Faculty Senate holds its first meeting of 2004-05

President Norval Pohl spoke to the Faculty Senate during the group's first meeting of the new academic year.

Pohl spoke about the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's adoption of institutional categories to measure accountability, which places UNT in the category of emerging research institutions, along with Texas Tech, the University of Houston, and the University of Texas campuses in Dallas, Arlington, San Antonio and El Paso.

He said proposed measures of accountability that would result in differential funding include participation (using both total headcount figures and full-time equivalency (FTE) student figures); graduation rates; excellence (the percentage of lower division credit hours taught by tenure and tenure-track faculty and the ratio of FTE students to FTE faculty); research and institutional efficiency. He said the board's recommendations will be presented to the legislature for consideration in the spring.

The senate also heard a report from Howard Johnson, provost and vice president for academic affairs, who presented an update about the developing UNT Academic Plan for Distinctiveness and Excellence. He called the plan a "roadmap" designed to make academics the heart of the UNT enterprise. He emphasized that faculty input regarding the plan is essential to its success, and it must focus on those things that distinguish UNT from other institutions.

In other business the senate:

• heard a report from Grant Miles, Faculty Senate vice chair and chair of the Executive Committee, regarding the groups meeting with administrators. Topics discussed include women's issues and the responsibility and faculty participation in monitoring such issues; the Special Recognition Award given annually to a faculty member; the process used to investigate breaches of integrity; an update on promotion and tenure appeals; an update on deans searches; external review of academic units; the Faculty Senate Handbook Committee; and the hiring and evaluation of permanent lecturers.

• approved a report from the Committee on Committees regarding nominations to fill various university committees.

• approved a report from the Charter and Bylaws Committee regarding four proposed bylaw changes. The changes were submitted for a first reading and will be considered for approval at a later meeting.

• approved a report from the University Curriculum Committee regarding requests for new courses, deletion of degrees, a change to a program and a course deletion.

• heard a report from Jean Keller, dean of the College of Education and co-chair of the Texas State Employees' Charitable Campaign, regarding the kick off of the 2004 campaign this month.

The senate meets again Oct. 13 at 2 p.m. in Wooten Hall, Room 322.

BY MICHELLE HALE mhale@unt.edu

Other web resources

• Faculty Senate web site

Other featured articles in this issue

• Madeleine Albright to appear at UNT as inaugural lecture series speaker
• SECC kicks off 2004 campaign this month
• Minding the weather with free food and family fun
• ‘Got Green?' Homecoming celebrations at UNT from Oct. 20-23
• Fall enrollment up slightly from last year
• Staff Council elects officers
• Staff members honored at convocation
• UNT seeking nominations for alumni awards
• Following the Mean Green on the small screen
• Halloween costume contest is only a few weeks away

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