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Senators A = Absent Ex Officio Members and Guests Present

Alhuani, Abdallah Nursing Merlino, Mara

Amusan, Ibukun Math & Sciences Webster, Tom

Andries, Ken AFE Goletz, Gregory (Registrar)

Capriles, Nancy BSS Butler, Hunt

Graham, William Education Finn, LeChrista

Griffin, Robert Fine Arts Freeman, Tierra (Ex-Officio Executive Committee)

Griffis, Bruce Math & Sciences McFayden, Elgie (Faculty Regent)

Grimes, Kristopher Excused AFE Amadife, Nkechi

Gyawali, Buddhi at-large Shabazz, David

Kumar, Ashok Excuse at-large Desborde, Rene

Landy, Tucker Whitney Young

Liu, Zhanping Computer Science

Moffett, Joe LLP

McCoy Rebecca A Nursing

Ray, Andrew Excused Aquaculture

Ross, Scott Fine Arts

Rye, Reba at-large

Sharma, Rita Math & Sciences

Sipes, Kim at-large

Smith, Peter LLP

Tate, Debbra Library

Tope, Avinash AFE

Ulrich, Stephen PUA,SW,CJ

Wang, Changzen A at-large

Representative still needed from School of Business and 1 from Behavioral & Social Sciences

The Faculty Senate met at 3:10 pm on Monday, August 24, 2015, Hathaway Hall Room 123.

The first meeting of the 2015-16 Faculty Senate began with introductions. President Smith pointed out that when he speaks publicly he sometimes speaks as Faculty Senate President and sometimes as a Faculty member outside of that capacity.

Senators from Education and the School of Business are yet to be identified. However, William Graham was present from Education and he will assume that position and was assigned to a committee. Committee assignments are as follows, with all Senators receiving their first choice assignment. Officers elected in breakout sessions after the full Senate meeting are listed:

Joe Moffett (Chair), Rita Sharma (Vice-Chair), Avinash Tope (Secretary), Ibukun Amusan, Bruce Griffiths Non-senator: Helen Smith

Scott Ross (Chair), Reba Rye (Vice-Chair), Kristopher Grimes, Abdullah Alhuani, Andrew Ray, Debbra Tate Non-senators: LeChrista Finn (Secretary), Rene Desbordes

Ken Andries (Chair), Kim Sipes (Vice-Chair), Tucker Landy (Secretary), Robert Griffin, Changzhen Wang Non-senator: Dantrea Hampton

Ashok Kumar (Chair), Stephen Ulrich (Vice-Chair), Buddhi Gyawali (Secretary), Zhanping Liu, Nancy Capriles, Rebecca McCoy

Non-senators: Margaret Hecker, Cathy Vedder, Arthur Hayden, Sharon McGee

The resulting Executive Committee for the 2015-16 Faculty Senate is composed of Peter Smith, Kristopher Grimes, Reba Rye, Debbra Tate, Scott Ross, Kenneth Andries, Ashok Kumar, Joe Moffett, and Tierra Freeman. (Officers, Committee Chairs, immediate past Faculty Senate President)

President Smith pointed out that the total number of Senators declined due to reductions in positions. LLP, Whitney Young and the Library lost one Senate position each. He expects several controversies to be “coming our way” and suggested charges to Committees for consideration in anticipation of such:

Look at the Academic Calendar as published currently on the KSU Web site and the discrepancy with previously approved/modified policy that did away with early graduating Senior exams and grades, especially as the newly advertised policy relates to Fall as well as Spring graduates. Was this a Presidential directive?

Look at revised calendar for Tenure/Promotion.

Review the “Dare We Compare” study conducted by the BASC in 2007 and look at the current status of the percentage of the total budget that KSU spends on Instruction. Has it increased or decreased, both since 2007 and over the last year as the budget was balanced? President Smith’s “rough count” is that KSU lost about 20 FTE Faculty positions this academic year.

What is the status of Senate approved Action Items relating to Curriculum? LLP has been trying to move up a new English degree for several years.

Faculty Regent McFadden indicated there will be several “dog fights” ahead this academic year. There was no major action taken in the last Board meeting since it was a Retreat that dealt with strategic planning. He indicated a favorable impression with Dr. Brown-Wright, KSU’s new Vice President for Academic Affairs. He expects that the Tenure/Promotion process will be reopened this academic year, but indicated that President Burse is, “concerned with procedural flaws in the process.” Regent McFadden concurs that there are, “facts too numerous of how the system is flawed and how it has been applied” but gave no specifics. He advocates that faculty evaluations at KSU should be

weighted more appropriately in recognition that we are designated a Teaching University as opposed to a Research University.

The question was raised by a Senator if the tenure/promotion applications already submitted, and in the office of the Vice-President for Academic Affairs, will have to be re-submitted or not. The Faculty Regent advocated that faculty members should be allowed the privilege to review and add to or edit their dossiers before they leave the office of Academic Affairs. Another Senator said that he would prefer they go up as is, according to the policy that nothing can be added to or changed once leaving the Divisional offices. Another Senator said he would not want to be required to redo his dossier and would prefer they move directly from the VPAA office, but with faculty privilege to review and edit since it's been a year since they were initially submitted.

A Senator pointed out that if the process is opened up for this year, i.e. for newly eligible faculty, then it needs to be done so immediately since the procedural deadline is normally early September. An Ex-officio Senate member suggested that faculty should go ahead and prepare dossiers instead of waiting, so they can be thoughtfully prepared if the process is opened and avoid a hastily put together dossier. A senator suggested that those present should consider advocating such action to colleagues in their individual units.

Regent McFadden believes that transfer rates are about the same. He would like to see a mentor system initiated whereas all students will have a faculty mentor.

He will advocate for faculty raises in consideration of regional comparisons, and he pointed out that in his opinion the budget should have been balanced over 3 years instead of 1, and he said it was “too much too fast.”

A Senator raised the question of how KSU's administrative salaries compare with other institutions. Another Senator pointed out the investigative article The State-Journal did last year that looked at that issue and (for the positions they identified) found we were not "out of line." However, she pointed out that they did not look at the number of administrators per student population relative to our sister state institutions, thus not addressing the percentage spent on Administrative salaries of our total budget. Another Senator pointed out that the 2003 Baker-Hostetler Report found that KSU was definitely top-heavy administratively for its size, and another Senator noted that President Burse was given that report for review last fall.

There was brief discussion of desirability to move the Senate meeting location to the Conference Room. There seemed to be lukewarm reception to that suggestion and no action was taken.

A Senator raised the question of current official policy relating to when syllabi are due to students in on-line classes. Is it the day that the semester officially begins (usually Saturday before the first Monday of classes)? President Smith will inquire of Jennifer Miles for clarification of the policy.

A Senator asked about the operative attendance policy. KSU's new Registrar said that the policy is in the process of being finalized and approved for the new catalogue. President Smith said that, from what he has seen, it is very close to the suggested revised version recommended by the PCC in response to President Burse's crafted policy last year. Registrar Gregory Goletz indicated he will send President Smith a copy of the policy as it is written now, but it is still considered a "draft" since the catalogue has not been published.

A Senator raised the issue of the current status (location) of Senate passed Action Items, such as the proposed changes to the College of Agriculture Tenure/Promotion policies. President Smith said he will try to track those down, with the last data collected by recently resigned Faculty Senate Administrative Assistant, Sue Allen. The Faculty Senate currently does not have an Administrative Assistant and there is no word on the status of that position at this time.

The meeting adjourned at approximately 3:50 for breakout Committee meetings to elect chairs, vice-chairs and secretaries.

Minutes Submitted by: Reba Rye, Faculty Senate Secretary