Senate approves tenure appeals process resolution

The UNT Faculty Senate approved a resolution during its March 9 meeting recommending that individuals whose 2004 tenure appeals are still pending be granted an additional terminal year if their cases "remain with a negative decision regarding tenure."

The additional year would allow those faculty whose tenure is denied on appeal an additional year to find positions at other institutions before their employment at UNT ends. The senate also approved a proposal for an ad hoc committee to create a plan in which the process for future appeals would be complete by Oct. 1 of the year in which the tenure cases were put forward. The proposal also recommended that the committee review the entire tenure process.

The senate approved resolutions supporting a library fee increase of $1.50 per semester credit hour to be paid by students, and supporting current or increased funding of the UNT Faculty and Staff Scholarship Program.

In other business, the senate heard a report given by Mary Thibodeaux, interim dean of the College of Business Administration, about the current state of the college.

She reported that the college is involved in ongoing strategic and tactical planning for its future and that new initiatives have been set for COBA master's and doctoral programs. She also reported on the status of renovations to COBA facilities and a proposed new building. To read Thibodeaux' report online, visit www.unt.edu/facsenate/minlist.htm and click on the Update on the College of Business link.

In addition, the senate:

• Approved reports from the Committee on Committees, the Scholarship Committee, the Teaching Fellows and Assistants Committee, the Budget Committee, and the Curriculum Committee.
• Heard a report by Grant Miles, vice chair, regarding the Faculty Senate's most recent Executive Committee meeting with administrators. He provided updates on several topics including the process of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaints; Responsibility Center Management concerns; issues involving the evaluation of administrators; searches for deans; external reviews of colleges; market adjustments of salaries; and an update of the online version of UNT's course catalog.
• Heard a report made by Frances van Tassell, senate chair, regarding several issues including proposed graduate school admissions changes; the university's use of turnitin.com to detect unoriginal material; the status of steps taken to align the Faculty Handbook and the university's Policy Manual; progress of the Academic Plan; the Responsibility Center Management Academic Governance subcommittee; the faculty ombudsman; and UNT's branding initiative. Van Tassell also reminded senators of the April 27 Town Hall Meeting between administrators and faculty members. The meeting is at 3 p.m. in the University Union, Silver Eagle Suite.

The Faculty Senate meets again at 2 p.m. April 13 in Wooten Hall, Room 322. For more information about the senate, visit www.unt.edu/facsenate.

BY MICHELLE HALE mhale@unt.edu

Other featured articles in this issue

• Inspirational speaker "Rudy" Ruettiger to visit UNT
• Regents raise board-designated tuition $6 per semester credit hour
• Tenure granted in one appealed case
• Defense bill funding of $3.1 million buys UNT two electron microscopes
• International Week at UNT starts April 4
• Project aims to preserve web information for posterity
• UNT to host annual Texas Higher Education Law Conference April 11-12
• April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month
• Staff Council hears update on campus master plan, proposed child care center
• Work continues on UNT's Academic Plan

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