A.  APPROVAL OF APRIL 14, 1999 MEETING MINUTES.  Mr. Bernal corrected item #3 under Chairs Council to read: "Even though the English department issue an athletic challenge, no one picked up the gauntlet."  Minutes then approved as amended.

B.  ACTION ITEMS:

  Curriculum Committee – No Report.

  Other – None.

C.  INFORMATION ITEMS AND REPORTS:

  Competency Committee – No Report.

  Employee Development – In the absence of Mr. Smith, Dr. Zeigler announced that the balance of this year's ACCD Employee Development fund will be used for Service Learning training opportunities.

  Planning Committee – No Report.

  Faculty Senate – Dr. Oliver reported on the results of the Senate elections and welcomed new members and announced the officers selected.  Dr. Oliver also announced that it was an unanimous Senate resolution to Dr. Loland, that no honorary degrees be awarded at San Antonio College.  Dr. Oliver also announced that the Senate will discuss the issue more fully with Dr. Loland at a later date.

  Chairs Council – Mr. Bernal added his comments to not awarding honorary degrees.  He announced that various groups are discussing smoking policies and enforcement procedures at SAC.  Mr. Bernal reported that the Extravaganza Scholarship fund could be augmented from various sources.

  Staff Council – No Report.

  Student Government – No Report.

  Dean of Student Services – Progress Report – Dr. Zeigler announced that the selection committee had narrowed the candidates down to three, who will go through final interviews with faculty, staff, and administration over the next two weeks.  Dr. Zeigler will email everyone any recommendations that are made thereafter.

  Service Learning Update – Various proposals are now under way, with training being scheduled this summer (1999) in preparation for Service Learning projects to begin in Fall.  Additional training will be given in Fall for projects beginning in Spring, 2000.  There seems to be a great deal of interest in this voluntary program.
 

  Budget Update – Dr. Zeigler said that there was no new news to report.  Dr. Ramsey indicated that there might be additional funding made available through current legislature.  Mr. Lopez is currently sweeping the 1998-1999 budget accounts and pooling those monetary resources to be used over the summer to fund necessary needs campus-wide.  For individual budget unit needs (such as postage, printing costs, etc.), chairs were advised to petition appropriate deans or Dr. Zeigler, if problems arise.

  Reading Requirements – Dean Hyde distributed handouts dealing with the issue of "reading skill and success in developmental math".  The crux of the statistical analyses seems to indicate that those students who read at the college level (as determined by testing or course completion) have significantly better chances of successfully completing developmental math courses.  It has therefore been decided that all SAC students be at college-reading level (grade 12+) prior to enrolling in developmental math courses.  There was much discussion on the pros and cons of this policy, the impact this will have on enrollment in general and more specifically, the impact on courses for which math is a prerequisite, among other issues.  Dr. Zeigler ultimately said that this new policy should be attempted and it could be changed in the future, as needed.  More data will be gathered and the results reported back to the College Academic Council.  Dr. Oliver reported that the Faculty Senate was concerned with process and had passed a resolution calling for discussion by the College Academic Council prior to implementation of the policy.  Dr. Zeigler agreed that was appropriate and thanked the Senate for its interest.

OTHER:

Dr. Zeigler reminded all in attendance that any faculty recommended for emeritus status; those names need to be forwarded to his office immediately.

There was a comprehensive handout and brief presentation of the Supplemental Instruction Program by Betty Lee Birdsall from Basic Skills.  The program will be initiated on-campus in the Nursing Department beginning in the Fall, 1999.

A Course Evaluation DRAFT document was distributed for perusal and critique.  No action taken.

Dr. Zeigler announced that internships with Fiesta Texas were being negotiated.  Several disciplines might want to get involved (Business, Management, Art, Drama, Music, et alia).

Dean Hyde called the handout, "Enforced Scholastic or Progress Withdrawal Procedure" to everyone's attention and that it will go into force beginning Fall 1999.  The College Academic Council had previously approved the policy.

Dr. Oliver announced the results of polling of opinions on new final exam schedule.  More discussion will follow.

Dr. Zeigler announced that the Texas Coordinating Board of Higher Education Site Visit Report was on file in the SAC library.  He said the TCBHE was most complimentary of all areas that they visited and cited several programs as exemplary.  Two recommendations were made for improvement: 1) Maintain and bolster the planning and evaluation processes in place on this campus, and 2) improve SAC library facilities.

Meeting adjourned at 3:30 p.m.