Faculty Senate - November 2024 Minutes

*Proxy for Dr. Sandra Shawver
**Proxy for Dr. Michael Vandehey

Call to Order: 3:32 PM

Housekeeping:

• Approval of Agenda - Dr. Erica Judie motioned, and Dr. Randy Case seconded. All approved.
• Approval of Minutes - Dr. Erica Judie motioned, and Dr. Randy Case seconded. All approved.

Current Business/Information Sharing: None

New Business:

1. OPT/TRS Retirement System
   • Dr. Adam Lei explains that in the available retirement plans at the University, the 457 plan allows participants to choose between the traditional and Roth contribution options, but the TSA (Tax-Sheltered Annuity) plan doesn’t have the Roth option. HR is comparing policies with TTU and TTU does provide the Roth option in its TSA plan. The University might make changes in the future to allow the Roth option in the TSA plan, but we don’t have a timeline. Dr. Lei provided a written explanation of this issue.
2. Course Evaluation Issue - Dr. Capps
   • Provost Brown Marsden indicated that from now on, faculty will be informed when students are informed.
3. Faculty Raises - Dr. Capps
   • Dr. Capps explained Gov. Abbott’s announcement that Texas public universities will not be allowed to increase tuition, which will affect the source of funding for faculty and staff raises. However, the university does have a plan for funding those raises from an alternate source: allocations. This raises the question of whether these raises will still be contingent upon enrollment numbers. Additional answers will be provided in the executive committee meeting with the president. Dr. Capps asked for additional questions to discuss at the meeting.
   • Dr. Bev Stiles asked if all colleges have been provided information about the 1% merit raise minimum.
   • Dr. Slavens asked if chairs will be asked to differentiate among faculty for various merit raises. Answer is not known. Dr. Slavens indicated that 3% should be the minimum or across the board unless someone is demonstrably undeserving of a raise.
   • Dr. Lei asked how long the tuition freeze will be in effect? Gov. Abbott’s letter indicates at least two years or for the rest of his administration.
   • Dr. Randy Case & Dr. Capps explained background information that was provided in the executive committee meeting with the president.
4. Feedback on Strategic Plan - Dr. Capps
   • Dr. Capps indicated that every college has met with the provost about the strategic plan. Some feedback has been provided.
   • Dr. Adam Lei said, one faculty member asked, “Do we have a goal for graduation completion rates among specific populations?”
   • Dr. Capps expresses concern regarding who will be held accountable for retention, especially when we struggle to get students to attend and participate in class. How is retention measured per college for students in core classes?
   • Dr. Slavens indicates that the influence of the Bridge program and how that impacts retention is both unknown and uncommunicated.
   • Dr. Case indicated that Admissions shared that the state of Texas will soon require that TSI-exempt students who do not make a C or better in core classes will be required to take a leveling course.
   • Dr. Capps said that feedback asks who is collecting all the data.
   • Dr. Dillard said that her feedback asks questions about discount rates, KPIs, etc. She will send the comments to Dr. Capps.
   • Dr. Magee asserted that their own alerts and grade distributions sent in their own classes reflects or aligns with the university’s retention rate.
   • Dr. Young said that we also have a lack of oversight and coherence in instructional practices, and some instructors did not provide adequate syllabi, schedules, or instructional materials.
   • Laura Hetrick also indicates that the behaviors and needs that they’re seeing in Student Affairs (including Title IX & BIT) are also reflective of a much less supported and developed student population.
   • Dr. Karundapuram indicated that her students’ attendance is really poor, and she wondered what they’re doing and where they are.

Unfinished Business:

1. T & P Process - Dr. Adam Lei
   • Dr. Lei said that in the electronic process submitters need to have access to edit, move, and remove contents after posting. Those submitting hard copies should also be asked to submit a single document of the narrative especially so that evaluators can access the central components electronically, without having to go to the designated location for hard copies.
   • Confidential documents submitted in portfolios should not be uploaded to ChatGPT or large-language models. This includes the entire portfolio.
   • Dr. Case asks why we are not able to provide each faculty member with a T&P development course shell in D2L upon their start dates.
2. Announcement
   • The Thanksgiving Play opens Thursday, Nov. 21st.

Committee and Other Reports: None

1. Academic Council - Dr. Randy Case
   
   • Met October 23rd.
   • Core Curriculum & Syllabi will be reviewed in late November or spring; they’re seeking a template to share.
   • Scholarly Deliverability course
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
5. Budget Oversight Committee - Dr. Bev Stiles
   No report. Has not met.
6. Enrollment Management Council - Representative TBD by vote
   No report. Has not met.
7. Faculty Grievance Committee - Dr. Vicki Dillard
   
   • The committee met with the president.
8. Leadership Advisory Council - (Unlisted)
   No report. Has not met.
9. Student Affairs Council - Dr. Randy Case
   
   • Met on Nov. 14th.
   • TSI-exempt students who make below a C in core classes will be required to take a leveling course.
   • Electronic Diplomas are in development.
   • New process for transcripts, which will now move through a third party.
   • Change of majors forms will go electronic.
   • 971 - 906 Domestic/69 Int’l - We’re currently 1.5% behind last year’s progress.
10. University Celebration of Scholarship - Dr. Darla Diltz
    
    • UCS will have a Fall session and a spring session.
11. Emergency Management Committee - Dr. Tammy Kurszeski
    
    • Committee will meet on Dec. 19th.
    • Gunn College will have emergency drills and training tomorrow (11/15), and the building will be locked down.
12. 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 will be on Nov. 22nd at 1:30 PM (and Dec. 6th at 3 PM).
The next Executive Committee meeting will be at 3:30 PM on Dec. 5th via Zoom.
The next Faculty Senate meeting will be at 3:30 PM on Dec. 12th in Bridwell Hall 204.