Academic Cabinet
November 7, 2007
#5

Present: Beryl Brubaker, Marie Morris, Ken L. Nafziger, Ervin Stutzman

1. Prayer by Ervin
   
2. Report on conferences recently attended: Marie reported from the CIC dean’s meeting regarding ways some schools reduced the number of courses in order to increase student:faculty ratios and how others utilized 4-hour courses. She was encouraged by ideas from Gallup research regarding a culture of evidence for learning outcomes. Beryl reported on her recent SACS meeting and the emphasis on measuring learning outcomes. We have difficulty knowing how to measure developmental processes. Development is cognitive, intrapersonal, and interpersonal. The Global Perspectives Inventory may be helpful to use with cross-cultural programs.
   
3. Appoint committee re: academic integrity
   Vi Dutcher, Kim Brenneman, Don Clymer, Mary Ann Shisler, and two-four students appointed by SGA will be invited to serve.
   
4. Give counsel re: proposed faculty/staff conference theme:
   Peter Dula, Steve Johnson, Dave King, Evie King, and Andrea Schrock Wenger are on the committee. The identity of our institution is a possible topic. Another possibility is “Creation Care.” Jim Harder from Bluffton, Richard Hughes from Messiah, and Don Kraybill from Elizabethtown College were named by academic cabinet as possible keynote speakers.
   
5. Consider recommendations to President’s Cabinet re: UG ratios and Applied Sociology/JPCS:
   A group met regarding the calculation of the UG ratio. The group agreed on shared parameters and the use of two ratios, i.e. one including departmental hours (14:1) and the other including additional hours for such things as release time (12.5:1). Load hours need to be reduced relative to the benchmark year of 2005 when they were 1509. The group would like to identify expenditures for faculty development, as well as staff development.
   
6. Consider next steps regarding 5-year contract paper (see March 28, 2007 minutes). The cabinet briefly reviewed the previous discussion and agreed that Beryl will share the minutes and the three integration papers that have been written (i.e. Mark Metzler Sawin, Jerry Holsopple, and Mike Medley) with Owen Byer, Faculty Senate President, and ask that Faculty Senate weigh in on the question of the integration paper.
   
7. Future agenda:
   reconsidering remuneration for faculty senate leaders
   revising the faculty development policy
   revising the faculty promotion criteria
   

Respectfully submitted:
Ken L. Nafziger, Recorder