Pohl addresses Faculty Senate

UNT President Norval Pohl addressed members of the Faculty Senate during the group's regular meeting Oct. 9.

Pohl touched on a variety of topics, including parking on campus, proposed residence halls, the College of Engineering, sponsored research, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's most recent meeting, searches to fill administrative roles, UNT enrollment, use of historically under-utilized businesses (HUBs) as vendors, communications and student initiatives.

He said plans are proposed to construct a parking garage between Chilton Hall and the Physical Education Building and to close some interior streets on campus. He also said plans are under way to open a small residence hall by Fall 2003 and a larger residence hall by Fall 2004. Pohl talked about the 12-year plan to develop UNT's College of Engineering and about the $31 million in sponsored research awards received by UNT this year. He also talked about the coordinating board's report that, for the first time, makes estimates to fund the goals outlined in the statewide Closing the Gaps program, aimed at increasing higher education participation and success, educational excellence and funded research during the next 15 years. Pohl said the searches are under way to fill the positions of dean of the College of Engineering and vice president for research and technology transfer, and he said the search to fill the role of provost and vice president for academic affairs will begin soon.

He commented on the record enrollment for Fall 2002, which indicates a growth of 8 percent. He attributes roughly 4 percent of that number to retention and the other 4 percent to true growth. He talked about efforts to increase the use of HUBs (in which at least 51 percent of the business is owned, operated and actively controlled and managed by a woman or a member of an ethnic minority group) as vendors for UNT and about new communications vehicles he has launched, namely the new web site for the Office of the President and a new electronic newsletter aimed at alumni and other external UNT audiences. He said he plans to launch a faculty and staff version of the e-mail newsletter in December and perhaps another for students in January.

The student initiatives Pohl covered included students' concerns about parking, a request for the development of a separate multicultural center, a separate athletic fee and a proposal to instate a student regent on the board of regents. Pohl said two areas to which he intends to devote attention and examination are faculty salaries and faculty teaching loads.

In other business, the senate approved a report presented by the Committee on Committees and approved written reports from the Fine Arts Committee and the Visiting Lecture Seminar Series Committee.

Suzanne La Brecque, vice provost and associate vice president for academic affairs, presented a report on behalf of David Kesterson, provost and vice president for academic affairs.

Louis Pelton, senate vice chair, reported on the senate's Executive Committee meeting with Pohl and Kesterson. Topics discussed with Pohl included the search for a provost and vice president for academic affairs to replace Kesterson when he steps down at the beginning of the 2003-04 academic year; the needs and roles of adjunct faculty; eligibility requirements for Regents Professor appointments; and faculty development leave policy guidelines.

The Faculty Senate meets again Nov. 13 in Wooten Hall, Room 322.

BY MICHELLE HALE mhale@unt.edu

Other web resources:

• UNT Faculty Senate web site

Other featured articles in this issue

• UNT System Board of Regents approves sale of bonds to finance new residence hall
• UNT participating in plan to reduce Dallas Independent School District dropouts
• Acting associate dean named to help lead UNT College of Engineering
• Academic brochure redesign available
• UNT using UNT Dallas Campus name for System Center
• Institutional Review Board: Protecting human subjects in research
• UNT seeking nominations for annual alumni awards
• Awards presented to staff, faculty members at luncheon
• Faculty Senate chair calls for faculty to participate in university governance

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