Inside Iowa State
May 15, 1998Faculty Senate
Newlin calls for more use of ICN, help with accountability issues
by Linda Charles
The Iowa Board of Regents and its institutions must continue to improve the quality of academic programs for students, board president Owen Newlin told the Faculty Senate May 5.
"That is the board's and the university's highest priority, and I know that it is also yours," Newlin told the faculty.
He also called on faculty to lead the way in using new communications technologies to expand educational opportunities for Iowans.
"We are not using the Iowa Communications Network as effectively and efficiently as we should in delivering programs to people in all parts of Iowa, and we need to do more," Newlin said.
The regents also face accountability issues with Iowans, he said.
"We're looking to the faculty to recommend ways that we can most effectively deal with accountability issues while maintaining, indeed strengthening, academic freedom and the quality of the programs we provide," Newlin said.
Newlin, an ISU graduate, singled out several ISU accomplishments, including the new diversity and international relations requirements for undergraduate students, the Hixson scholarship program, learning team programs, expanded travel abroad opportunities for students and growing use of Internet programs and World Wide Web classes. He also cited ISU's high national ranking in the number of patents received by faculty and staff (fifth in the past two years.)
University Club
In other business, the senate endorsed the concept of a university club to help build a sense of community among faculty and staff.
Outgoing senate president Bill Woodman appointed a steering committee in September 1997 to study the feasibility of such a club. Under the proposal presented by Woodman, the club would be located in the Cardinal Room in the Memorial Union and would offer "first-rate, fine dining."
The steering committee recommends that the club offer lunches and perhaps morning coffee at first, and expand to evening meals if demand grows. The committee also recommends a first- class kitchen be created near the club. Estimates for refurbishing the Cardinal Room, including the kitchen, are $381,000.
The committee also proposes that the club serve as an educational opportunity for students, particularly in hotel, restaurant and institution management, and strive to be inclusive of all faculty and staff through affordable membership fees and meal costs. It also recommended that the Small Business Development Center assess the demand for a club.
Academic changes
The senate also approved the following proposals:
- A minor in entrepreneurial studies, designed for non- business students to learn about starting new businesses.
- A secondary major in international business, which could only be taken in conjunction with another major, to help students understand global business and succeed in overseas job assignments.
- A major in productions/operations management, to help students under-stand the managerial side of production/operations and manage manufacturing systems designed by engineers.
- Joint administration of the botany department by the colleges of Agriculture and Liberal Arts and Sciences.
- A name change, to the department of biophysics, biochemistry and molecular biology.
- Separation of the department of microbiology, immunology and preventive medicine into a microbiology department in the College of Agriculture and a veterinary microbiology and preventive medicine department in the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Other business
The senate also endorsed the appointment of a special committee to examine the cancellation of journals at the ISU library. The committee will work with library staff to try to determine other sources of funding for journals.
The next senate meeting will be Sept. 8.
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