Early Bird

Faculty Senate update

Online-program policy vote; Weiske visits; survey fights food insecurity.

By Cory Phare

April 30, 2019

The penultimate Faculty Senate meeting of the 2018-19 academic year was jam-packed with business, in large part because of the previous session’s bomb-cyclonic cancellation.

A substantial amount of time was devoted to discussion of the online-teaching policy. Matt Griswold, associate vice president of online programs, outlined three main components:

1. Use of resources – instructional design: Faculty have access to comprehensive instructional-design support (numerous areas including accessibility assistance).
2. Use of resources – compensation: Faculty members receive stipends of $1,000 to enhance existing courses and $2,000 to create new courses.
3. Ownership: If faculty members use these resources, they own their materials, and the University has a three-year license when the faculty member leaves the University to redevelop the course. If faculty members use neither resource, they own their materials and no University license exists.

Faculty Senate President Matt Makley (history) thanked faculty trustee Chris Harder (mathematics and computer science) and Liz Goodnick (philosophy) for their work.

“From the beginning, there was a collective agreement to be faculty-owned,” Makley said. “I’m grateful to all the work that went into this; this policy is definitely an improvement.”

After floor discussion regarding the three-year window, resources and clarification that the policy scope encompasses courses with 75% or more of the learning experience occurring online, the vote passed with 60 in favor, two against and one abstention.

Senate guests included:

• Barb Weiske, outgoing AHEC CEO, who discussed the progressive growth of the Auraria campus; this included the emergence of conceptual neighborhoods across the three institutions, upgrades of transportation and wayfinding infrastructure, and the forthcoming conversion from steam to natural gas, recently approved by the state legislature.
• Amanda Berry and George Middlemist, who described the proposed conversion from a 10-month to a 12-month benefit cycle; a follow-up survey is forthcoming.
• Kim Barron and Lou Moss, who gave updates on the ongoing National Survey of Student Engagement, open to first-year and senior students. Each completed survey earns $2 for the Roadrunner Food Pantry; more than $1,600 has been collected so far. A fundraising tally board is displayed at the pantry’s location in the Tivoli Student Union.
• Gregor Mieder and Veronica Gonzalez, who reviewed the resources offered by Immigrant Services; this includes support for DACA and undocumented students, writing and legal services, and scholarship/grant opportunities.

Other business included:

• In the Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee report, Zsuzsa Balogh (civil-engineering technology) updated the group on the approval to add the Health Institute to Curriculog, along with the planned subcommittee work on language revision to the curriculum manual regarding special programs, institutes and centers.
• The FSCC also discussed proposed structural changes and the unanimous approval of the General Studies Renovation effort by the FSCC and General Studies Committee.
• Williams (modern languages) thanked everyone on the Revenue, Tenure and Promotion Committee for their work reviewing 75 candidates this academic year.
• Makley reminded attendees about Senate elections taking place next meeting; those interested in the Executive Committee or Committee Chair positions can still nominate themselves or others.
• Those interested in participating in a campus band should contact Diane Yee, campus recreation.
• In honor of Administrative Assistants Day, Makley presented Maggie Thulson, assistant to Faculty Senate and academic affairs, with an MSU Denver mug, thanking her for her work this year.
• Makley also reminded attendees that the final Senate meeting of the academic year will take place May 8; there will be food.