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Meeting Minutes: March 20, 2025

MINUTES

The Faculty Senate met on Thursday March 20, 2025, in French Admin Faculty Senate Conference room 344B and via Zoom. Sixty (60) senators were present, four (4) vacancies with twenty-nine (29) absent, and twenty (20) non-voting members. The meeting was called to order by Tracy Klein, Senate Chair at 4:01 pm.
Guest Presentations (15 minutes each speaker):
WSU Legislative Affairs Update – Steve Bollens, Faculty Senate Legislative Representative
Information Services Update – Tony Opheim, Vice President for Information Services & Chief Information Officer,
Jacqueline Southwick, Systems Communication & Customer Experience Director
  1. Call to Order: 4:01 pm
  2. Approval of minutes from February 27, 2025, Faculty Senate meeting (PDF).
    1. Approved by unanimous consent
  3. Additions or changes to the agenda
    1. Added Provost Riley-Tillman Faculty Senate address as new announcement
  4. Announcements
    1. Provost Riley-Tillman
      1. Provost Riley-Tillman addressed the question of “with what’s going on with the Federal Government? Are we at risk of losing our R1 status?”
      2. R1 status is a designation given to universities with very high research activity. To qualify for R1 status, a university must meet two main criteria:
        • Annual research expenditures of at least $50 million.
        • Awarding at least 70 research doctorates each year
      3. There are three tiers of research activity classifications:
        • R1 (Very High Research Activity): Requires $50 million in research expenditures and 70 doctoral graduates annually.
        • R2 (High Research Activity): Requires $5 million in research expenditures and 20 doctoral graduates annually.
        • Research Colleges and Universities (RCU): A new category for institutions spending more than $2.5 million on research annually, regardless of the number of doctoral degrees awarded
      4. In the upcoming year, our institution is projected to have $403 million in research expenditures, far exceeding the R1 threshold, and it already surpasses the requirement of 70 PhD graduates. This means we are well within the R1 category and not concerned about meeting these criteria
      5. Provost Riley-Tillman addressed the Governor’s proposed furloughs:
        • The Governor’s budget proposal includes furloughs, which are complex to implement in Washington State, especially in higher education. The proposal also oddly combines raises with furloughs. Implementing furloughs in higher education is challenging due to the complexity and the need to impact 18 different HR categories. The provost is skeptical that furloughs will be included in the final budget, as they are seen as a short-term cash management strategy rather than a solution to long-term deficits. While other budget cuts are worrisome, furloughs are not currently a major concern. If furloughs appear in the final budget, they will be addressed more thoroughly at that time.
        • Tracy Klein: And I wondered if you could talk a little bit about the letter that went to Columbia, particularly the demand request for three departments to go into receivership, and because this is a highly unusual letter, and perhaps just provide some context to that.
        • Provost Riley-Tillman: With some of the proclamations or letters, individuals may be interpreting “receivership” differently than I do. I think what they are suggesting is taking curricular control away from departments and centralizing it within the university. This is seen as an unprecedented and complex request. Recent actions against universities, such as Columbia and Penn, indicate that the federal government is comfortable directly challenging universities if they feel confronted or annoyed. This includes withholding federal funding, which can have serious implications.  We are trying to take measured stance in what we say as a university to better understand the evolving landscape and avoid early confrontations.
        • J.S McEwen – Many institutions are implementing hiring freezes, is that going to envisaged at WSU?
        • Provost Riley-Tillman – I prefer the term “strategic pause” over “freeze” for hiring and travel, as it’s more about carefully evaluating spending rather than a complete stop. This pause is in response to federal impacts, but the larger concern is the state budget situation, which is uncertain and likely to take longer to develop this year. Many universities, including UW and NC State, are taking similar pauses. Essential hires, especially for teaching, will continue, but non-essential spending will be scrutinized. An announcement and FAQs will be provided to explain the situation and process.
        • The university has been preparing for this pause for a few weeks to ensure they have the necessary tools and mechanisms in place. Should furloughs come into play, there would be an announcement in which we would loop in Faculty Senate and provide frequently asked questions and any additional pertinent information
        • P. Bates – Does travel freeze include grant funded travel to conferences?
        • Provost Riley-Tillman – Usually grant funded travel is excluded. Now I’ll say we need to make sure the grant is still there funding the travel. But usually, we’re talking about core funds when we’re talking about trying to hold travel back
    2. Board of Regents Update – J. McDonald
      1. Board of Regents Update round two – Athletics
    3. Reports
      1. Remarks by Faculty Senate Executive Committee
        • T. Klein, Faculty Senate Chair
          1. Vancouver Campus visit is currently under way
          2. Continue to meet with leadership weekly
          3. Chair Klein and Chair-elect Roberts will participate in the Budget hearings scheduled for late April
        • E. Shelden, Immediate Past Chair
          1. The Athletics Oversight Committee has not met since the last Senate meeting.
          2. Senate Budget committee scheduled to meet 3/21/25
        • K. Roberts, Chair Elect
          1. Committee openings and updates (COC)
            • Requested Senators to spread the word on committee openings with constituents.
            • Looking to fill seats and confirm appointments in the remaining two senate meetings of the academic year.
        • M. Hudelson, Executive Secretary
          1. Faculty Senate Executive elections
            • Announced 2025/2026 Chair-Elect winner Professor Christine Horn, College of Arts & Sciences, Sociology
  5. Information Items
    1. Shared Governance Commitment
  6. Agenda Items
    1. Action Items
      1. (Item #2025.02.27_490_AAC) Undergraduate and Professional Major Change Bulletin No. 7, Requirements (Exhibit 490A)
        1. Motion passed; 54 Approve, 0 Reject
      2. (Item #2025.02.27_493_FAC) Proposed changes to section III.C.7 Annual Review of Faculty (Exhibit 493A, 493B)
        1. Motion passed; 56 Approve, 0 Reject
      3. (Item #2025.02.27_494_CRP) Graduate Major Change Bulletin No. 7, Courses (Exhibit 494A)
        1. Motion passed; 58 Approve, 0 Reject
      4. (Item #2025.02.27_495_CRP) Undergraduate and Professional Major Change Bulletin No. 7, Courses (Exhibit 495A)
        1. Motion passed; 54 Approve, 2 Reject
      5. (Item #2025.02.27_496_CRP) UCORE Renewals and Changes approved by the UCORE Committee – Bulletin No. 4, Courses (Exhibit 496A)
        1. Motion passed; 51 Approve, 0 Reject
      6. (Item #2025.02.27_497_AAC) Undergraduate and Major Change Bulletin No. 8, Requirements (Exhibit 497A)
        1. Motion passed; 56 Approve, 0 Reject
    2. Discussion Items
      1. (Item #2025.03.20_498_GSC) Proposed changes to the Graduate School Policies and Procedure Manual regarding professional master’s degrees (Exhibits 498A, 498B, 498C, 498D)
        1. No discussion, move to action item 4/3/25
      2. (Item #2025.03.20_499_FAC) Proposed changes to the Faculty Manual regarding Conduct Regulations, section II.F.3 (Exhibits 499A, 499B, 499C)
        1. No discussion, move to action item 4/3/25
      3. (Item #2025.03.20_500_FAC) Proposed changes to the Faculty Manual regarding the process of choosing Chairs and Directors, section I.A.3 (Exhibits 500A, 500B, 500C, 500D)
        1. No discussion, move to action item 4/3/25
      4. (Item #2025.03.20_427_CoC) Proposed International Affairs Committee membership composition (Exhibits 427A, 427B, 427C, 427D.
        1. No discussion, move to action item 4/3/25
      5. (Item #2025.03.20_501_C0C) Recommended Faculty Senate Committee Members for a second term (Exhibit 501A.
        1. No discussion, move to action item 4/3/25
      6. (Item #2025.03.20_502_CRP) Undergraduate and Professional Major Change Bulletin No. 8, Courses (Exhibit 502A)
        1. Requested clarification on why 6 separate course numbers for the ROTC Combat Fitness Training – awaiting response
      7. (Item #2025.03.20_503_CRP) Graduate Major Change Bulletin No. 8, Courses (Exhibit 503A)
        1. No discussion, move to action item 4/3/25
      8. (Item #2025.03.20_504_CRP) UCORE Renewals and Changes approved by the UCORE Committee – Bulletin No. 5 (Exhibit 504A.
        1. No discussion, move to action item 4/3/25
      9. (Item #2025.03.20_505_AAC) Undergraduate and Professional Major Change Bulletin No. 9, Requirements (Exhibit 505A)
        1. No discussion, move to action item 4/3/25
      10. (Item #2025.03.20_506_FAC) Proposed description of Community Faculty (Exhibits 506A, 506B)
        1. Developed in conjunction with the medical school and is intended to provide a title for individuals who monitor students in practicum.
        2. No discussion, move to action item 4/3/25
      11. (Item #2025.03.20_507_FAC) Proposed short-term faculty description, Section I.B.4 (Exhibits 507A, 507B, 507C)
        1. J. McDonald – Request to amend the information came from short-term faculty who felt the information was misleading.
        2. D. Grigar – initial wording was developed to state that lecturers would be considered for career-track.
        3. D. Call – Vancouver budget is separate from the main campus and may have impact on this process. Recommended speaking with Provost.
        4. A. Felsot – College of Agriculture, feels change is going from too prescriptive to less prescriptive and a less prescriptive approach may be needed as department may not have funds to support.
        5. A. Dimitrov – This is mostly for temporary faculty they bring back year after year to teach one or two classes vs. giving them a full class load and hiring them permanently.
        6. Item returned to Steering for further discussion.
  7. Constituent Concerns:
    1. J. Bonzo – constituent concern response to Insider article talking about furloughs equating to a 4.6% pay cut. What would this look like when Provost spoke of accommodating raises and furloughs?
    2. D. Call – That was in the Governor’s proposed budget, the state budget will come out on Monday 3/24/25 and we will learn whether it would be applied to higher education. It is understood by legislature that this would cause a disruption to courses. There is no history of imposing furloughs on WA state employees. If furloughs were implemented, 1 day per month equates to approximately a 4.8% pay cut and it would be silly to pair with a raise. The council on this will review the final budget and see what transpires.
    3. T. Klein – We have had legal look at this and the Faculty Manual for those sections specific to furloughs
    4. J. Miller – would like clarity or guidance as it relates to recent memos around DEI and words we are not supposed to use anymore (censorship). What is WSU stance for departments and colleges to make changes or not?
    5. D. Call – Example; the executive side of the federal government had the CDC send out a survey on how we are complying with XYZ provisions across the institution (to any institution with a CDC grant with an overseas program). Within hours, we had a team to pull together correct and consistent institutional responses to these types of requests.
    6. You were paid to be creative entrepreneurs for the state of Washington. We will value your scholarship. It is recommended to engage with what you need to do.
    7. For additional information, you can view the 2nd Town Hall in which we addressed the issue that we do stand behind academic freedom.
    8. J. Bonzo – Question regarding what about every UCORE with the DIVR designation?
      1. D. Call – Right now there is no indication that we’re going to have to change anything.
  8. Adjournment: 5:00 p.m.

      Matthew G. Hudelson

      Executive Secretary, WSU Faculty Senate

      Associate Professor, Mathematics

      Email: mhudelson@wsu.edu

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