Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes
May 2, 2005

Call to Order
Janis Boettinger called the meeting to order at 3:05 pm

Minutes
Jan Alm moved to accept the minutes of April 4, 2005, as written. The motion passed unanimously.

Announcements
Janis Boettinger introduced Carol Strong, Dean of the College of Education and Human Services. The college was recently ranked 35th in the nation by US News and Report. Dean Strong has a deep respect for the college, its programs, and faculty. One of the biggest challenge is they have the largest doctoral program on campus.

Vice President Juan Franco introduced the new student officers that will be serving on the Faculty Senate: Quinn Millet, ASUSU President; Spencer Watts, Academic Senate President; and Jason Pickup, Graduate Studies Vice President.

New and re-elected Senators were asked to stand and be recognized.

The Faculty Senate will be setting up an ad hoc Committee to develop an academic accommodation policy at Utah State. If you are interested in serving on this committee contact Janis Boettinger or Derek Mason.

University Business
President Albrecht complimented Janis Boettinger for her commitment and devotion to Faculty Senate. He commented on the great relationships that students have with faculty.

The process by which health benefits plans are developed will be explored throughout the summer, including bringing faculty expertise into the conversation. There will also be a small group looking at Compact Planning to determine if the current process is sufficiently meeting our needs.

A white paper addressing a number of issues for Higher Education in Utah has been released. It includes the following foci: 1) Increase expectation and success in K-16, 2) Improve retention and graduation rate, 3) Increase access/participation for minority students, 4) Build the Utah workforce, 5) Linking funding to the institution, and 6) Economy. Copies are available in the Provost’s Office.

President Albrecht announced there will be a major gift announcement on Thursday. This gift is the second largest private donation in USU history. The $4.5 million gift includes funding for an endowed chair and student scholarships.

Glenn Ford was named the new Vice President for Business and Finance.

President Albrecht announced that there will be a presidential inauguration ceremony this year, but it will focus less on the President and more on Utah State University. It will focus on where we are as a land grant university as well as where we are going.

Update on searches: Noelle Cockett announced that a recommendation about the search for Graduate Dean will be made this week. Caryn Beck-Dudley announced that there are several exceptional candidates vying for the Dean for the College of Natural Resources. The application review for Provost/Executive Vice President will begin on July 1.

Consent Agenda
Kathryn Riggs 2nd the motion to approve the consent agenda, the motion passed unanimously.

Information Item
Al Lambert presented the Lost and Found Website. The website will be maintained by ASUSU and will be linked off of the main index page. The website will allow students, faculty and staff to access the lost and found drop offs via the website. The Senate thanked Al for her efforts with a round of applause.

Al Lambert presented the proposed changes to the Walk Way Policy. ASUSU and the Vice Presidents approved these changes. 1) There are no longer pedestrian zones on campus, as the whole campus is a pedestrian zone; 2) There are a few changes in definitions; 3) Permits are no longer required to have a bike on campus; 4) The “peak times” policy was struck, allowing police to enforce bike safety policy 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Police Department is very supportive of the new policy, which benefits both the pedestrians and bikers. Senate support was indicated via acclamation by applause.

Promotion Advisory Committee Proposal
The Promotion Advisory Committee Proposal was passed at the last Faculty Senate meeting. However, the Provost Office recommended minor changes. The Professional Responsibilities and Procedures Committee (PRPC) incorporated these changes, which were determined by the Senate Executive Committee to be non-substantive and placed on today’s agenda as an information item. Jeff Johnson, Chair of PRPC, walked the senate through these changes, which were not opposed by the Senate.

Advance Update
Ronda Callister and Christine Hult presented the Advance Update. Kim Sullivan and Mary Feng have been involved in gathering retention numbers for the passed 5 years and comparing them to other universities. Our turnover rate is comparable to other universities. Advance is working with the four science and engineering colleges. The departments involved will have the opportunity to apply for the Departmental Transformation Program and work with consultants to look at their department in depth. Applications will be available in the Advance office.

Key Issues and Action Items

Pat Lambert presented the Committee on Committees report recommending faculty to serve on Faculty Senate committees and on other committees requiring faculty representation. A motion approving the report was seconded and passed unanimously.

A motion approving Jeffrey Walters as the Faculty Senate Parliamentarian for 2005-2006 was seconded and passed unanimously.

Lynn Dudley was introduced as the President-Elect of the Faculty Senate for 2005-2006. He briefly addressed Senate on the importance of issues that could be addressed by the Faculty Senate. He recommended avoiding issues that are “self-sealing”, and pointed out that Senate stature can be raised by addressing issues that involve other university constituents. One important university issue to explore is academic freedom, which will begin to be addressed with the creation of the ad hoc committee on academic rights and responsibilities.

Derek Mason was introduced as the President of the Faculty Senate for 2005-2006. Derek asked the Senators to write down four issues that should be addressed by the Senate, two academic and two university-wide issues, and forward to him. He also briefly addressed initiatives he was interested in pursuing this next year. These included improving communication, e.g., enhancing the website and more frequently caucusing Senators and the faculty they represent, and exploring incentives for faculty to serve on the Senate.

Derek Mason and Lynn Dudley thanked Janis Boettinger for her service as Faculty Senate President for 2004-2005, summarizing key issues addressed by the Senate this year and presenting her with a bouquet of flowers and a commemorative plaque.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:20 PM.