Thanks to the Faculty Development Committee for arranging a Brown Bag Seminar by Danny Hayes on "How Issue Ownership Influences the News". Thanks, Danny, for sharing with us.

Faculty Present: Shina Amachigh, Amber Archuleta-Lucero, Sarah Binion, Cecile Durish, Joseph Engle, David Ferris, Mike Gividen, Stefan Haag, Greg Harrison, Glen Hunt, Joseph Isokpunwu, Stephen Langley, Jeff Millstone, Kristine Mohajer, Judy Nwachie, Lisa Perez, Celeste Rios, Veronica Rodriguez, Gaye Lynn Scott, and Kris Sego.

The attendees congratulated our chair, Gaye Lynn Scott, on her appointment as Interim Deen of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

1. The Western Political Science Association meeting will be held in Albuquerque on March 16-18, 2006.

2. Glen Hunt updated the attendees on the new Round Rock Higher Education Center.

3. The Government Department will be hiring two new full-time faculty members in the spring for Fall 2006. The process will begin shortly.

4. A group of students from Denmark will be participating in a program at ACC in the fall of 2007. The Government Department is being asked to participate in their program by developing part of the curriculum. Details will be forthcoming.

5. Stefan Haag updated the attendees on the College's developing program for student advising.

Adjunct Faculty Committee: Jeff Millstone reported that three candidates had been interviewed in September and two of these were already teaching classes.

Faculty Evaluation Committee: In the absence of Dr. Marilyn Mote-Yale, Gaye Lynn reminded attendees that evaluations portfolios would be due in the late fall and that the department would again conduct a portfolio workshop in October. Details will be forthcoming.

Faculty Development Committee: Stefan Haag previewed a Government department web page template. Dr. Lynn Lehle moved and Jeff Millstone seconded that Government instructors be required to have a website for their classes available on the internet using the Department template. The motion passed unanimously. Jeff Millstone reported on the committee's plans to implement dialogues on teaching and learning. Lisa Perez-Nichols reported on the committee's plans for a book club. Cecile Durish moved and David Ferris seconded that the dialogues on learning and teaching and the book clubs be added to the Department's list of acceptable activities for Professional Development credit. The motion passed unanimously.

Distance Learning Committee: Cecile Durish reported on the establishment of a new committee focused on distance learning courses. The committee will focus on establishing information on "best practices" employed in distance learning classes in the epartment as well as on developing an orientation for students enrolling in distance learning courses in the Government Department.

Assessment of Student Learning Committee: Joe Engle led a discussion of the department's approach to assessing student learning. Attendees agreed to begins submitting copies of multiple choice questions which could be used to assess student learning as well as copies of writing assignment activities employed in Government classes across the college.

A. J. Dennis of the ACC Student Government Association, briefed the attendees on the work of the Student Government Association (SGA) and encouraged the faculty to spread the word about the SGA.

Two honors course proposals were presented. One is for Government 2306 Texas State and Local Government with a Criminal Justice Emphasis and the other is Government 2305 U.S. Government with a focus on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Both were approved.

Gaye Lynn Scott presented some information on prerequisites to continue the dialogue begun in the Spring. The attendees participated in a lengthy and in-depth discussed of requiring prerequisites for our courses. The discussion will continue at our December meeting.

Some of the information presented in handout form at the meeting is below.

Degree plans:

Five degree plans at ACC list a Government course in the first semester:

AS, Computer Science
AA, Economics
AS, Geology
AAS, Legal Assistant
AA, Psychology

Eight degree plans at ACC list a Government course in the second semester:

AAS, Corrections
AAS, Law Enforcement
AA, Economics
AS, Geology
AA, Government
AAS, Legal Assistant
AA, Psychology
AAS, Real Estate Brokers' Licensing

One degree plan at ACC lists both Government courses in the same semester:

AAS, Hospitality Management (semester three)

OIE information
In the Fall of 2003 and Spring of 2004 there were 8955 unduplicated students who enrolled in GOVT 2305 and/or GOVT 2306. "Unduplicated" means that any student enrolled in both 2305 and 2306 was not counted twice in the 8955 figure.

Of these 8955 students, only 13% (1155) had taken ENGL 1301 and either HIST 1301 or HIST 1302 and achieved a grade of C or better between Fall 1999 and Summer 2003.

What are the effects of taking ENGL 1301 and either HIST 1301 or HIST 1302 prior to taking GOVT 2305 or GOVT 2306? More As and Bs; fewer Ds and F; fewer Ws.

Of those who met this standard, 75.5% earned an A, B, or C.
Of those who did not meet this standard, 67.1% earned an A, B, or C.
Of those who met this standard, 56.8% earned an A or B.
Of those who did not meet this standard, 48.5% earned an A or B.
Of those met this standard, 9.1% earned a D or F.
Of those who did not meet this standard, 14.7% earned a D or F.