Change is the theme for January. The Senate’s focus will be on examining its priorities in light of new legislative and federal changes, a new WSU President, and elections of our own new Chair Elect who will assume the position in August 2025. The WSU Office of Research is tracking federal funding updates which have potential to impact our faculty at: https://research.wsu.edu/news/federal-funding-updates. We anticipate Senate representation in a Presidential/Provost committee evaluating and communicating the potential impact of changes to diversity and equity direction from the federal government, and plan periodic reporting to the Senate on this topic as it emerges.
The WSU state legislative priorities can be found here: https://governmentrelations.wsu.edu/2025/01/13/wsu-priorities-rolled-out-as-2025-legislative-session-begins/ . Bill tracking is done by WSU to identify state issues which may be of concern to faculty and status of legislation can be found here: https://governmentrelations.wsu.edu/2025-26-bill-tracker/. If you are interested in how legislation may impact faculty or how to get your perspective known, please reach out to the Senate’s faculty legislative representative Steve Bollens. Steve also offers regular reports to Senate and is available to address questions or concerns.
Candidates for new Senate Chair Elect will be announced in early February with a timeline for voting specified here: https://facsen.wsu.edu/2025-2026-senate-executive-election/. It is important that our committees and our voice remain strong and with that in mind our current Chair Elect Roberts has filled the majority of our committee vacancies and will be looking at seeking membership for the International and Faculty Compensation committees soon. Immediate Past Chair Shelden is continuing to serve on the Athletic Budget Advisory Committee while Chair Elect Roberts serves on the Health Sciences Regents Budget Committee. At this time of year, we sometimes struggle to keep our faculty engaged and informed. Please know that we value each of you and the relationship and respect our Senate has at WSU and we continue to seek improvement in our processes. In Spring Chair Elect Roberts and I look forward to doing faculty visits to the Spokane and Vancouver campuses. Thank you again for your service and interest in the Faculty Senate.