Minutes
AU Senate Steering

May 9, 2023

Members: Mark Carpenter (Chair), L. Octavia Tripp (Secretary), Dan Svyantek (Past-chair), Lisa Kensler (Chair-elect), Linda Gibson-Young (Secretary-elect), Vini Nathan (Provost), Evelyn Hunter (Rules appointee), Robert Norton (Presidential appointee), Danilea Werner (Rules appointee), Robert Cochran (Presidential appointee).
Special Guests:  Bart Prorok, Chair, Ad Hoc PTR Audit Committee

Steering Minutes May 9, 2023
The Chair welcomed everyone and called the meeting to order at 3:30 PM.
Discussion and approval of Steering Minutes April 18, 2023. Minutes were approved with no corrections.

Provost Nathan gave updates that included a recap related to the Dean searches. There were four Dean searches: Ed Thomas COSAM, Mario Eden (Engineering), Leigh Ann Ross (Pharmacy) and a unsuccessful search (Business). The college of Business will continue to have an Interim Dean. The search for Dean of the College of Business will start again in the Fall 2023. Provost Nathan shared that presently there will be internal search for Director of the Honors College. As a result of the present Director of the Honors College leaving an internal search will be started for an Interim later in May.

The Provost also shared that the BOT would review and approved a new major proposed by the College of Forestry, Bachelor of Science in Parks and Recreation. 

 Senate Business:

Bart Prorok, Ad Hoc Post Tenure Review (PTR) Audit Committee. Bart the Chair of the Post Tenure Review Committee gave a review of results of the PTR process. The charge of the committee was to review the practice and progress of AU Post Tenure Review (PTR) process. The committee created a mission statement. Prorok concluded by saying the PTR and FAR is working to identify faculty struggle. He also shared that data suggests that there is not sufficient follow up on mentoring and rehabilitating of faculty. The committee made two suggestions: 1) implement a mentoring program and come up with a better analysis and validation of whether the faulty members are unsatisfactory or satisfactory.

Linda Gibson-Young asked questions concerning plans moving forward for PTR. Dr. Prorok answered the questions by stating that there probably needs to be another committee to address the suggestions of the Ad Hoc Committee especially the aspect of the mentoring committee.

Provost Nathan posed a question concerning annual evaluations. Dr. Prorok shared that he was not aware of the discussion on annual review evaluations.

Octavia Tripp, Rules Committee Chair, Senate Committees Nominations. Octavia Tripp asked
Linda Gibson-Young (Secretary-elect) to give the report on Committee nominations. Linda gave a very detailed report on Senate Nominations and Rules Committee approval of these nominations. The names of nominees were shared with Steering members.  The list showed the names of individuals who were approved by Rules. In the next Senate Meeting, May 16, 2023, the Senate will vote on the approved names.

Linda Gibson-Young, Campus Safety. Linda discussed that she is the Outreach Coordinator for the College of Nursing. She shared that there are a lot of groups within the University that are involved in the local schools. She mentioned that the question that came up was in reference to safety in the school. Her work and others work are concerned with issues that might come up in the schools. For example, Mental Health has become a major issue.
Tripp asked the question about the safety of faculty and students on campus that was posed by a Senator in the last senate meeting. The question was since Auburn has several new buildings that are Open Glass Façade. Robert Norton mentioned that Calvin King who oversees public safety might be able to give more of a briefing about what is being done as far as university safety when it comes to potential violence on campus.

Lisa Kensler, Update on Senate Parliamentarian Search. Lisa gave an update on the Parliamentarian Search. There were nine individuals who applied, and Lisa interview all nine coming up with one individual that would be good for the job. The individual that Lisa felt would do a good job is a former lawyer, has experience with Robert Rules and has served a several of times as a Parliamentarian.

The agenda for the next senate Meeting was approved for May 16, 2023.
Unfinished or New Business? None
Meeting adjourned at 4:50 p.m.