View this email in your browser

Grand Valley State University

Highlight of ECS Meeting of January 12, and Preview of ECS Meeting of January 26, 2024

 

In an effort to improve communication between ECS/UAS and faculty colleagues, the Executive Committee of the Senate (ECS) at its August 16, 2023, retreat reaffirmed a recommendation from August 12, 2021, that each week, a general message be sent out to all faculty. This message will highlight the immediate past ECS/UAS meeting and give a preview of the upcoming ECS/UAS meeting. In particular, the highlight will summarize the key agenda items and provide context on the key votes; the pros and cons will be summarized and the key arguments for each highlighted. Herein are the highlights of the ECS meeting of January 12, and a preview of the ECS meeting of January 26, 2024. Meetings of the ECS are restricted to members of the ECS, their alternates, and others whom the ECS may invite, pursuant to SG 1.01.7.2. Meetings of the UAS are open pursuant to SG 1.01.6.2.

Highlights of ECS Meeting of January 12, 2024

Chair’s Report

  • On December 13, the New Programs Council met, reviewed, and approved a New Program Prospectus on Japanese Minor.
  • There was no ECS meeting on January 19 because there were no business items to be considered. ECS will be meeting next on January 26, which was an “off” week. The UAS meeting of 04/12/24 has been moved to 04/05/24 due to the Reach Higher Showcase on 04/12/24.
  • BCOIS: Leifa Mayers is the sabbatical replacement for Kim McKee; CECI: Linda Pickett is the sabbatical replacement for Karyn Rabourn; CLAS: Melissa Morison is stepping in for Rachel Campbell who has stepped down to take on a leadership role in the CLAS Voyage. Kevin Strychar is the sabbatical replacement for Chuck Pazdernik.  

Provost's Report

  • The Provost's Office placed a hold on scheduling events during the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration Week in order to attend as many events as possible.
  • The January 16th Lakers Ready will provide details on progress that has been made around student success (see the published Laker to Laker column on the Office of Provost webpage).
  • The Provost, VP for Enrollment Management, and VP for Student Affairs will hold townhalls together to share data about enrollment, retention, projections for next year, and what is being done to get ready for students. These townhalls will provide opportunities for the vice presidents to hear directly from faculty about good news and concerns around serving our students.

Student Senate President's Report

  • Student Senate will finalize their governing documents at their next meeting.
  • Student Senate will discuss what can be done to support retention from a student perspective.
  • January 25th the State of Student Senate address will be held in the Pere Marquette Room in Kirkhof at 5:00 pm.

New Business

  • ECS voted unanimously to act on behalf of UAS to endorse Rev. Dr. MLK Jr. week.
  • The Academic Policies and Standards Committee (APSC) Memo on Policy Language Surrounding Academic Minors changes the requirement for academic minors from 20 credits to 18 credits. The motion to support with recommendation to UAS was unanimous.
  • The APSC Memo on Workday Implementation stated that no policy changes are recommended at this time. Motion to accept and thank the committee for their work was unanimously supported.
  • The Online Education and Microcredential Council (OEMC) Memo on Faculty Course Approval recommend that moving forward all courses approved are automatically approved for all modalities (online, hybrid, face-to-face). The motion to support with recommendation to UAS passed unanimously.
  • The three main recommendations from the OEMC Memo on Faculty Certification for Online and Hybrid Teaching are 1) A continuation of the current GVSU practice regarding initial approval for faculty teaching online and hybrid courses, 2) Approval is valid for 5-years, and 3) Faculty must renew professional development/training once every 5 years to continue teaching online/hybrid courses. ECS members expressed concern around the recommendation to re-train every five years. The motion to thank the committee for their work and send the memo back to the committee to reconsider the requirement to renew the online training every 5 years passed.
  • The General Education Committee (GEC) Memo on Teaching Materials noted that materials were uploaded to the Gen Ed website in October 2023. The motion to accept and thank the committee for their work passed unanimously.
  • The GEC Memo on GEC Website noted that the website went live in October 2023 and small revisions are ongoing as needed. The motion to accept and thank the committee for their work passed unanimously.
  • ECS discussed the theme for this year’s ECS newsletter.

For more details on the above items, please go here.

Preview of ECS Meeting of January 26, 2024

  • Proposed University Definition of Digital Literacy & Proposed Inventory Process
  • Faculty Personnel Policy Committee (FPPC) Memo on Bias Statements for Students and Faculty Revised
  • Selection of Faculty to the SHared Governance Review (SHGR) Task Force
  • Consent Agenda for UAS Update
  • Discussion of Topics for Winter 2024 Faculty Forums
  • Discussion of the Theme for the 2024 UAS Newsletter

Please, feel free to reach out to your ECS or UAS representative from your College/University Libraries to provide input on any ECS agenda item that you may like to weigh in on.

Thank you for your continuous interest in faculty governance.

Sincerely,

Felix N. Ngassa
Chair of ECS/UAS 2023-2024

ECS Membership

1 Campus Drive

3090 James H. Zumberge Hall
Allendale, MI 49401

 

Unsubscribe from future emails