Minutes of the Faculty Senate
for April 29, 1997
PSF 19-96/97

The University of Wisconsin-Parkside Faculty Senate met on Tuesday, April 29, 1997, at 3:30 PM in Molinaro Hall, room D137. Members present included Beach, Brunner, Buenker, Canary Dean, Feldt, Fossum, Jacobson, James, Longeway, Lorenz, Mayer, McArthur, Meyer, Murphy,. Nice, Norton, Ostheimer, Pernacciaro, Richards,R. Rosenberg, Rovelstad, Schmidt, Schutte, Shailor, Smith, Warren, and Wood. Also present were Professors, Dudycha, Gellott, H. Rosenberg, Schleiter, Spotts, and Tebben, plus Assistant Registrar Luke, Dean Duetsch, and Associate Vice Chancellor Singer.

Approval of Minutes

The minutes of the previous meeting were approved as distributed.

NEW BUSINESS

Approval of 1996-97 Graduates

The University Committee had recommended the following motion:

RESOLVED, that the Faculty Senate recommends to the Board of Regents that the students certified by the Registrar to have completed the requirements of the respective programs, in accordance with their degree summary (or the equivalent for graduate students), be granted their degrees in December 1996, May 1997, or August 1997 as appropriate.

MOTION PASSED on a voice vote.

Approval of Criminal Justice Major

The Committee on Academic Planning had recommended:

RESOLVED, that the Faculty Senate of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside recommends to the Board of Regents the establishment of a Criminal Justice Major.

Dudycha Presents. Professor Dudycha (Business), the chair of the Committee on Academic Planning, reviewed his committee's recommendation, noting that the scanner had left out part of his cover memo to the University Committee. He supplied the corrected copy, which made the memo agree with the draft major requirements elsewhere on the agenda document. He argued that of all the various proposals which had come before the committee during this year, this proposal seemed most likely to bring in new students.

Reviewers. Professor McArthur (Business) was not happy that the reviewers' comments were not provided and asked why they were from Milwaukee and Chicago rather than nearby. Vice Chancellor Ostheimer said local law enforcement groups had been actively involved in the proposal's development. He added that he took responsibility for the failure to bring the proposal to the senate before it was transmitted to the Regents.

University Committee Concerns. Speaking on behalf of the University Committee, Professor Meyer (History), its chair, said that the committee was troubled by the haste with which the proposal seemed to have been prepared, concerned about the amount of dollars slated for it, and skeptical of the enrollment projections.

Budget Questions. Professor Rovelstad (Business) added that adjunct replacement dollars probably needed to be added to the total cost. Dean Duetsch (Arts and Sciences) said the academic staff teaching budgeted for in the first year would now be adjuncts, reducing the cost. Professor Schleiter (Sociology) said that setting up a new program and recruiting students justified additional released time in the first year. Professor Dudycha added that articulation agreements needed to be negotiated. Vice Chancellor Ostheimer mentioned the need to put together an advisory council.

R. Rosenberg is Skeptical. In a series of interventions, Professor R. Rosenberg (Economics) questioned whether a director was really needed since most courses in the program already existed and we already had department chairs for the departments most closely involved. He was not opposed to establishing the major--and resented people responding as if all opposition to the proposal was opposition to the major itself. Nor was he opposed to reasonable start-up costs. But the level of expenditure seemed excessive for the projected returns. Creating a new center seemed likely to make the budget higher, and calling the new faculty hire a director made it likely that it would be a senior faculty line, and thus more expensive. It sounded to him like we were going to have an interdisciplinary center to avoid giving either of the two participating departments an advantage--too expensive a compromise.

Advocates Professor Pernacciaro (Political Science) stressed the interested of local law enforcement in college training. Professor Tebben (Political Science) stressed the growth and success already experienced in the existing concentration in Administration of Justice. Dean Duetsch stressed that the new director to be hired for 1997-98 would be primarily a teacher with a degree in the area and thus able to help focus its curriculum. Vice Chancellor Ostheimer said that some changes would be made once we had such a specialist on board. At his last institution, this had been the largest Arts and Science major. Responding to a question from Professor Rovelstad, Professor Schleiter said that the program would be available in the evening.

Other Reservations. Professor Rovelstad observed that it looked like many of the projected students would simply be moved over from the existing concentration within Political Science. Professor Dean was unconvinced by the enrollment projections and thought that the record around the state looked rather mixed. Professor James regretted the absence of 1996 figures for other UW schools. Professor Beach (Psychology) hoped that the concerns being expressed were being heard.

Professor Richards (Geography) MOVED the previous question, SECONDED by Professor Pernacciaro. MOTION TO CLOSE DEBATE PASSED on a vote of 18 yes, 6 no.

MAIN MOTION PASSED on a voice vote, with Professor James asking to be recorded as abstaining.

Location of Criminal Justice Major

The University Committee had recommended the following:

RESOLVED, that the senate approves the creation of a Criminal Justice Center, whose function shall be to administer the Criminal Justice major and carry out related service functions, and that it directs that the center's steering committee always include members of the departments of Political Science and Sociology.

Also on behalf of the University Committee, Professor Meyer MOVED, SECONDED by Professor Dean (English), that the senate substitute the following language for that in the agenda resolution.

RESOLVED, that for governance purposes, the proposed Criminal Justice major shall be housed within an existing department.

Budget Concerns. Professors Meyer and Rovelstad said that it seemed better to handle the program within a department at first. If it grew as anticipated, we could create a center at that point. Professor Duetsch said it would make no difference in the budget, though Professor Rosenberg argued that centers were inherently more expensive. Professor Lyter-Mickleberg (Physical Education) argued that the $10-12,000 seemed not too much to spend when we needed new students. Professor Rosenberg said the new money involved was over $100,000, which was not small change. Professor Murphy suggested that if we were going to try a new program it might be best to give it the best possible chance from the beginning.

Being Interdisciplinary. Chancellor Smith and others said that the program was interdisciplinary in nature and should be directed by an interdisciplinary committee. Professor H. Rosenberg (Sociology) thought that an independent interdisciplinary program would attract more students. Professor Rovelstad said it was unusual to hire for a center. Professor Gellott (History) cited the precedent of Weekend College. Professor Mayer (Biological Science) asked if there was a precedent for having an interdisciplinary major within a department. Professor Canary (English) said that Humanities had at one time been housed within English. Professor Buenker noted that if the program were within a department, even if it had its own steering committee, that department would have ultimate authority over its curriculum.

Professor Pernacciaro finally MOVED the previous question, SECONDED by Professor Longeway (Philosophy). MOTION TO CLOSE DEBATE PASSED on a vote of 19 yes, 0 no.

SUBSTITUTE MOTION FAILED on a vote of 11 yes and 11 no. Professor Rosenberg asked if it were possible to call for a roll-call vote. Ms. Jacobson (PSGA) pointed out that such requests had to be made before the vote was taken.

MAIN MOTION PASSED on a vote of 12 yes, 6 no.

Adjournment
The senate's time having expired, the chair declared the meeting adjourned, noting that there remained unfinished business.

Respectfully submitted,

Robert H. Canary
Secretary of the faculty