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February 25, 2002 Volume 26, Issue 27 |
The Robert Holland Faculty Senate is unanimous in its desire to see the pre-exam reading day restored to the university's academic calendar.
At their Feb. 15 meeting, the 40 members (out of 48) in attendance agreed with a report received from the advisory body's Ancillary Affairs Committee that "reading day should be reinstated as occurring the day after classes end and before exams begin, and should not occur on Saturday."
In the 40-0 vote, senators also accepted the second of the committee's two-part recommendation: Final grade submission should occur by noon on Mondays following exam week.
In her report preceding the vote, committee chair Linda Morse of counselor education/educational psychology related a telephone conversation she had with Registrar Larry Dobbs about why the traditional reading day was changed by the Provost's Office about a year ago.
"Mr. Dobbs indicated that he thought that reading day was moved to a Saturday after exams had begun largely because of the difficulties of scheduling exams on a weekend," Morse said. "He noted that faculty had complained about Saturday exams, and that it was difficult to staff all buildings to ensure that classrooms would be available at appropriate times."
During a question-and-answer period following her report, Morse reminded senators that, indeed, restoration of the traditional reading day also "means that exams once again will be held on Saturdays."
The committee's investigation of reading day began with a Nov. 29 letter to the senate by Lorenzo Crowell of history.
"Every fall and spring semester as far back as the fall of 1996, the MSU academic calendar has included a reading day between the last day of classes and the first day of final examination," Crowell said. Later, in the two-page request for senate consideration, he observed: "The scheduling of the reading day this [2001 fall] semester and during the next two years, as well as the pattern of final examination schedules over the last five years, appear to be designed more to facilitate students and faculty getting off for the weekend or out of here at the end of the semester than to facilitate learning."
Prior to conducting its official business, the February senate meeting heard a brief report by MSU alumnus Carl Nicholson of Hattiesburg, a 10-year member of the Board of Trustees, State Institutions of Higher Learning. Nicholson, a 1967 accounting graduate who is heading the College Board search committee for a new MSU president, had been invited by senate leaders to, among other things, discuss the make-up of the MSU presidential search Advisory Committee.
Senate chair Dan Embree of English and other members of the body's Executive Committee have been lobbying Nicholson and other board members to have a majority of faculty representation on the Advisory Committee, which is being led by Dean of Libraries Frances Coleman. Coleman, who was appointed to the post last month by the College Board, will head a likely group of 30-40 university employees, students, alumni, and friends that will help identify and screen presidential candidates.
In a Jan. 31 letter to Coleman, Embree proposed that the Advisory Committee include a majority of faculty members elected by appropriate units of the university. He also provided a two-part process for the elections.
While Nicholson said such an election-oriented procedure for selecting members would be historically unprecedented for the College Board, he promised to take a strong role in presenting the faculty senate's desire to his 11 colleagues on the state higher education governing body.
"I can't guarantee you anything," Nicholson said at one point. "All I can promise you is that we (the board members) are going to be fair."
Then, repeating a sentiment he expressed earlier during the presentation, Nicholson continued: "I want you happy with this process and we need you to be happy with this process." Pausing, he added: "The next president will be doomed to failure if you are not happy."
Scott Ross of West Point, another MSU graduate now on the College Board, was present during Nicholson's remarks but did not speak. He did occasionally nod, however, apparently in agreement with Nicholson's extemporaneous comments about the presidential search process and the Advisory Committee's participation.
A complete summary of these and other matters at the February meeting is available on the Internet at the senate home page, which is reached via http://www.msstate.edu, then by clicking the "Academic Programs" icon and scrolling to "Organizations. Also, in time, a University Television Center-developed video replay of the entire meeting will be available for viewing at this site.