President

Eligibility

The President of the Faculty Senate shall be a tenured faculty member, duly elected by members of the Senate. 

Role:

The role of the Faculty Senate President is to represent the faculty, coordinate the day-to-day functions of the Senate, and preside over the meetings of the EC and the Faculty Senate.

Recognizing the substantial time commitment required for the role, the Faculty Senate President gets reassigned time (six hours for the fall semester and three hours for the spring semester).

Responsibilities:

The primary responsibilities of the President include:

• serving as the liaison between the faculty and the administration by conferring regularly with the University President and Provost and apprising them of relevant investigative studies of the Senate, as well as meeting with the Vice President of Finance & Administration, the Vice President of Student Affairs, the Staff Senate President, and the Student Government Association (SGA) President.

• overseeing the day-to-day functions of the EC and Senate, such as setting agendas and presiding over all meetings.

• coordinating Senate committee membership, charges, and interim and final reports, and filling vacancies on University Standing Committees.

• ensuring that faculty can provide feedback on relevant University policies, such as those related to curricular issues, academic freedom, and the retention, tenure, and promotion (RTP) process.

• serving as the Faculty Senate’s representative to all Tennessee University Faculty Senates (TUFS) meetings (unless delegated to another member of EC), giving a report of what the Senate is working on and highlighting important issues on campus.

• approving usage of the Morgan University Center’s Cumberland Room as requested.

Positional University Committee Assignments:

By virtue of the role, the Senate President also serves on the following committees:

• Allocations Committee

• Faculty/Staff Parking Citation Appeal Committee

• Staff and Faculty Appreciation Committee

• University Budget Committee (or designate a member of the EC to serve)

• University Policy Committee

Detailed Timeline

May

• After the outgoing President sends a final email to all faculty, request access to the all-faculty email list. 

• Make sure your Outlook calendar is up to date, as individuals will often schedule meetings with the Senate President based on availability. 

• Email all newly elected members of the Executive Committee (EC). 

• Select a Parliamentarian in consultation with the newly elected members of the EC.  

• Ask the Senate Secretary to send email invitations to all senators, as well as to the APSU President and Provost, for every Senate meeting in the upcoming academic year.

• Set up monthly meetings with the Provost and the President.  

• Set up monthly meetings with the VP of Finance, the VP of Student Affairs, the Staff Senate President, and the SGA President.

• Start tracking agenda items for the first EC meeting in August.

June

• Keep EC members informed of situations that arise over the summer (a meeting can be scheduled if needed).

• Determine when the University President and Provost will attend EC meetings.

  • Ask the Senate Secretary to send out meeting invitations to the University President and Provost. (Typically, they attend the first and second EC meetings of each month, respectively.)

• Continue tracking agenda items for the first EC meeting in August.

• Continue to fill vacancies on University Standing Committees.

• Start planning topics for pre-semester Faculty Senate roundtables, in consultation with the EC, so you can finalize them and invite the speakers to the sessions in July. The first EC meeting is during the first week of pre-semester. (It is best to meet before the Faculty Senate roundtable sessions.)

• Begin meeting with other key members at APSU. 

July

• Send the agenda for the first EC meeting in August, as well as a reminder of the meeting date/time. Continue tracking agenda items for the meeting. (It is possible to have a working lunch for the EC, if needed, just order the food from the University caterer and provide our Senate FOAP.)

• Consider who should be invited to present any policies that are on the agenda, and ask the Senate Secretary to send meeting invitations to the relevant individuals.

• Finalize the topics and speakers for the pre-semester roundtables and invite the speakers to the sessions. 

• Continue to fill vacancies on University Standing Committees.

• Create draft membership lists, charges, and due dates for the interim and final reports of the Senate academic and faculty committees for review/approval at the first EC meeting. (Discuss with the Provost, if needed.)

  • Rules (Selected by the Senate VP)

  • Academic Red and White

  • Faculty Red and White

  • Student Academic Success Initiative (SASI) Grant (Be sure to stipulate that the due date for the report is the April Faculty Senate meeting.)

  • Staff Service Award (Be sure to stipulate that the due date for voting on nominees is at the regular March Faculty Senate meeting, with the presentation of the award at the April Senate meeting.)

  • Nominations (Be sure to stipulate call for committee selection goes out by March 1 and committee assignments must be completed by May 1.)

  • Budget Review 

• Schedule regular, interim reports from the

  • CAFÉ Advisory Council Representative

  • RTP Policy Committee Chair

  • Faculty Handbook Committee Chair

August

• Update the Senate website Faculty Senate Executive Committee Archive by Year with the current EC members.

• Have the Senate Secretary update the Senate website with committees and archive.

• Consider stocking the Faculty Lounge with drinks and snacks.  

• The first EC meeting is during the first week of pre-semester. (It is best to meet before the Senate roundtable sessions.)

• Send the EC meeting agendas out on Monday or Tuesday of each week.

• Prepare for the first Senate meeting in August:

  • Work on the agenda for the August Senate meeting.

  • Send an email to the all-faculty list announcing the August Senate meeting (should be done on the Monday or Tuesday before the Thursday meeting), including:

    • Reminder of meeting date, time, and location

    • Link to agenda and prior meeting minutes

    • Link to documents to review

    • Notification of major agenda items (if applicable)

• Contact chairs of each Senate committee by email or phone to ask if they are willing to serve. Provide the names of the committee members, the charge, and dates of interim and final reports. 

• The Senate committees will need to be approved at the first Senate meeting. Please remind the chairs to contact their committee members within the next two weeks. 

• After each Senate meeting, remember to send email thank-you notes to the University President and Provost, EC members, and any guest speakers.  

• Create a spreadsheet for policies that will need approval this year.  Add policies as they come in and record the dates of the vote and action taken.

• Will start receiving calendar invitations to serve on various committees, including the Allocations Committee, Policy Committee, Faculty Appreciation Committee, Faculty/Staff Parking Citation Appeal Committee, task forces, and hiring committees, among others. 

September

• Email the Senate committee chairs, the RTP Policy Committee chair, and the Faculty Handbook Committee chair to ensure they are aware of their charge and are getting started.

• Reserve tailgate spot with Athletics ticket office (if desired); Johnny Mitchell jmitchell@ssellc.com 

• Prepare for the interim election in October.

• Begin scheduling interim reports with committees as needed.

• Prepare for the September Senate meeting. [As above]

October

• VP conducts the interim election.

• Prepare for the October Senate meeting [As above]

November

• Announce interim election results.

• Prepare for the November Senate meeting [As above]

December

• Plan committee reports for the spring semester and when each committee chair will come before the Senate.

• Consider sending an end-of-semester email to all faculty.

• Consider holding an end-of-semester lunch for the EC. 

January

• Contact committee chairs to remind them of their timelines:

  • SASI Grant Committee

    • Call for proposals Feb. 1

    • Award at the April Senate meeting

  • Staff Service Award Committee

    • Call for nominations in February or early March

    • Vote at the March Senate meeting (Keep the result a secret as much as possible.)

    • Award at the April Senate meeting

  • Nominations Committee

    • Meet in February

    • Complete work by the end of April

  • Faculty Handbook Committee

    • Present any proposed changes at the March called meeting (Can also present at March or April regular meetings)

  • RTP Policy Committee

    • Present any proposed changes at the March called meeting (Can also present at the March or April regular meetings)

• Prepare for the January Senate meeting:

  • Work on the agenda for the January Senate meeting.

  • Send an email to the all-faculty list announcing the August Senate meeting (should be done on the Monday or Tuesday before the Thursday meeting), including:

    • Reminder of meeting date, time, and location

    • Link to agenda and prior meeting minutes

    • Link to documents to review

    • Notification of major agenda items (if applicable)

• After each Senate meeting, remember to send email thank-you notes to the University President and Provost, EC members, and any guest speakers.  

February

• The Senate VP and Rules Committee should conduct reapportionment by February 15 for the upcoming Senate election. Contact HR for the number of faculty per college.

• Ensure that the SASI Grant Committee chair prepares the call for SASI grant proposals.  The Senate President sends the email call to the all-faculty list.

• Ensure that the Staff Service Award Committee chair prepares the call for nominations for the award. The President sends the email call to the all-faculty list.

• The EC selects the recipient of the Dr. Solie Fott Faculty Senate Leadership Award.

• The Senate VP conducts the spring Senate election. The Senate President sends the election communication to the all-faculty list. The Senate VP sends the adjunct election email to the list provided by HR.

• Prepare for the February Senate meeting. [As above]

March

• Plan and Schedule the called Senate meeting and regularly-scheduled Senate meetings

• The Chair of the Nominations Committee creates the Qualtrics ballot for University Standing Committee preferences.  

• The Chair of the Faculty Senate Slate Committee (Senate Immediate Past President) forms the Nominations Committee and announces the committee members at the March Senate meeting. An email requesting nominations will be sent to all senators. The slate of running candidates will be presented at the April Senate meeting.

• Oversee the planning for Awards:

  • Order the acrylic award for the Staff Service Award winner. Pick up before the April Senate meeting, so you have it to present to the winner.

  • Take the Staff Service Award plaque to Sporty’s to have the nameplate engraved.  Pick up before the April Senate meeting, so you have it for the award presentation.

  • Ask the Senate Treasurer to request a check for $500 for the Staff Service Award winner.  Contact accounting.  Pick up before the April Senate meeting, so you have it to present to the award winner.

  • Make sure that the Senate Immediate Past President orders the awards for each member of the EC.  Check with the Senate Treasurer on available funds. Sporty’s has the engraving used in previous years.

  • Make sure that the Senate Immediate Past President and the recipient of the Dr. Solie Fott Faculty Senate Leadership Award have the plaque nameplates engraved with their name in May. 

• Prepare for the called Senate meeting and the regularly-scheduled Senate meeting

  • Announce newly elected senators at the March Senate meeting

  • Send emails to the all-faculty list announcing the called and Senate meetings (should be done on the Monday or Tuesday before the Thursday meetings), including:

    • Reminder of meeting date, time, and location

    • Link to agenda and prior meeting minutes

    • Link to documents to review

    • Notification of major agenda items (if applicable)

• After each Senate meeting, remember to send email thank-you notes to the University President and Provost, EC members, and any guest speakers.  

April

• Ensure that the Staff Service Award, check, and plaque are ready for the April meeting.

• Ensure that the slate of running candidates for the EC is ready to present at the April meeting. 

• Prepare for the April Senate meeting [As above]

May

• Recognize retiring faculty members for years of service to APSU at the May Senate meeting. (Get the list of retirees from the Provost’s Office.)

• Ensure that the EC awards are ready for the May meeting.

• Prepare for the May Senate meeting. [As above]

• Conduct EC elections. Reminder: Only newly elected and continuing Senators vote (Senators rolling off do not vote on EC).

• The new Senate President calls for a motion to suspend meetings until August.

• Remember to send email thank-you notes to the University President and Provost, EC members, and any guest speakers.