University of Tulsa Faculty Senate
CHARGES TO STANDING COMMITTEES
For Academic Year 2006-2007
Academic Affairs Committee
Standing Charge: The Academic Affairs Committee shall concern itself with policies and problems related to the academic mission of the University.
2006-2007 Charges:
- Complete the 2005-2006 charge to work with the Provost’s Office in identifying and implementing ways in which the faculty in general and the Senate in particular can aid the university in its assessment effort.
- Monitor the assessment process to insure the preservation of academic freedom of the faculty and faculty and student anonymity during the assessment process.
Academic Computing Committee
Standing Charge: The Academic Computing Committee shall concern itself with all phases of academic computing.
2006-2007 Charges:
1.Investigate and recommend improvements to university policies regarding computer support for students.
a)Earlier Academic Computing Committee reports suggested that
T.U. lags behind peer institutions in hours and types of computer support services provided to students. Various causes were
identified for T.U.‘s limited computer support for students,
including lack of funding and the nature of the student computing
environment.
b)This year’s charge includes more deeply exploring the nature of
services provided to students at peer institutions to identify areas
for improvement at the University of Tulsa.
i)The committee may wish to survey students, perhaps in
conjunction with Student Association, to identify areas of concern to students.
ii)The committee is also encouraged to work closely with Information Services to help identify potential improvements and arrive at feasible changes to current policy and practices.
Faculty Affairs Committee
Standing Charge: The Faculty Affairs Committee shallconcern itself with faculty relations within theUniversity structure and all documents concerned with such issues as academic freedom, responsibility and tenure, institutional policies and procedures, sabbaticals and leaves, and the Faculty Senate Constitution. It shall also nominate members for the ad hoc committee that recommends to the President of the University the University Faculty to receive teaching awards at Commencement.
2006-2007 Charges:
- Investigate the formation of a research council.
- Investigate the Policy on Harassment that became effective 8/9/2005 to determine its conformity to the Blue Book and Academic Freedom.
- Investigate revision of the conflict of interest policy. In coordination with Office of Research, review the present policy, considering its possible extension to privately funded research, and make appropriate recommendations.
- Assess the need for aUniversity-wide family leave policy by identifying current college and University practices and policies and comparing them to those at peer institutions. Make appropriate recommendations about the need, possible structure and implementation of such a policy to the Faculty Senate.
Financial Review Committee
Standing Charge: The Financial Review Committee will meet with the administration and the trustees, including the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Finance Committee and the Chair of the Audit Subcommittee of the Board of Trustees, to review the financial status of the University. Meeting discussions are to include but not be limited to a confidential discussion of the annual audit and the auditor’s findings regarding the internal control structure of the University, and the budget policies for the coming year approved by the Finance Committee.
2006-2007 Charges:
1. Evaluate the rate of TU’s endowment growth and compare our
endowment’s growth to that of similar institutions.
2.Evaluate the performance of TU’s endowment investments.
3. Report on plans for the current capital campaign and determine how items to be funded by this campaign will be prioritized.
Library Committee
Standing Charge: The Library Committee shall concern itself with all phases of the University Libraries.
2006-2007 Charges:
- Generally, review and evaluate the merits of the Bridging Strategy that was recommended in the Ad Hoc Library Budget Allocation Task Force Report of February 2006.
- More specifically, address whether the Bridging Strategy is consistent with the Report of the Library Committee for 2005-2006.
- Report on the progress currently being made in implementing the Bridging Strategy.
Student Affairs Committee
Standing Charge: The Student Affairs Committee shall concern itself with all aspects of student life that relate directly to the educational process. It shall appoint faculty members to the Student Publications Board pursuant to the “Student Publications Policy Statement.”
2006-2007 Charges:
1.The Student Affairs office and the College of Arts and Sciencescommissioned a joint study of the needs of women and underrepresented groups on campus, which is scheduled for completion in January. Drawing on thisreport, make appropriate recommendations to the full Senate.
2. Assess the state of international education on campus, considering specifically: the potentially prohibitive cost of the programs and the current model of study abroad as it operates in the colleges. Survey recent students who have studied abroad in order to identify particularly critical needs, including financial support, availability of sites, earning TU credit, etc.
3. Examine the data from the 2004 National Student Survey of Engagement study, and cooperate with the NCA self-study committees, especially by generating student participation in the datacollection.
4. Examine the issue of the timing of Spring Break so that it coincides with other
educational institutions.
5. Evaluate the resources and physical facilities available for student campus health
services and make recommendations as appropriate..