Steering Minutes
April 4, 2019
302 Lowder Hall

Present:   Michael Baginski (Chair), Beverly Marshall (Secretary), Nedret Billor (Chair-Elect), Adrienne Wilson (Secretary-Elect), Dan Svyantek (Immediate-Past Chair), Emmett Winn (Associate Provost), Robert (Bob) Norton, and Michael Tillson

Absent: Bill Hardgrave (Provost), Jared Russell, Jung Won Hur, and Michael Tillson

Chairman Baginski called the meeting to order at 3:30 pm. The committee was provided with an agenda via email prior to the meeting.

Agenda items:

• The minutes of the March 21, 2019 Steering meeting were approved by unanimous consent.
• Emmett Winn discussed the Professor of Practice title series and some feedback he had received. There were some comments about search committees for these titles and the opportunity for departmental faculty to provide feedback prior to reappointment. The consensus was that this was a good move and that it would provide an opportunity to hire qualified business or government leaders from practice.
• Emmett Winn and Ralph Kingston introduced the proposed amendment to Section 3.6.5.3.c of the Faculty Handbook regarding promotion and tenure procedures for tenure-track Extension Specialist positions to require an evaluation letter from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) Director in their dossiers. Steering recommended that Steering also forward this document to the NTTF committee for review and comment.  The item will be presented as a pending action item at Tuesday’s meeting.
• Ralph Kingston mentioned the meetings amendment and suggested that reintroduction of the faculty handbook amendment with the elimination of the June and August meetings presented separately.
• Beverly Marshall introduced the Senate Committee volunteers approved by the Rules Committee. Steering voted in favor of presenting these volunteers to the Senate for approval.
• Beverly Marshall provided a presentation of her role as Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) and also data on graduation rates, GPA data, and degrees earned by student-athletes. She provided comparisons versus the Auburn general student body and also the NCAA Division 1 student-athletes and their respective student bodies.
• The agenda for the April 9 Senate meeting was approved.

In addition to comments by Chair Baginski, the agenda for the Senate meeting for April 9 includes two action items: Professor of Practice and approval of Senate Committee volunteers. Ralph Kingston will present a pending action item involving the proposed amendment to Section 3.6.5.3.c. of the faculty handbook regarding extension specialists and promotion and tenure. As an information item, Beverly Marshall will provide an overview of the role of the Faculty Athletics Representative and an update on student-athlete academic performance.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:30 PM.
Prepared by:  Beverly B. Marshall, Secretary, AU Senate