The Faculty Senate discussed 10 pieces of new business and gave final approval to several other items up for a second reading during the April 8 meeting. New business items receive a second reading at the next meeting prior to a vote.
The College of Design proposed a bachelor's of fine arts in illustration (PDF) to help students communicate ideas through images that educate, inform and explain. The proposal said the college's recruitment team received significant interest from prospective students over the years for a major in illustration. Graduates could work in fields such as publishing, advertising, animation or gaming. The major -- requiring 128 credits -- expands on a minor of the same name that has been offered for five years.
Senators heard about proposed changes to three policies and processes:
- Approving a student request to repeat a course (PDF) for which the course number or number of credits change because of the move to Workday would be determined by the department offering the repeat. A student's advisor no longer would approve the request.
- Resolving a course incomplete (PDF) would occur when a student either completes the requirements in an incomplete contract or the resolution date passes. The new grade no longer would require a notation that it resolved an incomplete. The grade would become part of the student's term and cumulative GPA.
- Eliminating the requirement that concurrent bachelor's and master's degree programs (PDF) be approved by the Faculty Senate. The degrees already have been approved by the Faculty Senate, senior vice president and provost, ISU president and the Iowa Board of Regents. Both the Faculty Handbook and the Graduate Handbook would be updated.
Other new business included a series of proposed undergraduate minors:
- In art (PDF) from the art and visual culture department. The minor would focus on studio art methodologies in several media areas for students with little or no experience with hands-on artmaking.
- In art history (PDF) from the art and visual culture department. Students would learn about art created by ancient to contemporary cultures around the world in the minor. It would allow non-majors to explore art, architecture and culture across time periods and regions.
- In paleontology (PDF) -- a first for a regent university -- primarily in the department of earth, atmosphere and climate. It's designed for science, Technology, engineering, arts and mathmatics majors to learn about ecosystems, environments and climates, and how fossil evidence benefits their majors.
- In photography (PDF) from the art and visual culture department and the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication. It would combine the fine art and photojournalistic approaches to photography to make majors in either more well-rounded in the job market. Students would develop skills in shooting for fine arts, design, journalism, marketing and public relations.
The School of Education requested a name change for the master of education specialization (PDF) in curriculum and instructional technology, to educational technology. The new name aligns with current trends and emphasizes the program's integration of technology into teaching and learning.
Other business
Senators approved:
- A name change (PDF) in the College of Design for the department of community and regional planning to the department of urban planning and development. The new name is the standard in the field, helps students identify the program and reflects the name employers increasingly are using for job titles in the field.
- Changes to the membership of the faculty compensation committee bylaws (PDF) to ensure that term, tenure-eligible and tenured faculty are more equally represented. Voting members are one faculty member per college and one at-large member.
- Updates (PDF) to the Faculty Handbook sections on faculty evaluation and review, honorary degrees, the faculty pool for review boards and major sanction committees, the office of equal opportunity, and the appointment of ad hoc investigative committees to comply with Senate File 2435, passed into law last spring.
- Also to comply with the 2024 law, an update to the Faculty Senate bylaws (Article VI, Section 4) regarding committees of the Council on Faculty Development and Administrative Relations.
- Updates to the Faculty Handbook section on administrative structure (PDF) to reflect the current configuration.
- The College of Health and Human Sciences' request to rename the kinesiology department (PDF) kinesiology and health. The change brings ISU in line with peer universities and makes it more identifiable to students. Senators approved both a motion to wave the second reading and the name change itself.
Proposed revisions to the Faculty Handbook section on salary policies and procedures (PDF) that would bring it into alignment with current university practices were sent back to the resource policies and allocations council for more discussion.
