Faculty Senate Meeting
October 18, 2012
Attendance
The Faculty Senate met on Thursday, October 18, at 3:40 pm in Reynolds 205. Senators in attendance were Scott White, Christie Morgan, Vikram Bhadauria, Tim Schroeder, Shannin Schroeder, Svetlana Paulson, Stacy Clanton , Karen Ferneding, Neelie Dobbins, David Sanson, Jan Duke, Dan May, Chrisanne Christensen, Hong Cheng, Abdel Bachri, Jennifer Logan.
The following senators were absent with proxies: Neelie Dobbins served for Denise Moseley and Linda Blake served for Mary Armwood.
Ex-officio: Paul McLendon, Brad Stout, Dr. Allen, Roger Giles, Ms. Smith, Dr. Mohdzain
Visitors included: Andy Turner
Call to Order: Pres. S. White called the meeting to order at 3:42 p.m. Proxies read.
Approval of Minutes
Motion to approve the minutes by S. Clanton, D. May seconded. The motion passed.
Special Orders of the Day
Faculty Senate President Report:
- Pres. White reported that the Faculty Senate officers have continued meeting monthly with the VPAA over lunch to discuss faculty issues/concerns. Topics of discussion include academic integrity, faculty hiring, recruitment, facilities, student retention, and the expansion of programs.
- A reassignment for the Faculty Senate liaison to the Academic Affairs committee was implemented. N. Dobbins was selected for this position.
Senate Election: College of Business
J. Logan reported that the College of Business elected Dr. Christie Morgan to serve as a senator in lieu of Dr. Sam Riner’s recent resignation from his senate position. J. Logan then moved that C. Morgan be included in the Handbook Committee while J. Logan would then serve on the Budget Committee. D. May seconded. The motion passed.
Officer Election: Vice President for the 2012-2013 Faculty Senate
T. Schroeder moved to nominate S. Schroeder as the Vice President of the Faculty Senate. J. Duke seconded this motion. Nominations were then closed and the motion passed. Following the vote, S. Clanton nominated K. Ferneding to serve as the Faculty Senate Parliamentarian. K. Ferneding accepted the nomination. J. Duke seconded the motion. Nominations were then closed and the motion passed.
Distribution of SAU Strategic Planning Council Strategic Goals and Initiatives, and Feedback Form:
Pres. White reminded the senators about the recently distributed email regarding the strategic plan for the university. Senators were requested to provide feedback on this matter by October 30.
Reports of Standing, University and Academic Committees
Parking Committee: Discussion and Vote to Affirm Cooperation between the Faculty and Staff Senate Parking Committees
S. White discussed the suggested merging of the Faculty and Staff Senate Parking Committees as recommended by M. Armwood of the Faculty Senate Parking Committee in February 2012. J. Duke moved to accept the report. The motion passed and the Senate voted in favor of the merge.
Report from Ad Hoc Committee on Academic Integrity
K. Ferneding reported the following:
- The committee is currently making changes to the current Academic Integrity course based on feedback from faculty, staff, and students.
- The committee is currently in the process of creating a final exam for the Academic Integrity course.
- The flow of information and storage of academic integrity data is still expected to be housed in the office of the VPAA.
- Topics still under discussion include the establishment of an acceptable outcome for passing (i.e. 80%, 100%, etc…) as well as the decision on who will write the final exam for the course. The committee continues to seek feedback and guidance from the senators regarding how to progress.
T. Schroeder moved to accept the committee’s report as presented. J. Duke seconded the motion. The motion passed.
Committee Reports from Liaisons to the Faculty Senate:
Faculty Senate Committees
Budget Committee – T. Schroeder reported the following:
- The committee recently met to discuss their current mission.
- Information was requested from Pres. White regarding peer institutions and how they address issues such as salary adjustments, salary compression and merit pay.
- The committee also requested information from the Office of Human Resources regarding confirmation of salary adjustment rationales in an updated report for the current academic year. This information was requested by Friday, November 2.
Roger Giles responded that the Office of Human Resources would be unable to meet this deadline based on current responsibilities/obligations of his office. Discussion ensued. J. Duke suggested the Budget Committee discuss this matter further and create an action plan to address current concerns.
Academic Committees
Institutional Review Board – J. Logan reported that the IRB committee has recently met and is awaiting research proposals.
General Education – T. Schroeder reported that the committee has met and discussed/reviewed modifications to the general education goals.
Teacher Education – Dean Mohdzain reported that the committee has met and approved many routing sheets to be discussed at the next Academic Affairs meeting.
Teaching with Technology – A. Bachri reported that the committee is currently receiving applications for Teaching with Technology grants.
Annual Faculty Performance Review Monitoring – Dean Mohdzain reported that the committee has met recently to discuss current policies.
Academic Suspension and Appeals – V. Bhadauria reported that the committee met prior to the start of the fall semester to review and discuss student appeals.
Academic Affairs – N. Dobbins reported that the committee recently met and voted to approve the newly revised University Learning Goals as well as several new courses to be included in the catalog.
University Committees
Student Affairs – Dr. Allen reported that the committee has met electronically to discuss current events on campus.
Library – S. Schroeder reported that the committee has also been asked to serve as the search committee for the position of Library Director. A finalized version of the position advertisement has been submitted to the VPAA.
Fringe Benefits – J. Duke reported that the committee has met and is still in the process of reviewing various insurance policies for 2014.
Commencement – S. Schroeder reported that the committee has met to discuss a student proposal. The proposal, along with the committee’s recommendation, has been submitted to Dr. Rankin. The committee also discussed the need to consider replacing the organ used in the commencement ceremony.
Old Business
University Ethics Policy
Mr. Roger Giles discussed various options for moving forward with the University Ethics Policy. S. Clanton moved that the faculty assembly be allowed to vote on this matter. S. Schroeder seconded. The motion passed.
New Business
Review of the 2011-2012 Faculty Senate’s recommendations for restricting ALLUSERS email messages regarding class absences:
- Pres. White reminded the senators of the Faculty Handbook Committee’s recommendation that the approved change (see March 2012 minutes) be presented to the faculty assembly to vote on the inclusion of this policy in the University Handbook. Two readings of the policy are needed prior to a vote.
Roger Giles suggested the implementation of an electronic calendar that would be made available online with limited access so that student organizations can be provided for faculty to confirm reported excused absences from their students. Discussion ensued. The senate requested a list of students involved in approved campus events/activities to be stored electronically and controlled by the office of the VPAA.
Blackboard Maintenance Schedule
Mr. Andy Turner from Information Technology Services reported that most of the required maintenance has recently been automated. ITS is currently working on ways to reduce downtime of the system. He also suggested that some maintenance can be scheduled between semesters.
The next meeting will take place on Thursday, November 15, 2012 in Reynolds 205.
Adjournment:
The motion to adjourn was made by J. Duke and seconded by T. Schroeder.
Submitted by Jennifer Logan, Faculty Senate Secretary, October 26, 2012.
