FACULTY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

Year-End Report Spring 2001

 

Members: Bea Jacobson, Paul Jacobson (Ex-Officio), Dave O’Connell, Carla

Stevens, and Brenda Peters, Chair.

 

      The committee began working early last summer in preparation for the New

Faculty Orientation Program scheduled for the end of August.  The New

Faculty Orientation Program included an orientation packet, a bit of the

history of St. Ambrose University, a tour of the library including a

presentation by the librarians, and a formal dinner.  A follow-up workshop

on general education was also offered to new faculty during the Fall

semester.  In addition, the committee organized a conflict resolution

workshop for the afternoon session of the Presidential Assembly.  This

workshop gave faculty an opportunity to explore several faculty/faculty and

faculty/staff conflictual situations through the use of vignettes.  This

workshop was facilitated by several mediators from the Community Mediation

Center.

      During the Fall semester, the committee collaborated with the Center for

Teaching Excellence to establish a faculty development workshop calendar.

The committee also reviewed 12 grant applications from faculty for full

grants worth up to $1500.  In consultation with Sandy Cassady and Paul

Jacobson, a joint plan for the Center for Teaching Excellence and FDC was

prepared and submitted to Planning.

      In January, the committee sponsored an entertaining yet informative

workshop that explored faculty/student conflicts.  The facilitators for this

workshop were Judy Correa-Kaiser and Michael O’Melia.  The faculty

participants included Keith Haan, Carla Stevens, Mike Orfitelli, Veronica

Riepe, and Paul Jacobson.

      During the Spring semester, the committee co-sponsored  several workshops

with the Center for Teaching Excellence.  These workshops explored such

topics as advising and first year student issues.  In addition, the

committee reviewed 22 mini-grant applications from faculty for grants up to

$500.  Currently, the committee is organizing a recognition reception for

faculty.  The date and time will be announced soon.

      Finally, the Faculty Development Committee plans to launch a new

initiative, a Faculty Mentoring Program, this Spring.  This mentoring

program is intended to ensure a successful transition for new faculty

members by introducing them to the culture of St. Ambrose University, and

encouraging them to make connections with colleagues.  This mentoring

program should help supplement the guidance and assistance provided to the

new faculty member by the Department Chair.  The SAU Faculty Mentoring

Program is entirely voluntary for both the mentor and the new faculty

member.  The committee will be sending out additional information on this

initiative in the next few weeks.

      The Faculty Development Committee meets every Monday at 3:30 p.m throughout

the semester.  I would like to thank all of the committee members for their

hard work and dedication this year as well as all of the presenters and

participants who helped make our faculty development workshops successful.

If anyone has any suggestions for future faculty development events, please

contact me.

 

Respectfully Submitted,

      Brenda J. Peters

 

 

Committee:  Bachelor of Elected Studies

 

Membership:

 

 College of Arts and Sciences

 

      Pat Budelier (3)

 

College of Human Services

 

      Sue Hartung (1)

 

College of Business

 

     Vidyapati Singh (2)

 

Dean of Division of Adult Education and Professional Development

 

     (Hope Gardina)

 

 

The BES committee met monthly (or as needed more often) to review requests

for program approval for the BES major.  Implementation of a review process

for graduating majors is still underway.  Progress toward establishing

additional writing standards is being discussed.  A meeting with Mike

Hustedde to discuss a number of writing across the curriculum techniques and

standards were discussed.  Further work during the next year will solidify

new 5 year review proposed changes and implementations for the degree.

 

Twenty-three BES plans were approved during the 2000-2001 academic year (to

date).  An additional meeting will be held this week to review 6 additional

BES degree requests for proposal.  On-campus responsibility for advising BES

majors is being debated.  Additional discussion within the committee and at

the deans level will be required before this issue is satisfactorily

resolved.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Hope A. Gardina, Chair – BES Committee

 

 

Committee:  Educational Policies Committee

 

Year End Report for Educational Policies

 

Committee Members:

 

      College of Business:  R. Chohan, Greg Bereskin

      College of  Human Services:  Marcia Less,  Terry Schlabach,

      College of Arts and Sciences:  Marty Shockey, Carl Herzig Marge Legg

            Kris Eitrheim (spring),) David Haubrich (student)

Exofficio:  Don Moeller, Provost,  Rich Legg representing General Education,

Dan Zeimet, registrar,  Chris Westensee, catalog

 

Courses approved or changed:

New courses:

Nursing 350:  Beginning Family

Nursing 351:  Developing Family

Nursing 352: Nursing Interventions

Nursing 355: Mental Health

Nursing 460: Clinical Practice II

Pharm 320: Pharmocology

Nursing 430 WI: Nursing for the Older Adult

BIO 123: Special Topics

WI: HED 240 Child, Health, Safety, Nutrition  3 credit hours designed to

serve early childhood majors

ECON 399 (Special Topics), ECON 323: Public Finance, and ECON 327:

Industrial Organization

PED 492: Clinical Training III, PED 338: Therapeutic Modalities,  PED 292:

Clinical Athletic Training I, PED 213: Ballet

MPT 520:  Human Pathology and Medical Management,  MPT 590 Pharmocology in

Rehabilitation, MPT 635 Health Promotion and Prevention, MPT 640

Cardiopulmonary Therapeutics, MPT 650 Issues in Research I, MPT 700:  Issues

in Research II

IL 101:  Information Literacy

MUS 099: Concert Attendance for 1 credit

 

 

Renumbering of History 240 to 140:  History of Sports and Recreation, HIST

342:  the Irish Question in  Historical Perspective

 

Renaming of Sociology courses to SOC 310:  Marriage and the Family, SOC 325

Collective Behavior and Social Movements, and SOC 341: Stratification and

Social Inequality and elimination of concentrations

 

Addition of approved courses to Women's Studies Minor of ENGL 360:  Advanced

Topic: Early Women Travel Writers,  PHIL 390: Special Topics:  Philosophy of

Feminism, SOC 310:  The Family, HIST 115/315: US Women's History

 

Name change for SSCI 213 to  STAT 213: Applied Statistical Reasoning for the

Sciences

 

Number change for MUS 113 to MUS 313: Stamvoja

 

Offer MUS 103: Applied music for variable credit 1 or 2

 

Changes:  Addition of MAcc 620: Seminar in Graduate Accounting Topics, MAcc

625: Graduate Accounting Internship, MAcc 605:  Advance Tax Topics, MAcc

610: Advanced Financial Accounting Topics.  Cross list MBA 725: Management

Consulting Profession  with MAcc 614.

Offer one course of Service Learning as part of a Learning Community in the

Fall

 

Adding 1 credit to ECE 350, 306.

 

The creation of a MIS concentration in MAcc.

 

Approval of general education "SKILLS" requirements taking effect 2003

 

Approval of program and curriculum changes to MOT program.

 

Creation of a General Science Teaching Major with a concentration in Physics

and addition of  WI PHYS 317

 

Modified Maters of Organizational Leadership to include an on-campus program

 

Add COMM 110: Basic Human Communication

 

DBA 930:  Special Topics:  Human Resources, and DBA 990: Dissertation

 

Program Reviews and New Programs  Accepted:

Approval of new program in Masters of Education:  Educational Leasdership, a

cooperative venture with the Diocese.

 

Approval of MS in Information Technology Management

 

ACCEL: Bachelor of Business Administration

Service Learning

 

HPESS Program Review (approved three majors: Athletic Training, Fitness and

Human Performance, and Physical Education Teaching) and Health Education

minor

 

Theatre Department

 

Languages and International Studies (with some changes needed)

 

Upcoming Program Reviews

General Physical Education and Sports Management

History

MOT

New program in Orthotics

 

Program  Reviews delayed until 2001-2002

Political Science

 

Other:

Reviewed current numbering system

Admission requirements for MCJ

Graduate Commencement Policies

Role of ed. Policies:  do not need to address numbering and course name

changes

Changes in placement testing for a two-year period

 

 

Respectfully submitted,

Theresa Schlabach

 

 

 

Committee:  Student Life Committee

 

Student Life Committee

End of Year Report

April 12, 2001

 

Members:  Paul Foley (student – Human Services), Dan Griffin (student – Arts

& Letters),  Merredyth Beno (staff – Director of Retention), Stan Kabat

(staff – Dean of Students), Robin Anderson (faculty – Arts & Sciences), Bob

Ristow (faculty – Human Services), Katy Stavreva (faculty – Arts &

Sciences), John Byrne, Chairperson (faculty – Business)

 

The committee met 5 times during the 2000-2001 academic year.  Listed below

are the issues discussed and corresponding actions taken:

 

·     Addition of a graduate student to the committee – prompted Faculty

Assembly to conduct a 2nd reading of the November 1999 motion.  The 2nd

reading passed and this committee will have a member from the graduate

student population next year.

 

·     Reviewed proposal for Coeducational Housing and issued a letter of

recommendation to the President that it be implemented.  The Board of

Directors also approved the recommendation – it will be implemented during

the 2001-2002 academic year.

 

·     The issue was raised as to whether benches would be placed in various

outdoor areas around campus.  A number of benches constructed by the SAU

Maintenance Department were placed around campus during the month of March

(2001).

 

·     The feasibility of a Lactation Room for breastfeeding mothers on campus

was discussed.  Research illustrating the positive effects of breastfeeding

was presented by Katy Stavreva and Robin Anderson.  The committee solicited

input from students, staff, and faculty on this issue.  The committee

believed that the success of this project would be dependent upon external

funding (e.g. Riverboat Development Authority Grant).  Several faculty and

staff members may pursue this opportunity with the President.

 

·     The Alcohol Policy was discussed.  Modifications were made to the Student

Handbook – specifically the deletion of “academic” probation being tied to

violations of the Alcohol Policy.  Further discussion centered on the

philosophy, elements, and enforcement of  the Alcohol Policy.  The committee

has not come to consensus on issues related to the Alcohol Policy and it may

be a topic for future discussion.

 

 

Committee:  Center for Teaching Excellence Board

 

Annual Report of the Center for Teaching Excellence

 

During the 2000-2001 school year the CTE co-sponsored several events with

the Faculty Development Committee, including the fall orientation for new

faculty, the fall program on conflict resolution after the Presidential

assembly in August, and the faculty to student conflict resolution program

offered before the beginning of the spring semester in January.  The

director of the Center serves, ex officio, on the Faculty Development

Committee and participates fully in FDC sponsored activities.

 

During this past year the Center added about 30 books to its library in the

Ambrose Room on the 3rd floor of O'Keefe Library.  The Center's computer is

also kept there as are back issues of the Center's periodical

subscriptions.  The Center subscribes to three publications: _The Teaching

Professor_, _The Professor in the Classroom_, and _The National Teaching

and Learning Forum_.  We also include in the library back copies of some of

the publications members of the advisory board subscribe to, such as

_College Teaching_, _Teaching Philosophy_, and _Change_.

 

The Center maintains three wall pockets in three places where faculty tend

to congregate--the dining room, the snack bar, and the coffee shop.  The

current issues of the Center's three subscription publications are

available there as well as other short publications, especially copies of

short articles on specific teaching topics.

 

The Center sponsored three teaching circles--one discussing uses  of

technology in the classroom, another which discusses alternatives to

lecturing, and the third which explores critical thinking.  We plan to

continue the teaching circle idea in the coming semesters but hope to add

new circles/topics.  The circles each meet about once a month during the

school year and one circle held one of its monthly meetings at the ACCEL

center on 54th St.

 

In November, CTE sponsored a presentation and discussion on the topic of

"Teaching Using Case Studies."  Faculty from the College of Business and

from the nursing program offered examples of what they do in their classes

with case studies and what the characteristics of good case studies are in

the different fields.

 

CTE sponsored two nationally known speakers during the spring semester.

Dr. Bill Cashin, former director of the IDEA Center at Kansas State

University made three separate presentations over two days on grading,

student rating forms (including the St. Ambrose form), and effective

formative teaching evaluation.  Dr. Jim Eison of the University of South

Florida made two presentations to intersted faculty over two days on the

subjects of active learning in the college classroom and how to turn

passive listeners into creative thinkers.

 

The Center is planning to offer all SAU faculty the subsidized use of the

IDEA long form for formative teaching evaluation in any one section of a

course beginning in the fall semester of 2001.  Prior to this offer, ten

faculty are piloting the use of this form during the current semester.  The

advisory board of the Center believes that such "formative evaluation" can

be an extremely powerful tool in helping faculty develop and improve their

teaching, which is one of the primary objectives of the CTE.

 

The director writes a weekly e-mail column "News from the Center for

Teaching Excellence" which will go out to all faculty about 25 times during

this school year.

 

In mid-March the Center sponsored its first of what we hope will become

monthly "collations"--informal Friday afternoon get-togethers in the

private dining room during which faculty might exchange ideas about

teaching and learning.  Our second collation is scheduled for April 20,

2001 at 3:00 pm.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Paul K. Jacobson, Director

Center for Teaching Excellence