Agenda Topics

• Senators in Attendance: Tim Wise, Sheila Pearson, Shane Warrick, George White, Neelie Dobbins, Charles Young, Stacy Clanton, Rhaelene Lowther, Abdel Bachri, Ganna Lyubartseva, Alec Testa, Denise Moseley, Patricia Clanton, Svetlana Paulson, Shawn Young, and Becky Parnell.

• Call to Order-

Reading of Proxies:  Neelie Dobbins for Jennifer Louden; Abdel Bachri for Copie Moore

• Approval of Minutes

Approved September 15, 2016 minutes motion by Dr. Bachri and 2^nd by Dr. S. Clanton.

Special Orders of the Day

• Dr. David Lanoue, Provost, VPAA:

Dr. Lanoune has met with departments across the university to hear from faculty and staff.

Areas he addressed were loyalty of faculty and students to SAU, fast growth issues,

workloads/overloads, funding formula, new programs versus nurturing established programs,

conditions of existing buildings, salary compression/inversions, and AQIP portfolio submission.

• Questions from Senators:  Retention of student plans, replacement of tenured faculty with

instructors or another tenured track faculty member, ranking of faculty with a clinical and

research track.

• Unfinished Business

None

• Report from Committees

The Budget Committee is reviewing fringe benefit information on health insurance.

Parking Committee is investigating parking issues with increased students on campus.

• New Business

Charge to Budget Committee:  Role of the faculty senate was discussed.  It was recommended that the committee determine, prioritize, and provide recommendations to the faculty senate.

Liaison to Staff Senate:  Jennifer Louden and Alec Testa will share this responsibility. A request to support the use of Mentor among faculty was shared.  Several faculty senators shared the benefits of the program.

Abdel Bachri presented questions about the Tenure and Promotion Committee members at the college and university levels being the same person and therefore a potential for double voting.  A motion to have the handbook committee review the process and report back to faculty senate was made by White, seconded by Bachri.  The motion passed with 14 yes votes and 2 note votes.

Connie Rogers has been appointed as the liaison for the Staff Senate.

George White provided information on an action project that is focusing on the availability of data such as committee meeting minutes for faculty access.

• Adjournment

Motion to adjourn was made by Charles Young, seconded by Tim Wise.