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UNIVERSITY OF OREGON UNIVERSITY SENATE

Minutes of the 9 March 1994 Meeting

Roll: Present: Barnhard, Bohme, Bohrer-Clancy, Bolt, Brody, Boren, Brick, Calof, Carter, Clark, Dufek, Forell, Fuller, Gall, Goldschmidt, Gordon, Gwartney-Gibbs, Klos, Lesage, Maitland-Gholson, Plass, Ponder, Pope, Sanders, Soper, Sprague, Steeves, Tepfer, Trombley, Wade, Weeks

Absent: Johnson, Kelton, Thomas, Williamson

Excused: Aitken, Ferguson, Gilland, Kintz, Klinghammer, Meyer, Pickett, Squires, Waters 1. Executive Session

At 3:07 p.m. in 129 Law, President Davison Soper called the University Senate into executive session to consider the recommendations of the 1993-94 Distinguished Service Awards Committee.

2. Approval of the Minutes

At 3:25 p.m. in 129 Law, President Soper convened the University Senate into open session. The senators approved the minutes of the February 9, 1994, meeting of the University Senate.

3. Approval of Motion on Course Availability

Senator Boren, chair of the Undergraduate Education and Policy Coordinating Council, presented from the UEPCC a motion calling for a commitment from faculty to assure that courses described in the University of Oregon General Bulletin are taught at least every other year. After Senator Sanders suggested that it would be more accurate to refer to a commitment from the University Assembly, the senate adopted his motion to amend. President Soper called for a roll call vote on the amended motion. Statement of Principle:

That the University of Oregon General Bulletin be an accurate reflection of the courses actually available to students.

Action: Therefore, the Assembly requires that all departments, schools, and colleges make every effort to make courses available to students at least every other year.

Process: The Committee on the Curriculum shall review annually the course offerings and will work with the deans and departments, schools, and colleges to rectify any problems that may arise.

The University Senate adopted the amended motion without dissent.

4. Approval of Segment of Curriculum Report on Restructured Graduate Degree Program in the College of Education

Mr. Micheal Dyer, chair of the University Committee on the Curriculum, presented his committee's report on a restructured graduate program in the College of Education. The proposed program would lead to a master of science degree in educational policy and management with a specialization in instructional leadership. He said the Graduate Council had reviewed the curriculum committee's work and approved the restructured specialization core and endorsements, with the addition to the core of 6 credits in selected existing educational policy and management courses and a new 3credit master's project course.

After comments from Graduate Dean Steadman Upham about the Graduate Council's additions to the report and some discussion about the relationship of soft money to the future of the program, the University Senate with a roll call vote approved the segment of the curriculum report on a restructured graduate degree in the College of Education.

5. Discussion of Alternative Model of Faculty Governance

Mr. John Nicols, chair of the Faculty Advisory Council, led a lengthy discussion of alternative models of faculty governance. As they referred to the February 28, 1994, memorandum which had been sent all voting faculty and which contained FAC suggestions for a revised system of governance at the University of Oregon, Mr. Nicols and other members of the FAC made the following points:

*As they considered suggestions for revising university governance, FAC members heeded the results of the December 1993 survey which was designed to assess faculty perceptions of the current faculty governance system.

*The memorandum suggesting an alternative model of faculty governance sent to the voting faculty from FAC was for discussion only. FAC members did not reach unanimous agreement about that model, and the survey results were not always completely clear.

*The University of Oregon has more student senators than do other schools. Many university senates have no student representatives. Mr. Nicols and others opined that, if the senate becomes more powerful, the students, even with a reduced proportion of representation, will also become more powerful.

*The suggestion to reduce the proportion of senators from the professional schools and colleges reflects current faculty because they were cut more proportionately by Ballot Measure 5 than was the College of Arts and Sciences.

President Brand brought up the idea of creating a strengthened Senate Executive Committee with representation from major university committees, and talked about the value of bringing the president directly into conversation with the faculty governance leadership. "Shared governance," he said, "is working on things together, and the present system is too cumbersome."

When President Soper asked for comments on a desirable size for the senate, a number of senators said it should be larger and none said it should be smaller.

As the meeting concluded, Mr. Nicols described FAC plans to take a revised governance proposal to the University Assembly during spring term. He asked if the Senate would like him to return for further discussion. President Soper encouraged senators to send him by electronic mail their ideas about how the senate should proceed on faculty governance issues.

The University Senate adjourned at 5:05 p.m.

Nancie Fadeley Secretary
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