Executive officers for Faculty Council were elected without opposition Thursday.
Heading into a year of changes for faculty and staff, namely in areas of salary and benefits, the job of being a voice for their constituents will take new meaning.
Barry Umansky will return for a second term as chairperson.
"We're dealing with tougher economic times than in my first term," the telecommunications professor said.
Umansky said he's looking forward to furthering projects that are in the works and some that are just getting started. Next year he anticipates a wider use of electronics in the governance system.
"Digital literacy is an issue for not only students but faculty as well," he said.
One element of the university budget cuts, he said, is conducting evaluations and meetings online.
Assistant professor of journalism Dustin Supa, vice chairperson-elect, said he's looking forward to taking on a leadership position on the council next year.
"We'll push through what we want to push though and be cautious where we need to be," he said. "I see our job as listening for faculties' concerns and bringing those concerns and ideas forward to the administration."
Ann Weiseke, associate professor of nursing, said she's looking forward to the new year and the opportunity to represent the faculty, staff and students.
"A lot of our role is to keep current, to keep a positive culture for everyone involved," she said.
Weiseke said she also wants to see more students get involved in university governance. They offer a different point of view that can be very helpful, she said.
More Information-
There were two meetings for Faculty Council this week. The first addressed old business, and the second was for election of officers for next term.
Items discussed during the first meeting:
Teaching Evaluation Committee-
Provost Terry King said shifting to online course evaluations would save Ball State University $100,000 annually, and they would more uniform for all departments. Professors voiced concern that students would be less likely to participate in an online course evaluation, and King said they should be encouraged but not incentivized to fill it out.
Retirement model and phased retirement-
The Business Affairs Committee is looking into it, and King expects it to be passed in the near future.
Extended Education Committee-
Policies for the School of Extended Education was revised for grammatical changes.
Q-and-A session-
King said the university is looking to move all grading online, including midterms. He also noted the state of Indiana rewards institutions for the number of students they graduate in four years and its rate of improvement. He noted some programs have five-year programs, and he doesn't plan to change that.
"State legislators just don't understand our business," he said.
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