The University Senate
of Michigan
Technological University
Minutes of
Meeting 511
19 October 2011
Synopsis:
The Senate
·
Presentation of Provost Max Seel
1. Call to order and roll call. President Rudy Luck called the University Senate Meeting 511
to order at 5:30 pm on Wednesday, October 19, 2011. The Senate Secretary Marty
Thompson called roll. Absent were representatives of Army/Air Force ROTC, Biomedical
Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Mathematical Sciences, Physics,
Auxiliaries and Cultural Enrichment, IT and Staff Council and Senators Caneba
and Koszykowski.
2. Recognition of visitors. Guests included Max Seel (Provost
Office), Pushpa Murthy (Chemistry), Keat Ghee Ong (Biomedical Engineering) , Ashitosh Tiwari (Chemistry) and Sean Kirkpatrick
(Biomedical Engineering).
3. Approval of agenda. Luck
asked if there were any changes; there being none Luck declared the agenda
stood approved.
4. Approval of minutes from Meetings 510. Luck
asked if there were any changes; Rudiger requested a correction, which was
implemented. Scarlett moved to
approve the minutes as amended; Barr seconded;
the minutes were approved by a voice
vote.
5. Presentation: “2035 Vision
and Enrollment Target Discussion” by Provost Max Seel
Luck introduced Provost Max Seel,
who proceeded to provide a portrait of Michigan Tech in the year 2035 and the
discussions that led to this vision. He noted the stark contrast in the number
of engineering degrees awarded nationally versus those for Michigan Tech. Luck
asked why Tech had different numbers of graduate students than other
engineering schools and if he expected the increase in PhD degrees in 2035
would be in areas other than engineering. Seel said he did not know what the
exact numbers would be for different disciplines in 2035, but that we need to
move towards the national average. He proceeded to explain the changes taking
place in faculty hiring to support the increased numbers of graduate students.
Seel said the 2035 portrait is to guide the discussion. He did not think we
will shift to an online university but will remain a residential institution
and a research university. He discussed a survey of industry response to hiring
BS and MS engineering graduates and suggested Tech should make the necessary
adjustments to meet the changing needs of industry. Seel described the changes
in the educational timeline for engineering degrees as compared with other
disciplines and professional degrees. Vable asked why the number 3000 was
chosen for the number of graduate students in 2035. Seel was not clear on why
that number was chosen, specifically, except as a goal, and noted it could be
more or less. Vable asked why there were endowments for faculty but none for
graduate or undergraduate students. Seel stated that $400 million for the
endowment is needed. Vable said it was only cited for faculty and the use of
the endowment should be made clear. Seel said the uses for the endowment is
under discussion and the current document is a draft. Bulleit noted the goal
for 40% endowed faculty positions, but it was not clear about the total number
of faculty this involved or if these were tenure or tenure track. He asked how many
faculty a $400 million endowment would provide for. Seel was not clear, stating
that such details are still being discussed and that he would appreciate
feedback. Bulleit asked if we would meet the endowment goal of $120 million set
for FY2016 noting we are roughly at about $70 million. He asked stated the
fundraising expectations and asked if this goal of $400 million is
overreaching. Riehl asked he is concerned about losing students who get an
undergraduate degree here and taking a master’s degree somewhere else. Seel
says we need to stay consistent with national trends and noted there is no
inherent need for graduate classes to be smaller in size. Riehl asked if
students transfer from Tech because of a lack of such program. Seel said that
if we do not offer the programs students want, then students may leave or may
not come here. Bulleit noticed there is a move towards professional master’s degrees
in various fields and asked if there has been discussion of applying this to
science fields. Seel affirmed there are several examples of this. Luck inquired about the new infrastructure requirements to
realize the 2035 portrait of Tech. Seel said this discussion of infrastructure
changes is needed to support the 2035 vision. Onder asked about the percent
distribution of Ph.D. and M.S. students. Seel restated the numbers but noted
that these numbers could change in 25 years. Onder noted the different
requirements between master’s and doctoral students. Seel affirmed the
differences. Murthy asked about the female enrollment projections. Seel said
the current female enrollment is the highest ever. He noted 83% disciplines are
STEM, which typically have a low percentage of female students, noting the 2020
projection is 30% female students overall. Luck thanked Seel.
6. Report from the Senate President
Luck provided an update on the
proposals passed during the last senate meeting. Seel elaborated on the
administrative progress of these proposals. Luck said Vice-President Reed will
present a discussion on the strategic plan and strategic budgeting in the Chemical
Sciences and Engineering building on Nov. 9 at 5 pm.
Scarlett asked the purpose of the exercise. Luck said that Reed could better
answer this question, but felt it would be useful to understand the financial
aspects of different programs. Scarlett asked if this was open to all constituents
or just senators. Luck affirmed the invitation was only extended to the senate.
7. Report from Senate Standing Committees
None.
8. Old Business
None.
9. New Business
Proposal 6-12 : “Proposal for a
non-departmental Ph.D. Program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB)”
Storer, Curricular Policy Committee,
noted this involves the School of Forestry Resources and Environmental Sciences
and the Departments of Chemistry, Biomedical Engineering and Biological
Sciences. He said this program fills a gap in the curriculum. Luck reminded
everyone that the proposal is being introduced and to discuss this with
constituents. Storer noted that the Finance Committee (FC) has reviewed this.
Herbig, FC, noted several points of clarification and have not heard back yet.
Murthy noted that Mullins, FC chair, sought minor clarifications, which were
addressed directly. Storer affirmed this.
Proposal 7-12: ““Master’s Program in Biomedical Engineering”
Storer, Curricular Policy Committee,
noted there is currently a doctoral program in the Department of Biomedical
Engineering and this master’s degree is a logical addition. He provided two
friendly amendments. Luck noted that these amendments will be updated on the
website. He noted the Finance Committee chair approved both of the current
proposals and provided the open meeting date for the FC.
10. Adjournment. Onder moved to
adjourn; Storer seconded the motion.
President Luck adjourned the meeting at 6:13pm
Respectfully submitted
by Marty Thompson
Secretary of the University Senate