BG H. S. CARTER, LTC J. A. LIPOVSKY, COL H. W. ASKINS, JR., COL R. A. MALONEY, COL R. E. BALDWIN, COL I. S. METTS, JR., COL M. A. BEBENSEE, COL W. B. MOORE, JR., COL J. R. BLANTON, COL L. W. MORELAND, COL C. E. CLEAVER, COL S. OZMENT, LTC C. M. DEMILLE, COL D. H. REILLY, COL D. J. FALLON, COL P. J. REMBIESA, COL A. J. FINCH, LTC T. C. EMANUEL for COL F. W. SHEALY, LTC A. W. LECLERCQ, COL G. B. STALEY, LTC J. S. LEONARD, COL G. L. WILSON

The meeting of the Academic Board was called to order at 1520 hours by BG Carter.

AGENDA ITEM # 1: SPECIAL AWARD

On behalf of the Academic Board, BG Carter presented a special award to Cadet Thomas Messervy, who is set to graduate from the Honors Program with a 4.0 cumulative grade point ratio in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Cadet Messervy has served as Vice Chair of the Honor Council and First Battalion Academic Officer, is a member of Phi Kappa Phi, and has received scholarships for summer study at Cambridge and in Australia. He has been awarded a full scholarship to pursue graduate work at MIT.

AGENDA ITEM # 2: APPROVAL OF MINUTES

The minutes of the March 21, 2000 meeting were approved unanimously.

AGENDA ITEM # 3: REPORT OF THE CURRICULUM COMMITTEE

CPT Kessler, chair of the Curriculum Committee, presented a report on recent curricular changes approved by the Committee (copy attached).

1. Modern Languages: SPAN 302 will be a pre-requisite for SPAN 305 and for 400-level Spanish literature courses, and the sequence of SPAN 301 and 302 will be changed. These changes were approved unanimously by Academic Board.
2. Mathematics and Computer Science: A proposal to offer two new courses-Java and Topics in Information Technology-was approved unanimously by Academic Board. Decision on two other proposals-to change the prefixes for information science and computer technology courses and to add a course in Computer Networks and Internets-was deferred until consultation could be completed with the Registrar's Office on the first issue and with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering on the second issue.
3. Political Science: Replace PSCI 331 with PSCI 333 as a required course for Subfield B; PSCI 331 will become a subfield elective. Replace PSCI 302 with either PSCI 302 or PSCI 306 as a required course in Subfield A. Change the course title of PSCI 402 to Politics of Bureaucracy and Public Administration. All these changes were approved unanimously.
4. Freshman Experience Course: A proposal to require a freshman experience course of all entering cadets was approved by the Curriculum Committee though they raised several concerns to do with the impact on the engineering curricula, the impact on freshman course load, and the impact on faculty resources as well as questions about the handling of course withdrawals and course failures.

COL Ozment stated that the engineering departments will be allowed to pilot courses in the fall that combine the material to be covered in the Freshman Experience Course and that covered in the introductory engineering courses so that no additional hours will be added to the engineering curriculum. Both engineering departments have endorsed this solution.

COL Moreland asked if other departments can develop discipline specific sections of the course.

COL Ozment explained that next year, only engineering will do so because they already cover much of the required material in their freshman courses and will not have to develop entirely new courses.

LTC Rembiesa asked if transfer students would be required to take the course.

COL Ozment explained that the Freshman Year Experience Committee recommended that they should since the course will be geared to the specific transitional challenges posed by coming to a military college.

In regard to the assessment plans for the course, COL Reilly suggested that pre- and post-tests be conducted to measure each stated goal.

COL Wilson expressed concern that until there are significant changes in the barracks, there is little that the academic side of the College can do to improve retention or performance.

However, LTC Lipovsky disagreed, saying that the course may actually help lead to changes in the barracks because it will emphasize better communication and because faculty will be more involved with students as individuals.

BG Carter commented on the issue of faculty compensation by informing the Board that the CDF budget for 2000-2001 includes funds to support the FYE course. He mentioned that faculty could be compensated either with development money in support of travel or research or with an additional stipend.

LTC Leonard stated that many faculty would not regard development money as real compensation since they already have access to that.

BG Carter said he would ask several members of Academic Board to serve on a committee to make a recommendation about faculty compensation.

In response to LTC Lipovsky's question about what would happen if enough faculty could not be identified to teach the course, BG Carter said it would not be scheduled. We will not offer the course until we are in a position to be successful with it.

LTC Emanuel suggested that senior cadets might assist with the courses, and COL Ozment explained that the academic officers will certainly be used.

BG Carter noted that a wide variety of student leaders, from the football captain to cadet rank holders could be involved. After considerable discussion, the proposed course was approved unanimously.

AGENDA ITEM # 4: FACULTY COUNCIL REVIEW OF POST TENURE REVIEW DOCUMENT

LTC Lipovsky reported on the changes Faculty Council recommends to the Post Tenure Review document (copy attached):

1. Page 3, 2nd paragraph: Specify that "scholarly activity" is expected of all faculty.
2. Page 4, # 1. Add the statement, "Each department will decide by majority vote whether to require, to permit, or to exclude review by persons from outside The Citadel. This decision will be reflected in the departmental procedures document.
3. Page 5, # 3. Change "must" to "may" in the statement about including one tenured faculty member from outside the department. (This reflects Council's concern that faculty external to the department may not understand departmental standards.)
4. Page 5, # 4. Add the statement, "Standards and procedures for post-tenure review should be readily available at all times to all faculty members.
5. Page 7, # 7g. Eliminate the "exceptionally meritorious" rating.
6. Page 8, explanation of ratings. Add sentences defining "satisfactory" and "unsatisfactory."

LTC Lipovsky responded that if the language "in consultation with the faculty member" were added, Faculty Council would probably be comfortable with the statement.

COL Blanton pointed out that external committee members are obliged to familiarize themselves with and adhere to departmental standards as they participate in the evaluation process.

The proposed new wording for p. 5, # 3 was "The tenured faculty of the department, with input from the candidate, will arrange for a senior Citadel faculty member from another department to serve as a voting participant in the department's tenure review process."

The other related change also required would be on p. 4, # 1. There the statement would be that "If the department decides by majority vote to require or permit review by persons from outside The Citadel, the external evaluator will be chosen, with input from the candidate, to serve in an advisory, non-voting capacity in the post tenure review process."

It was noted that the first paragraph on p. 4 should be deleted to eliminate contradictions with statements on p. 9 about the consequences of two unsatisfactory ratings.

COL Wilson moved that the Board endorse the changes proposed by Faculty Council, with the exceptions noted above. The motion passed unanimously.

BG Carter said the deans would refine the language of the Post Tenure Review document and General Order 12 to clarify the decision making process and the appeals process.

AGENDA ITEM # 5: FACULTY COUNCIL'S RECOMMENDED CHANGES TO GENERAL ORDER # 12.

LTC Lipovsky explained that Faculty Council was especially concerned about "systematic bias" in student evaluation of instruction.

BG Carter and COL Metts pointed out that there is no way statistically to "validate" the results of student evaluations.

BG Carter suggested that the wording might read that the College will "conduct a statistical study to investigate bias."

COL Metts informed the Board that he has located someone at Chapel Hill to analyze the data for a $17,300 fee.

AGENDA ITEM # 6: PERFORMANCE FUNDING.

COL Metts reported that our most recent Performance Funding rating from CHE was a 2.3. In order to qualify for more funds, we would have to have earned a 2.6. He noted that The Citadel has the lowest faculty credit production of any state institution.

AGENDA ITEM # 7: CGPS STRATEGIC PLAN.

Deferred.

AGENDA ITEM # 8: SCHOOL ORGANIZATION.

BG Carter noted that we will not have time before the end of the semester to hold academic cluster meetings for faculty on organization into schools. However, he indicated to the Board that he is working on a memorandum on the subject that he hopes to have ready for distribution soon.

MISCELLANEOUS

BG Carter distributed to Board members a list of the cadets who have been chosen for the highest positions in the Corps for next year. He called attention to the fact that there is some diversity (female Regimental Executive Officer, a female Company Commander, an African American Company Commander), and that five of the top six ranking cadets are Gold Star students.

BG Carter announced that the CDF budget for the 2000-2001 academic year has been approved.

BG Carter asked for recommendations for filling on an acting basis for next year the position of Graduate Dean. He said he will also be asking for input from Graduate Council.

BG Carter alerted the Board that the Strategic Planning process is about to begin again and will be tied to preparation for the College's next review by SACS. He offered to send the recommendations and suggestions from the last SACS review to Board members. We need to be able to show progress in these areas in particular.

COL Staley asked when tenure and promotion decisions would be announced.

BG Carter said that the Faculty Tenure and Promotion Committee has submitted its recommendations which the deans are in the process of reviewing.

COL Reilly asked about lab fees.

BG Carter stated that COL Metts and MAJ Nesmith have studied the fee structure, and that he will be discussing the findings and the allocation of fee revenue to individual departments with the VP of Finance.

The meeting was adjourned at 1740 hours.

Submitted by
Suzanne Ozment
Dean of Undergraduate Studies
and Dean of Women