Minutes of the Faculty Senate
Virtual Meeting
April 23, 2020
Present: Senators Zhao, Wright, Oden, Lowther, T. Schroeder, S. Schroeder, Tucker, White, Wise, Fanning, Wilson, Shirey, Hurdle, Logan, Boumtje, Hurdle, Huang, Stanford
Ex-Officio: Jennifer Rowsam, Trey Berry, David Lanoue, Donna Allen, Roger Giles, Amanda Anderson, Robin Sronce, Karen Landry, Shawna Reed, Sarah Jennings, Sheryl Edwards, and John Schneiderwind
Proxies: none
Call to Order at 3:44
- Approval of Minutes:
Minutes from April 16, 2020 [motion – White, second – S. Schroeder]
- Committee Reports
Budget Committee no report
Parking Committee no report
Handbook Committee no report
- Special Orders of the Day
Question for the administration:
“It possible for us to convert student timesheets into an online, paperless form? Can we do something like we do for course substitutions where the students can upload their hours and their supervisor(s) can digitally sign for approval?”
Mr. Roger Giles responded to the question about timesheets explaining that is something that they were looking into for a more paperless system. He will report back when he has gathered more information.
Dr. Berry thanked the faculty for their work in transitioning to online courses. He acknowledged Mr. Drew Glover for his leadership in supporting the faculty during this extremely important time. Then, he updated the senate on the recent data on the cases of Covid-19 in the state and county. He also discussed the work of the Task Force.
President T. Schroeder’s outgoing remarks:
First, I would like to convey my sincere gratitude to all of my fellow Faculty Senators for your service over this past year. Participation in shared governance is a privilege that is maintained by very few professions. While it is a privilege, it is also a job. We as faculty cannot vacate our responsibilities as active participants in this process meant to continuously improve the institution. Shared governance only works when both the faculty and the administration recognize the value and necessity of it.
I would like to give an extra word of appreciation to the members of the Faculty Handbook Committee for their tremendous effort over the past year. Senators Shannin Schroeder, Jennifer Logan, Connie Wilson, and Alice Fanning were presented with a very daunting and complex task; to completely re-vamp the faculty handbook. In doing so, the handbook has become more readable and useable. In working with Provost Lanoue and VPA Giles, the committee has given the handbook a much needed and thorough facelift at the cost of many hours of their valuable time. I am very thankful for their work.
The Budget Committee is likely not done with their work. I am hopeful that the current Budget Committee will be heavily involved in the budget discussions and to relay important information to the faculty during the process despite these talks taking place beyond the regular work time of the Faculty Senate.
It has been no real secret that my goal for my year as Senate President has been to improve communication across campus. In recent times, communication between faculty and administration – in both directions – had become somewhat strained. This lack of communication often led to unnecessary disparities in interpretations of university policies and practices. In some instances, this lack of open communication ultimately lead to a lack of trust which is extremely detrimental to the function of a university. I am confident that the work to improve communication across campus has paid large dividends during the present Covid-19 crisis. The open channels of communication between administration and faculty played a key role in the relatively smooth transition from face to face to online coursework after spring break. We have thus far lived through the most unusual and challenging semester in the history of SAU and we could not have accomplished what we have without good communication.
I appreciate the trust you placed in me as Faculty Senate President for the past year and I hope that I have lived up to what was expected of me as President. I wish Dr. Logan only the best as she leads us into the next year. Thank you.
President Schroeder then virtually passed the gavel to Senator Logan.
President-Elect Logan made the following remarks (note: remarks were made via e-mail to technical difficulties experienced during the meeting)
First, I would like to thank President Tim Schroeder for diligently leading the Faculty Senate through a productive and challenging academic year. As incoming President, my goals for the Faculty Senate during the next year are:
- Be a voice for faculty in policy and budgetary matters
(2) Work to update and streamline processes and documentation as we move towards a paper-reduced campus
(3) Be supportive and responsive to faculty and campus needs as the Covid-19 situation continues to unfold
I am looking forward to a great year ahead, no matter what it brings! We will get through this together. Thank you.
Election of 2020-21 Senate Officers: President-elect: Senator Jeni Logan; Vice-President: Senator Shannin Schroeder; Secretary Senator Connie Wilson; and Parliamentarian: out-going President Tim Schroeder
Accept slate of officers [motion – White, second – Hurdle]
Move to adjourn 4:21 [motion – Wilson, second – Oden]
