Call to Order – The September 24, 2018 meeting of the University Senate was called to order at 4:00 pm in University Hall, Room 111, by President Michael Swanbom.
Welcome – President, Michael Swanbom, COES
Requested that Senate members keep an open line of communication with the president and welcomed comments, criticisms, or concerns
Discussed the vision of the Senate for this year as well as the importance of being an actively involved member
Noted the president’s role in the senate as:
Casting a vision of his/her own
Utilizing the body of the Senate with assistance in making this campus better by hearing their ideas and determining a direction to move forward
Presented a gavel plaque to the 2017-2018 Senate President, Ernest Rufleth, for his dedicated service last academic year
Roll Call – Alicia Kimbell called roll; a quorum was met.
Approval of May 2018 Minutes – approved by the Senate body
New Business
Amanda Sanford, faculty representative for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship, visited the Senate to provide information about this opportunity and encouraged faculty members to nominate eligible students for this honor.
President Swanbom discussed items that will become Senate initiatives this year.
Working towards preparing a draft to present as a request for adjustment of compensation to be based on a yearly cost of living adjustment rather than merit based
Determining the goals of the UNIV 289A course and why undergraduate enrollment is necessary
President Swanbom also gave a description of initiatives that are already currently underway.
The proposal to restructure office hours so that they are in line with those of other peer institutions
Creating a standing awards committee that will solely work on the process of gathering all the information required to successfully execute the awards given by the Senate
Defining the roles of each of the officers within the Senate
President Swanbom provided a list of the standing committees along with examples of the initiatives in each area. Members were given a form to complete which indicated their committee choice based on their personal interests.
Sub-Committee Work Time – Each sub-committee met for the remainder of the meeting to discuss new or continuing initiatives to work on in the current academic year.