AU Senate Meeting

Establish a Quorum

• A quorum was established with 64 senators responding.

• Approval of minutes for the Senate meeting of March 14, 2023. The minutes were approved without objections.

Remarks and Announcements

AU Senate Chair: Mark Carpenter

• The Chair made mention to keep in mind the tragedy that happened in Dadeville as we have students who may have had connections with the community.

AU President: Christopher B. Roberts

• He shared the good news that the enrollment looks very good for the fall and Camp War eagle numbers look very good, graduate enrollment is increasing.

• Auburn has it biggest incoming cohort of international graduate students from Iran, followed by Nigeria, India and China.

• President Roberts thanked everyone who participated and helped with the installation last week.

• And yesterday, the on-campus interviews for Provost and Senior Vice President for academic affairs had begun on campus.

AU Interim Provost: Vini Nathan

Dr. Nathan was absent, and Norman Godwin presented information in her absence.

• Dr. Mario Eden has been named the Dean of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering.

• There are two searches that are ongoing, the Harrison College of Pharmacy and the Harbert College of Business.

• Those finalists have come to campus, and Deans will be named in the coming weeks.

• The BOT approved two academic items; A bachelor's of science in drug and biopharmaceutical science.

Action Items

Vote on Senate Committee Rotations/Replacement Nominees

Presented by L. Octavia Tripp, Senate Secretary and Rules Committee Chair.

Senate Committees Nominees for New Rotations and Replacement Vacancies (pdf)

• Octavia Tripp, Senate Secretary and Rules Committee Chair, introduced the nominees that were approved by rules to fill replacements and vacancies.

  • The nominees were shared and senators had an opportunity to review names before the vole. Senators were asked to vote for replacement and vacancies as a slate The vote was opened by the Chair and the results were as follows. 63 Senators voted. There were 62 yes and 1 abstain vote. Therefore, the slate was approved and the nominates will replace or fill vacancies starting in August.

Vote on Changes to the Faculty Handbook (Proposed in March Senate Meeting)

Presented by Dr. Mitchell Brown, Chair of the Senate Faculty Handbook Review Committee.

Proposed Changes - Retention Committee (pdf)

• There are four substantive changes (presented during the March Senate Meeting) to be voted on during this meeting (see link to proposed changes). A two-thirds majority on the retention committee membership vote of the whole Senate is required for each proposal to pass. Therefore, attendance at the April meeting is required. The other three items only require a majority vote.

  • Brown reviewed concern one of which you may view from the above attached pdf.

More Proposed Changes to the P&T Section of the Faculty Handbook

Presented by Dr. Mitchell Brown, Chair of the Senate Faculty Handbook Review Committee.

Proposed Changes to P&T Section of Faculty Handbook (pdf)

• Mitchell Brown introduced Concern two, three, and four of which you may view from the above attached pdf. The chair asked for questions. Counsel Jamie Hammer gave a review and summary about the concern about guidelines and policy. The chair opened the vote for the following concerns. The results for concern 2, 3, and 4 are noted below.

  • Concern 2 vote - 12 votes yes, 46 vote no and 5 abstain. This change fails.

  • Concern 3 vote – 42 votes yes, 15 vote no and 11 abstain. This change passes.

  • Concern 4 vote – 35 votes yes, 15 vote no, and 13 abstain. This change passes.

Information Items

Senate Committee Report: Non-Tenure Track Faculty (NTTF)

Presented by Ash Curtiss, NTTF Committee Chair and Senior Lecturer in Chemistry/Biochemistry.

Non-Tenure Track Faculty Committee Update (pdf)

• Ash Curtiss gave a detailed committee report that addressed what the committee has been working on during the past year. He shared several suggestions that the committee felt was important to support NTTF; pay increase, job security, and promotion. He also shared what Auburn was doing well to support NTTF. Overall, the committee presented information that was a major concern of NTTF.

Solicitation of a Parliamentarian for the 2023/2024 School Year

Presented by Lisa Kensler, Chair-Elect.

• Lisa Kensler, Chair-elect provided information about the Solicitation of a Parliamentarian for the 2023/2024 school year. You may contact Lisa Kensler regarding your interest in serving by May 1, 2023. This position carries a $6000 stipend/academic year from the Provost’s Office.

Pending Items

Presented by Mitchell Brown, Chair of the Senate Faculty Handbook Review Committee.

Proposed Changes to P&T Section of Faculty Handbook (pdf)

• Mitchell Brown presented Concerns 5 and 6 of which you can view from the above link proposed changes to P&T section of the faculty handbook. The changes were presented but they were not voted on at this time. They will be voted on at the next Senate meeting.

New Business

• Tracy Witte requested that a survey on Childcare Crisis be sent out the University faculty. An email had be previously circulated in the past. The Secretary was asked to resend the email on Childcare Crisis.

Adjournment

Chair Mark Carpenter adjourned the meeting at 5:10 p.m.