Secretary

Eligibility

The Secretary of the Faculty Senate shall be a full-time faculty member, duly elected by members of the Senate.

Role

The role of the Faculty Senate Secretary is to ensure the timely, accurate dissemination of documentation and communication, and the continuity of institutional memory for the EC and the full Faculty Senate.

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

Responsibilities

The primary responsibilities of the Secretary include:

• timely response in preparing, maintaining, and distributing official agendas and minutes for Faculty Senate meetings.

• taking attendance and internal minutes of the EC, if requested by the Senate President.

• managing meeting scheduling and official calendar invitations for senators, university leadership, and invited guests.

• timely response in maintaining and updating Faculty Senate web content, including agendas, minutes, committee information, and documents for review.

• tracking Senate membership, attendance, and roster updates, including interim election changes.

• coordinating documentation and recordkeeping for Senate policies, reports, and presentations.

• preserving official Senate records to support governance continuity and historical reference.

• ensuring institutional communication among Faculty Senate leadership, administration, and the broader faculty.

Positional University Committee Assignments

By virtue of the role, the Secretary may be asked to serve on Senate committees as needed. 

Detailed Timeline:

Summer/Fall

• Ensure Crestron is installed on the Faculty Senate laptop.

Summer

• Assist the Senate President in scheduling for the academic year, as needed:

  • Morgan University Center #307 and the Faculty Lounge

  • Executive Committee meetings

  • Full Senate meetings for Senators (Aug-May)

  • University President

    • Meets with the EC on the first Thursday of the month

    • Presents at the Full Senate on the third Thursday of the month

  • University Provost

    • Meets with the EC on the second Thursday of the month

    • Presents at the Full Senate on the third Thursday of the month

Fall/Spring

• Update the Faculty Senate website, as needed:

  • Faculty Senate Members (by Name and Area)

    • For the beginning of the academic year and then after the Interim Election

  • Scheduled Meetings

    • For the beginning of the academic year, including the March called meeting

  • Faculty Senate Committees

  • Agendas and Minutes

    • Upload the agenda for each monthly meeting and documents for review by the close of business on the Friday prior to the full Senate meeting.

    • Complete meeting minutes within one week of the full Senate meeting.

    • Distribute minutes to all members of the EC for review.

    • The president should approve the minutes so the secretary can post them within two weeks after the full Senate meeting.

  • Documents to Review

    • Current events slides

    • Board of Trustees presentations for August, September, January, and April

    • University Curriculum Committee (UCC) reports most months

    • Other documents will typically be guest presentations and policies

• Attend each weekly meeting of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee (Thursday afternoons, starting at 1:00 pm)

  • Bring a printed copy of the agenda for each EC member.

  • Take attendance and notes at each EC meeting.

• Invite guests (besides the President and Provost) to the Faculty Senate meeting in consultation with the Senate President.

• Attend each monthly meeting of the Faculty Senate. (Thursday afternoons, starting at 3:00 pm)

• Take attendance and minutes at each Faculty Senate meeting and include the list of names of absent senators in the meeting minutes. Per the Faculty Senate bylaws, follow up with senators who accrue three absences.