10.14.25 Senate Minutes

Establish a Quorum

The attendance vote was opened, and a quorum was established with 72 members present as of 3:32 pm. When the quorum vote closed at the end of the meeting, 85 senators or substitutes had responded present.

Senate Meeting Minutes from September 14, 2025 were approved by unanimous consent.

Link to minutes from September 14, 2025: https://auburn.app.box.com/file/1998400041251

Remarks and Announcements

University Senate Chair: Virginia A. Davis

Chair Davis welcomed Cameia Battle as our new Administrative Support Specialist for Shared Governance. Cameia will be providing administrative support to the University Senate, Staff Council, and A&P Assembly. The Auburn chapter of the American Association of University Professors, which is an advocacy organization, will be conducting a brief survey to gather faculty perspectives on academic freedom and shared governance. The survey will be sent to all faculty the week before Thanksgiving.

The Employee Hardship Fund Committee is fundraising by selling adorable Aubie shirts and cups. Fundraising and donations enable the employee hardship fund to provide financial assistance to faculty, staff, and administrative and professor personnel who experience a need. More info: aub.ie/employeehardshipfund

President: Chris Roberts

President Roberts began by revisiting a statement that was posted on social media on behalf of the AU leadership team. He acknowledged that the message prompted multiple conversations with the shared governance groups plus other internal and external stakeholders. He reiterated that safety of the Auburn community was the central concern behind the message and clearer terminology could have conveyed that intent. Roberts emphasized the importance of improving simultaneous communication to both internal and external stakeholders. The communication channels and capabilities are now under review.

He then shared enrollment updates for Fall 2026, noting that Auburn is on track to receive a record number of applicants. Compared to this time last year, there are over 23,000 applicants, which is a 19% increase. He praised faculty and staff for creating a compelling learning environment that continues to attract students. There has also been a 23% increase in applicants from the state of Alabama, which aligns with our land-grant mission to serve all Alabamians. Roberts also discussed graduate admissions, but since this is on a different timeline, it is too soon to know the impact from Executive orders. He will keep the Senate informed.

President Roberts also shared that he and a select team of AU leaders visited Apple to experience some emerging technology that will have could transformative impact on instruction, research and scholarship, and business practices. He was also able to travel to Washington, D.C. to meet with elected officials. Roberts was able to meet with the Secretary of Agriculture to stress the importance of USDA funding sources for Auburn University and the impact of the loss of funding has on the research, Extension, and Alabama Experiment Station activities. Other research updates will be given by Dr. Steve Taylor at the Fall Faculty meeting.

Roberts also highlighted the role of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) as the third pillar of our land-grant mission. Auburn remains committed to maintaining a presence in every county of the state. This connects our faculty expertise to real-world challenges in agriculture, health, youth development, and the environment. The ACES team also marked their third annual Extension Week which helps show the state our resources and impact. Roberts also noted that we are in the middle of a national search for our new Director of Extension. As the search progresses, he will keep everyone updated.

Finally, President Roberts celebrated a record funding year for Auburn Advancement, which achieved 123% of its goal. Given the ongoing changes, he was very proud of the team for finding funding for professorships, scholarships, and student support.

Provost: Vini Nathan

Provost Nathan thanked Dr. George Flowers for his tremendous service as the Dean of the Graduate School and celebrated his new role as the Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. She also announced Dr. Ash Abebe will begin serving as Interim Dean of the Graduate School.

Nathan then shared that Dr. Norman Godwin the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs will step down effective December 31, 2025. She highlighted his significant contributions in multiple roles within the Provost’s office and noted he will take administrative leave in Spring 2026 before returning to his tenured position in the Harbert College of Business. To fill the vacancy, Dr. Angela Wiley, currently the Associate Provost for Institutional Effectiveness, will assume the role of Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs beginning January 1, 2026. Provost Nathan shared that further details regarding the search for a new leader in Institutional Effectiveness, whether internal or external, will be shared in the coming weeks.

Nathan also shared updates related to faculty matters. She announced that Auburn will celebrate 52 newly endowed faculty. Currently, there are 286 named or endowed professorships, which represent~18% of full-time faculty. She expressed her aspirations to increase that number to 40%; this is not formally approved, but her vision for future campaigns. Nathan also highlighted that faculty award winners were just announced. These awards recognize outstanding colleagues from across various disciplines, including Chair Davis who received a marquee award.

Looking ahead to commencement, Provost Nathan shared there will be three ceremonies. The commencement speaker will be Trustee Emerita Sarah Newton, a 1974 graduate of the College of education

Questions:

Roy Hartfield, Senator from Aerospace Engineering, raised concerns about an article in the Auburn Plainsman that referenced rules for faculty not found in the Faculty Handbook. He asked if “it is the current position of the administration that faculty can be dismissed based on the President finding
what they say on social media or public to be quote ‘antithetical to the creed.’” President Roberts responded that the actions that were taken were related to campus safety and that appropriate processes were followed for each employee classification. He also stated that at Auburn “we celebrate freedom of speech here on this campus as well as everybody’s academic freedom.”

Diana Samek, Senator from Human Development and Family Science, asked how many faculty or staff were dismissed due to social media posts. President Roberts responded that it was more than one individual but declined to share specific details to protect the privacy of those individuals. He also
stated that a process on campus is a committee decision, not made by an individual. With permission of Chair Davis, Jamie Hammer who is General Counsel added that speech is protected, but it may still prompt review if it raises safety concerns. She emphasized the university’s obligation to maintain a safe environment for everyone on campus.

Stephanie Shepherd, Senator from Geosciences, raised a concern about being targeted due to her research and asked, “how is the university planning to protect our academic freedom in the future?” President Roberts responded that Auburn has always valued and will continue to value academic
freedom, which is included in the Board of Trustee’s own bylaws. He emphasized that campus safety is of the utmost importance especially when Auburn people are subject to any form of harassment. With permission of Chair Davis, Roberts asked if Provost Nathan had additional comments. She added that Auburn has always had to balance academic freedom, first amendment rights. and applicable state and federal laws. She invited faculty to reach out through departments and colleges to the Provost’s
office so they can work with legal counsel’s office as needed.

Chair Davis noted that anyone with additional questions could reach out to the Provost or President’s
office.

Business Items

Vote on Senate Committee Nominee

Presenter: Rachel Prado

Secretary Prado presented a nominee for the Non-Tenure Track Faculty Committee who had been vetted and approved by Rules Committee. Approval of the nominee was voted on by the Senate.

Voting Results: 64 Yes / 1 No / 4 Abstain

The nominee was approved.

Academic Standards Committee Course Overload Feedback Discussion 

Presenter: Damon McIntosh

Damion McIntosh shared that he had received 42 responses from senators on the Course Overload Policy. He went through each current standard and proposed change to highlight the feedback received so far. Concerns were raised that the proposal to increase the maximum credit hours by 1
hour would be a potential risk for students with low GPA. McIntosh shared data that in Spring 2025 students requesting overloads had a GPA average of 3.46 versus a GPA average of 3.32 for nonoverload students. He also clarified that overloads will still be decided on a case-by-case basis. He then shared concerns from senators about replacing the 2.5 GPA requirement with “good standing” which has a lower 2.0 GPA threshold would set students up for failure. McIntosh clarified that the 2.5 GPA was only checked for previous semester and changing to good standing would look at the student’s complete performance at Auburn. He added that the committee would consider editing the revision to ensure that “good standing” is defined by university policy to give greater clarity. The last feedback item discussed that the dean’s designee be a faculty member. This feedback will be referred back to the committee. McIntosh shared that the majority of the feedback received was in agreement with the proposed policy.

Questions:
Sara Wolf, Senator from Educational Foundations, Leadership, and Technology, received feedback from her unit that the workload expectations of students associated with increased credit hours, referencing the university’s recommendation of 3 to 3.5 hours of work outside of class per credit hour. McIntosh responded that the proposed increase would reduce administrative burden and the student capacity would be assessed individually through advisor consultations.

Tony Moss, Substitute Senator from Biological Sciences, asked which group of students would be most affected by the policy change. McIntosh responded that he did not have access to that data but would inquire further.

Policy Advisory Committee Report

Presenter: Jason Bryant, Committee Chair and Chair-elect, University Senate

Chair-elect Bryant provided an overview of the Policy Advisory Committee to help everyone better understand its role within shared governance. The committee is chaired by the Chair-elect and includes all Executive Committee members and four additional members from across campus. The committee’s charge is to review and provide feedback on policies forwarded by the Executive Policy Committee, regularly report to the Senate, and bring policies to the University Senate for consideration. He explained that the Executive Policy Committee is composed of senior administration officials including the Provost, Senior Vice President for Business and Administration/CFO, Senior Vice President for Student Affairs, Vice President for Institutional Compliance and Security, General Counsel, and their respective designees. He then outlined the process for policy development that shared on the General Counsel’s website. He noted there were six steps in the policy process. At the end of the process, the policy moves to the President and he may approve, decline, request
modification, or further consideration before approving a proposed policy. The shared governance groups give feedback in step 5. Bryant shared that this year the Policy Advisory Committee has reviewed two policies: Hazing Policy Amendment and Student Organization Housing Policy Amendment.

Ad hoc Grievance Committee Report
Presenter: David Miller, Committee Chair

David Miller, a Senator from Philosophy and Chair of the Ad hoc Committee for Faculty Grievance Policy Review, presented the committee’s findings. The committee was formed by the Senate Steering Committee in May 2025 and charged with conducting a comprehensive review and benchmarking of grievance polices for faculty at peer institutions. He shared that the five committee members reviewed more than 30 institutions consisting of SEC schools, members of Southern Regional Education Board, secular private schools, other power four conferences, and recommended institutions with model policies. Miller stated that all institutions surveyed recognized the unique and separate status of faculty and provided a specialized process by which complaints are presented and evaluated by faculty colleagues. Besides two irregular cases, Miller shared that Auburn’s process is in-line with peers. He stated that the committee was charged with investigating whether the current policy allows grievances against non-faculty administrators, and it was the opinion of the committee is that it does. He summed up that every policy comparable to Auburn’s allows grievances against administrators without respect to their faculty status. The committee also found that Auburn’s policy allows for grievances that are typically permitted by peer institutions. He stated that one other gap with respect to peers is that the Auburn policy is not explicit about how the grievance process interacts with other complaint resolution means. He stated the committee found that Auburn’s process is admirably straightforward and clear. Also, other institutions offered the right of appeal, but the committee found this would not be appropriate at Auburn. Finally, at most institutions the faculty grievance process is created by the constitution or charge of some faculty body. He noted that keeping the Auburn policy in the Senate constitution is in line with best practices that the majority of peer institutions maintain.

Miller summarized that the Ad hoc Committee found that Auburn’s grievance policy is generally in accord with best practices at peer institutions and the principles of shared governance. The committee did not find a reason for fundamental change. The committee did make the following motions:

1. The language in Article 6, Section 2, of the Senate Constitution that currently reads: ‘A grievance may be filed by one or more faculty members affected; it may be directed against the action of one or more administrators or other members of the faculty’ be amended to ‘A
   grievance may be filed by one or more faculty members affected; it may be directed against the action of one or more members of the faculty or administrators’.
2. The following language be added to Article 6, Section 2, of the Senate Constitution: ‘Should a complaint arise from the action of some other party, an administrator could take corrective action, and a grievance may be directed against the administrator’s action or failure to act.’
3. The following language be added to Article 6, Section 2, of the Senate Constitution: ‘For the purposes of faculty grievance, an administrator is someone who holds authority, individually or in conjunction with others, to effect decisions that affect the performance of faculty responsibilities.’
4. The following language be added to Article 6, Section 2, of the Senate Constitution: ‘Interactions with other University committees or processes do not limit or change a faculty member’s right to file a grievance on appropriate grounds.’

Chair Davis thanked Miller and noted the items would be added to the November Senate meeting for discussion and vote.

Calendar and Schedules Committee Report

Presenter: Karen Battye, Committee Chair

Registrar Battye presented the proposed 2028-2029 Academic Calendar. She explained the colorcoded days were yellow for academic days, green for first/last day of term, blue for institutional holidays. She noted that the academic term must begin after August 15 and end by May 15. For Fall 2028, the proposed term begins on August 16 which gives a 70 academic day calendar. She explained this is in line with our SACSCOC Accreditation which requires between 70-73 days. She stated the committee prioritized a two-day fall break over starting later and gaining additional days.

The Spring 2029 term begins on January 10, included the standard spring break in early March, ended with 72 academic days, and puts graduation for the first weekend in May. The Summer 2029 term would begin May 16 and include two mini-terms of 24 days each. The entire summer term totaled 48 academic days with graduation on August 4. Battye moved that the senate approve the proposed 2028-2029 academic calendar. Chair Davis noted that discussion and voting on this motion would be added to the agenda for the November Senate meeting.

Information Items

Auburn University Student Affairs

Presenter: Bobby Woodard, Senior Vice President for Student Affairs

Bobby Woodard presented an overview of Student Affairs and emphasized that while students earn their degrees through the classroom instruction, Student Affairs helps them apply the learning in realworld contexts. He then highlighted Auburn Cares, Auburn University Medical Clinic, First Year
Experience, Greek Life, Melton Student Center, Parents and Family Program, Property Management, Recreation and Wellness Center, Student Conduct, Student Counseling and Psychological Services, Student Involvement, Campus Dining, Tiger ID, University Housing, and Veteran Resource Center.

Questions:
Michael Stern, a guest from Economics, asked “what the practice of the institution is if a student is injured in the university’s facilities due to the university’s negligence? Is a medical treatment billed to the parent’s insurance, or does the university have its own insurance and take care of the associated consequences?” Woodard responded that if something happened they would encourage anyone to contact risk management and safety and that they would take it from there.

New Business

None.

Adjournment

Chair Davis adjourned the meeting at 4:51 pm.

Attendance