April Meeting Highlights

Below are the key updates from the April 20 Faculty Senate meeting. 

• Faculty Senate President’s Update
  • Academic Analytics
    • The provost will put together an advisory group on the use of academic analytics focused on faculty and program development, not faculty evaluation. Senate members can make nominations of research-active faculty to President Boaz by next Friday.
  • Revision to Academic Freedom policy
    • Provost Wilcox is reviewing the recommendations and expects to follow up in the next couple of weeks.
  • Viewpoint diversity survey
    • Different versions of the survey were sent to faculty, staff, and students, but there has been no follow-up on the availability of results. This will be an item for discussion at the May ACFS meeting that President Boaz will attend. Deanna Michael shared that the deadline to share results is September 2022.
  • University Space Advisory Committee
    • Vice Provost Jim Garey is leading this group and it has an appointment for the President of the Faculty Senate.

• Bellini Center Update
  • Dean Limayem explained that the Muma College of Business has opened the Bellini Center for Talent Development in TVB. The donation from Donald and Arnold Bellini. The center provides a state-of-the-art space where employers and students can meet and where students can get training and development. Employers are co-designers and facilitators of the space. Badges and certificates offered through the Bellini center will be integrated into the curriculum.
  • The space is open and faculty are welcome to schedule a time to take a tour of the space.

• Legislative Update
  • Mark Walsh provided some brief updates about the legislature’s activities and shared that the legislature opted for two special sessions that may delay the budget or other actions, click here for a summary of higher education bills under consideration.