Faculty Senate - December 2024 Minutes

The 2024-2025 MSU Faculty Senate met at 3:30 PM on December 12, 2024.

Senators Present:

  • Dr. Adam Lei
  • Dr. Sanchari Choudhury
  • Dr. Catherine Gaharan
  • Dr. Matthew Capps
  • Dr. Daniel Frazier
  • Dr. Darla Diltz
  • Mr. RJ Magee
  • Dr. Supriya Karudapuram
  • Dr. Vicki Dillard
  • Dr. Randy Case
  • Dr. Sandra Groth
  • Ms. Jill Young
  • Dr. Rodney Fisher
  • Dr. Erica Judie
  • Dr. Sally Henschel
  • Dr. Lee Gagum
  • Dr. Hillary Coenen
  • Dr. Beverly Stiles
  • Dr. Michael Vandehey
  • Dr. Yu Guo
  • Dr. James Masuoka
  • Dr. Dawn Slavens



Call to Order: 3:32 PM


Housekeeping:

  • Approval of Agenda - Dr. Rodney Fisher motioned, and Dr. Randy Case seconded. All approved.
  • Approval of Minutes - Dr. Michael Vandehey motioned that they be approved as corrected, and Dr. Randy Case seconded. All approved.


Current Business/Information Sharing: None


New Business:

  1. University Mission Statement
    • Dr. Capps shared the proposed Mission Statement worked on by college representatives from faculty senate (Drs. Matt Capps, Adam Lei, Randy Case, Hillary Coenen, Darla Diltz, & James Masuoka):
      1. Midwestern State University aims to empower students and our community through a commitment to academic excellence, personal growth, and a culture of lifelong learning, inquiry, and innovation.
    • Dr. Capps explained that President Haynie asked that Faculty Senate representatives rewrite the Mission from 127 words to much shorter. The ad-hoc committee drafted and submitted it to the President. This draft will be sent out to all faculty, staff, and students for further feedback (along with the strategic plan).
  2. Administrator Evaluations
    • Dr. Capps explained that there will be mechanisms to evaluate our administrators, starting in the spring with the President, then Provost, Vice Presidents, and Deans. Executive committee gave feedback on the evaluation forms. Committee gave feedback that we should be able to address how we are supported in our primary areas of concern: teaching, research, service.
    • Dr. Slavens asked what will happen as a result? Like course evaluation, they’re an indicator but not a mechanism for penalties.
    • Dr. Vandehey asked if these will be in-house or shared with Tech.
    • Dr. Choudhury asked who all will evaluate. It is primarily for supervisees of those positions. She also asked how we are to determine appropriate expectations for roles we don’t understand. The statements in the form establish expectations.


Unfinished Business:

  1. Course Evaluation Issue - Dr. Capps
    • Provost Brown Marsden previously indicated that faculty would be informed when students were informed about evaluations and deadlines. IT distributed them without notifying Dr. Brown Marsden or other faculty. Faculty were not broadly informed again.
    • Dr. Guo said that IT has historically been difficult to work with and they have denied software and programs that faculty needed.
    • Dr. Henschel said an IT Advisory committee was previously active but hasn’t met in recent years.
    • Dr. Magee shared the email that Fain’s Dean shared info about evaluations with Chairs on Dec. 4th (when they had been opened on Nov. 26th and would close on Dec. 6th).
    • Dr. Capps said that the Provost is seeking feedback on when we should close evaluations.
    • Dr. Capps also indicated that there is interest in tracking percent completion per course.
    • Dr. Gaharan said that Dean Stambaugh shares the percentage completion rates during finals week.
    • Dr. Henschel asserted that we need an incentive for students to complete them, which requires a mechanism for tracking.
    • Dr. Young asked why we switched to online. Faculty Senate requested it.
    • Dr. Groth said that it would be so much easier if it could be incorporated into the LMS or something so that it is not more work for students.
    • Dr. Slavens said that the survey results showed that a majority preferred online.
    • Dr. Fisher explained that he provides students with an anonymous survey built into D2L.
    • Dr. Choudhury asked about completing evaluations in order to see final grades. This could rely on completing evaluations in another platform like Navigate, Portal, Banner.
    • Dr. Coenen explained that the faculty were still never informed about when evaluations would close after the email to students incorrectly stated that evaluations would close on Oct. 18th.
  2. Feedback on Strategic Plan - Dr. Capps
    • Dr. Capps indicated that we should plan to participate in Town Halls in the spring to give additional feedback and hear updates about the Strategic Plan.
  3. Faculty Raises - Dr. Capps
    • Dr. Capps explained that after the Governor’s executive order not to raise tuition, our plan to offer raises would be dependent upon funding from the state. Raises are still contingent upon enrollment and retention, but these are no longer the only factors.
    • Dr. Stiles said until recently, the increases in tuition were not a contributing factor in the determination of raises.
    • Dr. Lei asks if it is fair to say that there is now more uncertainty about whether raises will be offered? Executive committee feels that is so. Dr. Capps indicated that the increase in cost of employee benefits (health insurance & retirement) will cost MSU 8% more, while the state covers this increase for other state institutions (but not universities).
  4. T & P Process - Dr. Capps
    • Dr. Capps asks that senators gather feedback about the tenure process, especially electronic packets, from applicants and evaluators so that we can provide a workshop for faculty through TLRC.
    • Dr. Case asked why we are not able to provide each faculty member with a T&P development course shell in D2L upon their start dates. There is still uncertainty about whether this is possible and what it would take to provide this.
    • Dr. Coenen suggested in the meeting that we should create a template D2L shell that is shared with all TT faculty as a model. It would not be editable by others.
    • Dr. Lei asked them to investigate how other universities go through this process and if any use D2L.
  5. Change in Honors Graduation Process - Dr. Case
    • Dr. Case expressed a faculty complaint about the change in the procedures for determining Honors graduates, saying that it doesn’t demonstrate integrity, and many faculty feel that this is not a fair representation of university honors.
  6. AI Incidents - Dr. Vandehey
    • Students submitted work with evidence of how they used AI in their writing processes, showing that they were responsible for their own writing. AI checker in D2L results indicated that these were largely AI generated. Senators are concerned about students being penalized or failed for false AI results.
  7. RSVPing for Graduation - Dr. Vandehey
    • Dr. Vandehey is concerned about the “List of Shame” for not replying to graduation, and it’s creating a hostile environment because everyone up the chain is notified of whether we complete a task. Dr. Vandehey asked that we have a completion certificate for these requirements so that we can demonstrate that we have completed these tasks.
  8. Late Drop Date - Dr. Slavens
    • Dr. Slavens expressed concerns that delaying the drop date may harm retention.
  9. First Year Experience - Dr. Young
    • Dr. Young asked that FMA incorporate study skills into the curriculum. Dr. Case suggested that Dr. Young email Dr. Nivens (FMA) with these concerns.
  10. Announcements: 


Committee and Other Reports:
None

  1. Academic Council - Dr. Randy Case
    No report. Cancelled.
  2. Administrative Council - Dr. Matthew Capps
    No report. Has not met.
  3. Allocation Advisory Council - Dr. Matthew Capps
    No report. Has not met.
  4. Athletics Council - Dr. Catharine Garahan
    No report. Has not met.
  5. Faculty Grievance Committee - Dr. Vicki Dillard
    No report. Has not met.
  6. Student Affairs Council - Dr. Randy Case
    Is meeting at 3:30 on 12/12.
  7. University Celebration of Scholarship - Dr. Darla Diltz
    No report. Has not met.
  8. Emergency Management Committee - Dr. Tammy Kurszeski
    Committee will meet on Dec. 19th.
  9. Other Committee Reports - None


Meeting adjourned at 4:35 pm. Dr. Capps made a motion to adjourn, and everyone seconded.
The motion to adjourn passed unanimously.


Submitted,
Hillary Coenen, Faculty Senate Secretary
Matthew Capps, Faculty Senate Chair


Next Meetings:
The next Executive Committee meeting with the President is TBD.
The next Executive Committee meeting will be at 3:30 PM on Monday, Jan. 13th via Zoom.
The next Faculty Senate meeting will be at 3:30 PM on Jan. 16th in Bridwell Hall 204.