Minutes of the University Senate Meeting
10 January 2012
3:00 p.m.
Broun Hall Auditorium
Submitted by
Larry Crowley, Secretary
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A complete transcription of the meeting is available
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Present: Ann Beth Presley, Bill Sauser, Larry Crowley, Robin Jaffe, Claire Crutchley, Bill Hardgrave, Betty Lou Whitford, Chuck Savrda, Calvin Johnson, Ann-Katrin Gramberg, George Flowers, Timothy Boosinger, Bonnie MacEwan, Andrew Wohrley, Robert Cochran, Sondra Parmer, Scott McElroy, Werner Bergen, Dean Schwartz, Jocelyn Zanzot, Gary Wagoner, Steve Duke, Daniel Phillips, Jada Kohlmeier, James Witte, James Goldstein, Harris Hollans, Rusty Wright, Adrienne Angelo, Fenny Dane, Ellen Abell, Jerry Davis, Pambanisha King Whaley, Herb Rotfeld, Tin-Yau Tam, Doug Rosener, Stuart Pope, Vicky van Santen, Forrest Smith, Brent Fox, Guy Rohrbaugh, Jill Meyer, Emily Myers, and Chase Bringardner
Absent, sending a substitute: Joseph Molnar (for William Batchelor), Darren Olsen (for Mark (James) Taylor), and Dong Joo Kim (for Bart Prorok)
Absent, no substitute: Gregg Newschwander, R. Lee Evans, Kirby Turnage, Steven Clontz, Nakeisha Janigan, Seth Humphrey, Laura Plexico, Nedret Billor, Michael Baginski, Winfred Foster, Norbert Wilson, James Bannon, Paul Swamidass, Bob Locy, Sushil Adhikari, Eduardus Duin, Prabhakar Clement, Robert Agne, Sanjeev Baskiyar, Wi-Suk Kwon, Michael Stern, Thomas Baginski, Xing Ping Hu, Larry Teeter, David King, Ruth Crocker, Jerrod Windham, Jared Russell, Peter Stanwick, Suresh Mathews, John Freeze, Wesley Lindsey, Mike Bozack, Steven Brown, Yasser Gowayed, Shelly McKee, Lewis Baker, Joe Fetsch, Scott Copeland, Richard Fox and Ralph Henderson
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Call to Order:
--Ann Beth Presley, Chair of the University Senate, called the meeting to order and reviewed the rules of the senate.
-- Minutes from the November 8, 2011 meeting were accepted as posted without change.
-- Dr. Presley invited Dr. Gogue to provide his remarks.
Remarks and Announcements:
Dr. Gogue (Office of the President) shared the following:
1. Pertaining to the budget, information from the State suggests the first quarter revenue has been the best in three or four years. If it continues proration will not be a factor in our budget.
2. Board of Trustees will meet on February 3rd and have five items related to academic affairs.
- Proposed additional Bachelor of Science in Organismal Biology;
- Proposed revision of Bachelor of Science in Agronomy and Soils with established formal options;
- Proposed addition of Graduate Certificate Program in Accountancy;
- Proposed renaming of the current PhD in integrated textile and apparel sciences to be named the PhD in consumer design sciences; and
- Proposed accelerated bachelors/masters program in hotel restaurant management.
Relative to Trustee Selection, a group made up of the governor, two members of the Board of Trustees, and two members of Alumni Association will meet from 1 to 3pm in the Capitol on Thursday, January 12th to identify individuals that will be interviewed. The interviews are set for the afternoons of January 18 and January 30. The goal is to have names submitted to the Senate for confirmation in early February.
3. Pertaining to the provost search, it was decided that neither of the individuals had the “right fit” for Auburn at this time. We will meet with the search and screening committee to decide the next step relative to the provost search.
4. Thanked those involved in preparation for the SACS reaffirmation visit scheduled for March 2013. At the close of Dr. Gogue’s remarks, he offered to respond to any questions that might be asked. There were no questions.
Ann Beth Presley, Chair offered the following remarks:
1. Senate nominating committee is seeking nominations for senate officers. Contact a senate officer if you would like to run or nominate someone.
2. Rules Committee nominations will be made during the February Senate Meeting for terms beginning in July 2012. The Rules Committee makes membership nominations for both Senate and University Committees. One must be a sitting senator to be nominated for Rules, but you don’t have to continue as a senator throughout their term on Rules. Those interested in being nominated or suggesting nominations may contact the Senate Secretary, Larry Crowley, or simply make the nominations during the February meeting.
Action Items:
None
Information items:
-- Bill Sauser, Chair-Elect, representing the steering committee presented information along with two draft alternative resolutions concerning a needed clarification to the Faculty Handbook concerning the eligibility of instructors for de facto tenure. (kinds of appointment) One draft resolution stipulates instructors were eligible for de facto tenure and the alternative resolution presented was worded so that instructors were not eligible. After presenting, Dr. Sauser requested comments from the senate membership to develop a “sense of the senate” for which alternative to bring forward for action and vote.
James Goldstein, Senator from English, supported the alternative resolution in favor of making instructors ineligible for tenure or de facto tenure thus allowing them to serve full-time beyond the six year time frame given under de facto tenure provisions.
Bill Sauser then called for a straw poll using a show of hands for which alternative had more support. The poll suggests the senate favored instructors being considered non-tenure track and ineligible for de facto tenure.
James Goldstein suggested the proposed clarification should be limited to the issue of de facto tenure and not the consideration of whether or not instructors are tenure-track.
Bill Sauser agreed with that clarification and indicated the straw poll showed a preference for instructors being considered ineligible.
Herb Rotfeld, Senator from Marketing Department, stated some are hired to ultimately fill a tenured position but because they have not yet finished their terminal degree they are hired as instructors until their degree is completed. Would this mean time as instructor wouldn’t count as tenure track?
Bill Sauser responded that this is what needs to be clarified, whether or not instructors are tenure track. After the resolution is passed it would be forwarded to the Faculty Handbook Committee and probably Promotion and Tenure Committee to determine how to handle individual who are instructors now and not on the tenure track.
Herb Rotfeld followed with a statement that if instructors are tenure track, then time as an instructor would count once they finished their degree and became assistant professors. Alternatively, if instructors are not tenure track then the time wouldn’t count.
Bill Sauser responded to this by saying current instructors already brought in as tenure-track faculty will need to be dealt with equitably as they come up for consideration.
James Goldstein, Senator from English, suggested the distinction as to whether or not instructors are tenure-track should be guided by what position they were hired to fill. Those that arrive to fill tenure-track positions and don’t yet qualify due to an incomplete dissertation should be tenure-track with a limited time to finish. Those that fill non-tenure-track positions should not be considered tenure-track as instructors.
Bill Sauser closed by saying he has gotten a good sense of what needs to be brought forward for a vote at the next senate meeting.
-- Kathy McClelland from Instructional Media Group (IMG) of Office of Information Technology (OIT) made a presentation updating the senate on the move to CANVAS. The presentation is available at (link). At the close of the presentation one question was asked from the floor as to how easy it was to transition material from BlackBoard. Kathy responded that it was real easy.
-- Chris Roberts, chair of the Energy and Environment taskforce, made a presentation on the activities of the taskforce to date and plans for the future. The presentation is available as a pdf. At the close of his presentation, Dr. Roberts asked if there were any questions.
Joselyn Zanzot, Senator from Landscape Architecture, stated her concern that the College of Architecture, Design and Construction is not represented on the taskforce committee membership.
Chris Roberts responded to that concern by saying committee membership was already assigned when he was asked to chair. He mentioned that Charlene LeBleu from that College was approached by the committee to facilitate a charrette to be held later this semester.
The chair called for any unfinished business.
Unfinished business:
None
The chair called for any new business.
New business:
None
The meeting was adjourned at 3:46 pm.