May 7, 2004 UNT Inhouse publication: New general counsel addresses Faculty Senate

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New general counsel addresses Faculty Senate

Nancy Footer, the UNT System's new vice chancellor and general counsel, spoke to members of the Faculty Senate on April 14 and described her background in academia, her philosophy regarding the role of the UNT System's legal department and its structure.

"The legal office provides you with a great opportunity to see across UNT and dabble in everything," she said of her new job.

Footer talked about her department and the importance of faculty at the university.

"The legal department is here to support the work of the institution, not here to tell you what to do," she said.

She also discussed the university's contract review process and her concerns that it might be too restrictive in some situations.

"The legal department processed 1,900 contracts last year," she said. "Perhaps we should look at setting a dollar amount that contracts must meet before they go into the review process."

Footer said a search is under way to find a new assistant general counsel. Former assistant general counsel Chong Choe is now working as director of the Office of Equal Opportunity.

"This university is an incredibly dynamic place," Footer said as she concluded her presentation. "It is growing by leaps and bounds."

In other business, senators:

• Approved a report from the Academic Affairs Committee regarding: work with the Graduate Council to coordinate efforts to make the change to the plus-minus grading system; evaluation of plans to increase enrollment at the UNT Dallas Campus and assess how the re-assignment of faculty to the Dallas campus impacts the Denton campus; recruitment of full-time, tenure-track faculty to teach courses at the Dallas Campus and a procedure that minimizes impact of courses and departments at the Denton campus; and the undergraduate admissions policy.

• Approved a report from the Charter and Bylaws Committee regarding using the University of Texas at Dallas Faculty Senate charter as a model to change the UNT Faculty Senate charter. Mitty Plummer, committee member, said that while the charter revision could provide the senate with a greater degree of responsibility for management, the committee lacks the resources and time to pursue the suggestion.

• Approved with amendments a report from the Election Committee regarding low faculty nominations and elections participation rates and the realignment of voting groups. Following discussion regarding moving departments to various different voting groups, the senate approved the proposal of moving the biology and chemistry departments to voting group 7, moving engineering technology to group 3, moving kinesiology, health promotion and recreation to group 6 and moving merchandising and hospitality management to group 5.

• Approved a report from the Teaching Fellows/Teaching Assistants Committee regarding the selection of students to receive Outstanding Teaching Fellow awards.

• Approved a report from the Committee on Committees regarding committee vacancies.

• Heard a report from senate vice chair Frances Van Tassell regarding the evaluation process of faculty, zero tolerance for fraud, University Review Committee recommendations, the online course evaluation process, campus lighting and security, and the Office of Research and Technology Transfer.

The Faculty Senate meets again at 2 p.m. May 15 in Wooten Hall, Room 322. For more information about the Faculty Senate, visit www.unt.edu/facsenate.