Minutes of Senate Steering Committee
November 8, 2018
3:30-4:22 p.m.
Samford 206
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 Norton, Jared Russell, and Michael Tillson
Absent: Jung Won Hur
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 from the Steering meeting on October 4, 2018 were approved.
- A report from the Academic Standards Committee was distributed. Academic Standards concluded that 1) there was no consensus among the committee that this fell under the charge of committee or that there was a problem and 2) individual program faculty were best position to address these matters at the unit level. There was further discussion by Steering and the committee agreed that the issue of grade inflation is best addressed within the separate academic units.
- Beverly Marshall distributed some recommendations regarding possible reductions to the faculty composition of several University committees. There was significant discussion about how faculty service is viewed across campus and balancing faculty input against other time/service demands on faculty. Steering voted and approved the following changes to University Committees:
- Eliminate the University Committee status of three committees (Admissions Appeal, International Student, and Residency Appeals). These committees are primarily administrative and it would be more effective to have smaller committees for these tasks with some faculty involvement.
- Merge Alumni Professorships with the currently dormant Distinguished Professorships Committee. There would be six total faculty on the combined committee with three faculty required to hold or have held alumni professorships and the remaining three faculty holding professorships, but not necessarily alumni professorships. The title of the merged committee would be Distinguished University Professors Committee.
- Eliminate one faculty member from both the Design Review Committee and the Master Plan Committee. Requirements for faculty are very specific for service on these committees and there would still be three faculty serving three-year staggered terms.
- Beverly Marshall also discussed expanding the current charge of the Retention Committee to address enrollment as well. The Steering Committee unanimously approved adding this to the committee’s mission.
- The agendas for the November 13 Senate meeting was approved.
The agenda for the Senate meeting for 11/13/2018 includes one action item. The item for Senate approval is the faculty handbook amendment regarding multi-year contracts for non-tenure track faculty. Aurora Weaver will be presenting this amendment at the meeting. At this meeting, as requested by Senate leadership, President Leath will also be presenting a
State of the University address.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:22 PM.
Prepared by: Beverly B. Marshall, Secretary, AU Senate