This newsletter covers both the December and January meetings of the Faculty Senate. The Senate is currently discussing the Promotion and Tenure process (see Chair's Report below) as well as UTSA's Emeritus policy (see Provost's Report and H.O.P. Committee sections below).
Kathy Funk-Baxter, Vice President for Business Affairs, visited the Senate in December to give an update on UTSA’s Budget. She provided a very detailed breakdown of university income and expenditures
The December meeting of the Faculty Senate was held on December 7, 2017, at 3:30 p.m. in the Assembly Room (JPL 4.04.22) with Dr. Emily Bonner, Chair of the Faculty Senate, presiding. At this meeting Dr. Bonner said that the new faculty workload policy has been passed by the Board of Regents. The next step is to work with administration to develop a HOP policy for UTSA. SYSFAC felt that a model policy would be too restrictive, so institutions have been tasked with developing their own individual policies.
The January meeting of the Faculty Senate was held January 18, 2018, at 3:30 p.m. in the Assembly Room (JPL 4.04.22) with Dr. Emily Bonner, Chair of the Faculty Senate, presiding. At this meeting Dr. Bonner said that the Provost’s taskforces have all reported back with their recommendations and more information will be communicated soon. The President’s Diversity and Inclusion Taskforce is also underway looking at the university’s culture and its impact on students. The senate’s executive committee is working on a proposal to address process-related issues in promotion and tenure reviews. The proposal is being modeled off a similar policy at UT Austin. Dr. Bonner said that the idea is to have a faculty panel from across the colleges review the cases and write recommendations to the President regarding the process that was followed during P&T deliberations. Then the President’s actions regarding these results would be published (anonymously to protect the faculty whose cases were reviewed). Dr. Bonner encouraged members of the senate to let her know if they have any concerns or further input on this proposal. Dr. Bonner said that the Provost’s search is currently underway and names of the final candidates are expected to be announced at the end of the spring semester. Dr. Bonner also reminded the senate that elections for a new Faculty Senate chair and Secretary of the General Faculty will be conducted this spring.
At the December meeting Dr. Thurow gave an update on the tuition and fee committee. The committee’s final meeting was November 15th where proposals were voted on and the committee’s recommendations were forwarded to the President. Recommendations include an increase in both tuition and various fees, as well as the implementation of differential tuition for COB and COE students. Once reviewed and approved by the President, the proposals will be sent to the Board of Regents for approval. In addition, the student fee portion must be approved by the student body.
At the January meeting Dr. Thurow said he will be meeting with Jesse Zapata soon to begin working on UTSA’s workload policy.
At the December meeting Dr. Zapata said that the Emeritus policy is being revamped in order to make Emeritus status more meritorious. He said that a committee looked at the current policy and made recommendations, which were sent to the HOP committee and then sent out for stakeholder review. As a stakeholder in the process, the Faculty Senate has an opportunity to review and make recommendations.
At the December meeting the Curriculum Committee reviewed a proposal for the following 8 core curriculum courses: ARC 2413 History of Architecture: Pre-history to the Middle Ages, ENG 2xxx Literature and Film, ENG 2xx3 Science, Technology, and Society, PHI 2013 Basic Philosophical Problems, MUS 2653 History of Recorded Music, MUS 2653 Music in Culture, MAT 1053 Mathematics for Business, MAT 1133 Calculus for Business. A full report detailing each proposal can be accessed online. The committee recommended that all proposals be approved. The senate voted to unanimously approve all 8 proposals.
At the January meeting The Curriculum Committee reviewed two proposals and recommended both for approval by the senate. First, a minor in Archaeological Practice. A motion was made to approve the proposal, which was seconded. The senate voted to unanimously approve the proposal. Second, a proposal to eliminate the Minor in Nutrition. Some members of the senate had concerns regarding the elimination of the minor so soon after its inception. A motion was made to approve the committee’s recommendation to eliminate the minor, which was seconded. The senate voted as follows: 17 approve, 9 do not approve, 6 abstentions.
At the December meeting the HOP Committee reviewed the proposed revisions to HOP 2.03 ‘Emeritus Academic Titles’. The committee had two major concerns. First, a stipulation has been added that faculty must have been rated as “exceeds expectations” in 4 out of their last 5 reviews in order to qualify. Second, a stipulation has been added that faculty will only have one chance to apply for Emeritus status. Dr. Walz encouraged the senate to send her any comments soon.
At the December meeting a Budget Update was shared with the senate by Kathy Funk-Baxter, Vice President for Business Affairs. Revenue and expense highlights were discussed, as well as a breakdown of university income and expenditures. The full presentation can be accessed online.
At the January meeting Jill Hernandez, Associate Dean, University College, said that a core assessment report has been posted to the senate’s SharePoint site for review. EQS will not need to be evaluated for the next 3 years at the course level. Any questions can be directed to Nancy Martin. UTSA has returned to a 2-year catalog – catalog changes were due in November of 2017. Submissions for the next catalog cycle open in spring 2019. Dr. Hernandez said that UTSA has an automatic admission policy for students that have been dismissed one time and wish to be reinstated. Beginning in fall 2018, all first-time reinstatements will be evaluated through University College in collaboration with relevant colleges. The Associate Deans and advising team are also looking at changes to the subsequent reinstatement policy as well. In fall of 2018, COE will be piloting changes to the pre-major to eliminate majors for pathways. If successful, UTSA will move to eliminate most pre-majors. Dr. Hernandez said that the JURSW (Journal of Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Works) will soon be accepting submissions from any institution with a spring deadline of May 15, 2018.
At the January meeting Tammy Wyatt, Associate Vice Provost for Student Success, gave an update on the academic progress report advising campaign which incorporates an early alert grade reporting system proven to positively impact student success. The academic progress report is a new strategy utilizing SSC Campus, which focuses on critical courses (success marker courses) that impact students’ progression in their respective degrees. Faculty can input grades, absences, whether students are at risk of failing the course, or provide any other comments necessary. The main focus is on students for whom the course is a success marker. The academic advisor receives these alerts and is able to take the appropriate action. Faculty aren’t required to use this system, but are encouraged to if possible. More information including pilot results, a listing of pilot courses, and a timeline is available on the senate’s SharePoint site.
Questions/comments about the newsletter?
Contact Chad Mahood: Chad.Mahood@utsa.edu