engineering's representative should serve as a technical resource and should not be a voting member of the Committee. He opposed the amendment.

Senator John Pilling (Chair of the Senate Computer Committee) agreed with Pickens.

The motion failed in a voice vote.

Senator Pickens stated that he really liked Senator Christine William's description of the proposal as dealing with three separate issues, of which one is University-wide wireless. He disliked the bundling of issues in the proposal, including implicit acceptance of Information Technology being the sole provider of wireless networks, with $300,000-$400,000 annual funding for the network. He noted that the Senate did not have an opportunity to support Internet 2 and the adoption of digital phones. He further commented that the Senate did not even know that digital phones were being contemplated. He felt it would be foolish for the Senate to support IT's request to be grandfathered in and have a claim on future General Fund resources. He then suggested that the proposal be broken into three parts: (1) a campus wide wireless infrastructure, (2) a wireless spectrum usage policy, and (3) a wireless LAN usage policy. Continuing, he stated that there will be no movement forward on the first issue unless the University plans to run a larger deficit or terminate faculty and staff, neither of which he favors.

He then MOVED (Senator Soldan support) to table the proposal and send it back to the Computer Committee and have the Committee report out three proposals as described above that are more responsive to the wishes of the user community and less responsive to IT's desires.

President Keen observed that the Senate could not both table and send the proposal back to the Committee. Rather, the appropriate motion would be to send the proposal to Committee with instructions to split it into three parts as described. Senator Pickens indicated that was what he meant to say.

Senator Soldan asked Senator Pickens to repeat the three parts of his motion. Pickens responded that they are: (1) a campus wide wireless network that is centrally funded by the Administration, which would cost about $300,000-$400,000 per year, (2) a policy for usage of the spectrum and (3) a policy for use of the LAN by units, which is already fairly rampant across the campus and should be operating under a structure.

Senator Pilling (Chair of the Senate Computer Committee) said that he had no objection to the motion.

President Keen asked Pilling when the Senate might expect to see this issue again. Senator Pilling thought it would return to the Senate in early April.

The motion was approved in a voice vote.

8. NEW BUSINESS
A. Proposal 19-04, Suspension of the AAS Degree in Chemical Engineering Technology [Appendix L]

Senator Bill Gregg, Chair of the Senate Curricular Policy Committee, reported that the Committee recommended approval of this proposal and commented that it involved a rearrangement of School of Technology resources to better uses.

President Keen noted that the proposal involved suspension and not elimination of the AAS degree in Chemical Engineering Technology. As such, it could be resurrected at a later time, should conditions change, without the lengthy degree approval process, and that Senate approval would be needed to reinstate the program.

Senator Gregg commented further that the two School of Technology faculty members serving on the Committee supported the proposal.

Senator Pickens MOVED (Senator Monson support) to approve Proposal 19-04. The motion was approved in a voice vote (academic and at-large senators only).

B. Proposal 20-04, Graduate Certificates [Appendix M]
Senator Gregg noted that this proposal was stimulated by submission of Proposal 23-04, Graduate Certificate in Sustainability, which came from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Since there have been no graduate certificate programs at MTU, Senator Gregg conferred with Bruce Rafert (Dean of the Graduate School). They felt that there was need for a general policy. They reviewed graduate certificate programs at other institutions to develop the policy incorporated in this proposal. Dean Rafert is ready to develop procedures to implement this policy. Senator Gregg presented a summary of programs elsewhere, which more or less correspond to the policy included in this proposal (see the proposal for a description of the MTU Graduate Certificate requirements).

Senator Soldan observed that certificates could be completed during graduate student's degree programs and asked if they could be completed by non-degree candidates, if they have completed a BS degree prior to entrance to certificate programs. Gregg responded that non-degree candidates would be welcome and that other universities regularly use such certificate programs to attract non-degree seeking students.

Senator Pickens asked if undergraduates can begin a certificate program under the senior rule. Gregg replied that the certificate programs were only available to those who had completed a BS degree (in other words, no).

Senator Rogers inquired about the rationale for the four-year time limitation to complete a certificate. Was four years appropriate since many graduate students often take more than four years to complete their PhD programs? Gregg did not know the rationale for the four-year limitation. In the Committee's review of certificate programs elsewhere, a four-year limitation was commonly used, but no rationale was provided. However, the Committee felt that the four-year limitation was appropriate.

Senator Roblee MOVED (Senator David Hand support) to approve this proposal. The motion passed in a voice vote (academic and at-large senators only).

C. Proposal 21-04, Suspension of the BS Degree in Mining Engineering [Appendix N]
Senator Gregg noted that this proposal called for suspension and not elimination of the BS Degree in Mining Engineering, then went on to discuss the history of this proposal. The Provost asked the Senate to consider this suspension, upon recommendation from the College of Engineering. The College of Engineering recommendation had implications for the university's obligations under the MTU Charter (Public Act 70 of 1885), which includes language directing MTU to provide the inhabitants of Michigan with the means of acquiring a "thorough knowledge of the mineral industry in its various phases." He further commented that the Curricular Policy Committee does not support the entire proposal since some parts are not relevant to the MTU curriculum. Hence, the committee approved only the first paragraph of this proposal.

He then continued with discussion of the meaning of "thorough knowledge of the mineral industry in its various phases." His report concluded that the loss of the BS in Mineral Processing Option and the BS in Mining Engineering will substantially decrease, but not eliminate, MTU's ability to fulfill its obligations under Public Act 70 since the BS programs in Geology, Applied Geophysics, and Geological Engineering provide bachelor degree programs that cover the mineral exploration and prospect evaluation and mine planning and development phases of the mineral industry.

Gregg indicated that its high cost was the major reason for suspension of this program. This high cost was noted in the early 1990s when estimates indicated that the cost to educate one BS in Mining Engineering student was several times higher than that of educating most other engineering students. He presented data from a study done under Edward Lumsdaine, then Dean of the College of Engineering, that supported this conclusion. He noted that there is only one mining engineer on campus at this time. Dean Warrington pointed out that there was an additional mining engineer on campus, who will be leaving next fall. Gregg said that provisions have been made to ensure that current Mining Engineering students will be able to complete their degrees.

Senator Christine Williams asked for clarification of the symbols (+, ++, +++) in Table 4 of the proposal, which Gregg provided. The degree of coverage of a phase of the mineral industry increases as one moves from + (little coverage) to +++ (a high degree of coverage).

Senator Rogers inquired if there was a mineral processing option in the BS in Chemical Engineering program. Robert Warrington (Dean of the College of Engineering) responded that there is an ABET accredited mineral processing minor but the mineral processing degree program concentraion has been eliminated. Gregg commented that on-site beneficiation makes mineral processing a phase of the mineral industry but that off-site beneficiation is not always considered a phase of the mineral industry.

Senator Vable inquired further about the students in the pipeline. Gregg responded that Ted Bornhorst (Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences) is following students' progress and that all serious students are online to complete their degrees. There is one student yet to be contacted who may or may not be interested in completing a BS in Mining Engineering degree.

Senator Vable asked if admission to the program was closed in 2003. Gregg indicated that admission was closed earlier than this past fall. Two current sophomores have expressed interest in the BS in Mining Engineering degree and they will be allowed to complete the program. Dean Warrington also said that students will be allowed to complete the degree even though it is suspended.

Senator Scott Pollins MOVED (Senator Pickens support) to approve suspension of the BS in Mining Engineering degree program.

Senator Soldan said that Senator Gregg's comments convinced him that MTU satisfies its State charter, wondered if the Governor and the Legislature would agree, and asked if MTU should check with the powers that be to ensure that suspension of the BS in Mining Engineering degree meets their approval. Gregg responded that MTU has not contacted the powers that be and should not do so.

Senator Gregg MOVED (Senator Jim Turnquist support) to make several editorial amendments to the proposal. These included: (1) Add Applied before Geophysics in last line of the second paragraph before the paragraph before the section titled Meaning of the Phrase "thorough knowledge" (2) Change mining to mineral in the title of the section Meaning of the phrase "phases of the mining industry so that the title reads Meaning of the phrase "phases of the mineral industry"; and (3) Add Option after Mineral Processing to the first sentence of the last paragraph so that it reads "The loss of the BS in Mineral Processing Option and …"

The amendments were approved in a voice vote (academic and at-large senators only).

The main motion was approved in a voice vote (academic and at-large senators only).

D. Proposal 22-04, Amendment to Proposal 16-97, Minors in Degree Programs [Appendix O]
The Curricular Policy Committee developed this proposal in order to correct and clarify language and procedures found in the original Proposal (16-97). Of particular importance is the procedure by which minor proposals are transmitted to the Senate. In the past, they came directly to the Senate. With these amendments, they will be submitted to the Provost, who, in turn, will forward them to the Senate for review and action. Other amendments: (1) limited granting of minors only to students in Bachelors' degree programs, (2) noted that minors are listed on diplomas, (3), allowed minors with more than 16 credits to allow additional credits beyond 16 to be at any level, (4) made it clear that the minimum GPA of 2.0 in a minor is a cumulative GPA, and (5) required prerequisites to minor courses to be included in the minor program or as a footnote to the proposal.

Senator Amato-Henderson MOVED (Senator Rogers support) to approve this proposal.

Senator Monson inquired into the difference between minors and concentrations. Gregg responded that concentrations are wider and minors are more specific courses of study.

The motion was approved in a voice vote (academic and at-large senators only).

E. Proposal 23-04, Graduate Certificate in Sustainability [Appendix P]
Senator Gregg noted that Professors Neil Hutzler and James Michelcic (Civil and Environmental Engineering), and Associate Professor Kathleen Halvorsen (Social Sciences and SFRES) sent this proposal to the Curricular Policy Committee, which precipitated Proposal 20-04. The Curricular Policy Committee recommended its approval.

Senator Jim Pickens reported that the Senate Finance Committee reviewed the proposal and found that it had no financial repercussions.

Senator Pollins MOVED (Senator Pat Heiden support) to approve this proposal.

The motion was approved in a voice vote (academic and at-large senators only).

F. Proposal 24-04, The Title and Administrative Position of Dean [Appendix Q]
Senator Cooper, Chair of the Administrative Policy Committee, presented this proposal, which originated from a request from the Provost to change the title of the Executive Director of the Center for International Education (CIE) to Dean of the Center.

In discussing this proposal, President Keen suggested that the Committee should also consider an earlier proposal (Proposal 6-01) that used the term "Dean of Distance Learning." The implication of Proposal 24-04 is that the title of Dean of Distance Learning might need to be changed.

Senator Cooper stated that the Committee proposes that MTU maintain the traditional title of Dean and restrict its application to its original definition as an administrator of an academic unit that controls its curriculum and conducts research. This thinking implies that there should neither be a Dean of Distance Learning nor a Dean of the Center for International Education since the control of faculty and curriculum in these programs lies with the deans of academic units

Senator Pollins MOVED (Senator Monson support) to approve this proposal.

Senator Soldan asked for clarification of the proposal. President Keen noted that this proposal will restrict the title of dean to those who are chief academic officers of a school or college. As a footnote, he added that there will be a need to amend an obscure Board of Control policy that lists a Dean of Special Academic Programs as well as the policy that lists a Dean of Distance Learning (as mentioned above). Senator Cooper commented that the restriction of the title of dean to academic administrators originates from continental and Scotch university traditions and noted that the Senate has the right to review, establish, and implement policies and procedures for the selection and appointment of deans and department chairs.

Senator Roblee asked if the Administration had strong feelings that the proposal should be rejected. Provost Wray responded that Dr. James P. Cross (Executive Director of the CIE) has experienced difficulty in discussions with other foreign universities that are more accustomed to dealing with deans, rather than directors. These universities do not know exactly what the term director entails. Universities negotiating arrangements with foreign universities send individuals with titles such as dean or vice president to conduct these negotiations. Dr. Cross would like a title that other universities recognize as allowing him to speak and negotiate for MTU, which he feels will increase the likelihood of MTU's success with foreign universities. Provost Wray continued that it made sense to have a title that others recognized and stated that many other US universities use the term dean for activities related to the academic side of their universities. With regard to distance learning, when MTU was negotiating programs with private sector corporations such as Ford and GM, Wray stated that MTU was basically told that whoever was in charge of these programs should have a title (like dean) that the private sector recognizes. He felt that passage of the proposal authorizing a Dean of Distance Learning solved that problem quickly and helped the growth of MTU's distance education programs.

Senator Vable commented that, as a graduate of an Indian university, the title of chief administrator at that university was not president but director so he did not understand the problem with the term director. Continuing, he stated that most countries have a variety of titles so the term director should work. Provost Wray responded that he could only relate experiences that Dr. Cross had faced. In dealing with foreign universities, many do not recognize what the term director means in the US academic system. They cannot determine if it represents a mid-level management position or if it designates someone who has authority to speak for the university. That is why he felt that there is a need to have a title on par with competing universities.

Senator Gregg asked whether the scope of Dr. Cross' activities was comparable to those of other MTU Deans. Provost Wray indicated that it was. Dr. Cross coordinates and schedules courses, recruits students, and supervises and administers overseas programs with courses and faculty members indirectly tied to the College of Engineering.

Senator Gregg asked if Dr. Cross is actually responsible for supervising the first two years at IIHE. Provost Wray responded that Cross is not completely responsible since the courses belong to the Colleges of Engineering and Sciences and Arts. Further, he noted that the agreement with the IIHE gives the Executive Director of the Center for International Education a significant role in administering contracts including the scheduling and staffing of courses.

Senator Cooper stated that the overseas faculty members supervised by Dr. Cross are appointed by MTU Schools and Colleges, which means that he is not appointing and supervising faculty members. Further, she indicated that the Committee is not arguing that Dr. Cross' supervisory activities are insignificant; rather, it recognizes their importance, but since the title of dean is no more common than director, vice president, or vice provost, the Committee felt that academic administrators represent the core academic mission of the University, which differs from those who provide service support to that mission. As such, academic administrators should be called deans and other titles can be used to designate those who provide service support to the academic mission.

Senator Pickens asked for a point of clarification: Is this proposal an A-List item? President Keen responded affirmatively since, according to the Senate Charter (Article III, Section A, Paragraph 1, Item 10 Procedures for the selection of Deans and Department Chairs), the Senate is charged with the search and selection of academic deans. Senate participation will be needed in any extensive search for a person to fill this position.

9. ADJOURNMENT
Senator Sloan MOVED (Senator Turnquist support) to adjourn. The motion carried and Senate meeting 401 adjourned at 7:30 p.m.



Respectfully submitted by Terry Monson
Secretary of the University Senate