University Senate - September 25, 2023 Minutes

UNIVERSITY SENATE

Meeting Minutes

September 25, 2023

The University Senate was called to order at 3:30 p.m., in 111 Harrison Hall on Monday, September 25, 2023. Members absent: Scott Walter, Cheryl Young, Medhi Zanjani

Call to Order and Announcements and Remarks – Tracy Haynes, Chair of University Senate Executive Committee
1. The Ohio Faculty Council (senate leaders from four year universities) had a combined meeting with the Ohio Faculty Senate (senate leaders from community and technical colleges) which went very well. We discussed a lot of different topics, so I thought I would share the highlights with all of you.
  1. Version 8 of SB 83 will come in October and you should still be in contact with your representatives.
  2. We will be discussing strategies used in other states where Anti-DEI legislation has passed.
  3. After a workshop on Mental health, we are going to have the Mental Task Force come to senate to discuss growth in anxiety and depression on university campuses including Miami further.
  4. We passed a resolution to recommend each of the universities that award teaching and excellence awards to be sent on to the chancellor to get some state recognition.
2. Liaisons to the Grad Council or Committee on Undergraduate Curriculum will send us alerts when curriculum is being considered. Our hope is to give you a preview of what you will potentially consider.
3. In the future, presenters will not be required to be present for our deliberations on proposals. We will use Google Forms to solicit additional questions that may arise as you meet with constituents after their initial presentation. .
4. We are going to elect two senators for the AD-HOC committee later in the meeting so please be thinking about that and let us know if you are interested.
Approval of University Senate Minutes
1. University Senate Full Meeting Minutes_09.11.2023 were approved (Results: 55-Yes, 0-No, 0-Abstain)
Consent Calendar: The following items were received on the Consent Calendar:
1. Curricular Items _09.20.2023
2. Graduate Council Minutes_09.12.2023
3. LEC Meeting Minutes_09.05.2023
4. LEC Meeting Minutes_09.12.2023
Old Business
1. SR 24-01 Establishment of Centers & Institutes Policy was Approved (Results: 55 -Yes, 0-No, 0-Abstain)
  1. No Senator Question and Comments for this policy
Provost Updates
1. Ohio Laws - HB 135, SB 83, and SB 117
  1. HB 135 became law last summer. HB 135 requires us to have a process by which any Faculty, Staff, and/or Student can file a complaint if they feel their freedom of expression/speech has been violated. We created a process for filing a complaint, a hearing process, and an appeal process. The last piece was to put together a hearing committee. We have and so far we have not had a case, which is also true of other Ohio institutions. Members of the committee are: Scott Walter, Ted Peters, Vicka Bell-Robinson, Oana Godeanu-Kenworthy, Kathleen Knight-Abowitz, and Roscoe Wilson
  2. SB 83 – I am meeting with the IUC provosts next week. I am hoping to get more of an update about SB 83 during that meeting.
  3. SB 117 - This new law came in with the budget over the summer and requires 5 universities (Miami, UC, Ohio State, Central State and University of Toledo) to put in place a center. Ours is called The Center for Civic Culture and Society.
    1. It does not have to follow the new Miami policy for centers.
    2. The law says there must be a director and no fewer than 10 tenure line faculty associated with the center, funded by the Ohio General Assembly. We are not sure what will happen if they stop the funding in the future.
    3. Director can approve curriculum, but it has to go through our normal process.
    4. By December 31st the Ohio Senate has to approve an academic council that consists of 7 people and this council will be conducting the search for the director. The search committee can only have one Miami employee, but we can have alumni on the committee. We believe that the search committee will probably be assembled by January. Then the director has the ability to hire the rest of the faculty members. It has to be housed in the College of Arts and Science.
  4. Senator Question and Comments
    1. Question - Do the tenure track faculty members have to be new faculty members? (A) They do not.
2. Excess Credit Hours Fee
  1. Students will need to pay tuition and fees to enroll in classes beyond 18 credit hours. Exceptions will be made for Pell-eligible students. We did research and it doesn’t impact a majority of our students. We are the only Public University in Ohio that does not charge for excess credit hours.
  2. Senator Question and Comments
    1. Senator: Some confusion on calculation of the 18 hours when students drop classes (A) We are working with the registar to make sure that when a student drops a class they don’t get the credit hours counted towards them for the class they dropped.
    2. Senator: Just to clarify if the student goes from 17 credit hours to 18 that is when this goes into effect? (A )It is actually when they hit the 19th hour that this goes into effect.
    3. Senator: Are we saving money by doing this? (A) Yes,it would save us about 2 million dollars over 4 years. Follow-up Question: We would be saving that much money on a small percentage of students? (A) Yes, that is over a 4 year period.
    4. Senator: Is this for Freshman this year or next year (A) For our current freshman class only.
    5. Senator: I am hoping that we are not taking opportunities away from high achieving students.
    6. Senator: Have we talked to other universities about how this affects them? (A) That is a good question – I am not sure whether our students double major more often than other places. It’s fewer students than I thought who double major, but it’s significant how many students have minors.
    7. Senator: If a student picks up multiple programs, there are other options aside from picking up a heavy semester on campus. We have Winter options and offerings at other campuses which will help with this.
3. Office of Diversity and Inclusion
  1. Online training for Search Committees - Cristina is coming to tea time on Wednesday to talk more about the Online training
  2. A new feature will be campus interview visits: 15 minute appointments with OIDI staff. This is being piloted and is for faculty and administrative searches.
4. State of the University Address: October 3, 3-5 at Hall Auditorium, reception to follow
5. Tea Time with Liz: this Wednesday, September 27, Zoom @ 3 will feature OIDI programming and National Rankings (USNWR).
6. Recruit and Yield events are important. If you can help go to these events I feel that students really enjoy it when they are able to meet faculty and staff members.
7. AI Summit is November 1st: https://www.miamioh.edu/it-services/news/2023/09/ai-symposium.html
New Business
1. CPB - Biomedical Engineering - Master of Engineering, Keith Hohn, Professor and Chair Department of Chemical, Paper, and Biomedical Engineering, The curriculum document can be accessed at https://nextbulletin.miamioh.edu/programadmin/ - click on 'title' and type 'Biomedical Engineering* in the Search section. Click on 'CPB - Biomedical Engineering - Master of Engineering'. - Presentation only; Discussion and Anticipated Vote on October 09, 2023
  1. Current challenges for MS in Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
    1. MS Degree is research-focused
    2. Inclusion of non-thesis option leads to students switching from thesis to non-thesis option
    3. Few MS students are paying tuition
    4. MS program is currently small
  2. Masters of Engineering in Chemical, Biomedical Engineering
    1. M.Eng. program focuses on coursework and practical experience
    2. Thirty hours of graduate coursework
    3. Buildings upon coursework in existing MS program - no new resources needed
    4. Proposed degree includes practical, culminating experiences: non-thesis project, industrial practicum, internship
    5. Split into two degrees with recognizable titles will help with student recruitment
    6. Free-paying students only, ineligible for graduate assistantships
  3. Student Learning Outcomes
    1. Apply knowledge of physics, mathematics, and engineering to formulate and solve biomedical engineering problems.
    2. Apply modern biomedical engineering tools and techniques for engineering practice
    3. Collect, interpret, and analyze experimental data in industrial settings
    4. Examine and ensure compliance with FDA regulations for approval of medical devices
  4. M. Eng. in Biomedical Engineering - Program Requirements - 30 credit of graduate coursework, Orally present your culminating experience, and Submit approved written culminating experience.
    1. Course Number and Name
      1. CPB 517 - Biomedical Engineering Course (Choose One) - 6 Credit Hours
        
        CPB 612- Engineering Analysis
        
        CPB 614 - Clinical Trials and Data Analysis
        
        CPB 672 - Statistical Modeling and Study Design
      2. Electives (recommended) - 18-21 Credit Hours
        
        CPB 516 - Biochemical Engineering
        
        CPB 519 - Biomaterials
        
        CPB 523 - Biomechanics
        
        CPB 526 - Fundamentals of Tissue Engineering
        
        CPB 528 - Engineering Principles in Medical Device Design
        
        CPB 552 - Introduction to FDA Regulations and Medical Device Laws
        
        CPB 611 - Transport Phenomena in Engineering
        
        CSE 556 - Bioinformatics Principles
        
        CSE 566 - Bioinformatics Computing Skills
        
        CSE 570 - Special Topics (Computational Genomics)
        
        CSE 616 - Simulation of Physical Systems
        
        ECE 526 - Biomedical Signal Analysis
      3. Electives (up to two courses, permission required) - 18-21 Credit Hours
        
        CSE 532 - Machine Learning
        
        CSE 543 - High Performance Computing & Parallel Programming
        
        CSE 588 - Image Processing & Computer Vision
        
        ECE 525 - Digital Signal Processing
        
        ECE 529 - Digital Image Processing
        
        EGM 511 - Leading and Managing Projects
        
        Other courses from CPB, CSE, ECE, and MME
      4. Culminating Experience (choose up to two) - 3-6 Credit Hours
        
        CPB 640 - Internship (3)
        
        CPB 704 - Non-Thesis Project (3)
        
        CPB 710 - Industrial Practicum (3)
    2. Total Hours (must be >= 30, with weighted GPA of 3.00 or higher)
  5. Culminating Experiences
    1. Industrial internship (CPB 640) - at least 8 weeks in a suitable location. CEC Director of Industrial Relations will help identify opportunities. Report required at end of experience describing the relationship between the work experience and the objectives of the M.Eng. Program. Feedback from employers will also be sought.
    2. Industrial practicum (CPB 710) – at least 8 weeks in a suitable location. Report required at end of experience describing the relationship between the work experience and the objectives of the M.Eng. Program. Feedback from employers will also be sought.
    3. Non-thesis project (CPB 702) – project presented to a committee made up of at least two faculty members.
  6. Admissions to M. Eng. Programs
    1. B.S. required for admission
    2. No double counting of BS/MS courses
    3. Minimum GPA of 2.75, curriculum vitae, statement of purpose, and three letters of recommendation
    4. Additional requirement for international applicants: TOEFL score of at least 95
    5. Non-engineers could be admitted, but will need to complete prerequisites (ChE -MTH 245, CPB 204, CPB 318, CPB 324 or equivalent)
    6. (BME – MTH 245, ECE 205, CPB 219, CPB 324 or equivalent)
  7. Conclusions
    1. New M.Eng. programs in Chemical, Biomedical Engineering may allow for recruitment of students not interested in current MS in Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
    2. Expectation is that new programs will recruit fee-paying students
    3. No new resources are needed to deliver programs: build upon existing MS program
  8. Senator Question and Comments
    1. Senator: Do you expect much lateral movement as the student tries to identify what they want?(A) We see some, yes. However this will help us market them distinctly to help students with that.
    2. Senator: Who are our near-peer competitors? Are there any additional marketing costs? (A) Cincinnati has an option. Not very many have a masters in engineering that is understood as coursework only. This is a part of Boldly Creative and marketing is built into the budgets for those programs.
    3. Senator: What is your target number for admission? Also are the courses face to face (A) We would love to have 25 and yes
    4. Senator: Will those additional students fit into your current offerings?(A) Some of the 400/500 colisted courses may need to expand, but the 600 level courses are currently under-enrolled.
    5. Senator: What about your existing program? (A) We will be bringing a proposal to close the thesis program if these are created, so they will only get to do one or the other.
2. CPB - Chemical Engineering - Master of Engineering, Keith Hohn, Professor and Chair Department of Chemical, Paper, and Biomedical Engineering,The curriculum document can be accessed at https://nextbulletin.miamioh.edu/programadmin/ - click on 'title' and type 'Chemical Engineering*' in the Search section. Click on 'CPB - Chemical Engineering - Master of Engineering'. Presentation only; Discussion and Anticipated Vote on October 09, 2023
  1. This was a combined presentation with CPB - Biomedical Engineering - Master of Engineering.
Special Reports
1. LEC Miami Plan Update - Leighton Peterson, Director of Liberal Education and Associate Professor of Anthropology
  1. The Miami Plan is the Miami Way to a meaningful degree
  2. Explore ideas and learn skills that promote:
    1. Social Awareness & Civic Engagement - Make your courses count in the real-world; bring your knowledge to solve global problems with impactful solutions
    2. Collaboration & Innovation - Work one-on-one with Miami’s teacher-scholars; dive into group problem-solving with peers; design and create cutting-edge capstone projects;
    3. Critical & Integrative Thinking - Ask questions, challenge assumptions & test hypotheses; learn how all of your courses link; apply new perspectives to your career & learning in the major
    4. Communication & Expression - Get your ideas across and your voice heard to different audiences in all kinds of writing and creative works
  3. The Miami Plan: Not a “separate” curriculum, it’s the whole curriculum.
    1. Ensures best practices and assessable outcomes in 60% of Miami’s courses
    2. Integrates writing, research, student inquiry & creativity across the curriculum; embedded in programs in ways that eludes our peers
    3. Forefronts teacher-scholars as innovators in pedagogy
    4. Allows students to take ownership of course selections
    5. Directly promotes outcomes in professionally accredited programs
    6. Is the “value added” that is student- & teacher-scholar centric
  4. Dramatic Culture Change
    1. New standards and outcomes-based learning at all levels (LEC, ODHE, HLC)
    2. Outcomes based = student assessments (more important) vs. content
    3. Miami Plan tied to institutional accreditation
    4. LEC course review = Step 1 of MP Assessment Plan
    5. ODHE has rejected 60% of proposed OT36 courses
    6. LEC has approved 84% of submitted courses
  5. Challenges
    1. Unattainable or confusing MP Outcomes, being addressed by Revising e.g. IC SLOs for inclusion and precision
    2. LE “Rollbacks” & course design; being addressed by Direct Consultations with faculty, units, divisions on course design; continued faculty development and outreach efforts; MP Senior Fellows
    3. Miami Plan facts vs. myths, being addressed by continuing conversations and communications. Our sessions with HCWE have been quite successful.
    4. Budgetary Impact or Curriculum, being addressed by reviewing Miami Plan to ensure feasibility given resources; opportunities to leverage and market MP across units/divisions
    5. SB 83, being addressed by Modeling potential impact to DEI, addition of history/government hours (pulled from most recent bill)
  6. Signature Inquiries
    1. Courses that: Feature best pedagogical practices including active learning, student inquiry, and application of knowledge.
    2. Courses that: Introduce students to areas of study beyond their primary major; courses not “tiered”
    3. Courses that: Show students how interdisciplinarity is the best approach for asking questions, challenging assumptions, and solving problems
    4. Courses that: Allows students to take ownership of their coursework
  7. Miami Plan Innovation Lab (MPIL) Specified in Miami Rise Strategic Plan
    1. Sandbox for experimentation, creativity, innovation
    2. Community for problem-solving across departments & divisions
  8. MPIL Outcomes - Curricular Transformations
    1. Leverage existing resources & teacher-scholar expertise to Miami’s areas of institutional strength, growth, and opportunity
    2. High-impact courses that serve specific curricular needs to ensure student success
    3. Courses designed to scale; help programs experiment and reach new audiences
    4. Team teaching and team-design experiments for deep change that align with budgetary constraints and workload expectations
  9. Current MPIL Signature Inquiry Cohorts
    1. Mental Health (ART-PSY-ENG-SOC)
    2. Creative Coding (LIN-ETDB-MUS)
  10. Upcoming Faculty Development Opportunities:
    1. Miami Plan Innovation Lab (MPIL) - Deadline Oct. 16
    2. Designing Senior Capstones Workshop (w/HCWE) - Spring ‘24
    3. MP Re-review & Submissions Support Sessions (Q&A) - various
  11. Senator Question and Comments
    1. Senator: Will approving signature inquires across all division and enrollment purposes be doable? Also, kudos to this process (A) Identifying where the tension points are in course approvals has always been on our mind from day one. I don't think that Signature inquiries are a choke point for this project.
    2. Senator: First, I hear that you don’t have to go through MPIL to have a Signature Inquiry approved. These are like thematic sequences…(A) These aren’t thematic sequences. Signature inquiries are courses that bind together across the curriculum. There isn’t a hierarchy or progression through them as with thematic sequences, so courses are approved, not the specific combination.
    3. Senator: Thank you both for all the time and reviewing my course. I really appreciate it. Are there any double dip restrictions?(A) Perspectives Areas and Signature Inquiries can double dip, this was strategic.
    4. Senator: Best diagram yet. (https://miamioh.edu/liberal-ed/student-resources/miami-plan/index.html) Signature inquiries: Are faculty designing these? (A) When you are doing a course submission, it’s best to start with the instructional design The five Pillars are important and the main goal here is making new connections; there are different models available.
    5. Senator: Can these be a new course, or are they just for existing courses?(A) Both.
    6. Senator: Thank you I think this is very meaningful and implementation is also meaningful. How are you going to make sure that these courses stay signature inquiry ?(A)We will have a review cycle to ensure that courses remain tied to their intentions. Further, a course must be taught regularly and courses that haven’t been taught in more than two years must be re-approved.
    7. Senator: Just because it is its own entity doesn’t mean you can’t build bridges with other faculty who teach the other courses and collaborate. I really support the Miami Plan as we are doing what is considered cutting edge
    8. Senator: How can a large-format course scale into a Signature inquiry course? (A) We need to have a conversation with your program specifically. There isn’t a prescription and multiple models of teaching are suitable, signature inquiry courses come in all varieties and it’s dependent on the structure of your course. Shout out to Erik Jensen and Ron Becker who have done this for large-format courses.
Election to Ad-hoc Committee on Midterm Grading Process Midterm Ad-Hoc Committee -Carol Fabby and Andrew Hebard were nominated and approved for Ad Hoc Committee for Midterm Policy (Results: 55 -Yes, 0-No, 0-Abstain)
Adjournment