Faculty Senate creates Graduate Strategic Advisory Committee at Jan. 11 meeting

January 12, 2010

Daniel Larner, Western Washington University Faculty Senate president, called the 2009-2010 senate to order at 4:02 p.m. Senators accepted senate minutes of Nov. 23, 2009, and standing committee minutes. Senators expressed support for recommendations in the University Planning and Resouces Council minutes that discussion of capital projects is planned.

President Larner reported that the senate is strong and its voice is solicited by the campus in matters of policy, procedure and strategy.

President Bruce Shepard reported there is no change in the projected budget cut to Western of $3.8 million in the second half of the biennium. Shepard reported that the same process will be reviewed and critiqued in order to come up with an adjusted budget, and there are four critical areas:

  • Fight for the state need grant, which has been decimated by the governor’s budget;
  • Find new unknown revenue measures in the state;
  • Obtain tuition flexibility locally before cuts increase in the future;
  • Seek management savings especially in those processes that need to be made more efficient, including capital projects.

Shepard would like the university to come forward with initiatives to show we are part of the solution, initiatives that will become realized when the state turns around financially and is able to move these initiatives forward.

  • Ramon Rinonos-Diaz reported the following:
  • On the Martin Luther King Holiday, 37 students will be going to Olympia for Lobby Day;
  • The AS is working on a written charter;
  • The AS passed a resolution on gender inclusive housing and is floating options to better provide for transgender students.

Steven Garfinkle, United Faculty of Western Washington president, reported that the administration, other unions on campus and various other stakeholders that support lobbying efforts in Olympia are providing a good model for cooperation. Garfinkle recommends visiting Bill Lyne’s blog on the UFWW Web site and signing the home e-mail log.

MOTIONS:

Senators moved to adopt the formation of the Graduate Strategic Advisory Committee (see charge below). Senators amended the charge to add a graduate and an undergraduate student and to provide that the GSAC should actively solicit viewpoints from the community of stakeholders. This committee will sunset in two years from the date of the first meeting.

Senators reviewed draft changes to ByLaw 7.5 - Senate Library Committee, which included adding a representative appointed by the faculty governance body of each college. Senators will cast a first vote for the charge at the next meeting.

Senators moved to a faculty caucus at 5:36 p.m. after a short break and then adjourned at 5:49 p.m.

APPOINTMENTS AND ELECTIONS:

Chuck Lambert, Appointments Officer

  • To Academic Coordinating Commission: Robert Stoops, Wtr-Spr 2010 for Roger Thompson
  • To University Planning and Resources Council: Ron Riggins, for Larry Estrada, Fairhaven, Wtr Qtr

VACANCIES:

  • Assessment Advisory Committee: 2-3 faculty, any area, to meet several times each term, and to assist Steven VanderStaay, VPUE, in the draft of the campus assessment plan.
  • Graduate Strategic Advisory Committee: one faculty representative from each of the Colleges and the Library appointed by the respective college or library faculty governance body (see charge below).
  • 2010 Senate Election Schedule for online voting will be voted on for approval at the next meeting. The final meeting of the Faculty Senate will be held on May 24, 2010.

TEXT OF THE GRADUATE STRATEGIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE (GSAC)

(Approved by the Faculty Senate 1/11/2010)

The GSAC will conduct a strategic examination of graduate education at WWU, and identify the strengths, challenges, opportunities, and threats which confront the development of graduate education at WWU. The GSAC should actively solicit viewpoints from the community of stakeholders.

The committee will generate general principles to guide the University in evaluating new and existing programs. The committee will make recommendations jointly to the Senate and the Provost, concerning the adoption of these principles, and concerning changes in degree types or levels, or other directions for graduate study in which the committee believes the University should move. The committee will not approve proposed programs or evaluate existing ones. These remain functions of the Graduate Council, the ACC, and the Senate. The Senate will forward any recommendations from the GSAC to the Graduate Council, ACC, UPRC and the Deans, and publish them on the Senate’s and the Provost’s website. Any action on GSAC recommendations remains the responsibility of the existing governance structure.

MEMBERSHIP

  • The Senate will approve one faculty representative from each of the Colleges and the Library appointed by the respective college or library faculty governance body for the term of the committee. (8)
  • The Provost and Faculty Senate will jointly select and appoint an (additional) faculty member to serve as GSAC’s chair for the term of the committee. (9)
  • The Dean of Graduate Studies and the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education will serve as voting members, ex officio. (11)
  • One undergraduate student appointed by the AS. (12)
  • One graduate student to be appointed by the new graduate student organization. If that body is not yet formed, one graduate student to be appointed by the AS. (13)

This committee will automatically sunset at the end of two years (reckoned from the date of its first meeting), unless renewed by agreement of the provost and Faculty Senate.