University Senate - April 15, 2024 Minutes

UNIVERSITY SENATE
Meeting Minutes
April 15, 2024
The University Senate was called to order at 3:30 p.m., in 111 Harrison Hall on Monday, April 15, 2024. Members absent:  Adam Beisel, Cheryl Chafin, Riley Crabtree, Amie Earls, Daniele Fioretti, Evan Gallagher, Chip Hahn, Venus Harvey, Frank Huang, Patrick Houlihan, Jeffrey Kuznekoff, Yong Lin, August Ogunnowo, Ganiva Reyes, Nyah Smith, and Peng Wang
1. Call to Order and Announcements and Remarks – Tracy Haynes, Chair of University Senate Executive Committee
  1. Budget Symposium
    1. Benton Hall Room 102
    2. Monday, April 22, 2024 from 3:30-5:00 pm
  2. Elections for the Senate Executive Committee (SEC) for the Chair-Elect and the At-Large Representatives are April 29, 2024
    1. Nominations can be emailed to Tracy or another member of the SEC or can be made on the floor of Senate.
      1. If emailed, the SEC will contact the nominated person to see if they accept the nomination or not.

2. Approval of University Senate Minutes

  1. University Senate Full Meeting Minutes_04.01.2024 (Results: 45-Yes, 00-No, 01-Abstain)

3. Consent Calendar: The following items were received and accepted on the Consent Calendar:

  1. Curricular Items _04.10.2024
    1. Pulled ENG - English, Doctor of Philosophy
  2. Graduate Council Minutes_04.02.2024
  3. LEC Meeting Minutes_03.12.2024

4. Old Business

  1. SR 24-10 Recording Two Minute Speeches Before Senate, Nathan French, Associate Professor, Department of Comparative Religion, and Rosemary Pennington, Associate Professor and Journalism Area Coordinator - Media, Journalism, and Film -  (Results: 40-Yes, 03-No, 03-Abstain)
    1. Some amendment requests we received we couldn’t consider as friendly amendments. However we did consider the rest of the Amendments that we received through Q/A. Amendment added:
      1. BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED that University Senate approves changes to the Standing Rules, Meeting Procedures of University Senate as outlined below:
      2. Any member of the University community should be permitted to address Senate for a maximum of two minutes before the formal business of the Senate meeting begins - up to a maximum of five (5) two-minute addresses per meeting. Speakers who wish to address Senate must inform the Chair and Secretary of University Senate prior to the beginning of the announced meeting. The addresses will be given prior to the opening of the Senate meeting and are therefore not considered official business of the Senate. However, the Chair will open the meeting by informing the Senate of the speaker(s) that addressed the Senate so that the name(s) will appear in the minutes. Transcripts of the address, if provided by the speaker(s), will be made available to the Senate as an appendix to the meeting minutes. If the speaker(s) desire(s) a transcript of the address be recorded in the appendix, a copy of the transcript of the address must be provided at least one hour before the start of the Senate. The transcript will be checked during the address by the Chair and any modifications noted for the record. If the Senate Executive Committee deems an address is unrelated to the University, neither the speaker(s) name(s) nor the transcript will be included in the appendix to the minutes. If Senators take exception with the omissions of the name(s) or transcript, Senators may email the Senate Executive Committee after the meeting in which the omission is noted with an objection to that omission. The Senate Executive Committee will take up the matter at its next meeting and will invite the objecting Senator(s) to attend and discuss the omission.
    2. Senator Question and Comments
      1. Senator: Is there a timeline to submit the objection?(A) We didn't establish one.
      2. Senator: Is that the SEC meeting or the next Senate meeting? I would suggest specifying it to reflect the meeting you are referring to. (A) It would be noted during the Senate meeting if the omission is going to be included and then objections could be discussed during the next SEC meeting. Friendly amendments to make sure that is noted can be made. 
      3. Senator: What happens after the yellow highlighted part of the Senate Resolution?  Will Senate be looped back in? I am just thinking about the SEC and as a former member of it, it can be a really transparent place, but it also can be a very not transparent place. I am worried about some future situation in which things might be suppressed. There is no occasion here where things are going to be reported back to senate or for senate to participate in the decision of whether something is going to appear in the minutes or not. What would you say about those concerns? (A) I understand that, and we probably should have something where this comes back to Senate, but then the problem comes into play about things we don’t think should be included in the minutes, then becoming a part of the minutes because of the discussion on the floor.  I think we are trying to find a transparent process, but we also have concerns that were brought up by our Legal Counsel. Even if it doesn't appear in the minutes, those remarks can still be circulated in other ways privately outside of Senate. Also remember SEC can be voted out if you feel that they are not serving the body.
      4. Senator: There is a power dynamic in the SEC. We have TCPL that could be serving until the end of their contract and could have been elected by the President; we have a Provost serving, and the other people work for the Provost, so that is kind of the issue and not so much the transparency. (A) I understand that.
      5. Senator: You describe a backdoor way to circulate items through that are approved. I am just wondering though on items that are in dispute about the omission could we go to a third party to resolve it like the General Council? (A )I think we are trying to create a policy that is always going to be imperfect. I think it is probably as good as we can get it because it is not going to be a perfect policy, with the exception of adding that one line for more clarity. There is tension over the fear of things not being circulated and the desire to try to create some with transparency and a record. I don’t know if we will be able to resolve that tension, and I do believe this is as good as we can get it with adding in that sentence at the bottom.
      6. Senator: I am sympathetic to other commenters as I am also a former SEC member. I was in the SEC under a different Provost, and there were things that were not transparent. We struggled to overcome the power dynamic back then, so it was a real problem then. But, I would also say, let's not let the perfect be the enemy of the good, because right now none of this information is making it into minutes, so this is better than what we have now, and if we can figure out a way to make it better in the future, we can always do that. So, I would like to do a Call to Question. (A) (Call to Question 44-Yes, 00- No 2-Abstain)
  2. SR 24-11 MTH – Applied Mathematics – Bachelor of Science, Ebrahim Sarabi, Associate Professor of Mathematics, and Alim Sukhtayev, Associate Professor of Mathematics. The curriculum document can be accessed at  https://nextbulletin.miamioh.edu/programadmin/ - click on 'title' and type 'Applied Mathematics*' in the Search section. Click on 'MTH – Applied Mathematics – Bachelor of Science’.  - (Results: 35-Yes, 00-No, 11-Abstain)
    1. Senator Question and Comments
      1. Senator: At the beginning of your presentation, you indicated that there were other programs in Applied Mathematics in Ohio, but more than 30 miles away from Oxford. How did you select a 30 mile radius as the distance? It doesn't seem that far away (especially Wright State and UD), even for commuters. (A) We listed institutions (including UD and Wright State) with similar degrees within a 100-mile radius in our original Senate presentation. The 30-mile radius came from the new program submission form in CIM which contains the following question: Indicate whether any institution within a 30-mile radius of your institution offers the proposed program. If so, list the institutions that offer the proposed program, and provide a rationale for offering an additional program at this site.
      2. Senator: Can you go into more depth about how the existing BA Mathematics major differs from the proposed BS in Applied Mathematics? In your presentation, you had noted that the proposed major is built off of existing mathematics courses and it appears as though both majors have multiple overlapping courses. I also wanted to ask about the claim that "Offering an applied math degree will attract a new group of students to Miami University." Can you talk about the evidence used to support this claim, how do we know (with some degree of confidence) that this will attract truly new students and not poach students from existing majors?(A) The existing BA in Mathematics degree requires only 2 theoretical and 2 applied courses. The existing BS in Mathematics degree requires 4 theoretical and  2 applied courses. The proposed degree requires that students take one theoretical course and 6 applied courses, and consequently provides significant opportunities for students to develop practical mathematical skills, including proficiency in computations. In addition, as opposed to the existing degree, students have an option to get credit for relevant internships. The main difference is the goal of the program: in the new program, students will engage in coursework and projects that center on applying mathematical principles to solve problems across different industries. We anticipate that the Applied Mathematics program will appeal to new students due to its strong emphasis on preparing graduates for careers in industry, prioritizing the development of practical mathematical skills. In part, our expectation of attracting new students is based on communication with parents and prospective students during Make It Miami events. Typically, stating that applied math courses are available without offering a dedicated degree doesn't address the needs or expectations of individuals seeking a comprehensive educational program in applied mathematics. We don't anticipate that this new degree will negatively impact other majors because we don't foresee a straightforward transition from those majors to our proposed program.
      3. Senator: Did we determine new faculty lines for this?(A) Yes, there was one VAP.
      4. Senator: I support the idea of this major. My concern is what is happening at Miami because we are cutting majors but yet introducing this new major and I believe another new major today.  From what we discussed at the last meeting it seems like the major that currently exists is very close to that 35 cutoff, which we were told was the line before. So, I just don’t understand how this fits into a broader understanding of where Miami is going.  In my perception, it seems like Miami is focusing more on becoming a STEM- focused school and professional school. If that is the direction Miami is wanting to go, I think it would be very useful for them to be upfront about that, so that we can either get on board or decide if there are other things out there for us. So, I am truly unsure how I am going to vote regarding this. (A) They have been talking about an applied degree for a long time and Miami has always shifted curriculum to meet student demand. So, there is a lot of demand towards applied Math. That is why Stats grow and grow, and this is the Math Department’s response to the student desire and demand. That is what we have done throughout the history of the university, to try to respond to student interest and how that landscape is shifting.
      5. Senator: If this program requires a VAP position, is there funding for that to be supported?(A) I believe that it has been
      6. Senator: I have been working at the Make it Miami days and the question students are asking is “do you have an applied math degree?” When we show them what we are currently offering, the students' responses have been “that is not exactly what I am looking for”. Students are asking for this degree and I believe we are losing students because we are not currently offering it.
      7.  Senator: The question was raised at the last meeting of: “Why don’t we do a joint degree with stats?”, with a response of: “the logistics of managing a joint degree is vague. Neither mathematics nor stats understands the other clearly. Unless the university provides clear guidance on joint degrees, we would not be clear on how to operate it”. If we are at a bad moment, we need to try to be strategic and it makes more sense to have a dual program and the only reason we are not is because we don’t know how. I don't think that is really just a question about math, but in general. Is there a procedural change in the things that we need to do and, by resolving it, would that make a difference in what you are proposing? (A) My understanding is that for about 3 years there was a technical glitch and somehow the statistics and math department thought the other departments would catch that. That is why the numbers in this program are lower because for an entire year there were zero students added to this program and we are  still seeing the consequences with that. From a logistical point of view that program doesn’t show in Banner for math or statistics. So, if someone is looking in there for the number of students, that will not show. It is not very convenient.
      8. Senator: We consolidated last year in our department, so we didn’t have all these individual degrees. I feel like we go one way for one department and another way for other departments.
      9. Senator: From looking at this I see that you are offering two theoretic courses and two applied courses. How many courses is the VAP going to be teaching? (A) We are not changing the BA degree, so for the BS degree we are offering two theoretical courses and 6 applied courses. The VAP would be starting for the next year as we are thinking that is when we will have a higher enrollment.

5. New Business

  1. WST - Individualized Studies, Bachelor of Philosophy, Nicholas Money,  Director of Western Program and Professor of Biology,The curriculum document can be accessed at  https://nextbulletin.miamioh.edu/programadmin/ - click on 'title' and type 'Individualized Studies, Bachelor of Philosophy*' in the Search section. Click on 'WST - Individualized Studies, Bachelor of Philosophy’. Presentation only; Discussion and Anticipated Vote on April 29, 2024
    1. Recent(ish) History
      1. 2008-2010: Development of the New Western Program in the College of Arts and Science at Miami
      2. 2010-2020: The first decade of Western as the home of the Individualized Studies major (Bachelor of Arts)
      3. 2019-2020: Launch of the Western Center for Social Impact and Innovation
      4. 2024: Proposed introduction of the Bachelor of Philosophy (BPhil) in Individualized Studies
    2. https://www.miamioh.edu/cas/academics/programs/western/index.html
    3. Create your own major in CAS. Connect with a community in Peabody Hall. Western  Program and the Individualized Studies major
      1. Western helps students integrate multiple interests in a compelling plan of study
      2. Provides a small college experience within the larger university setting
      3. Supports a year-long senior research project
      4. Offers generous financial support for independent research and study abroad
      5. Has an established track record of undergraduate and postgraduate success
    4. Development of the Individualized Studies Major - Number of Majors is provided in slides. Please review slides for those numbers.
    5. Program Requirements/Bachelor of Arts in Individualized Studies
      1. WST 251 (1 cr)/Individualized Studies Seminar
      2. WST 231 (3 cr)/ Interdisciplinary Inquiry
      3. WST 301 (3 cr)/ Interdisciplinary - Problems and Questions
      4. WST 322 (3 cr, spring)/Developing Interdisciplinary Projects
      5. WST 341 (3 cr, fall)/Interdisciplinary Synthesis and Action
      6. Individualized Coursework (24 cr)
      7. WST 421 (3 cr, fall)/ Senior Project Proposal Workshop
      8. WST 444 (3cr, spring)/ Senior Workshop and Project
      9. Presentation at the Senior Project Symposium
    6. Program Requirements/ Bachelor of Philosophy in Individualized Studies
      1. WST 251 (1 cr)/ Individualized Studies Seminar
      2. WST 231 (3 cr)/ Interdisciplinary Inquiry
      3. WST 301 (3 cr)/ Interdisciplinary - Problems and Questions
      4. WST 322 (3 cr, spring)/ Developing Interdisciplinary Projects
      5. WST 341 (3 cr, fall)/ Interdisciplinary Synthesis and Action
      6. Individualized Coursework (36 cr)
      7. WST 421 (3 cr, fall)/ Senior Project Proposal Workshop
      8. WST 44 (3 cr, spring)/ Senior Workshop and Project
      9. Presentation at the Senior Project Symposium
    7. Program Requirements/ Bachelor of Philosophy in Individualized Studies
      1. 19 cr WST core + 36 cr Individualized Coursework at the 200-level and above (55 cr total)
      2. No requirement to complete CAS-A, -B, -C, -D, -E, -QL
      3. Rigor enhanced by student completion of 64 cr at 200-level and above (at least 15 hours at the 400-level) which can overlap with other requirements and can be from any college
      4. CAS Writing in the Major is completed in WST 231
    8. Western Center for Social Impact & Innovation - https://www.miamioh.edu/cas/academics/centers/western-center/index.html
    9. Going Forward
      1. Continue to grow the number of majors from multiple entry points
      2. Recruit more freshmen directly from high school (scholarships)
      3. Continue to develop the Western Center for Social Impact and Innovation
      4. Build on collaborations with the Honors College
      5. Secure new faculty hires and a new Program Director to lead the next phase in the evolution of Western
    10. Senator Question and Comments
      1. Senator: Why would any student do the other program?(A) For the BA, probably because they already major in CAS and are fulfilling those requirements. About 70 percent of our majors already have a second major; to a large extent it is to provide them with flexibility and incorporate as many of their interests as possible so that it is integrated as imposed to it being separate powers.  A student that is already fulfilling the BA is still going to be on the straight route because of the fewer required hours on the individual coursework side. I just feel like we will still get a number of BA students, though. We are getting our students their Sophomore year, so most of them have already met those requirements and they are going to more than likely see that through.
      2. Senator: What is short term and long term revenue?(A) Depending on how successful this is in terms of recruitment. It will determine if we will need new faculty in the future. We just don’t know how attractive this will be and we hope that this will begin in the next academic year.
      3. Senator: I noticed in recruiting that a lot of the issue is Foreign language is still a requirement. Is that going to be a requirement? My other question is how do we know we are getting new enrollment and know that it is actual growth? (A) Waiving the CAS requirement lowers those requirements and allows them to graduate on time. We have current students that I believe will shift to this. They have expressed interest but don’t have time to do everything and this allows them to combine and it allows them to complete a variety of things. 
      4. Senator: Are there other degree programs housed in CAS that were not required to fulfill the CAS divisional requirements? (A) Not to my knowledge.
      5. Senator: On that slide, where do you see those lines and money coming from?(A) I am stepping down next year so hopefully they will replace me.
      6. Senator: Will this program not be in CAS anymore? (A) It will still be in CAS, but it will be the only degree in CAS that will be a bachelor in philosophy degree.
      7. Senator: I feel like we had one of these and it was removed in 2007. 17 years later, what is magical about bringing it back?(A) That program that ended was in its own college, but at that time it had a pretty big faculty footprint and not enough students. Scenarios have changed and the current students and high school generation all tell you they want more freedom and flexibility and this shows that Miami is listening to them and we are trying to give them something to try and help with that.
      8. Senator: Don’t they have BIS at the Regionals?(A) The BIS is very different. It is more of a completion degree and this is not what this is supposed to be.
      9. Senator: This is the only Bachelor of Philosophy degree at Miami. Will that take special approval through the Ohio Department of Higher Education? (A) It will have to go through the state.
      10. Senator: Have you considered creating a faculty fellowship program so that faculty in CAS could possibly teach in the Western?  This could expand opportunities in what you could offer, because you could draw from a full range of faculty and have targeted issues if you will. (A) That actually came out of our last program review and we haven’t acted on that yet. So that will be discussed with the new dean.
  2. Registration Policy Proposal, Michael Crowder, Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School
    1. 2 Major changes for this policy:
      1. Streamlined and clearly defined how Undergraduate are allowed to pay Graduate Certificates. These are the stand alone Graduate Certificates. What the students need:
        1. 3.0 GPA
        2. Junior or Senior status
        3. Most importantly permission of the Chair or whoever is allowing admissions into the program
      2. We have tried to make registration for Graduate Students to read the same as Undergraduate Students.
    2. We have already been doing this in practice
    3. The policy that went out in your agenda shows the marked up changes. I would suggest reviewing that as it shows a clearer picture of what we are proposing.
    4. Senator Question and Comments
      1. Senator: Did you have a conversation with Financial Aid? I don’t know what will happen at the undergraduate level? (A) Yes, I did and they didn’t have any issue with that.
  3. Doctoral Time Limits Policy Proposal, Michael Crowder, Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School
    1. Major change to this policy is:
      1. Make the doctoral timeline the same as the master program timeline
      2. We have already been following this in practice; so it is just a change in who it is written. 
    2. Senator Question and Comments
      1. Senator: No Questions or Comments.

6. Special Reports

  1. Fiscal Priorities, Melissa Chase, Chair and Professor of Sport Leadership and Management, Michele Frank, Associate Professor of Accountancy, and Jen Green, Clinical Professor of Psychology
    1. 2023-24: Fiscal Priorities and Budget Planning Committee: Fiscal Priorities Charges
      1. To represent University Senate & offer on-going recommendations to administration
        1. Financial management of Miami University
        2. Setting fiscal priorities and budget planning (both long term and immediate concerns)
      2. To report to University Senate
        1. Fiscal Priorities and Budget Committee will meet, but will limit its discussions to budgetary items and topics that do not involve compensation, benefits, or other terms and conditions of employment for bargaining unit faculty members.
    2. Fiscal Priorities Committee Members
      1. Melissa Chase (EHS), Co-Chair
      2. Michel Frank (FSB), Co-Chair
      3. Murali Paranandi (CCA)
      4. Jennifer Green (CAS), Senate Liaison
      5. Fazeel Khan (CEC)
      6. Susan Spellman (CLAAS)
      7. Alicia Miller (classified staff)
      8. Sean Poley (unclassified staff)
      9. Kevin Morrison (GSA representative)
      10. Venus Harvey (ASG representative)
      11. Lindsay Carpenter (Provost’s Office)
      12. David Ellis (Associate VP, Budgeting & Analysis)
      13. David Creamer (Senior VP, Finance & Business Services)
    3. Fiscal Priorities Template for Presentations
      1. Pertinent Background
      2. Strategic Priorities
      3. Budget Summary
      4. Context of Contributions to University’s Financial Well-Being
      5. Other Critical Highlights and/or Concerns
    4. Fiscal Priorities Highlights Fall Semester
      1. Fiscal Priorities Meetings: Fall 2023
        1. Date - Guest and Agenda Items
          1. September 1 - Senior VP David Creamer, AVP David Ellis
          2. September 8 - Dean Chris Makaroff, CAS
          3. September 15 - Acting Dean John Weigand, CCA
          4. September 22 - Senior VP David Creamer, AVP David Ellis
          5. October 6 - Dean Jenny Darroch, FSB
          6. October 20 - Vice President and Dean Ande Durojaiye, CLAAS
          7. October 27 - Dean Jerome Conley, Libraries
          8. November 3 - Dean Jason Lane, CEHS
          9. November 17 - Dean Beena Sukumaran, CEC
          10. December 1 - Dean Michael Crowder, Graduate School & Miami Online
          11. December 8 - Bethany Perkins, Assistant Vice President, Director of Admission Brent Shock, Vice President, Enrollment Management and Student Success
    5. Fiscal Priorities Highlights Spring Semester
      1. Fiscal Priorities Meetings: Spring 2024
        1. Date - Guest and Agenda Items
          1. February 2 - President Crawford (RESCHEDULING)
          2. February 9 - Brad Bundy, VP for University Advancement
          3. February 16 - David Creamer, VP for Finance and Business Services & Treasurer
          4. March 8 - Provost Mullenix
          5. March 15 - Jayne Brownell, VP for Student Life
          6. March 22 - Susan McDowell, VP for Research and Innovation
          7. April 5 - Cody Powell, Associate VP, Facilities Planning and Operations
          8. April 12 - David Seidl, VP of Information Technology & CIO
          9. April 19 - David Sayler, Athletic Director
          10. May 5 - Cristina Alcalde, VP for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion
          11. May 3 - Dawn Fahner, Associate VP, Human Resources
    6. Key Observations:
      1. The committee remains concerned about the probability of generating net new revenue year-over-year in an amount that exceeds what has been generated previously.
      2. The committee remains apprehensive about continuing to utilize reserves to fund expenses in excess of revenue.
      3. The committee was encouraged to hear about new initiatives being implemented and/or planned by the academic deans, but have concerns about how these initiatives will impact overall revenue.
    7. Senator Question and Comments
      1. Senator: Do you have access to Budget actuals? Do we have any proof at the end of the year that the budget concerns were warranted? (A) You can find the budget to the actual number. Our change for this committee is to look at the budgeted numbers. We have been looking at the budget going forward giving the potential issues and assumptions used to create those budgets.
      2. Senator: Budgets are just anything?(A) Budgets are what we expect will occur but you can compare the actual to the budget.
      3. Senator: You can go to the Ohio Auditor's website to look at the report. I didn’t realize that the charge of Fiscal Priorities didn’t include looking at the Budget actuals. What do you think about Senate working on a charge to have you actually look at the actuals? (A) Yes, we would not be opposed to that and I don’t think that the administration would be opposed to that either.
      4. Senator: In Senate, we typically vote on new programs, departments, majors, and typically that may have new faculty lines involved. Is that something that comes up before your group too or does that go somewhere else? (A) We do not have access to that. We do have each department showing their open lines but not their new ones. Sometimes they may talk to us about what they are thinking about, but we are not involved in that decision making process.
      5. Senator: Do you have any thoughts or suggestions about our budget or things that we could do differently? (A) I do think that the university is trying to plan for the future and they see issues that are coming in the future that we need to plan for. As a CPA I tend to be very fiscally conservative, but I think if people could compare the Budget to the actuals they would think a little differently. I worked for a large international public accounting firm and I have never seen an environment similar to the one that higher education is currently facing right now. We talk every week and there are so many pieces to the puzzle that we are trying to forecast every week and there is a lot going on.
      6. Senator: From looking at the meeting schedule, is it correct that President Crawford has not met with the committee this year and has the BOT ever had contact with you throughout this process? (A) Since I have been on, we have not directly been contacted by the BOT and for clarity President Crawford does normally come to our meetings. He had a conflict come up and he is planning on rescheduling that meeting with us.
  2. Process Coordinator Update: Department of Comparative Religion Elimination, Terri Barr, Professor of Marketing - Department of Comparative Religion Consolidation Final Report
    1. I wanted to walk you through the process (more of her background here)
    2. Background
      1. Feb. 12 – Jim Hanges/Nathan French address Senate with request for Sense of Senate to eliminate department
      2. Result of low enrollment of major, academic program review, and APEIP review
      3. Plan to continue teaching out the major, develop a new certificate program, and a center
      4. Process coordinator appointed
    3. Process Coordinator Timeline
      1. Late February – meeting with Dr. Hanges and Dean Baernstein
      2. Mid - March – meetings with individual faculty members of Comp. Religion, and Chairs of potential re-homing departments
      3. Late March – draft report to Dean’s Office and Department members for review and comments
      4. Early April – final draft circulated to Department, Dean, and Executive Committee of Senate
      5. Mid April – report to Senate for approval of recommendation
    4. Recommendations of Process Coordinator
      1. Elimination of the Department of Comparative Religion as a result of low-enrolled major
      2. Re-home faculty from Comparative Religion in other CAS departments where their interests align and they can continue to teach the relevance of religion in today’s world
      3. Establish the proposed Center for the Study of Religion, Policy, and Public Life to maintain the future of the teaching of religion at Miami
    5. Voting will occur next meeting
    6. Senator Question and Comments
      1. Senator: Thank you for doing good deeds. To be rehomed in other CAS divisions, why not other divisions? CAS makes sense, but I was just wondering. (A) I reached out to the faculty and they identified other divisions they wanted to rehome to. They all just happened to be in CAS.
      2. Senator: I know you mentioned rehoming the faculty, but do you have any recommendation of the staff associate involved? (A) I did reach out to the staff associate that works in the department and she has not returned my call yet. She only works ½ time in this department and the other ½ in another department. She will stay here and continue working in Religion for the next year and there is no plan to reduce her work after that.
      3. Senator: Is there a budget for the center? (A) I have not seen a budget.  Our faculty is open to any collaboration and the center is not planning on asking for any new resources we plan on working from the ground up from development to grants.
      4. Senator: The Dean’s office is in support of this? (A) Yes, we really think this is great and appreciate the very forward approach that this department is taking.
      5. Senator: To clarify, are we talking about faculty that are tenured and TCPL? Are there any that are visiting faculty? (A) Not currently.
      6. Senator: Is this report in writing? (A) Yes, it will be sent out and it is 49 pages.

7. Provost Update

  1. Dean Search Update Information:
    1. Renee Baernstein - Named Dean of CAS and is the first humanities professor in the history of the College of Arts and Science. 
    2. EHS  Dean Search:
      1. Jason Lane took a new job in January and Amity Noltemeyer was named as the interim dean of EHS. Storbeck has started the search process and we are working on setting up the Dean Search Committee and it is going to be chaired by Beena Sukumaran. Hopefully, we will have the decision at the end of Fall semester.
  2. Student Leadership Summit:
    1. We met last week and we typically meet once a month. We asked, “what are the 10 biggest things that concern students?”
      1. Concerned about finances
      2. Clarity around finances
      3. Low moral and want more communication with staff, faculty and community
      4. Email Statuation:
        1. Great idea that came up was that EPD has a canvas site for their department where they share all their information, such as tutoring, announcements, talks etc., and they push students to look at the site which cuts down on email. I thought that was a great idea.
      5. More Certificate programs that will help them get jobs. I mention that because that is going to be a workgroup for MiamiTHRIVE on Flexible pathways and thinking in other ways.
  3. MiamiTHRIVE is working on setting up the committees. We did work hard to make sure that we have Senate Rep on all committees
  4. Comments and Questions
    1. Senator: No Questions or Comments

8. Adjournment