Meeting Minutes of the Steering Committee
10 May 2012
3:30 p.m.  Room 206 Samford Hall
(by Larry Crowley, Secretary)

In Attendance: Tim Boosinger, Larry Crowley, Claire Crutchley, Robin Jaffe,  Laura Plexico, Ann Beth Presley, Bill Sauser, Andy Wohrley
Guests: Constance Relihan  and Martha Taylor
Absent: Nedret Billor, Michael Baginski

-- The meeting was called to order at 3:30 pm

-- The meeting minutes of April 26, 2012 Steering Committee were approved as written.

-- Ad hoc vs. Standing Committees
Constance Relihan, Assoc. Provost for Undergraduate Studies, discussed three ad hoc committees to deal with current academic issues where standing committees are in place.  A committee to review Teaching of Statistics on Campus is an ad hoc committee developed to advise the Senate Curriculum Committee, which Constance Relihan chairs, on issues dealing with the teaching of statistics in a variety of different departments, schools, and colleges.  This committee as structured will add more representation from the standing committee and a representative from engineering. This ad hoc committee would then report back to the Senate Curriculum Committee, who would then be responsible for any motion presented to the senate for possible adoption and implementation.

The second ad hoc committee is considering implementing proposed changes to the GAP program where the students would be required to receive advising prior to its first use by the student.  The ad hoc committee is considered advisory to the Senate Academic Standards Committee and will report to them for any further action to be brought before the senate for adoption and subsequent implementation.

The third ad hoc committee to explore a Summer Bridge Program initiative for admitted students who’s ACT scores fall below a certain score has yet to be formed.  The initiative will be given as a charge to the standing Senate Retention Committee for consideration.

A fourth action that has been considered independent of standing committees in the past is certain departments have requested housing components of an International Curriculum within their units.  This will be coordinated in the future with standing committees as requests come forward.

Also discussed with Constance Relihan is the need to reduce the number of Intended Learning Outcomes within the core curriculum.  This issue will be a charge in the upcoming year to the Senate Core Curriculum and General Education Committee.  Some discussion also took place in encouraging engineering to reduce the number of hours in the core as allowed under existing state law.

-- Conflict of Interest Policy
Martha Taylor, Asst. Vice President for Research, discussed the draft Conflict of Interest Policy presented under New Business during the May Senate Meeting in anticipation of Senate action during June.  The Draft Policy is seeking to comply with NIH funding requirements.  However, it is not possible through Senate/Board action to have an approved policy in-place prior to the time needed to comply with NIH requirements.  Provisions in Chapter 8 dealing with the consulting policy of the recently adopted Faculty Handbook allow the University President to formulate and implement procedures as required by applicable regulations.  This revised administrative procedure would be in-line with how current Conflict of Interest issues are addressed under Chapter 6 – Research, where only a place keeper exists for an expected future policy on Conflict of Interest.   Actually drafting the policy for “Conflict of Interest” will be sent to the Senate Faculty Research Committee for development and later presentation to the Senate for consideration early next academic year.  

-- Potential Topics for monthly meeting with the President were discussed.

-- The meeting was adjourned at 4:55 pm