Meeting Minutes: February 13, 2025

MINUTES
The Faculty Senate met on Thursday February 13, 2025, in French Admin Graduate Studies Conference room 324F and via Zoom. Sixty-two (62) senators were present, four (4) vacancies with twenty-six (26) absent, and twenty-nine (29) non-voting members. The meeting was called to order by Tracy Klein, Senate at 4:35 pm.
Guest Presentation (60 minutes): Office of Strategy, Planning, and Analysis – Stephanie Kane, Assistant Vice President, System Analytics and Reporting; Provost Riley-Tillman; Kim Christen, Vice President for Research
Office of Strategy, Planning, and Analysis Presentation
Provost Riley-Tillman addressed the Faculty Senate; there are weekly meetings held with Faculty Senate executives. The university faces historic budgetary challenges in athletics, medicine, and arts and sciences totaling over $40 million. Potential budget cuts from NIH could result in significant financial losses for the university. Estimated a loss of $5 million annually from NIH alone, and $ 22.25 million when considering other sources. Provost Riley-Tillman put emphasis on transparency and public communication about financial challenges and is proposing aggressive reviews, including hiring and travel freezes. Proposed an aggressive review of PhD programs due to high costs and teaching capacity demands. The university budget hearings have been rescheduled for the last two weeks of April.

1. I. Call to Order: 4:35 pm
2. Approval of minutes from January 30, 2025, faculty senate meeting (PDF).
   1. Approved by unanimous consent
3. Additions or changes to the agenda
   1. None
4. Announcements
   1. Legislative affairs – None
   2. Reports
      1. Remarks by Faculty Senate Executive Team
         • T. Klein, Chair
           1. Posting February blog soon.
           2. Presenting at BoR meeting 3/7/25.
           3. Currently following up on the concerns around the Email Archive process and the Digital Accessibility initiative.
           4. We have posted the AR60 MOU to the Faculty Senate website and will be adding additional historic MOUs shortly.
         • E. Shelden, Immediate Past Chair
           1. President search is complete.
           2. Meeting with Budget Oversight committee next week.
         • K. Roberts, Chair Elect
           1. Committee openings and updates (COC)
           2. Committee openings for the 2025-2026 academic year will be posted on the Faculty Senate website. Committee members completing their first term are being asked if they are willing to serve another term.
           3. International Affairs and Faculty Compensation work groups are finalizing the committee charges and hope to bring them to the Senate soon.
         • M. Hudelson, Executive Secretary
           1. Faculty Senate Executive elections
              • Two (2) Chair-Elect nominations, ballots being sent after this meeting.
              • Apportionment data being reviewed and confirmed with colleges.
5. Information Items
   1. Faculty Senate Priorities and Goals
6. Agenda Items
   1. Action Items
      1. (Item #2025.01.30_483_GSC) Recommended approval of two new plans under the Master of Nursing Degree: Nurse Educator and Systems Leadership (Exhibits 483A, 483B, 483C)
         • Motion passed; 53 Approve, 0 Reject
      2. (Item #2025.01.30_486_CRP) Graduate Major Change Bulletin No. 6, Courses (Exhibit 486A)
         • Motion passed; 52 Approve, 0 Reject
           
      3. (Item #2025.01.30_487_CRP) Undergraduate and Professional Major Change Bulletin No. 6, Courses (Exhibit 487A)
         • Motion passed; 52 Approve, 0 Reject
      4. (Item #2025.01.16_484_Steering) Proposed revisions to EPPM Section 22 – New and Revised Courses and Requirements (Exhibits 484A, 484B)
         • Motion passed; 53 Approve, 0 Reject
   2. Discussion Items
      1. (Item 02.13.25_488_AAC) Undergraduate and Professional Major Change Bulletin No., 6 Requirements (Exhibit 488A)
         • J. Miller – How do we know if the item has been scrutinized properly?
         • B. Bitter – If it is less than 30 credit hours, it does not need higher level of scrutiny.
         • Move to Faculty Senate 2/27/25 as an action item.
      2. (Item #2025.02.13_489_Steering) Proposal to Discontinue the Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering degree (WSU Pullman) (Exhibits 489A, 489B, 489C)
         • No discussion, move to Faculty Senate 2/27/25 as an action item.
7. Constituent Concerns:
   1. A. Whitehall – concern regarding federal level issues regarding funding, but is there conversation on the day to day for faculty to teach DEI in the classroom? Will we have support if classes or students complain?
8. Adjournment: 4:53 pm
   1. Matthew G. Hudelson
      1. Executive Secretary, WSU Faculty Senate
      2. Associate Professor, Mathematics
      3. Email: mhudelson@wsu.edu