University Governance

FACULTY SENATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
October 28, 2008
Provost’s Conference Room – 3:00 p.m.

Approved 12/2/08

PRESENT:  Liz Kowalchuk, Nancy Kinnersley, Ben Eggleston, John Staniunas, John Stratton, Lisa Wolf-Wendel

EXCUSED: Mary Berry, Lisa Friis,

ALSO PRESENT: Molly Mulloy, Governance; Kathy Reed, Governance

            FacEx chair Nancy Kinnersley called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m.

MINUTES for September 30, 2008, were approved.

REPORT OF THE FACULTY SENATE PRESIDENT
            Nancy Kinnersley reported that a Lawrence Journal World reporter inquired about governance’s action on same-sex employment benefits. He was informed that Bill Crowe’s Task Force on Employment Benefits was looking at the total spectrum of benefits but had not yet reported its findings to SenEx.
Kinnersley asked members if they had heard anything specific about the proposed 2% budget cut. Several persons commented that the budget officers in their departments reported that the 2% cut was being reduced to 1% but apparently there has not been an official announcement to the university community.

DISCUSSION ABOUT SYMPOSIUM AND PRACTICUM COURSES IN REFERENCE TO FACEX APPEALS
            Nancy Kinnersley noted that the Registrar’s Office has asked for clarification about symposium and practicum courses as to whether they are covered by the drop/add policy and appeals to Facex. She pointed out that FacEx agreed last year that if a course does not have set meeting dates, then the drop/add deadlines do not apply.  Several members pointed out that if a symposium or practicum is scheduled for a specific time, then the drop/add policy would apply. If a symposium or practicum course is “by appointment,” then only the approval of the instructor is required. 

DISCUSSION REGARDING POSTUMOUS DEGREE POLICY
            Kinnersley stated that any policy approved by FacEx would apply only to undergraduate students.  Lisa Wolf-Wendel noted that the posthumous policy recently approved for graduate students provides for the Graduate Executive Committee to review requests from a school on an individual basis for students who are ¾ through a graduate program.
            Consensus of FacEx was that a posthumous policy for undergraduates should be in the Provost’s policy website rather than the USRR and that the student should: 1) be in good standing, 2) in his/her last semester, and 3) recommended by his/her school.

PROCEDURES FOR COMMITTEE ON STANDARDS AND PROCEDURES FOR PROMOTION AND TENURE
            Copies of an email from Mark Ezell, chair of the SPPT Committee, describing SPPT’s proposed procedures for reviewing unit promotion and tenure documents over a 3-year cycle was reviewed and approved. 
 
No further business.
Respectfully submitted,
Molly Mulloy