Meeting Minutes: March 21, 2024

MINUTES 

The Faculty Senate met on Thursday, March 21, 2024, in French 130D and via Zoom. Fifty-four (54) senators were present with twenty-nine (29) absent, five (5) vacancies and twenty-one (21) non-voting members present. The meeting was called to order by the Senate Chair, Eric Shelden at 4:05 pm.

 Guest Presentation: Institutional Research Review with Executive Director of Institutional Research, Stephanie Kane (PDF).

• First destination and placement inquiry and follow up beyond one year. -J. Schneider
  • The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) survey requests employment feedback from students within six months of graduation so a one year follow up would be outside of the NACE reporting timeline. -S. Kane
• Who are WSU’s peers and what institutions are WSU being compared to? Under what metrics? -online inquiry
  • Strategic plan peers are identified by the university accreditor NWCCU and peer selection methodology and guidelines. A committee is pending formation using IPEDS data to identify peer institutions.

1. Call to Order – 4:05pm
2. Approval of minutes from the February 29, 2024 faculty senate meeting (PDF).
   1. Approved
3. Announcements
   1. Information Items
      1. The Faculty Senate Chair, Eric Shelden presented to the Board of Regents on Friday, March 8th.
4. Reports
   1. Remarks by Faculty Senate Chair Eric Shelden
      1. Board of Regents listening sessions are underway
      2. Faculty Senate Chair, Eric Shelden will be moderating the state of the university address is happening next week on March 26^th, 2024, on the WSU Everett campus.
      3. Mention of the March 2024 Senate Chair Blog prepared for your review and reference.
      4. Remarks by Faculty Senate Chair, Eric Shelden – Faculty Senate Concerns and Activities Table.
      5. The faculty senate executive officers will meet with the president and provost on Monday, April 1st.
      6. Remarks by Faculty Senate Secretary, Matthew Hudelson – Ballots for the Faculty Senate Chair-Elect Executive Election were released by email to faculty senators on February 26th, and ballot counts were reviewed by the Faculty Senate Executive Secretary and the ASWSU President on Tuesday, March 20th for certification. A second round of balloting is underway in support of one candidate receiving a majority vote.
5. Additions or changes to the agenda
6. Agenda Items
   1. Action Items
      1. (Item #2024.02.29_393_GSC) Recommended approval to establish a Master of Veterinary Anatomic Pathology (MVAP) Degree program (Exhibit 393A 393B 393C 393D 393E 393F).
         1. Approved; 52 approved; 0 rejected
      2. (Item #2024.02.29_394_Steering) Recommendation to extend the Ad Hoc Salary Step Committee term to May 30th, 2024 (Exhibit 394A).
         1. Approved; 52 approved, 0 rejected
      3. (Item #2024.02.29_395_Steering) Recommendation to permanently establish the course review process as piloted during 2023 – 2024 (Exhibit 395A *395B).
         1. Approved; 50 approved; 0 rejected
   2. Discussion Items
      1. (Item #2024.03.21_396_AAC) Undergraduate and Professional Major Change Bulletin No. 8 Requirements (Exhibit 396A).
      2. (Item #2024.03.21_397_GSC) Recommended approval of the new Responsible Data Science and Analytics Certificate (397A 397B).
      3. (Item #2024.03.21_398_GSC) Graduate School P&P Change Request – Faculty Manual and Grad Program Roles (Exhibit 398A 398B).
      4. (Item #2024.03.21_399_Catalog) Catalog Subcommittee Course Review -PHARMEDS 488 / PUBHEALTH 101 (Exhibit 399A).
      5. (Item #2024.03.21_400_PHSC) Professional Health Sciences Major Change Bulletin No. 2 Requirements (Exhibit 400A).
      6. (Item #2024.03.21_401_CRB) UCORE Renewals and Changes approved by the UCORE Committee – Bulletin No. 4 Courses (Exhibit 401A).
      7. (Item #2024.03.21_402_CRB) Graduate Major Change Bulletin No. 6 Courses (Exhibit 402A).
      8. (Item #2024.03.21_403_CRB) Undergraduate Major Change Bulletin No. 6 Courses (Exhibit 403A).
      9. (Item #2024.03.21_406_FAC) Updates to the Faculty Manual – Major Section II changes and minor mechanical edits (Exhibit 406A 406B 406C).
         • In section I there is a period at the end of the link which renders the link inoperable. -H. Jansen
      10. (Item #2024.03.21_407_Steering) Recommendation to combine the faculty senate constitution and bylaws and eligibility amendments (Exhibit 407A 407B 407C).
          • Strikethrough change regarding the senate constitution and recommended powers as it relates to the “shall” language to “will”.-J. Cook
          • Shall is used in other parts of the document within Article III. A recommendation for consistency is advised. L. Fournier
          • A 2/3 majority vote is required for this item to pass should it move forward as an action item. -M. Hudelson
      11. (Item #2024.03.21_408_AAC) Proposal to Revise Rule 104, Academic Complaint Procedures (Exhibit 408A).
      12. (Item #2024.03.21_409_AAC) Proposal to Revise Rules 43 and 4 – Fresh Start Policy / Transfer Requirements (Exhibit 409A).
      13. (Item #2024.03.21_410_AAC) Proposal to Revise Rule 6g – Associate of Science Transfer (Exhibit 410A).
      14. (Item #2024.03.21_411_AAC) Undergraduate and Professional Major Change Bulletin No. 9 Requirements (Exhibit 411A).
      15.  (Item #2024.03.21_412_AAC) 2024-2025 Faculty Senate Meeting Schedule (Exhibit 412A).
      16. (Item #2024.03.21_404_Motion) Recommendation for the WSU faculty senate to facilitate a public forum (Exhibit 404A).
          • Considerations for the “Time for Change at WSU” document and a broader discussion would be needed aside from the authors of this letter and the administration. Consideration for this meeting being paused until the BoR responds to the faculty based on the feedback provided through the BoR listening sessions which may change the character of this proposed meeting. -C. Moore
          • BoR feedback is requested, and the state of the union address will be other alternative opportunities to address these issues. Identifying a June deadline for feedback to be received from the BoR may be a caveat in support of the pause of this conversation. Recommendation for the priority of questions during this potential session be given to those questions submitted in advance for moderation. -A. Goodman
          • In the case that the BoR response, report and/or timeline for next steps is not adequate, it is advised that alternative forum options are prepared for recommendation. -V. Walden
          • The faculty senate serves as a space for faculty concerns and the goal of this motion is to facilitate faculty concerns with the president directly. -Dogan Gursoy
          • Request for confirmation regarding the motion and efforts for the faculty senate to discuss and clarity on the inclusion of which “WSU administrators.” -T. Klein
          • Considerations to amend the motion to include timeline considerations. -J. Cook  
          • The speaker schedule includes the president during the April 4^th meeting-J. Miller
          • The faculty have been waiting two years for a response from the president regarding budget deficit concerns and considerations should be made if a satisfactory response is not provided during next week’s end of year address. -J. Barber
          • Request for a suspension of the faculty senate business in support of the motion as outlined in exhibit 404A. -E. Shelden
            • No request or comment was received.
      17. (Item #2024.03.21_405_Motion) Recommendation for system-level executive job searches (Exhibit 405A).
          1. Request to confirm context for the motion identified in discussion item 17. -J. Cook
          2. Suspending the hiring process for system-level roles critically important university operations. This suspension would impact the VP of Research, the Provost Search, and would freeze Dean positions. This action may send a message to the BoR to extend the contract for the President to navigate this hiring freeze proposal. A second proposal regarding a recommended redesign of the faculty senate budget committee in consultation with the chief financial officers in support of participation from the senate in the budgetary process was presented. -J. McDonald
          3. Consideration of the university image in the strategic timeline of the hiring process and intentional timing for reviewing and filling high salary administrative positions. -C. Moore
          4. Attention given to the fact that action may or may not be taken from faculty recommendations provided to university administration based on the current structures. -V. Walden
          5. The faculty senate budget committee should be improved and should play a much more active role in reviewing the reorganization of WSU administration plans. -P. Skilton
          6. Amended motion pending and provided in during the meeting chat: In accordance with its constitutional duty to provide recommendations on the university budget, the faculty senate strongly recommends that all job searches and pay raises for campus level chancellors and vice chancellors be paused until the senate can hold an advisory vote on the budget impacts of further implementation of the OneWSU reorganization. -J Cook
          7. Request for the amended motion to replace the current motion and inquiry on next steps. -J. McDonald
7. Constituent Concerns
   1. Everett campus concern regarding the Seattle times op-editorial written by two former provosts and one former acting president regarding the 9-freshman enrolled during 2024 on the Everett campus. The Everett campus is a transfer campus. Everett campus is not a campus that historically includes freshman. The nine freshman students on the Everett campus are part of a pilot program at WSU that has not historically existed. The Everett campus serves a valid need in support of community college transfer students. It was emphasized that WSU Everett serves as a campus for transfer students, not freshman students.  – G. Taub
      1. 60 transfer students were admitted to the Everett Campus in 2024. -E. Shelden
   2. Female constituents were concerned about the reference to a program allegedly sponsored by the Office of the Dean of Students referred to as the “slut strut” and considerations for the goals of the program and the name of program being antithetical to the point of the program. -P. Buckley
8. Meeting Adjourned at 5:02pm

Respectfully submitted,

Matt Hudelson, Executive Secretary