Faculty Senate

Officers
Dr. Frank Ruechel - President, Ext. 2697
Dr. Doug March - Vice President, Ext. 2937
Dr. Leanne Cupon - Secretary Treasurer, Ext. 2934

Representatives of the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate:
Clinics
Dr. Ralph Bucci, Ext. 2664
Dr. Mike Headlee, Ext. 2931

College of Chiropractic
Dr. Mark Amos, Ext. 2741
Dr. Bill Kessel, Ext. 2741

College of Arts and Sciences
Dr. Keith Rau, Ext. 2771
Mr. David Wallace, Ext. 2697

Faculty Senate Committee Chairs:
Chair of Faculty Affairs Committee
Dr. Deloss Brubaker, Ext. 2771

Chair of Rank and Promotion Committee
Dr Jerry Hochman, Ext. 2709

Chair of Faculty Development Committee
Dr. Ed Billmire, Ext. 2733

 

Faculty Participation in Life University's Future
The Mission of the Life University Faculty Senate is to encourage, facilitate and support the development of excellent educators and scholars; to provide a well represented and well reasoned voice for the faculty in all academic and faculty matters, and to foster a spirit of collegiality in which all constituencies of the University can feel acknowledged.

Senate Goals

1. Be a responsible and responsive part of the governance structure of Life University.
2. Provide a forum for the faculty to bring forward and discuss academic and clinical concerns.
3. Promote collegiality among faculty, administration, staff, and students.
4. Increase the public awareness of Life University through faculty involvement in community projects.
5. Promote scholarly activities and research endeavors.

The Faculty Senate consists of all faculty members whose primary responsibilities are supervision and teaching responsibilities for the students of Life University. If you fit the above you are automatically a member of the Faculty Senate but participation is voluntary.

The entire Senate meets once each quarter during the workweek. A representative group and the Executive Committee meet several times each quarter to conduct the business of the Senate. Other committees and task forces also meet and conduct business but not on a regular schedule.

More specific details can be found in our 2007 Constitution (in pdf format) and bylaws or by contacting an officer or representative of the Senate.

The Faculty Senate maintains a work site on the Blackboard system of Life University at FS101. You can log in with the same user name and password that you already use. All faculty are invited to join or begin discussions in the "discussions" area, peruse the "course information or documents" areas, or send us a note if you have questions about getting involved with your Faculty Senate.

Faculty Affairs Committee
The work of the Faculty Affairs Committee is to do the following.

1. Review and recommend policies related to the faculty.
2. Recommend changes to the Faculty Handbook.
3. Make recommendations regarding faculty evaluations.
4. Review and make recommendations concerning faculty grievances that have not been resolved satisfactorily at the Dean's level.

The immediate charge of the FAC is to develop a plan including timelines for a major revision of key sections of the Faculty Handbook. July 28, 2004 charge to FAC.

Faculty Development Committee
The Provost has suggested, and Faculty Affairs approved, a change in the Faculty Handbook so that the Senate/faculty take over the functions of Faculty Development. This committee will assess our needs, develop and administer the resulting plan. This would include in-services, workshops, Faculty Development Days, outside speakers, etc. As the budget allows and/or grants are found, this committee will fund faculty attendance at outside seminars and conferences. This committee will also develop a faculty mentoring program and peer review process separate from the evaluation process.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee serves as an advisory body to the President and the administration on all administrative policies of Life University. This committee meets regularly to review the various issues brought forth by the faculty, the Faculty Senate committees, and the administration. The Executive Committee sets the agenda for the quarterly meetings of the Senate and oversees the work of the Senate's standing committees.

On November 16, 2004, the Executive Committee approved the following process for the handling of proposals.

In an effort to provide for a greater opportunity for faculty input, improved communication and to insure process, the following process will be followed.

Before final approval, all proposals of the Faculty Affairs Committee (FAC) and Faculty Development Committee (FDC) should be forwarded directly to the affected faculty for comment. Faculty should be given at least five working days to comment (less time in extraordinary circumstances). The committee will consider this feedback in its final deliberations and make any changes necessary.

After a final vote, the proposals along with the completed "Faculty Senate Proposal Routing Form" should be forwarded to the Executive Committee (ExCom). The ExCom will discuss the proposals and vote on approval. In extraordinary circumstances, and in an effort to increase "checks and balances," the ExCom may make its own appeal for faculty input. The same timeline will apply. If the ExCom determines that changes should be made to the proposal, the committee will resubmit the proposal and routing form to the sending committee for consideration.

• Upon approval of the FAC or FDC and the ExCom, the proposal with the attached routing form will be submitted to the University President and Provost. Their decision should be communicated to the ExCom with the return of the completed routing form.
• If the proposal is approved, the ExCom will communicate the decision to the sending committee and the faculty.
• If the proposal is denied, the ExCom will communicate the decision with the ExCom recommendations for next actions. The entire process may be repeated as necessary.