ACC MEETING: GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT
Minutes
Meeting Date: October 17, 2008
Time: 1:00 PM
Location: HBC 410
Chair: Glen Hunt
Members Present: David Albert, Shina Amachigh, Roy Casagranda, Cecile Durish, Vanessa Faz, Ron Fletcher, Richard Fonte, Richard Gamez, Frank Garrahan, Ted Hadzi-Antich, Glen Hunt, Michael Kelley, Lynn Lehle, Jeff Millstone, Carl Mullen, Ed Mullen, Judy Nwachie, Paz Pena, Lisa Perez-Nichols, Celeste Rios, Kris Seago, and Marilyn Yale.
Agenda Item: Chair's Report
Presenter: Glen Hunt
Discussion:
Agenda Item: Adjunct Faculty Hiring Committee Report
Presenter: Lynn Lehle
Discussion: Adjunct interviews will be scheduled before Thanksgiving.
Decision/Follow-Up items: None
Person Responsible: Lynn Lehle
Agenda Item: Student Assessment Committee Report
Presenter: Shina Amachigh
Discussion: 15 of 17 Texas Government pre-tests have been returned and 17 of 20 US Government pre-tests have been returned.
Decision/Follow-Up items: Please send your post-tests in as you complete the units and administer the post-tests.
Person Responsible: Shina Amachigh
Agenda Item: Faculty Evaluation Committee Report
Presenter: Kris Seago
Discussion: The committee is reviewing comments received regarding the department’s evaluation standards.
Decision/Follow-Up items: Portfolios are due in the chair’s office by 5:00 pm on November 7, 2008.
Person Responsible: Kris Seago
Agenda Item: Faculty Development Committee Report
Presenter: Jeff Millstone
Discussion: Jeff expressed his appreciation for the Brown Bag seminar by Ross Ramsey which preceded the meeting and indicated a post-election session was in planning stages.
Decision/Follow-Up items: The department’s book club meeting will be scheduled in the near future.
Person Responsible: Jeff Millstone
Agenda Item: Curriculum Committee
Presenter: Paz Pena
Discussion: The committee submitted the proposed revised U.S. Government learning objectives. They were unanimously adopted by the department. Paz indicated the Curriculum Committee will now begin work on the Texas Government learning objectives.
Decision/Follow-Up items: All faculty will be notified when the meeting will be held to work on revising the learning objectives.
Person Responsible: Paz Pena
Agenda Item: Blackboard Subcommittee
Presenter: Cecile Durish
Discussion: The committee is continuing its efforts to implementing a department Blackboard page which would allow us to share ideas.
Decision/Follow-Up items: None
Person Responsible: Cecile Durish
Agenda Item: Textbook List
Presenter: Glen Hunt
Discussion: The department discussed the current list of approved textbooks.
Decision/Follow-Up items: The department voted to implement a standard by which only those texts which were used in 10 or more sections in the previous fall and spring semesters would be on the textbook list for the coming year. This policy will be implemented in the March meeting.
Allowances will be made for instructors who indicate, prior to the March meeting, that they plan to change their textbook selections in the coming year.
The department also discussed the new editions of many of our text which will be published in the coming months. The department unanimously voted to use current editions of our texts for the spring and summer 09 sessions.
Lisa Perez-Nichols will serve as the department’s contact person on new textbooks for consideration.
Person Responsible: Glen Hunt
Agenda Item: New course proposal by Ted Hadzi-Antich
Presenter: Ted Hadzi-Antich
Discussion: Ted proposed an honors course in U.S. Government for the spring 09 session which will concentrate on political philosophy. He received several suggestions form the faculty to use in refining his course.
Decision/Follow-Up items: The Department approved the honors course offering.
Person Responsible: Glen Hunt
Agenda Item: New course proposal by Karry Evans
Presenter: Glen Hunt (in Karry Evans’ absence)
Discussion: Glen presented Karry’s proposal for a section of Introduction to Political Science to be offered as part of an ACC Summer Institute at Marista University in Merida, Mexico during the summer of 2009.
Decision/Follow-Up items: The Department approved the new course offering.
Person Responsible: Glen Hunt