03.18.25 Senate Minutes

Establish a Quorum

The attendance vote was opened and quorum was established with 62 members present as of 3:33 pm. When the quorum vote closed at the end of the meeting, 80 Senators or substitutes had responded present.

Senate Meeting Minutes from February 18th, 2025 were approved by unanimous consent.

Remarks and Announcements

University Senate Chair: Lori Eckhardt

Chair Eckhardt had several announcements and reminders:

• Voting for Faculty Officers will open at 7:45 am on Thursday, March 20th and close Tuesday, March 25th at 7:45 am. The results will be announced at the Faculty Meeting on Tuesday, March 25th at 3:30 pm on zoom. All faculty as defined by the Faculty Handbook have the right to speak and vote at this meeting.

• Senators were asked to share with their constituents that the portal for volunteering for Senate and University committees is now open.

• The deadline for nominations for the newly-established Senate Leadership Awards has been extended to Monday, March 31.

• New and returning Senators and Senate Committee Chairs should save the date for the 2025- 2026 Senate Kick-Off on August 15th in the Harbert Recruiting Center.

President: Chris Roberts

President Roberts introduced the new SGA President, Owen Beaverstock.

Dr. Mike Phillips has decided to step down as the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) Director for Auburn University, though he has agreed to remain as director until a successor is named. ACES is jointly administered by Auburn and Alabama A&M, and there’s a governance manual that outlines the appointment process for the 1862 Director. The search committee will consist of eleven members – 6 Auburn ACES affiliates, 3 Alabama A&M ACES affiliates, and 2 non-ACES affiliated Auburn employees. President Roberts is responsible for appointing the committee chair. He and President Wims (Alabama A&M) will appoint the other members of the search committee. More details will be forthcoming.

President Roberts shared information on recent congressional visits. Discussions with policymakers included information on the importance of Auburn’s funding and the positive impact Auburn has through its work as a land grant institution. President Roberts and his entire leadership team will continue to engage in conversations at this level.

President Roberts shared information on some of the effects of recent actions in Washington, D.C. Metrics on Auburn’s extramurally sponsored research programs for Fiscal Year 2025 were shared. As of March 13th, 754 proposals had been submitted for about $296 million. These numbers are down from last year, likely because fewer funding opportunities are being posted during this administrative transition and the changes that are taking place. Auburn will continue to track this very carefully as the situation continues to develop. President Roberts encouraged everyone to focus on two things: relentlessly submit proposals to opportunities that are posted and tighten belts wherever possible. Auburn is receiving new contracts and grants awards. In Fiscal Year 2025, Auburn has received about $82 million so far. Auburn has received general guidance from some agencies related to the executive orders on topics such as DEI, gender ideology, etc., and the recommendation has been to stop the affected activities, but the projects have been able to continue. In other cases, Auburn has received direct guidance on specific projects that included requests to modify scope of work or to rework the budget. Overall, Auburn has received specific guidance on about 40 projects (out of about 2000 active contracts and grants); 15 projects have received stop work orders or terminations. President Roberts encouraged faculty to continue to work on projects unless contacted by the sponsor, the Office of Sponsored Programs, or their college office. If faculty are contacted as PI by their sponsor, they should get in touch with Tony Ventimiglia immediately.

The Board of Trustees has an upcoming meeting on April 3rd. A couple of projects will be brought forward for review and consideration: a complete renovation of Comer Hall, a renovation of Cambridge Hall, and new support buildings on the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Stations.

Provost: Vini Nathan

Provost Nathan had several updates:

• At the upcoming Board of Trustees meeting on April 3rd, there will be one action item and one information item. The action item is from the faculty in the department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, who are proposing a new PhD program in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. The information item comes from two departments – Aerospace Engineering and Physics – who are proposing a graduate certificate in space systems.

• 44 faculty from 8 separate colleges submitted applications for Professional Improvement Leave. 16 proposals were funded at a cost of about $923,000.

• The working group tasked with the analysis of faculty compensation, workload, and productivity has completed interviews with four consulting firms and is working on their report. Two firms will be presented to Provost Nathan, President Roberts, and Kelli Shomaker to choose one.

• The common book was announced: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. More information will be forthcoming

Questions

Sara Wolf, Senator from Educational Foundations, Technology, and Leadership asked Provost Nathan to repeat the name of the common book’s author. The book is Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin.

Action Items

Vote on Nominees for Rules Committee

Nominees for Rules Committee (pdf)

Presenter: Jaena Alabi, Secretary

There was no discussion.

• Voting Results:

  • Elizabeth Lipke - 46

  • Steph Shephed - 46

  • Rebecca Riggs - 40

  • Hans-Werner van Wyk - 40

• Run off results:

  • Steph Shepherd - 31

  • Hans-Werner van Wyk -28

Elizabeth Lipke, Rebecca Riggs, and Hans-Werner van Wyk were elected to serve two-year terms on the Rules Committee.

Vote on RISE Committee Motion

RISE Committee Motion (pdf)

Presenter: Chris Lepcyzk, Chair

Secretary Alabi, as Chair of the Rules Committee, read a statement in support of the motion from a faculty member who does not have a departmental Senator.

David Blersch, Senator from Biosystems Engineering, spoke in support of the motion and also generally for the Sustainability Office.

Steph Shepherd, Senator from Geosciences, also spoke in support of the motion.

• Voting Results: 66 yes / 5 no / 1 abstain

  • The motion was approved

Graduate Council Committee Report

Graduate Council Committee Report (pdf)

Presenter: George FLowers, Chair

George Flowers provided information on the Graduate School and the Graduate Council’s role in supporting the school’s work. The Council reviews request for curriculum changes, reviews and recommends approval of proposals for all new graduate programs and modifications to existing programs, and recommends regulations and policies for the Graduate School. Over the last year, the Graduate Council has recommended approval of 2 revised Graduate Faculty Criteria (from College of Nursing and College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment), reviewed and processed 112 graduate faculty appointments and re-appointments, as well as approved 6 graduate certificates, 1 graduate degree, 1 graduate minor, 38 program revisions, and 286 new/revised courses.

There were no questions.

Information Items

Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) Requirements

NAGPRA Requirements (pdf)

Presenter: Michael Walters

Walters shared that NAGPRA is a federal law, passed in 1990, focused on repatriating human remains and certain cultural items to their Native communities. There will be a campus-wide survey of all Auburn employees (faculty and staff) to identify any religious objects, cultural patrimony, funerary objects, or human remains that may exist on campus. Senators are encouraged to share this information with their constituents and encourage them to complete the survey when it goes out so that the university can comply with the law and ensure all Native artifacts are accounted for.

There were no questions.

AI Update

AI Update (pdf)

Presenter: Asim Ali

Ali shared an update on Artificial Intelligence, including survey data showing that graduates think AI should be integrated into their coursework, employers expect graduates to come trained in using AI tools in the workplace, and faculty are generally not confident in how to use AI in their teaching. To help address this gap, Ali noted there are resources available on campus, including common AI tools such as Microsoft Copilot Chat, Microsoft Copilot 365, and Adobe Firefly. Ali shared information on AI @ AU, led by Hari Narayanan & Gerry Dozier. Every Friday this Spring at 10 am they will be holding guest lectures (virtual or in-person) by Auburn faculty and invited guests on AI. There is also the Teaching with AI Canvas Course, which is available broadly and has been used by the Alabama Community College System and by Educause and has won a national award. Ali shared information on a recent build-a-bot workshop and resources for students, such as the Guide to AI Enhanced Learning. He noted that folks in Biggio are also available to meet with classes and departments to think about AI in the curriculum.

Sara Wolf, Senator from Educational Foundations, Technology, and Leadership asked to what degree AI use has impacted academic honesty activities. Ali said he did not have access to that information but recommended reaching out to Mark DeGoti.

New Business

Lori Eckhardt, Senate Chair

There was no new business.

Adjournment

Lori Eckhardt, Senate Chair

Meeting was adjourned at 4:35 pm

Attendance