In its final meeting of the 2003-04 academic year, the Faculty Senate on April 27 approved revisions to the Intercultural/International Competence Requirement for baccalaureate students and to the credit requirements for maintaining athletic eligibility. The Senate also approved a change in the representation ratio of senators to total faculty members, and learned of enhancements to the policy for paid parental leave for faculty.
Starting in the summer of 2005, the existing requirement that baccalaureate students take three credits in intercultural/international topics as part of their General Education courses, established in 1997, will be changed to two separate requirements -- three credits each in United States cultures and in international cultures, for a total of six credits.
All General Education courses currently falling under the Intercultural/International Competence (GI) classification will satisfy the revised requirements, and departments offering courses that are not now included in GI will be encouraged to designate a limited number of sections in which at least 25 percent of the materials satisfies either the United States or international cultures requirement. Additional courses at any level may be proposed by the appropriate academic units and approved by Senate procedures to fulfill either requirement.
"The legislation that established the Intercultural/International Competence Requirement saw a clear value in studying both topics, but at the time the committee could not find a way of incorporating both within the General Education framework," said John Moore, chair of the conference committee that oversaw the review of the GI requirement. "Events of the past few years, including 9/11 and the student concerns expressed during the Village meetings of April 2001, indicated that both were important to our students and that both had to find a place with our program of study. The either/or arrangement was no longer what we needed. The revised requirement will allow students to choose from a richer array of courses."
On the matter of athletic eligibility, the Senate approved minor revisions to Policy 67-00 on the minimum number of credits required to have been completed at the end of successive semesters in order for students to continue participation in intercollegiate athletics. The changes, which take effect this coming fall, reflect the fact that there has been a marked reduction in the total number of credits required for a degree across many programs.
The Senate also approved a revision to its constitution such that the faculty representation ratio will change from one senator for each 20 members of the electorate to one senator for each 25 members. The change will be phased in over four years, beginning with the spring 2005 senate elections.
Meanwhile, an informational report from the Senate Committee on Faculty Affairs and Faculty Benefits delivered the news that Policy HRG18 on paid parental leave for faculty has been enhanced in several ways:
-- In addition to the minimum of six weeks of paid maternity leave already granted, the revised policy provides for a release from teaching assignments for the mother in the other weeks of the semester in which the birth occurs. The policy allows for flexibility, so that if the birth occurs at the end of a semester, the release from teaching may occur in the following semester.
-- A semester release from teaching also is granted to faculty parents in the case of adoption.
In other developments, the Senate expressed its gratitude and appreciation to Robert Secor, vice president for academic affairs, for his many accomplishments on behalf of the University and its faculty as he nears his retirement.
Outgoing Senate Chair Christopher Bise, professor of mining engineering, also welcomed incoming 2004-05 chair Kim Steiner, professor of forest biology, with a playful gift -- a bumper sticker reading "Strip Mining Helps Prevent Forest Fires." In retaliation, Steiner gave Bise a tree seedling to help decorate the barren lawn of Bise's new house. Jamie Myers, associate professor education, is chair-elect for 2004-05 and Dawn Blasko, associate professor of psychology at Penn State Erie, is secretary.
The next Faculty Senate meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 16. For more information on the April 27 meeting, visit http://www.psu.edu/ufs/agenda/apr27-04agn/Apr2704agn.htm