Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Faculty Senate kicked off the 2022-23 academic year on Aug. 24 with its first meeting led by President Liz Goodnick, Ph.D.
Goodnick began by stating the important role that the Faculty Senate plays at MSU Denver and within the community.
“I applaud you for taking seriously our rights and responsibilities to participate in the decision-making process at MSU Denver and by actively representing your departments and the faculty at large in the self-government of the institution in which we all have invested so much of our time, passion and trust,” Goodnick said.
MSU Denver President Janine Davidson, Ph.D., a guest of the Senate, echoed Goodnick’s remarks.
“The role of shared governance really matters,” Davidson said. “You are exuding the gravitas of the work that you will do here and that you have done here. Thank you to all of you for your service.”
Questions for Davidson
Davidson then took questions from senators. Kathryn Schmidt, Ph.D., assistant professor of Philosophy, noted that a judge in Ohio recently ruled that a form of online proctoring is unconstitutional and asked if MSU Denver had any policy on digital student privacy or best practices.
Davidson offered to engage David Fine, J.D., general counsel, and Nick Stancil, J.D., deputy general counsel, to discuss a University-level stance and welcomed recommendations from the Faculty Senate.
In response to a question on renovation plans for classroom space that is not fully functional, specifically in Nursing classrooms that do not fit the class size, Davidson noted that a goal of the University’s comprehensive funding campaign is to build a new building to solve space issues. She also mentioned that a new building could be part of a larger ecosystem as Community College of Denver is renovating Boulder Creek and MSU Denver is updating the West Classroom.
While Davidson could not answer more questions due to time constraints, she encouraged senators to use the idea catcher to ask questions or submit ideas.
Roadrunners Rising campaign
Christine Márquez-Hudson, vice president of University Advancement and executive director of the MSU Denver Foundation, provided an overview of the Roadrunners Rising Campaign. The campaign goal is to raise $75 million that will support the University’s Strategic Plan 2030 pillars: facilitating student success, cultivating inclusive excellence, creating classroom-to-career pathways and addressing Colorado’s talent pipeline. The campaign is 12 months into its 60-month timeline and already the team has secured $26.4 million. See the full presentation and more information on the campaign and Advancement successes.
Robert’s Rules of Order overview
Sen. Kelly Evans, Ph.D., assistant professor of Human Performance and Sport, gave a brief overview of Robert’s Rules of Order. She also shared a presentation outlining expectations and senators’ duties regarding joining meetings electronically, private messaging, voting, in-person attendance, general procedure, motions and discussions.
Minute approvals
Sens. Approved the minutes from May 4 with 75 votes in favor of passing and five abstentions.
Trustee report
Trustee Meredith Jeffers, Ph.D., faculty trustee and associate professor of Spanish, provided a brief overview of the Board of Trustees composition and charge. As Jeffers serves as the voice of the faculty, members can contact her with any questions or concerns.
Committee vacancies
Goodnick gave an overview regarding all vacant spots on executive committees. Any openings are available to be filled by non-Senator faculty members. More committee information, including past year’s committee reports, can be found here.
Votes and discussions
Meeting modality vote
Senator Biff Baker, MBA, lecturer in the College of Business, proposed a motion to conduct hybrid meetings through Dec. 15. Sen. Erienne Romaine, affiliate professor, English, seconded the motion.
Sen. Zsuzsa Balogh, Ph.D., professor of Engineering and Engineering Technology, proposed an amendment to conduct hybrid meetings through the end of the academic year. Sen. Julian Friedland, Ph.D., assistant professor, Business, seconded the amendment.
The amendment passed with 74 in favor, six not in favor and one abstention; the motion passed with 69 in favor and six not in favor.