Tarleton State University

The State of the Faculty Senate

2015-2016

The Faculty Senate met 9 times during the 2015-2016 academic year (September 14, 2015, October 12, 2015, November 9, 2015, December 7, 2015, January 11, 2016, February 8, 2016, March 14, 2016, April 11, 2016, and May 2, 2016). Each meeting has a quorum present and the senate was able to conduct business, including guest speakers, committee reports, and addressing new and old business. In addition, the senate co-sponsored with the Provost a faculty appreciation luncheon in the fall and spring semester attended by approximately 100 people each time. Actions of the Faculty Senate for the year are listed below:

Actions of the Faculty Senate

  1. Senate approved a motion moving the tenure process into the process into the sixth year of service with the understanding that this conforms to TAMU System schools and will apply to new hires (beginning September 2016). October 2015
  1. Senate approved the Faculty Handbook, Chapter 2 with the stipulation that language on p. 2 line 41 should be clarified regarding graduate assistants mastery of English proficiency as stipulated for faculty. October 2016
  1. Senate approved a motion to recommend to the provost that departmental budget priorities (with numbers) be presented to departmental faculty and for discussion and input before going to the dean. January 2016
  1. Senate approved a motion to recommend to the President that there be at least one member of the Faculty Senate on the Athletic Council. January 2016
  1. Senate approved a motion to recommend to the Provost that there is an annual call for Regents Professor nominations. March 2016 [NOTE: Faculty Senate’s desire was that the call for nominations be issued. The screening committee would then determine if a qualified candidate should be put forward.]
  1. Senate approved a motion that “The Faculty Senate at Tarleton State University affirms its commitment to the free expression of ideas in the classroom, despite the presence of firearms. We encourage our faculty to confront ‘sensitive topics’ boldly and openly.” March 2016
  1. Senate approved a motion that civility not be included as a formal part of a faculty member’s evaluation. May 2016

Faculty Senate Guest Speakers for 2015-2016

  1. September 2015 – Dr. Javier Garza discussed the parent portal and issues related to faculty involvement with parents as a result of the portal.
  2. September 2015 – Larry Smith discussed the Faculty Senate’s involvement with StrengthsQuest as a pilot group for faculty involvement in that program.
  3. November 2015 – Dr. Dottavio discussed status of searches, tuition proposals, Division I NCAA possibilities, facilities, Stephenville campus infrastructure project and answered questions from the senators.
  4. November 2015 - Campus Carry Council (Kent Styron, Keith Emmert, Kim Rynearson, and Brooke Rodriguez) reviewed options being considered for Tarleton’s implementation of the Campus Carry Law.
  5. December 2015 – Lonn Reisman discussed NCAA Division I status update and answered questions from the senators.
  6. December 2015 – Dr. Kelly Shaffer discussed faculty development grants and describe how the pool of money has been the same for at least 5 years but the requests for support have grown dramatically. She answered questions from the senators. The senate supported increased funding for Faculty Development Grants.
  7. January 2016 – Dr. Barry Lambert discussed the protocol for banking graduate hours and encouraged senators to make their faculty aware of this option. He answered senators questions, but the biggest issue is the inability to bank hours for summer.
  8. February 2016 – Dr. Tye Minkler discussed the Tarleton budgeting process and how previous accounts were “emptied” but each college had a reserve amount for capital projects. He answered questions from senators.
  9. February 2016 – Dr. Mike Haynes discussed the Institutional Research and Effectiveness website and showed various kinds of data available to faculty. He answered questions from senators.
  10. March 2016 – Mr. Matt Welch, Tarleton Police Chief presented an active shooter video and answered questions of senators.
  11. March 2016 – Provost Dr. Karen Murray discussed the need to move the start date for the 2016-2017 academic year back one week because of the damage to facilities from the tornado. She answered questions from senators about the changed academic calendar.
  12. May 2016 – Dr. Laura Boren discussed issues related to student affairs with the faculty senate and answered questions from the senators.

In addition to the action items and speakers, faculty senators served on the following committees:

  1. Academic Advising Council (Shockey)
  2. Academic Assessment, University Evaluation and Effectiveness (Nelson)
  3. Academic Council (Beach)
  4. Academic Council Executive Team (Beach)
  5. Academic Standards (Beach)
  6. ALE/REAL Oversight Committee (Miller-Levy)
  7. ALE/REAL Council (Beach)
  8. Budget Advisory Council (Rogers)
  9. Campus Carry Council (Emmert)
  10. Campus Ethics, Compliance, and Enterprise Risk Management (Winton)
  11. CII Advisory Council (Heller)
  12. Commencement and Convocation (Pursell)
  13. Developmental Education Advisory Council (McKeehan)
  14. Digital Media Advisory Committee (Shockey)
  15. Educator Preparation Council (Tallach)
  16. Emergency Management Council (Emmert)
  17. Employee Benefits (Nelson)
  18. Environmental Advisory Committee (Shockey)
  19. Faculty Development Committee (Miller-Levy)
  20. Faculty Handbook (Albrecht)
  21. Hybrid/Online Course (Harris-Bozer)
  22. International Education Advisory Committee (Heller)
  23. Library Committee (Emmert)
  24. Parking Committee (Albrecht)
  25. SEMEC (Beach)
  26. University Calendar Committee (Pursell)
  27. University Curriculum Committee (Miller-Levy)
  28. University Discipline Appeals (Miller-Levy)
  29. University Diversity, Access, Equity, & Disability Service Committee (Pratt)
  30. University Planning Council (Albrecht)
  31. University Research Committee (Heller)
  32. UPMC (Albrecht)