December 2nd, 2024


Dec 02 2024
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Meeting Minutes

ACADEMIC SENATE AGENDA 

Minutes 

December 2nd, 2024 

 

  1. CALL TO ORDER AND Announcements
    The regular meeting of the Academic Senate, held on December 2nd, 2024, was called to order at 3:00 pm by Senate President Harriet Hopf. The meeting was held using the Zoom online meeting platform. The meeting is recorded only for the purposes of meeting minutes. Although Senate meetings are not required to be public under Utah law, the Senate has elected to conduct its business in a transparent way and all attendees are welcome.

Present: Rohit Aggarwal, Jensie Anderson, Elizabeth Archuleta, Ademuyiwa Aromolaran, Maile Arvin, Donna Baluchi , Pinar Bayrak-Toydemir, Henry Becker, James Bekker, Bryan Bonner, Christian Brockmann, Timothy Brusseau, Sarah Bush, Marc Calaf, Jon Chaika, Thomas Cheatham, Sydney Cheek-O’Donnell, Doug Christensen, Richard Clark, Kevin Coe, Benjamin Cohen, Katharine Coles, Elisabet , Brigham Daniels , Marla De Jong, Kathy Doom, Jack Doughty, Jeffrey Druck, Nanette Dudley, Katie Durante, Atif Ellahie, Lee Ellington, Rick Forster, Julia Franklin, Henry Fu, Alborz Ghandehari, Laura Grantier, Rachel Hayes-Harb, Davidson Heath, Brenda Heaton, Teresa Hebron, Kerry Herman, Tucker Hermans, William Holland, Heather Holmes, Martin Horvath, Jill Jeffe, Mercedes Johnson, Bryan Jones, Sarang Joshi, Myrna Kearse, Seijin Kim, Kai Kuck, Shelley Lawrence, Mark Loewen, Alysse Loomis, Lisbeth Louderback, Janis Louie, Kateryna Malaia, Stacy Manwaring, Maureen Mathison, Christine McMillan, Huong Meeks, Kate Menlove, Will Nesse, Curtis Newbold, Matthew Nielsen, Katherine Pagano, Yihui Pan, Emma Parkin, Sofia Perez, Kevin Perry, Firas Rassoul-Agha, Lynn Reinke, Lorie Richards, Thomas Richmond, Yvette Romero Coronado, Alex Rose, Suva Roy, Carol Sansone, Naomi Schlesinger, Nathan Seegert, Sherin Shaaban, Sarah Shreeves, Elizabeth Siantz, Chris Simon, Jamesina  Simpson, Ginger Smoak, Wayne Springer, Oleg Starykh, Caroline Stephens, Kathleen Strickland-Cohen, Casey Tak, Matt Tokson, David Turok, Elvis Valenzuela, Jack VanDerHeyden, Jim VanDerslice, Norman Waitzman, Roseanne Warren, Rachel Wittman, Julie Wright-Costa, Dave Young, Zhou Yu 

Excused with substitute: Joe Boyden, Brent Milne, Thi Nguyen, Paula Smith, Margaret Wan 

Excused: Frank Drews, Scott King  

Absent: Andrew Anderson, Melanie Biviano, Erik Bond, Mark Crowley, Zhigang Fang, Feng Liu, Olive Nyiramwiza, Christo Pinknys, Anna Roelofs, Talea Steele, Patrick Tripeny 

Ex Officio: Shanti Deemyad, Angie Fagerlin, Ashley Glen, Michael Good, Harriet Hopf, Jane Laird, Paul Mogren, Mitzi Montoya, Allyson Mower, Richard Preiss, Sarah Projansky, Taylor Randall, Marie Wintriss 

Senate Office: Maddie Hile, Allyson Rocks 

 Senate President Harriet Hopf shared several announcements noting the availability of a 2024-2025 photo roster of Senate members, which was posted in the meeting materials. She offered highlights of the Senate’s November social at the Officers Club and participants’ discussions on communication at the event. One insight, among many others, was the importance of synchronous oral communications as a way of sharing information, and the recognition that Senate meetings achieve this important avenue of communication.  

She noted several policies that are currently under revision, which the Senate can expect to see in upcoming meetings; Policy 6-100, covering instruction and evaluation; Policy 1-001 policy on university regulations; Policy 6-002: Senate policy; Policy 6-010 on Academic Freedom; Policy 1-007: Speech Policy; Policy 6-400, covering religious accommodations. Senators willing to collaborate with these ongoing revisions can email Senate President Hopf. 

 

  1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

The November 4th, 2024, Academic Senate meeting minutes were approved upon a motion from Shanti Deemyad, seconded by James VanDerslice.  

 

  1. REQUEST FOR NEW BUSINESS

There was no New Business for this meeting.  

 

  1. REPORTS (EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE)

Senate President-elect Richard Preiss discussed the items that the Senate Executive Committee (EC) had placed on this meeting’s agenda at its November 18th, 2024, meeting.  

             

  1.  CONSENT CALENDAR

Senate President Harriet Hopf reviewed the items on the meeting’s Consent Calendar: 

  1. Faculty Appointments Report  
  1. UACI Name Change: Goff Strategic Leadership Institute 

The Consent Calendar items were approved after a motion from Julia Franklin and a second from Jeffrey Druck.   

 

  1. 6. REPORTS (ADMINISTRATION; ASUU; UUSC)    

Report from Administration 

President Taylor Randall briefed Senate members on a recent Utah Board of Higher Education meeting where two new university centers, the Center for Community and Cultural Engagement and the Center for Student Access and Resources, were approved. President Randall also shared an update on his and Utah State University President Elizabeth Cantwell’s presentation to the Utah Board of Higher Education. They presented on the role and impact of research conducted by Utah universities by demonstrating alignment with state policy and work force objectives. President Randall expects discussions to continue regarding this topic.

Jeff Landward, Commissioner of Higher Education, and Christian Gardner, Chair of the University of Utah Board of Trustees, then gave an overview of USHE and the Board of Trustees observations of what next to accomplish to ensure that all levels of higher education continue to be supported in Utah. They discussed projects to create statewide goals for higher education institutions that align to the specific institutional types, in lieu of one uniform template applied to institutional guidelines. They also discussed challenges facing higher education, both locally and nationally, and highlighted the importance of the ongoing increase of graduation and job placement rates as a part of institutional guidance for success.  

Vice President for Government Relations Jason Perry provided an update on the upcoming legislative session. He expects that several bills will be proposed that will impact higher education. Perry emphasized the value of getting rapid Senate feedback during the legislative process.  

Provost Mitzi Montoya and School of Dentistry Dean Wyatt Hume gave an update on the organizational structures project by detailing the project’s motivations, timeline, and process. The project aims to improve student outcomes and graduation rates while fostering closer connections between colleges to advance research. Project leaders are currently discussing the roles and responsibilities of the proposed administrative role to manage shared services, including an appropriate title for the new position, such as dean or similar. A town hall will be held for the faculty and staff of the four colleges involved in the project on December 11th, and participants are encouraged to communicate with their dean, chair, and college leadership for further information and discussion. 

Vice Provost Chase Hagood shared an update on the Navigate U program, highlighting student input in the project. Hagood noted the project is currently focused on developing and maintaining functional 4-year degree plans consisting of a maximum of 120 credits, plans which are due on January 20th, 2025, to comply with Utah Board of Higher Education guidance. 

SVP Michael Good reported on an 8% growth in clinical practice for the U of U and announced a partnership with CommonSpirit Health, which will promote higher levels of care for patients across the Salt Lake Valley and clinical opportunities for students. U of U Health will see an almost 25% increase in sponsored research awards in the first four months of the calendar year, an auspicious 2025 start for its service, teaching, and research mission. 

 

Report from ASUU 

ASUU Chair Mercedes Johnson reported that ASUU is looking for two new Senators for the College of Education and the College of Fine Arts. Johnson also provided an update on the hiring of a new Academic Student Affairs Director and highlighted the recent success of ASUU RedFest. 

 

Report from UUSC 

University of Utah Staff Council President Marie Wintriss reviewed updates on recent contributions and awards given for staff support. UUSC efforts continue to be focused on raising money to support staff and improving cross-campus communication. 

 

  1. INTENT CALENDAR 

There were no items on the Intent Calendar. 

 

  1.  DEBATE CALENDAR

 New Degree: Medical Humanities BA/BS 

College of Humanities professors Jim Tabery and Gretchen Case summarized a proposal to create a new Medical Humanities BA/BS; this program presents a unique opportunity for the University of Utah to be one of the first institutions in the Mountain West to offer this degree. It will be administered through the Department of Philosophy due to the department’s expertise in medical ethics and the philosophy of medicine, which are core areas of medical humanities scholarship. Senate members discussed the program’s focus on preparing students for medical school and other careers, with Tabery and Case highlighting the various pathways students can pursue and the competitive edge it may have for students applying to medical school. Kate Coles’ motion to approve the Medical Humanities BA/BS proposal passed after a second from Donna Baluchi 

New Neurotechnology Training Program: Minor, Undergraduate Certificate, Graduate Certificate, Neural Engineering MS, and Neural Engineering PHD 

Electrical & Computer Engineering Assistant Professor Jacob George shared a proposal outlining a Neurotechnology Training program housed in the College of Engineering that would offer a range of stackable credentials. George highlighted how neurotechnology differs from neuroscience, particularly in its interdisciplinary work with engineering. George noted that Utah has a strong history in neurotechnology, and the field is currently the top venture capital-funded area, with numerous job opportunities. These are interdisciplinary programs with support from multiple departments and will provide students with a unique interdisciplinary skill set in a rapidly growing market. Plans to collaborate with the new Medical Humanities degree program are also in the works. Shanti Deemyad made a motion to approve the five Neurotechnology Training program proposals, which was approved after a second by Kate Coles. 

 New UACI: Utah Data Coordinating Center 

It is time to convert the Utah Data Coordinating Center (UDCC), which has been operating for 25 years, to an official university center, reported Russell Telford, representing the Center’s administration. It currently manages $28 million in annual revenue and being designated as an official UACI Center would leverage its existing state-of-the-art infrastructure to support academic, philanthropic, and industry research. After gaining the status of an official center, its next steps would include securing more diverse funding, expanding industry partnerships, building a stronger reputation, and playing a key role in creating a national data dashboard to drive change.  

 Senator Tucker Hermanns identified a possible issue with the broad title of the Center because there are other data-based centers at the U of U and in Utah that offer data coordinating. Using a title that better identifies the role it fills in the state could be better so that it does not risk diverting resources from centers conducting slightly different work. He asked for a delay to clarify any issues with the proposed center title. After a second from Jeff Druck, Jim Vanderslice’s motion to postpone this item to the January 6 Senate meeting passed.   

Policy 6-321 TFR Revisions 

Vice Provost Sarah Projansky presented proposed revisions to Policy 6-321, addressing tenured faculty reviews. She thanked the Ad Hoc Committee for TFR Regulations that met throughout the summer to address changes needed due to new state legislation, Utah Board of Higher Education (UBHE) regulations, and internal requests to improve the TFR process. She pointed out the legislative requirements that are already addressed in the existing TFR process policies, and so there is no need for substantial changes for some areas. She also provided clarifications on improvement/remediation plans, standards, and the role of UPTAC in the process. Projansky emphasized solutions and options to state law requirements that a TFR committee include two faculty members from outside the department. Senate members discussed clarifications and new elements in the policy addressing questions about standards, committee formation, and remediation plans.  

 Members requested amendments to the gradient rating scale text in the proposed policy to be changed to a binary choice of satisfactory or not satisfactory. Norman Waitzman made a motion to change the rating scale text in proposed Policy 6-32 to state that the gradient of “satisfactory” and “not satisfactory,” a binary choice, replaces other qualitative faculty evaluative terms such as “effective” and “excellence.” The motion was seconded by Shanti Deemyad and approved. Sarang Joshi then motioned to approve the Policy, contingent upon the previously made amendment. The motion was seconded by Pinar Bayrak-Toydemir and passed. 

 

  1. INFORMATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS CALENDAR

Two presentations were postponed to the January 6th Senate Meeting due to the meeting running behind: Cyber Security Initiative Program and Strategy 2030 update. 

Information and Reports 

Senate President Hopf noted the informational reports in the meeting materials for Senate review. 

 

  1. NEW BUSINESS

There was no New Business at this meeting. 

 

  1.  OPEN DISCUSSION

There was no Open Discussion at this meeting. 

 

  1. ADJOURNMENT

Meeting adjourned at 6:00 pm