Faculty Senate > Recent Posts > Minutes > 2025-2026 – Minutes > Meeting Minutes: April 2, 2026

Meeting Minutes: April 2, 2026

Minutes

The Faculty Senate met on Thursday April 2, 2026, in Faculty Senate Conference Room French Admin 344B and via Zoom. Fifty-six (56) senators were present, two (2) vacancies with thirty-five (35) absent, and twenty-four (24) non-voting participants. The meeting was called to order by Ken Roberts, Senate Chair, at 3:49 pm

Guest Presentation: WSU Access & Opportunity Update – Lisa Guerrero, Vice Provost for Access and Opportunity

Lisa Guerrero provided an update on WSU’s shift since January 2025 from DEI terminology to an Access and Opportunity framework, aligning with federal guidance while remaining grounded in the university’s land‑grant mission. This approach focuses on removing barriers, creating tangible pathways, and addressing the intersectional needs of students, faculty, and staff across all institutional contexts. Guerrero emphasized shared accountability, noting that every member of the WSU community plays a role in fostering access and opportunity, with initiatives such as faculty workload policy development illustrating this work. She also highlighted ongoing uncertainty due to new, vague federal executive orders related to DEI and noted that her office is actively working with campus partners to interpret and respond appropriately.

Question: Has measuring effectiveness around Access and Opportunity has become easier, harder, or simply different following the shift from Legacy DEI.

Response: The shift from Legacy DEI to an Access and Opportunity framework represents a different approach rather than one that is inherently easier or harder. Legacy DEI, which evolved from multiculturalism in the late 1980s into DEI initiatives in the early 1990s, was initially proactive and yielded meaningful gains. However, over time these efforts often devolved into compliance-oriented “box checking,” prioritizing activities such as mandatory training or representation metrics without producing fundamental institutional change or addressing underlying structures and practices.

In contrast, Access and Opportunity centers on tangible pathways, intersectional experiences, and heightened accountability focused on outcomes rather than symbolism. It was stressed that it’s a stronger potential to broaden how institutions cultivate belonging and to deliver substantive support, development, and opportunity. This shift would reflect a more meaningful and accountable strategy, with greater capacity to drive sustained institutional impact.

Question:  How does the framework of access and opportunity contribute to increasing diversity among faculty and staff, noting that the language seems broad or “bland.”

Response: While the framing may seem broad, it is intended to prompt more critical and concrete thinking about institutional practices, particularly faculty recruitment.

Key Points:

  • Past DEI efforts successfully increased recruitment of faculty of color but often did not address whether institutional environments were supportive.
  • Institutions have frequently focused on representation without changing underlying cultures, practices, or support structures.
  • Faculty of color, particularly women, often perform significant unrecognized mentoring and service labor, supporting students across departments because of shared identity, not disciplinary expertise.
  • This mentoring work is critical to student belonging and success but is typically not acknowledged or valued in workload or evaluation processes.
  • Research shows that women in STEM and faculty of color across disciplines often do not thrive long-term due to unchanged institutional environments.

Access and opportunity must function in parallel—diversifying recruitment while also holding institutions accountable for creating supportive, equitable environments in which faculty and students can succeed.

Question: How is the shift in terminology (from equity/diversity/inclusion to newer frameworks) changing practice, citing examples of women faculty being disproportionately asked to mentor outside their fields.

Response: It is not yet clear how practices have changed but this is an opportunity to rethink and address longstanding inequities. The issue of unacknowledged “invisible labor,” particularly mentoring and service work disproportionately performed by faculty from historically underserved communities. This labor is not truly invisible, but undervalued, and should be formally recognized and weighted in workload models. The change will likely be gradual, occurring across multiple fronts, but there is potential for greater accountability over time. It was observed that workload models could be an effective mechanism to capture and recognize this type of labor, a perspective he had not previously considered.

  1. Call to Order
  2. Approval of minutes from March 12, 2026, Faculty Senate meeting (PDF)
    1. Approved by unanimous consent.
  3. Additions or changes to the agenda
    1. D. Grigar moved to remove Discussion Item #6 “Proposal to discontinue MS in Natural Resources so it can go through the complete process for degree tracking.
    2. P. Jacoby seconded.
    3. Motion approved; 48 approve, 0 reject
  4. Updates
    1. Remarks by Faculty Senate Executive Committee
      1. Faculty Senate Chair – Provided an update on recent visits to the Vancouver and Everett campuses. The visits included meetings with campus administration and, most importantly, extended conversations with faculty, which allowed for in‑depth discussion of faculty concerns and campus changes; several issues from these discussions will be taken back to central administration for further consideration. The campus visits have been highly informative and valuable for staying current with campus conditions. He highlighted a particularly impactful visit to the WSU Extension Center in Clark County, a 79‑acre working farm with strong community engagement, significant food bank contributions, and an extensive Master Gardener program.
      2. Immediate Past Chair – Nothing to report
      3. Chair Elect – Nothing to report
      4. Executive Secretary – Election memos have been sent to colleges and campuses to ask that elections be held for Senate seats that are coming open.
    2. Board of Regents – Tracy Klein reported on her attendance at the Advancing Board Excellence (AGB) conference, a professional association for university boards of regents and trustees. A key takeaway was that the faculty regent role is relatively uncommon nationally and generated significant questions about its purpose and authority. In contrast, student regent positions were more widely represented. This prompted consideration of opportunities to better publicize and elevate the faculty regent role at WSU.
    3. Legislative Update – The Governor signed the 2026 supplemental budget on April 1, 2026. The original proposal included a 5.5% reduction to WSU’s budget; however, following legislative action, the reduction was lowered to 0.8%. The finalized budget has now been signed into law, resulting in a minimal budget cut for WSU for the upcoming year.
  5. Information Items
    • (Item #2026.04.02_613_CRP) Minor Change Bulletin No. 6 (Exhibit 613A)
      • No discussion
  6. Agenda Items
    1. Action Items
      1. (Item #2026.03.12_607_CRP) Undergraduate and Professional Major Change Bulletin No. 7, Courses (Exhibit 607A)
        1. Motion approved; 45 Approve, 0 Reject
      2. (Item #2026.03.12_608_CRP) Graduate Major Change Bulletin No. 7, Courses (Exhibit 608A)
        1. Motion approved; 46 Approve, 0 Reject
      3. (Item #2026.03.12_609_AAC) Undergraduate and Professional Major Change Bulletin No. 9, Requirements (Exhibit 609A, *609B)
        1. *This item has been updated: The certificate will be offered in Pullman, Tri‑Cities, Vancouver, and Everett, and will not be offered at Spokane at this time.
        2. Motion approved as amended; 45 Approve, 0 Reject
      4. (Item #2026.03.12_610_GSC) Proposal to create MS in Food Manufacturing Technology for WSU Global (Exhibits 610A, 610B, 610C, 610D, 610E, 610F)
        1. Motion approved; 46 Approve, 1 Reject
    2. Discussion Items
      1. (Item #2026.04.02_617_GSC) Proposal to Rename Experimental Psychology Plan to Psychological Sciences (Exhibits 617A, 617B, 617C, 617D, 617E)
        1. Previous concerns raised by graduates of this degree have been addressed and are no longer applicable. The main reason for the request was because psychological sciences better reflects the diversity of approaches that are currently being used by faculty and students in the program.
        2. Move to action 4/16/26
      2. (Item #2026.04.02_611_ Steering) Proposed 2026-2027 Faculty Senate meeting schedule (Exhibit 611A, 611B)
        • No discussion, Move to action 4/16/26
      3. (Item #2026.04.2_612_Steering) Recommendation from the Faculty Senate Steering Committee for the Steering Committee to carry out all necessary Faculty Senate functions during the period of May 16, 2026, through August 15, 2026.
        • No discussion, Move to action 4/16/26
      4. (Item #2026.04.02_614_CoC) Recommendations for Committee Membership 2026 – 2027 (Exhibit 614A)
        • No discussion, move to action 4/16/26
      5. (Item #2026.04.02_615_AAC) Proposal to Extend Bachelor of Science (BS) in Computer Science to WSU Everett (Exhibits 615A, 615B, 615C, 615D, 615E, 615F, 615G, 615H, 615I)
        • No discussion, move to action 4/16/26
      6. (Item #2026.04.02_616_GSC) Proposal to Discontinue MS in Natural Resources (Exhibits 616A, 616B)
        • D. Grigar motioned to remove Discussion Item #6 “Proposal to discontinue MS in Natural Resources so it can go through the complete process for degree tracking. P. Jacoby seconded.
        • Motion to remove item approved; 48 approve, 0 reject
      7. (Item #2026.04.02_618_GSC) Proposal to Establish a Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Statistics (Exhibits 618A, 618B)
        • No discussion, move to action 4/16/26
      8. (Item #2026.04.02_619_FAC) Proposed Updates to Faculty Manual Section III.D.7 Annual Review of Faculty (619A, 619B, 619C)
        • No discussion, move to action 4/16/26
      9. (Item #2026.04.02_620_GSC) Proposal to Establish a MS in Artificial Intelligence (Exhibits 620A, 620B, 620C, 620D, 620E, 620F, 620G, 620H, 620I, 620J, 620K)
        • No discussion, move to action 4/16/26
      10. (Item #2026.04.02_621_AAC) Recommended update to AR105 Administrative Changes to Final Grades (Exhibit 621A)
        •  No discussion, move to action 4/16/26
      11. (Item #2026.04.02_622_AAC) Undergraduate and Professional Major Change Bulletin No. 10, Requirements (Exhibit 622A)
        • No discussion, move to action 4/16/26
      12. (Item #2026.04.02_623_CRP) UCORE Changes approved by the UCORE Committee – Bulletin No. 2 (Exhibit 623A)
        • No discussion, move to action 4/16/26
      13. (Item #2026.04.02_624_CRP) Undergraduate and Professional Major Change Bulletin No. 8, Courses (Exhibit 624A)
        • No discussion, move to action 4/16/26
      14. (Item #2026.04.02_625_CRP) Graduate Major Change Bulletin No. 8, Courses (Exhibit 625A)
        • No discussion, move to action 4/16/26
      15. (Item #2026.04.025_626_FAC) Updates to Faculty Manual Section III.D.8 Process for Tenure and Advancement in Rank (Exhibits 626A, 626B, 626C, 626D)
        • No discussion, move to action 4/16/26
      16. (Item #2026.04.02_627_FAC) New Faculty Manual Section III.D.8 Faculty Promotion and Tenure Dossier (Exhibits 627A, 627B)
        • No discussion, move to action 4/16/26
      17. (Item #2026.04.02_628_FAC) Update to Faculty Manual Section III.D.1 Part-Time Faculty (Exhibits 628A, 628B, 628C)
        • No discussion, move to action 4/16/26
      18. (Item #2026.04.02_629_FAC) Updates to Faculty Manual Section I.B Tracks and Titles (Exhibit 629A, 629B, 629C)
        • No discussion, move to action 4/16/26
      19. Approval of Undergraduate Degrees:
      20. I move that the university faculty recommend to the president and the Board of Regents that, effective at the closing dates for each graduating class, those undergraduate students who have completed degree requirements and whose names remain on the “Official List of Degree Candidates” be advanced to the degrees set above their names as members of the classes of Spring 2026, Summer 2026, and Fall 2026.
        • No discussion, move to action 4/16/26
      21. Approval of Graduate and Professional Degrees:
      22. I move that the university faculty recommend to the president and the Board of Regents that, effective at the closing dates for each graduating class, those graduate and professional students who have completed degree requirements and whose names remain on the “Official List of Degree Candidates” be advanced to the degrees set above their names as members of the classes of Spring 2026, Summer 2026, and Fall 2026.
        • No discussion, move to action 4/16/26
  7. Constituent Concerns:
    • Question from constituent regarding whether Senator votes should be made public?Responses to item polls can be captured and posted with the meeting minutes. This would need to be presented to Senate and voted on as a change to Senate procedures.
  8. Adjournment 4:30 p.m.
Dr. M. Hudelson signature

Matthew G. Hudelson

Executive Secretary, WSU Faculty Senate

Associate Professor, Mathematics Email: mhudelson@wsu.edu