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COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
Academic Year 2004-2005 

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AT KEARNEY
GENERAL STUDIES COUNCIL
Meeting of March 3, 2005
MINUTES 

PRESENT: 

Faculty: Peg Camp, Valerie Cisler, Randall Heckman, Sonja Kropp, John Lillis, Marta Moorman, Marguerite Tassi, Kenya Taylor, Ed Walker
Student: Tom McCarty
Ex officio members: Glen Powell, Kristi Milks, and Bill Wozniak
Absent: Deb Bridges, Sandy Cook-Fong, Anne Drinkwalter (student), Larry Kuskie, Vern Volpe

Wozniak called the meeting to order at 3:30 P.M. in room 310 of the Student Union.

  1. REVIEW OF THE MINUTES OF FEBRUARY 3 AND FEBRUARY 15, 2005.Wozniak had distributed corrections to the February 3, 2005 minutes in an e-mail. Lillis (Cisler) moved for approval of the minutes as corrected. Motion carried. Cisler (Walker) moved for approval of the minutes of February 15, 2005. Motion carried. 
  2. CD/WI COURSE SUBMISSIONS
    1. Writing Intensive:
      1. GERM 354, Survey of German Literature (Snider)
      2. PSCI 377, Topics in Political Thought - Feminist Political Thought (Blauwkamp)
      3. TE 431, Medical Aspects in Special Education (Mollenkopf)
      4. HIST 210H, Western Civilization to 1700 (Rieder)
      5. BMKT 440, Advertising Management (Leung)
      6. ENG 251, American Literature (Lines)
      7. JMC 305, Feature Writing for Magazines, Newspapers, Newsletters (Merrick)
      The WI subcommittee recommended approval of GERM 354 and ENG 251, but requested further information on the remainder of the proposals. Wozniak said he had received clarifications from the Blauwkamp, Mollenkopf, and Rieder concerning their syllabi, but did not fully understand how the syllabi for BMKT 440 and JMC 305 met the WI guidelines. He will ask those instructors to attend the next WI subcommittee meeting to explain. Heckman (Walker) moved for approval of proposals a - d and proposal f. Motion carried. 
    2. Cultural Diversity:
      1. none
       
     
  3. OLD BUSINESS
    1. WI Cleanup:
      1. none
       
    2. CD Cleanup:
      1. none
       
    3. Notification of new WI course-instructor assignments
      1. PHIL 120 (Don Welch)
       
    4. Notification of new CD course-instructor assignments:
      1. none
       
    5. General Studies Council Restructuring
      1. Schedule of meetings
        In order to accommodate the planned schedule, Moorman agreed to stay on the WI (Outreach) subcommittee. The rest of the committee thought that the following schedule was doable:
         
        Subcommittee
        Assessment: Monday, March 21 and April 18 at 1:30 pm, 2122 FDHL
        (Outreach) WI: Thursday, Mar 31 and April 28 at 2:30 pm, 2122 FDHL
        (Planning) CD: Tuesday, Mar 22 and April 19 at 3:30 pm, 2122 FDHL
       
    6. Assessment Subcommittee report
      Wozniak reviewed the assessment activities for the remainder of the semester.
    7. Planning Subcommittee report
      The planning subcommittee reviewed the NSSE questionnaire and the data and discussed items that were most relevant for General Studies. The list of items is linked.
    8. Outreach Subcommittee report
      The training of the new WI committee members continues. There will be some discussion of how to accurately portray the purposes of the General Studies Program to our various constituencies.
     
  4. NEW BUSINESS
    1. Governance Issues:
      1. Powell informed the Council of Wozniak's resignation as the Director of General Studies.
        The members of the Council discussed the job description and believe the Director's position with its current .50 FTE reassigned time allocation is quite unattractive. Although the writing intensive and cultural diversity initiatives are being examined by an ad hoc committee for potential reassignment, the work load reduction will more than be made up by the assessment requirements. Their suggestion was the Director should have a .75 FTE assignment (if not even a 1.0 FTE) if the Director is to be responsible for interacting with the various constituencies in a proactive manner as well as supervising and monitoring GS assessment. Powell agreed to present the recommendation to the Senior Vice Chancellor.
      2. Council members requested the Fine Arts and History proposals be placed on the agenda for a formal vote at the next regularly scheduled meeting.
       
     
  1. MEETING SCHEDULE FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SPRING SEMESTER
    Subcommittee
    Assessment: Monday, March 21 and April 18 at 1:30 pm, 2122 FDHL
    (Outreach) WI: Thursday, Mar 31 and April 28 at 2:30 pm, 2122 FDHL
    (Planning) CD: Tuesday, Mar 22 and April 19 at 3:30 pm, 2122 FDHL

    The next General Studies Council meetings are scheduled for April 7 and April 28, 2005 at 3:30-310 Nebraskan Union.

Attachment:NSSE items most relevant for General Studies 

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AT KEARNEY
GENERAL STUDIES COUNCIL
Special Meeting of February 15, 2005
MINUTES 

PRESENT:
Faculty: Deb Bridges, Valerie Cisler, Sandy Cook-Fong, John Lillis, Larry Kuskie, Vern Volpe, Ed Walker
Ex officio members: Glen Powell, Kristi Milks, Kim Schipporeit, Bill Wozniak, Jeanne Butler, Mary Daake
Absent: Peg Camp, Randall Heckman, Sonja Kropp, Marta Moorman, Marguerite Tassi, Kenya Taylor, Tanis Saldivar; Anne Drinkwalter & Tom McCarty (student members)

Wozniak called the meeting to order at 3:30 P.M. in 2122 Founders Hall.

  1. SUBCOMMITTEE RESTRUCTURING PROPOSAL

    Wozniak presented an outline of the restructuring of the subcommittees for discussion. It is presented in attachment 1. Wozniak also said that WI/CD committee has asked the GSC to handle the WI and CD course approvals until next fall after they have a better handle on their operations. They are beginning to construct some assessment devices for WI and CD courses. Schipporeit suggested that it would be better if assessment was discussed by the committee as a whole, modeling the process after the Assessment Committee. In that fashion, everyone would be on the same page with regard to their understanding of assessment. Wozniak said that some of the detail work is better addressed by a smaller group. The assessment subcommittee may need to be further subdivided to make the large task more manageable. The restructuring is somewhat tentative since new WI and CD courses will still need to be reviewed. He also suggested some reassignments to accommodate the increased workload for the assessment committee. We can revisit the restructuring after we try it for a while. Please note that the new subcommittee structure will take a while to implement. The WI subcommittee (plus Barbara Emrys and Glenn Tracy) will review the current submissions 

  2. REPORT FROM THE ASSESSMENT SUBCOMMITTEE

    Wozniak presented a summary of the assessment subcommittee meeting of February 14. It is attachment 2. The meeting was a review of the 10-point assessment outline of activities for General Studies. Powell pointed out that the outline will need to be embellished with more detail in order to qualify as an assessment plan. The assessment subcommittee will need review the list and craft it into a plan.

  3. PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION OF NSSE DATA (POWELL)

    Powell distributed copies of the NSSE reports and some of the benchmark reports of the same data, which combined data from several related questions. He then reviewed data from one of the NSSE questions and described how the planning committee could proceed with actions based on the data. The goal of the actions would be to foster change in the areas described by the questions.

  4. HOMEWORK FOR THE PLANNING SUBCOMMITTEE

    The planning subcommittee (formerly called the CD subcommittee) was asked to review the NSSE questions and highlight those questions that seem most relevant for the General Studies Program. These questions will then be the focus of the planning committee discussion of action plans.

  5. NEXT MEETINGS:
    1. The next General Studies Council Meeting will be March 3, 2005, at 3:30 P.M. in the 310 Student Union.
    2. Subcommittee meetings
      1. WI subcommittee: February 24, 2005 at 2:30 P.M. in 2122 FH
      2. CD subcommittee: February 15, 2005 at 3:30 P.M. in 2122 FH
      3. Assessment subcommittee: February 14, 2005 at 1:30 P.M. in 2122 FH
       
     

Attachments:

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AT KEARNEY
GENERAL STUDIES COUNCIL
Meeting of February 3, 2005MINUTES 

PRESENT:
Faculty: Deb Bridges, Peg Camp, Valerie Cisler, Randall Heckman, Sonja Kropp, John Lillis, Marta Moorman, Marguerite Tassi, Kenya Taylor, Larry Kuskie, Vern Volpe, Ed Walker
Student: Tom McCarty
Ex officio/non-voting members: Glen Powell, Kristi Milks, Kim Schipporeit, Bill Wozniak, Jeanne Butler, Mary Daake, and Tanis Saldivar
Absent: Sandy Cook-Fong, Anne Drinkwalter (student)

Wozniak called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m. in room 310 of the Student Union.

  1. REVIEW OF THE MINUTES OF DECEMBER 2, 2004
    1. Bridges (Cisler) moved for approval of the minutes of the December meeting. Motion passed. 
     
  2. CD/WI COURSE SUBMISSIONS
    1. Writing Intensive
      1. SOC 442: Sociology of Religion (Glazier)
        Lillis (Walker) moved for approval of SOC 442 as a WI course. Motion passed. 
       
    2. Cultural Diversity
      1. none
       
     
  3. OLD BUSINESS
    1. WI Cleanup:
      1. none
       
    2. CD Cleanup:
      1. none
       
    3. Notification of New WI Course-Instructor Assignments:
      1. ENG 254: Intro Lit: Native American Literature (Bloomfield)
       
    4. Governance of WI and CD Courses
      1. Barbara Emrys and Glenn Tracy (members of the WI/CD committee) have volunteered to sit in on WI subcommittee meeting to learn the process.
       
     
  4. NEW BUSINESS

    An extended discussion occurred about the GS Roundtables newly created and structured by the Faculty Senate President and the Director of General Studies. The following concerns were expressed, including:

    1. the lack of any communication of the GS Director with members of the GS Council regarding the formation of the roundtables--the campus-wide e-mail announcements presented the GS forums as being "Faculty Senate, in conjunction with the General Studies Council . . ." without ever being presented to or discussed with the Faculty Senate or the General Studies Council.  Members of the GS Council.  Some expressed disappointment for the total disregard of the Council's expertise in matters so closely related to the GS Program;
    2. the apparent pre-empting of the GSC's authority in developing the objectives as stated in the GS Council Governance document (9.20.2002) II. Duties of the General Studies Council, J.  "Regularly reviewing GSP structure and objectives."  It was expressed that the new Roundtables appear to be set up to take on a fundamental duty of the GS Council;
    3. the unknown relationship of the Roundtables to present GSC activities, in particular to the development of the Fine Arts and Humanities and Department of History proposals;
    4. the rules for membership on the Roundtable group and why the GSC was not invited directly (and why Department Chairs were excluded?);
    5. the relationship of the Roundtables to the collection of assessment data on the current program and further, in relation to the current strategic planning process and the development of a new mission statement;
    6. the frustration of some of the GSC members in the lack of progress by the GSC toward addressing the 2001 APR recommendations.

    Bridges stated that an independent (independent of the GSC) discussion of the General Studies Program was called for by the Faculty Senate Executive Committee as a result of concerns stated by several faculty members while she was serving as Faculty Senate President. The intention was to begin a campus discussion that focused on student outcomes, not the more specific questions raised in the APR recommendations. Wozniak added he had acted on behalf of the GSC given that the SVC had agreed to the Roundtables in separate meetings with the Faculty Senate Executive. He reminded the GSC that SVC Murray had asked us to lead the discussion earlier in the fall. He admitted that portions of the plan may be flawed and that he may have acted hastily, but that any plan would be flawed, and if the discussion is open, we can overcome those deficiencies.

  5. MISCELLANEOUS 
  6. NEXT MEETINGS:
    1. The next General Studies Council Meeting will be March 3, 2005, at 3:30 P.M. in the 310 Student Union.
    2. Subcommittee meetings
      1. WI subcommittee: February 24, 2005 at 2:30 P.M. in 2122 FH
      2. CD subcommittee: February 15, 2005 at 3:30 P.M. in 2122 FH
      3. Assessment subcommittee: February 14, 2005 at 1:30 P.M. in 2122 FH
       
     
  7. ADJOURNMENT
    1. Walker (Volpe) moved for adjournment. The meeting adjourned at 4:47 P.M. 
     

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AT KEARNEY
GENERAL STUDIES COUNCIL
Meeting of December 2, 2004MINUTES 

PRESENT:
Faculty: Debbie Bridges, Peg Camp, Valerie Cisler, Sandy Cook-Fong, Randall Heckman, Sonja Kropp, Larry Kuskie, Marta Moorman, Marguerite Tassi, Vern Volpe, and Ed Walker
Ex officio/non-voting members:   Mary Daake, Kristi Milks, Tanis Saldivar, Kim Schipporeit, and Bill Wozniak
Students: Anne Drinkwalter, Tom McCarty
Absent: Jeanne Butler, John Lillis, Glen Powell, Kenya Taylor

Wozniak called the meeting to order at 3:35 p.m. in Room 310 of the Nebraskan Student Union.

  1. REVIEW OF THE MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 4, 2004.

    Bridges (Camp) moved for approval of the minutes. The agenda indicated we were reviewing the October minutes, but the November minutes were included. The motion passed in spite of the embarrassment of Wozniak. 

  2. CD/WI COURSE SUBMISSIONS
    1. Writing Intensive:
      1. TE 331, Intermediate Literacy (Gappa)
      2. FSID 446, Professional Practice of Interior Design ((Rothenberger)
      3. PE 425, Legal Aspects of Sport and Recreation (Nita Unruh)
      4. BIOL 404, Developmental Biology (K. Carlson)
      5. CJUS 431, Correctional Law and Administration (Siedschlaw)
      6. BIOL 462, Animal Behavior (Springer)
      7. BIOL 475, Internship in Biology (Springer)
      8. HIST 251H, American History: 1865 to the present, (Van Ingen)
      9. SPCH 456, Rhetorical Theory (Dimock)
      10. SOC 349, Sociology of Work and Occupations (Kelley)
      11. GERM 414, Advanced Composition and Conversation II (Snider)
      12. ITEC 408, Leadership in Business and Technology (Arbuckle)

      Wozniak presented the recommendations of the subcommittee and summarized the information that he received after the subcommittee meeting. Heckman (Walker) moved for approval of TE 331, Intermediate Literacy (Gappa) for the spring, 2005 semester only and on the condition that Dr Batenhorst serve as WI mentor for Lecturer Gappa. Motion passed. Camp (Kuskie) moved for approval of items c through k. Wozniak reported that the concerns raised by the subcommittee were addressed by the instructors. The motion passed. Heckman (Camp) moved that ITEC 408 be approved on the condition that Wozniak receive verification that the 5000 word requirement be clearly explained in the syllabus. Motion passed. 

    2. Cultural Diversity:
      1. SPAN 201, Intermediate Spanish II (Arrieta)

      Cisler (Cook-Fong) moved for approval of SPAN 201 as a CD course. Wozniak acknowledged that he had received an updated syllabus from Profesor Arrieta. Motion passed. 

     
  3. OLD BUSINESS
    1. WI Cleanup:
      1. none
       
    2. WI Cleanup:
      1. none
       
    3. Notification of new WI course-instructor assignments
      1. none*

        *CSIS 250, Information Systems Concepts (J. Green) approved but omitted from minutes

       
    4. Notification of new CD course-instructor assignments
      1. none
       
    5. Update on General Studies Assessment
      Wozniak said that Tanis Saldivar, Amber Benson, Jeanne Butler, and he were collecting pilot data from several GS courses. The assessment budget was finalized and will provide for the administration of a standardized General Education test and some development money to reward faculty who develop department plans for GS course assessment.
    6. Update on Proposal to move WI/CD course governance
      Wozniak will ask the WI and CD subcommittees to begin discussion on General Studies public relations and General Studies governance respectively. He will provide more information before the scheduled January meetings of those subcommittees.
    7. Liberal Studies at UNK
      Status of proposal concerning Fine Arts & Humanities courses:
      Cisler and Bridges reported that their Colleges' Educational Policy Committees were discussing the proposal. Wozniak asked Council members
     
  4. NEW BUSINESS

    Wozniak said that money has been allocated to support travel to an AAC&U conference on General Studies and Assessment in Alanta from Febraury 17 - 19, 2005. If any member is interested in this opportunity, he ask to be informed by Tuesday, December 7. At that time, he will begin asking other interested faculty members.

  5. MISCELLANEOUS

    Cook-Fong (Bridges) moved to adjourn. Motion passed at 3:56 pm. 

  6. NEXT MEETING

    The next General Studies Council meeting is scheduled for February 3, 2005 at 3:30--310 Nebraskan Union.

    Subcommittee meetings:

    Assessment    Monday, January 17, 2005 at 1:30 (2122 FDHL)
    CD Tuesday, January 18, 2005 at 3:30 (2122 FDHL)
    WI Thursday, February 3, 2005 at 2:30 (310 Union)

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AT KEARNEY
GENERAL STUDIES COUNCIL
Meeting of November 4, 20043:30 PM, 310 Nebraskan Student Union
MINUTES 

PRESENT:
Faculty: Debbie Bridges, Peg Camp, Valerie Cisler, Randall Heckman, Sonja Kropp, Larry Kuskie, John Lillis, Marta Moorman, Marguerite Tassi, Vern Volpe, and Ed Walker
Ex officio/non-voting members: Kristi Milks, Tanis Saldivar, and Bill Wozniak
Students: Tom McCarty
Absent: Anne Drinkwalter, Jeanne Butler, Sandy Cook-Fong, Mary Daake, Glen Powell, Kim Schipporeit, Kenya Taylor

 

Wozniak called the meeting to order at 3:35 p.m. in Room 310 of the Nebraskan Student Union.

  1. REVIEW OF THE MINUTES OF OCTOBER 7, 2004.

    Walker (Volpe) moved for approval of the minutes. It was noted that the revised minutes, which were circulated earlier in the week, were not revised in the first place. Wozniak acknowledged the error and promised to circulate the correct amended minutes. Kropp noted that the last two sentence on section C-7 were inaccurate and should be omitted. The motion to approve the minutes as amended passed. There was further discussion concerning the manner by which minutes are approved. In the future, Wozniak will distribute drafts of the minutes and collect corrections and additions. The final product will be reviewed and voted on at the actual meeting.

  2. CD/WI COURSE SUBMISSIONS
    1. Writing Intensive:
      1. ENG 411, Advanced Writing II (Kruse)
      2. PE 420, Methods in Health and Physical Education (Ed Scantling)
         
      3. BMGT 493, Social Responsibilities of Business: Issues and Ethics (Hayes)
        Camp (Kuskie) moved for approval of the WI course submissions a-c.
        The motion passed with one abstention.         
       
    2. Cultural Diversity:
      1. none
       
     
  3. OLD BUSINESS
    1. WI Cleanup:
      1. none
       
    2. CD Cleanup:
      1. none
       
    3. Notification of new WI course-instructor assignments
      1. none
       
    4. Notification of new CD course-instructor assignments
      1. none
       
    5. General Studies Assessment Update
      Wozniak said he is moving forward on the 9-point assessment plan for the General Studies Program. Work on the focus group discussions for each College (item #9) may involve the Council members soon. He will keep everyone posted.
    6. Update on Proposal to move WI/CD course governance
      Wozniak said the WI/CD proposal will be discussed at the Faculty Senate meeting this evening. The initial proposal from the General Studies prompted the Senate to request a clarification of the options for WI and CD governance from the executive committee. Faculty Senate President Bridges then presented a report to the Senate that included 3 governance options; (a) leave the governance as is--with the General Studies Council, (b) move the governance to a different existing committee, such as Academic Affairs or the appropriate College Committees, or (c) create a new committee. Heckman indicated the Math Department discussed the issue extensively and voted to formally support the present governance structure (WI and CD in General Studies.)
    7. Liberal Studies at UNK
      1. Status of proposal concerning Fine Arts & Humanities courses
        Cisler (Kuskie) moved the following proposal: "The College of Fine Arts and Humanities requests that the FAH General Studies Proposal of October 7, 2004, be distributed to and reviewed by members of the respective Educational Policy Committees and Deans of the four UNK campus colleges and that responses be submitted to the General Studies Council, in writing, by January 31, 2005, for distribution to its members for discussion at the February 3, 2005 General Studies Council meeting." 
      2. Volpe presented another proposal that removed the statement "-Students may select courses from History or historically-based courses offered in the College of Fine Arts & Humanities." under the History Perspective. Kuskie and Cisler agreed to the friendly amendment that both proposals be forwarded to the Ed Policy Committees and the Deans. It was suggested that in sending the proposals the Director clearly state that the General Studies Council is seeking information from the campus but has not endorsed either proposal. Both proposals are attached to these minutes. The motion passed with one abstention. 
       
     
  4. NEW BUSINESS
    1. none
     
  5. MISCELLANEOUS

    Lillis (Bridges) moved to adjourn. Motion passed at 4:56 pm. 

  6. NEXT MEETING

    The next General Studies Council meeting is scheduled for December 2 at 3:30--310 Nebraskan Union.

    Subcommittee meetings:

    Assessment    Monday, November 15 at 1:30 (2122 FDHL)
    CD Tuesday, November 16 at 3:30 (2122 FDHL)
    WI Thursday, November 18 at 2:30 (2122 FDHL)

Attachment: College of Fine Arts and Humanities: 

Proposal A: Proposal to Implement Recommendations of the 2001 Academic Program
Proposal B: Proposed General Studies Revision in Humanities, 11/04/04 Review, October 7, 2004 

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AT KEARNEY
GENERAL STUDIES COUNCIL
Meeting of October 7, 2004
MINUTES 

PRESENT:
Faculty: Valerie Cisler, Sandy Cook-Fong, Randall Heckman, Sonja Kropp, Larry Kuskie, Marta Moorman, Chuck Peek (for Marguerite Tassi), Kenya Taylor, Vern Volpe, and Ed Walker
Ex officio/non-voting members: Jeanne Butler, Kristi Milks, Glen Powell, Tanis Saldivar, Kim Schipporeit, and Bill Wozniak
Students: Anne Drinkwalter, Tom McCarty
Absent: Debbie Bridges, Peg Camp, Mary Daake and John Lillis

 

Wozniak called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m. in Room 2122 in Founders Hall.

  1. REVIEW OF THE MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 2, 2004The September 2, 2004 minutes were approved via e-mail.
  2. CD/WI COURSE SUBMISSIONS.
    1. Writing Intensive:
      1. GEOG 440 - Special Topics in Regional Geography: Great Plains (A. Steele Becker)
      2. PHYS 499 - Problems in Physical Science (1-3 credit hours) (J. Mena-Worth)
      Randall Heckman (Moorman) moved to approve the above courses. Motion carried. 
    2. Cultural Diversity:
      1. none
       
     
  3. OLD BUSINESS
    1. Writing Intensive Cleanup:
      1. none
       
    2. Cultural Diversity Cleanup:
      1. none
       
    3. Notification of New Writing Intensive Course-Instructor Assignments:
      1. BIOL 420 - Biology Research (W. Hoback)
       
    4. Notification of New Cultural Diversity Course-Instructor Assignments:
      1. none
       
    5. Update on General Studies Assessment:
      Powell reported on the recently-published report from the North Central Association Review team. He presented a written synopsis of the their comments. (Attachment 1.) He reviewed the comments in the NCA and presented an action plan to address their concerns. In general, the cooperation of every faculty member will be needed to implement the plan. He also indicated that the Assessment Subcommittee has met and prepared a revised plan which will be presented later in the meeting.
    6. Update on Proposal to move WI/CD Course Governance:
      Wozniak reported that Debbie Bridges, Faculty Senate President, has prepared a set of recommendations regarding the governance of WI and CD courses for review by the Faculty Senate tonight. The Council should assume that the status quo will remain until the Senate takes action, which may take another month or two.
    7. Liberal Studies at UNK:
      Peek (who was substituting for Tassi), Kropp and Cisler submitted a proposal from the CFAH regarding the offerings in the General Studies Program. (Attachment 2)

      Peek stated that the proposal was modeled after other sections of the General Studies Program. In particular, the Fine Arts are separated from the Humanities, as the Natural Sciences are separated from the Social Sciences. In addition, all departments in CFAH have signed off on this proposal. He also noted that the English Department is considering reducing the minimum hours in the Literary Perspective to zero as a portion of changes--in the spirit of creating equivalent risk across the perspectives. He expressed hope that this proposal will begin a collegial discussion of the General Studies Program. Kropp suggested the Council take the proposal to their respective colleges and get feedback from their department and bring the information back to the Council.

     
  4. NEW BUSINESS
    1. Proposal To Pro-Rate WI Requirements for Some Health Science Majors:

      A proposal from Peggy Abels was reviewed by the WI subcommittee and recommended for approval. It is Attachment 3. Wozniak reported many of the Health Science Programs (These four in particular) have been a persistent problem for students because it is very difficult to find enough WI courses. Since the WI courses have mostly become a part of the advanced study within students' majors and minors, these students are at a disadvantage since they finish their advanced coursework in various clinical settings. Wozniak also pointed out the fourth program (Allied Health) also serves a population of students who may not have set foot on this campus and thereby can get a UNK degree in two semesters. He discussed the matter with Abels and she agreed verbally that the Allied Health major can be removed from the proposal.

      Randall Heckman (Cook-Fong) moved to approve the proposal for three of the programs, Radiography Comprehensive Major, Respiratory Therapy Comprehensive Major, and the Medical Technology Comprehensive Major. Motion carried. 

    2. Revised Assessment Plan for General Studies Courses:
      Wozniak distributed a revised General Studies Assessment Plan and schedule for implementation of the plan. He highlighted item 9 and asked the General Studies Council cooperation in collecting data from faculty and student focus groups. These discussions were suggested by the SVC and adhere to some of his ideas concerning how the discussions should be carried out. The assessment subcommittee will begin acting on the plan this month.
     
  5. MISCELLANEOUS 
  6. NEXT MEETING

    The next General Studies Council meeting will be November 4, 2004 at 3:30 p.m., in Room 310 in the Nebraskan Student Union.

  7. ADJOURNMENT:

    The meeting was adjourned at 5:10 pm.

ATTACHMENTS:

  • Attachment 1, Analyses of Assessment Topics Addressed in the North Central Accreditation Team Final Report
  • Attachment 2, College of Fine Arts and Humanities Proposal to Implement Recommendations of the 2001 Academic Program Review
  • Attachment 3, Proposal to Pro-Rate the Writing Intensive Requirement For Health Science Majors
  • Attachment 4, Revised Plan for General Studies Assessment
  • Attachment 5, Matrix of Assessment Components
 

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AT KEARNEY
GENERAL STUDIES COUNCIL
Meeting of September 2,  2004
Room 310 in the Nebraskan Student Union
MINUTES 

PRESENT:
Faculty: Peg Camp, Valerie Cisler, Randall Heckman, Sonja Kropp, Larry Kuskie, John Lillis, Marta Moorman, Kenya Taylor, Vern Volpe, and Ed Walker
Ex officio/non-voting members: Kristi Milks, Glen Powell, Tanis Saldivar, Kim Schipporeit, and Bill Wozniak
Kristi Milks, Glen Powell, Tanis Saldivar, Kim Schipporeit, and Bill Wozniak
Visitor: Dr.Finnie Murray
Absent: Sandy Cook-Fong and Mary Daake

Wozniak called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m. in Room 310 in the Nebraskan Student Union.

  1. REVIEW OF THE MINUTES OF AUGUST 19, 2004The August 19, 2004 minutes were approved via e-mail.
  2. CD/WI COURSE SUBMISSIONS.
    1. Writing Intensive:
      1. none
       
    2. Cultural Diversity:
      1. none
       
     
  3. OLD BUSINESS
    1. none
     
  4. NEW BUSINESS
    1. Announcements:
      Dr. Wozniak will be making a proposal at the Faculty Senate meeting tonight regarding moving the Writing Intensive and Cultural Diversity course approval process to Academic Affairs.
    2. Discussion with Dr. Finnie Murray, SVCAASL
      Dr. Murray made some opening remarks:
      • Dr. Murray asked the Council to understand that he will probably inadvertently use the terms General Studies, General Education, Liberal Studies, and Liberal Education interchangeably.
      • General Education is the basis for an education rather than training.
      • General Education is fundamental to a University being successful.
      • General Education is indispensable and is our responsibility to prepare graduates for a rapidly changing world.
      • With Liberal Education course requirements, many times parents and students are fearful they are receiving a compromised education.  Not everyone understands Liberal Education and we need to communicate so everyone understands.
      • We must communicate to students the value of a liberal studies education-to develop the capacity for critical thinking; to provide students with the ability for self-regulated judgment-to analyze and interpret information; to provide students with an education that serves as the basis for a lifetime of learning. Students must have an understanding of cultures and values other than their own and become involved in common service.
      • Everyone needs to agree on what Liberal Education really means.
      • Several Nebraska institutions are participating in the American Democracy Project (sponsored by AASCU and the New York Times) and we need to decide if we would be interested in participating. Dr. Murray supports the initiative.
      • The General Studies Council needs to be willing to assess the effectiveness of our General Studies.
      • The curriculum is the faculty's property. It is the responsibility of the faculty to look at the curriculum to make sure it is working well. It is imperative of the faculty to have ownership and it is vitally important to the success of this institution.
      • Dr. Murray urges all faculty members to put students first in deliberations. What faculty members need is secondary. Just how well is our General Studies Program working for our students? Dr. Murray urged the Council to hold open dialogues with the campus; we need to have concise, understandable recommendations. Also, we need to assume we and our colleagues have capacity for a collegial discussion. The discussion should first focus on what we would like our students to have as a result of their General Studies Program (i.e., student outcomes.) The discussion of specific courses should come much later.
      • Dr. Murray offered an example of how the review of Liberal Studies was taken up at another institution-by first agreeing ahead of time how discussion of principles would be undertaken; then deciding what students need (agreeing that one's own discipline could not be put on the table by faculty members from that discipline); deciding then if there were any "holes;" then taking a semester to have open forums and discussions to provide focus for a new program.
      • We must decide what the essential elements of a General Studies program, always keeping the students' needs at the center of our discussions.
      • Assessment is important to how general studies are evaluated and advanced at UNK. We all need to be working to find ways we can be effective in assessment. It needs to begin immediately.
      • Clearly defined governance and rules for decision making will also be important for General Studies.
      • Review and assessment are vital to the institution's future and are expected on an increasing level. Dr. Murray recommended that we begin to assess our program in light of the APR suggestions. We must exhibit critical thinking in providing a set of reasons why we don't consider the recommended changes or the reasons why we feel what we're doing is better than what they proposed.

      Wozniak stated institutions tend to resist change and how can we be more responsive? Dr. Murray indicated there is no good answer. Dr. Murray reiterated discussions that call for debate or dialogue is important and worthwhile. Have people read ahead on the general principle. What do students need and have discussions take place. A faculty member cannot put their discipline on the table until it is established what students need.We must come to a common understanding of what Liberal Studies means-"Liberal" as essential for a Free Society, preparing students to live effectively.

      Wozniak suggested to begin with we need to develop a plan and possibly have a semester of discussions and open forums. To begin the process we need to assess how successful our general studies program is or assess what is happening in our general studies program. If there are truly things we are missing, then we need to look at changing it.

     
  5. MISCELLANEOUS

    The General Studies Council will be hosting the Faculty/Staff Club on September 10, 2004 from 4:00-6:00.

  6. NEXT MEETING

    The next General Studies Council meeting will be October 7, 2004 at 3:30 p.m., at a location to be announced.

  7. ADJOURNMENT:

    The meeting was adjourned at 4:35 pm.

GENERAL STUDIESCOUNCIL
Meeting of August 19, 20043:30 PM, 2122 Founders Hall
MINUTES 

PRESENT:
Faculty: Peg Camp, Valerie Cisler, Sandy Cook-Fong, Randall Heckman, Allan Jenkins, Larry Kuskie, John Lillis, Kenya Taylor, Ed Walker, Vern Volpe
Ex officio/non-voting members: Mary Daake, Kristi Milks, Tanis Saldivar, Kim Schipporeit, and Bill Wozniak
Absent: Sonja Kropp, Marta Moorman, Chuck Peek, Glen Powell

Wozniak called the meeting to order at 3:35 p.m. in the 2122 Founders Hall.

  1. REVIEW OF THE MINUTES OF APRIL 8, 2004

    Cook-Fong (Walker) moved approval of the minutes of the May 6, 2004 meeting. The motion passed. 

  2. CD/WI COURSE SUBMISSIONS.
    1. Writing Intensive:
      1. WI designation approval procedure for Northeast Community College
      2. HIST 210, Western Civilization to 1500 (Cox)
      3. CJUS 420, Supervision & Management in Criminal Justice (Carlson)
      4. GEOG 305, Environmental Conservation (Dart)
      5. PE 461, Physiology of Exercise (Greg Brown)
      6. PE 469, Energy Balance & Weight Control (Greg Brown)
      7. CSIS 302, Principles of Programming Languages (Jeffrey Green)
      8. ITEC 490, Industrial Distribution Seminar (Meznarich)
      9. ITEC 451, Manufacturing/Distribution Relationships (Meznarich)
      10. BSED 295, Business Communication (Gleason, Meyerle)
      11. CJUS 435, Interviewing and Correctional Case Management (Wiersma)
      12. FSID 402, Selected Readings in Marriage and Family Relations (Bateman Christensen)

      All of the above courses have been reviewed and approved by the WI subcommittee. Jenkins (Camp) moved approval of items a - l. Motion passed. 

    2. Cultural Diversity:
      1. PSCI 170, Intro to Political Thought (Blauwkamp, reviewed 5/2004)
      2. HIST 408, War and Society (Barua)
      3. ITEC 451, Manufacturing/Distribution Relationships (Meznarich)
      4. ENG 333, Non-Western Literature in Translation (Khan)
      5. ENG 254, World Literature: Writing and Imperialism (Khan)(any non-western literature version)

      The above courses have been reviewed and approved by the CD subcommittee. Taylor (Cook-Fong ) moved approval of items a through e. Motion passed. 

     
  3. OLD BUSINESS
    1. WI Cleanup:
      1. none
       
    2. CD Cleanup:
      1. none
       
    3. Notification of new WI course-instructor assignments
      1. BIOL 420, Biology Research (Springer)
      2. ITEC 499, Independent Study And Research (Obermier)
       
    4. Notification of new CD course-instructor assignments
      1. SPAN 305, Spanish Civilization (Hart)
       
    5. General Studies Assessment Update
      1. Review of Annual Report 2003-2004
        Wozniak reminded the Council that the reports had been distributed before the summer and needs to be approved by October. He will also solicit comments from the Departments which conducted GS assessments.
       
    6. Liberal Studies at UNK
    7. Proposal concerning Governance of WI and CD courses
     
  4. NEW BUSINESS
    1. Review of meeting schedule for 2004-2005 academic year
      The following amended schedule of meetings was accepted. (The May 5 meeting was moved up to April 28.) There may be some minor conflicts that can resolved during the year.

      Meeting Schedule for the General Studies Council and Subcommittees
      Academic Year 2004-2005

      Subcommittee

      General Studies Council 
      Writing Intensive Assessment Cultural Diversity
      Thurs 1 week
      before GSC @ 2:30, unless noted
      varies
      none
      Sept 30
      Oct 28      		 Mon 2 weeks
      before GSC @ 1:30, unless noted
      varies
      none
      Sept 20
      Oct 25*      		 Tues 2 weeks
      before GSC @ 3:30, unless noted
      varies
      none
      Sept 21
      Oct 26*

      First Thurs of the month @ 3:30 
      Thurs, Aug 19, 2004
      Thurs, Sept 2, 2004
      Thurs, Oct 7, 2004
      Thurs, Nov 4, 2004
     
  5. ADJOURNMENT

    Kuskie (Lillis) moved for adjournment at 3:56. Motion passed. 

  6. NEXT MEETING

    The next General Studies Council meeting is scheduled for September 2, 2004 in 2122 Founders Hall.

 

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