University Senate's agenda was thin, but it has a lot of business to take care of in the next few weeks as the year comes to a close.
University Senate Chairman Brien Smith reminded the group that votes for constitutional amendments need to be cast by next Friday, and the last day to fill out preference polls is April 5.
Preference polls determine which committee or committees a senator will be on next year. Senators for next year have already been selected by department chairs.
The current executive board members will step down April 22, the last University Senate meeting of the school year. John Ledbetter, chairman of the Governance and Elections Committee, said he's hoping for at least two nominees for each position when the committee creates the ballots.
Policies for Online Graduate Courses and Programs, a document presented by the Graduate Education Committee, was accepted as an announcement item. At an earlier meeting, Smith said the information was valid, but it didn't really have any place in the Faculty and Professional Personnel Handbook. There are already segments in the handbook on graduate education and policies for extended education courses.
The University Senate also passed an amendment on compensation and load credit for teaching responsibilities to include the Board of Trustees in the process to determine which professors could take on extra responsibilities outside of the normal load. Examples include overseeing independent studies, master's theses, honor's theses and doctoral dissertations.
During the meeting, President Jo Ann Gora gave a short presentation about new initiatives she calls "high-impact projects."
"It's always good to step back and see the big picture," she said. "That's what this was meant to do."
Projects include a new strategic plan that will take effect in Fall 2012, preparation for NCAA athletic accreditation in February 2012, preparation for North Central accreditation in June 2014, Enterprise Resource Planning implementation and continuation with the geothermal project.
Upcoming events for University Senate:
April 2 - Last day to vote on Constitutional amendments
April 5 - Last day to submit preference polls, which determine which committees a senator will sit on next year
April 22 - Last University Senate meeting for executive officers, immediately followed by first meeting for new senators. New executive officers will be elected
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