A campus of The California State University

Office of the Academic Senate • One Washington Square • San Jose, California 95192-0024 • 408-924-2440 • Fax: 408-924-2451

SM-F01-1

At its meeting of September 10, 2001, the 2001-2002 Executive Committee, acting as the Academic Senate (By-Law 3.3b), passed the following Senate Management Resolution presented by Kenneth Peter.

SENATE MANAGEMENT RESOLUTION

Establishment of an Academic Innovation Model (AIM) Task Force

Whereas, The mission of SJSU would be enhanced if its faculty were more substantially empowered to innovate in research, teaching, and service; and

Whereas, Innovation is currently limited for many faculty both by the inflexibility of the so-called "4/4" teaching schedule and by a lack of sufficient resources, support structure, and time; and

Whereas, Greater flexibility in scheduling and the provision of additional resources would make it possible for faculty to develop new curricula, improve the quality of teaching, engage (with students and others) in leading research programs, advise, orient, and retain students, participate in the life and improvement of the university though service functions, and improve the morale and climate of the university; and

Whereas, The Provost has identified and will commit substantial resources to support a more innovative workload distribution as early as Spring 2002, and has expressed his desire for advice regarding the most effective way of allocating those resources both for Spring 2002 and the longer term; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That an ad hoc university committee be formed to create an academic innovation model (the AIM Task Force), with the structure, charge, tasks and membership shown on the attached document; the members of the committee shall be appointed by the Provost after close consultation with the Executive Committee; be it further

Resolved, That the AIM Task Force promptly recommend to the Provost how best to distribute currently available resources in order to foster academic innovation during the Spring 2002 semester; be it further

Resolved, That the AIM Task Force submit its long-term recommendations to the Provost and the Academic Senate by March 2002, at which time the Academic Senate shall discuss the long-term recommendations provided by the AIM Task Force and shall, by Sense-of-the-Senate resolution, provide its evaluation of the report and offer any additional advice it deems necessary; and be it

Resolved, Long-term recommendations provided by the AIM Task Force will be forwarded to the appropriate campus bodies for implementation, such as Senate Policy Committees on matters concerning policy changes, Academic Affairs on matters concerning administrative implementation issues, etc. The AIM Task Force will cease to exist as soon as it transmits its recommendations to the Senate and the Provost.

The Ad Hoc University Committee to construct an Academic Innovation Model

(AIM Task Force)

***Structure***

Co Chairs:

1. Kenneth Peter (Executive Committee, Academic Senate)

2. Bill Nance (Office of the Provost)

Membership:

3. Dean

4. Dean

5. Associate Dean

6. Representative for Department Chairs (faculty)

7. Representative of Executive Committee, Academic Senate (faculty)

8. Faculty member at large

9. Faculty member at large

10. Faculty member at large

11. Faculty member at large

12. CFA representative as non-voting technical advisor on contract issues.

13. AVP/IPAR as non-voting technical advisor on budget and resource issues.

14. AVP/FA as non-voting technical advisor on contract and faculty development issues.

All members to be selected are to represent campus diversity including representation of all colleges, differing stages of faculty career development, differing kinds of administrative experience, and membership in differing campus/community constituencies.

***Charge***

The AIM Task Force is charged to promote the highest-quality academic environment possible in all disciplines throughout San José State University by fostering academic innovation among faculty and the work in which they are involved. After wide consultation with campus communities, including students, and working within the framework of Senate documents on appointment, rank and tenure, and the MOU, and based on established principles of faculty development, including but not limited to Boyer's model, the task force will strive to nurture an appropriate mix of the various types of faculty work that result (e.g., the Teacher-Scholar, the Scholar-Teacher, the Service-Teacher, etc.)

The task force should begin with the premise that successful academic innovation depends in large measure upon investment of resources in faculty so that faculty can direct a portion of their time and energy toward innovations in teaching, scholarship, and service. To this end, the AIM Task Force is more specifically charged to undertake the following tasks:

· Create an open, clear and fair means to allocate resources identified by the Provost that serves to foster academic innovation in Spring 2002, and which may serve as a model for a more permanent policy for distributing resources to foster academic innovation in subsequent years.

· Identify additional resources, from both existing and potential new sources, that can be used to support and enhance academic innovation in the short term and into the future.

· Develop a model depicting what faculty workload should look like in 2007, create a plan for achieving this model over time, and develop benchmarks for identifying progress towards this model.