1. Revisions to Promotion and Tenure Criteria at the University, College, and Department Levels;

Officers’ Musings

2 September 2016

Greetings and welcome back to campus from the Faculty Senate officers! We hope your first two weeks of classes went relatively smoothly and you are settling in to the fall semester routine. Below are goals we have for the coming year, reminders of recent and upcoming events and policy changes, and contact information for the Faculty Senate and its Officers.

There are three important issues coming up this year that will occupy the Senate, its standing committees, and the faculty at large:

1. Revisions to promotion and tenure criteria at the university, college, and department levels;

2. Further refinement of instructor roles and evaluation; and,

3. Standardization of grievance policies across units.

The Senate met on August 25 and elected Bob Guell as Parliamentarian for 2016-2017. Senators approved changes to Handbook policies 922.4, 923, and 920.3, the creation of a Music Industry Studies minor, and the elimination of the M.S. in Science Education for Licensed Teachers. In addition, the slate for the University Standing Committees was approved. The next Senate meeting will be held at 3:30 on Thursday, September 15 in HMSU Dede III.

We also wish to address the fact that there have been recent changes to travel procedures.Orbitz for Business can no longer be used. Faculty who wish to direct-bill airfare are required to use Altour, though we have received reports that many fares are higher than those from Orbitz. Information on travel policies and procedures can be found at . In addition, due to a couple of recent cases where faculty were denied university support for trips to sensitive international destinations, the Senate Executive Committee and the Administration have begun discussions regarding the most appropriate university policy concerning foreign travel. Further updates will be forthcoming.

We would like to remind everyone that the Wellness Program is happening again this year. Please remember to sign up for your wellness check to avoid a $50/month surcharge for your health insurance. You should have received a letter at your home address about how to sign up for the wellness checks. These checks must be completed by September 23. If you need more information regarding how to sign up, please go to .

You can find information about the Faculty Senate, including standing committees, Executive Committee and Senate minutes, meeting schedules, etc. at the Faculty Senate website: There is also a Faculty Senate Blackboard Site that all faculty may access. You will find it in your course list as COM-ISUFACULTY: University Faculty. Your Senate officers for 2016-2017 and their contact information are:

Chair: Timothy Hawkins, Professor of History,

Vice Chair: Christine MacDonald, Professor of Educational and School Psychology,

Secretary: Liz Brown, Professor and Chairperson of Mathematics and Computer Science,

Please contact one of the officers or your Senate representative(s) with any questions or concerns.