Abstract of April 8, 2013, Faculty Senate meeting

Western Today staff

April 15, 2013

Karen Stout, Western Washington University Faculty Senate president, called senators to order at 4:05 p.m. Senators accepted Senate minutes of March 11, 2013, and UPRC and Senate Library Committee minutes.

Senators requested that faculty contact their library liaison to examine the list of journals duplicated in hard copy and JSTOR proposed for disposal. Senators accepted ACC minutes of March 5, 2012, with the exception of the CISS program proposal (eight in favor, 11 opposed). Senators expressed a number of concerns,  including reliance on non-tenure-track faculty, which may be in conflict with the collective bargaining agreement, as well as concerns regarding the nature of GURs associated with the program.

Announcements:

• President Stout:

  • Western will be recognized on April 25 for leading the State in assisting Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. Western also increased contributions to the Combined Fund Drive by more than 31% from last year
  • Faculty are requested to contact David Brunnemer if they come across system glitches for students trying to indicate preferred names or gender markers
  • Women Studies is recruiting a director and search committee chair Allison Giffen will be accepting applications until April 25.

Provost Riordan:

  • Presented photos of faculty who became full professors, those who were tenured and promoted, and those receiving faculty awards
  • Public conversations on Waterfront development are currently being hosted by the Port; Western plans to re-launch campus conversations once more specifics are available.

Dan Boxberger, FLR:

  • Budgets released in Olympia appear to do no more than maintain the status quo for funding Higher Ed;
  • The audiology doctorate and the education specialist degree may get approved
  • The Dream Act has died
  • Non-profit higher education institutions such as WGU will be able to offer state need grants.

Steve Garfinkle, UFWW President:

  • Studies (from the Chronicle of Higher Ed.) show that campuses with faculty unions have a greater proportion of full-time faculty and this correlates with better student performance
  • A vote to enact the representation fee in the Fall passed and will be collected through payroll deduction.

Victor Celis, ASVP:

  • The Student Technology Fee will increase from $25 to $35 to include new funding for the Microsoft Student Advantage, student print quota, and virtual lab upgrades, increased funding for the wireless network renewal and Student Technology Center. There is decreased funding for computer lab renewal and replacement, and the STF Proposal Fund is reduced by half.

PRESENTATION: New Travel Recommendations - Brian Sullivan, Assistant Vice-President, BFA, with Wanna VanCuren, Director Financial Systems and Sally McKechnie, Director of Business Services introduced “TEM,” the Travel & Expense Management module.
PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION: Internationalizing Western: Vicki Hamblin, Director, Center for International Studies, and Shannon Dubenion-Smith, Modern & Classical Languages, updated Senators on the work of the Center in the past year. The One World Strategic Team is expected to recommend models for internationalization of curriculum by the end of next year.
Senators adjourned at 5:57 pm.
APPOINTMENTS AND ELECTIONS – Jackie Caplan-Auerbach, Officer
Ballots open on Blackboard for the all-faculty vote on Wednesday April 10. Three vacancies still remain Areas A, B and C (CST, and CHSS). Please forward your name to the Senate office immediately if you are willing to serve.
Appointed to the Academic Technology Committee: Chris Sandvig, Decision Sciences, 2013-2015; Don Burgess, SMATE, Elementary Ed, SprQtr.