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Faculty Senate

Sept 21, 2005 Minutes

Approved Faculty Senate Minutes 09/21/05

Members present:

Chair Stone, Senators Brennan, Conroy, Davidson, Hazlewood, Hindson, Homeyer, James, McCall, McKinney, Montondon, Rao, Shah, Sorensen, Winek

Guests:

Clayton Medford, Univ Star, Maria Gonzales, student, Phillippa Alexander, student

Meeting called to order at 4:00.

 

Announcements:

  1. E-voting:  Ron Sawey has some of Joe Myers workers in his class and will try to use them to provide for electronic voting (e-vote) for the next Senate election.
  2. Piper:  The announcement for Piper applicants has been sent to all faculty.
  3. Tenure/Promotion Data: The release of the tenure/promotion data from the last tenure/promotion cycle has been delayed by the administration.
  4. Opportunity for Success:  The marketing position study, Opportunity for Success, appears to be a flop. It is reported that the Provost seems less than impressed by their position report and is against any recommendation for reorganization that will add more administrative positions.
  5. Student Regent:  Nominations for a student to be on the Board of Regents are being made by each university in the Texas State University System.  Names will first go to the Board of Regents and then to the Governor for final appointment.
  6. Student Fees:  The Board of Regents is discussing an increase in student fees in order to provide for more academic advisors.  Also being considered are increased fees for extension credit courses, testing, and a wide range of course fees.
  7. Wireless Network:  At least a portion of the campus has gone wireless. Alkek, the Student Center, and the McCoy Building will provide wireless services.
  8. Food Fund: The Senate food fund is depleted.  Senators are asked to donate or do without.

Senate/Liaison Meeting:  The Senate will meet with departmental liaisons next week, Sept 28, in Room 105-6 of the Alkek Library.  The following list of issues were developed to consider:

                                                               i.      Promotion/Tenure Rule changes

                                                             ii.      Faculty Constitution changes

                                                            iii.      Electronic voting for Senate elections

                                                           iv.      Faculty Handbook update

 

Faculty Development Leaves:  The announcement has been sent to faculty regarding the up-coming faculty development leave cycle.

 

Dean/Chair Evaluations:  All of the Dean/Chair Evaluation data has been posted on the Senate web page.  Summary information will be sent to each faculty member by e-mail with a pointer to the web site for complete information.

 

 

Faculty Handbook: The Senate discussed the current draft of the new Faculty Handbook.  It was decided that a Senate subcommittee consisting of Senators Conroy, Hazlewood, Hindson, and Rao (Chair) would try to get the draft into a final form.

 

HERI Survey:

Texas State has chosen to participate in the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at UCLA to coordinate a national survey of faculty.  Chair Stone will serve as a faculty representative.

 

Admission Standards:

A question was raised about admission standards.  Specifically, are there different standards for different groups of people seeking admission to Texas State?  The Senate will request clarification from the Provost.

 

New Business:

  1. Longevity Raise Cycle:  A question was raised about longevity raises, i.e., do they still exist and, if so, how are they administered.  The Chair will seek clarification from the administration.
  2. Texas State Vita:  PPS 8.10 Tenure and Promotion Review has two attachments, attachment 1A and attachment 1B that provide templates for a Texas State Vita for faculty seeking promotion/tenure.  In the sections on Teaching and Scholarly/Creative, reference is made only to external grants, inviting the question: do local grants, e.g., Research Enhancement, Academic Computing, etc. type grants count toward promotion/tenure?  The Senate will investigate the issue.
  3. Parking Fees:  A rumor is circulating that parking fees will be increased dramatically in order to fund the planned new parking garages.  How often?  How high?  Rather than deal with rumors, the Chair will invite AVPSA JoAnne Smith to discuss the issue with the Senate.
  4. Cancellation of Classes:  Classes may be cancelled later this week because of hurricane Rita.
  5. Ratification of the Faculty Constitution:  The official ratification date for the new Constitution of the Faculty is 9/14/05.
  6. Annual Recital:  Congratulations to Senator Davidson who is presenting his annual recital this week.
  7. Development Leave Applications:  It was noted that a dean has held up the application of a faculty member of that particular college, allegedly to have the application contain more information than the requested two page description of their project as noted in UPPS 8.02.  According to UPPS 8.02, a dean cannot deny a faculty member the right to apply for a development leave, but must forward the original application and all of its copies to the Faculty Senate.  The dean is invited to briefly state an opinion of the value of the proposed development leave application. Even deans should follow university policy.  The Senate will investigate.

 

Minutes:

Minutes for 9/14/05 were approved.