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April 23, 2021- September 14, 2021

Date/Time/Location: Tuesday, September 14, 2021, 3:00 PM, Zoom Webinar

Members Present (62): Elizabeth Alexander, Hanadi Al-Samman, Alan Beckenstein, Ari Blatt, Aaron Bloomfield, Aniko Bodroghkozy, Francesca Calamita, Cathy Campbell, Eli Carter, Donna Chen, Matthew Chin, John Comazzi, Stephen Culp, Quinn Curtis, Todd DeLong, John Dillery, Maxim Engers, Jim FitzGerald, Gavin Garner, Avik Ghosh, Vanessa Gregg, Doug Grissom, Jack Hamilton, Claudrena Harold, Mark Haskins, Bob Hirosky, Jay Hirsh, Joel Hockensmith (Past-Chair), Tish Jennings (Chair-Elect), Michael Kennedy, Jason Kerrigan, Brad Kesser, Susan Kirk (Chair), Venkataraman Lakshmi, Kathryn Laughon, Adria LaViolette, Matthew Lazzara, Kevin Lehmann, Stephen Levine, Antonia LoLordo, Stephen Macko, Carol Manning, Benjamin Moses, Kay Neeley, Peter Norton, Tom Pajewski, Rob Patterson, Andy Pennock, Anne Rotich, Patrik Sandas, James Savage, Jeri Seidman, Maria Luisa Sequeira Lopez, Jaclyn Shepard, Philip Smith, JT Stranix, Christopher Thom, Nolan Wages, Sarah Ware, Brian Wright, Jeff Young, Victor Zaydfudim

Guests/Others Present: Maite Brandt-Pearce (Vice Provost), Brie Gertler (Vice Provost), Sarah Kirk (Student Council Rep), Maria Lane (Admin Support), Liz Magill (Provost), Jim Ryan (President)

Meeting called to order
3:02 PM

Welcome
Susan Kirk welcomed everyone to the meeting.

April 2021 FS Minutes

Minutes from April 2021 Faculty Senate meeting reviewed.
Tish Jennings initiated motion to approve minutes; multiple people seconded.

Vote on the Motion to Approve Minutes
For: 30   Against: 0
MOTION PASSES

Discussion with President & Provost

President Jim Ryan thanked Faculty Senate for their help on a range of topics and issues over the past year. He then shared his priorities for the year:

  1. Continue to manage response to Covid-19

  2. Advance key initiatives on 2030 Strategic Plan

    1. Emmett-Ivy Corridor

    2. Create more interdisciplinary research space

    3. Northern Virginia

  3. Advance the Honor the Future Campaign

    1. At $3.7B towards $5B goal with about 4 years left in the campaign

    2. Raising funds for scholarships, professorships, support for students interested in public service, support for research infrastructure/space

  4. Identify the next round of SIF investments

    1. Includes matching funds for scholarships and faculty chairs

    2. Looking to make large investments in research priority areas: environmental resilience and sustainability, brain and neuroscience

    3. Also looking to make investments in teaching innovation and infrastructure for programming in Northern Virginia

  5. Advance key initiatives related to diversity, equity, and inclusion

    1. Building off the work from the Racial Equity Task Force group

    2. Includes working with Naming and Memorials committee, working group around contextualizing statues and memorials, efforts to increase faculty/staff/student diversity, building programming focusing on racial equity and conversations across lines of difference

  6. Recruit and onboard key new leaders

    1. Ongoing searches for Dean of Nursing, Dean of Education School

    2. Currently onboarding 3 new deans: Architecture, School of Medicine, Engineering

  7. Assist UVA Health with strategic planning process, forging new partnerships

  8. Reconnect with alumni

  9. Reengage with UVA community

Provost Liz Magill introduced Brie Gertler, the new Vice Provost for Academic Affairs along with Maite Brandt-Pearce, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, and Maggie Harden, Associate Vice Provost for Academic Administration. She then shared her priorities for the year:

  1. Making forward progress on strategic initiatives

    1. Faculty hiring programs, cluster hires programs

    2. Strategic research objectives, research space, investments in research infrastructure

    3. Working on assessments and identifying opportunities for undergraduate advising

    4. Broadening our Horizons: Northern Virginia, Online Learning

  2. Delivering ongoing critical missions of the Provost’s office with the highest level of service and excellence

    1. Ongoing searches (School of Nursing, School of Education)

    2. Onboarding new leaders

    3. Academic division budget

    4. Promotions and tenure

    5. Undergraduate Enrollment (internal and external transfers)

  3. Reconnect with our community

    1. Foster a culture that accounts for where we have been and what we’ve learned

    2. Inclusive Excellence framework efforts

    3. Capture spirit of innovation and willingness to try new things as we experienced during the pandemic

Provost Magill along with Vice Provost Gertler and Vice Provost Brandt-Pearce answered questions related to Covid procedures and policies.

  • Asymptomatic testing is available

  • We do not know of any spread specifically linked to classrooms.

  • 95% of diagnoses from Student Health of covid-like symptoms are not covid (standard viruses, colds, etc.). Physicians do not believe we have a high number of breakthrough infections, but we are not prevalence testing vaccinated individuals.

  • See further 19 response guidance sent to instructors last week

  • CTE can assist with making connections to acquire technology to share lectures as needed for students who will be out. Can also contact Brie Gertler, Maite Brandt-Pearce or Wynne Stuart for assistance.

Other discussion/questions for President & Provost

  • Provost/President are aware of general concern about recruitment/retention of faculty of color; resources towards recruitment and retention is on the priority list. Very pleased with receiving the Mellon Grant for Race, Place, and Equity (Baucom, Nelson) includes 3 faculty hires as well as 30 post-docs. Recommendations from this group would be very welcome.

  • Trajectory is good, we have a way to go regarding national competitiveness in receiving federal research funds. Ram can provide more insight into this.

  • Difficult to predict how NIL will impact, likely not a big impact here at UVA. Pay-for-play would upend financial model of athletics departments across the country. FS has expressed some interest in sharing expertise regarding education benefits.

  • Share concerns of uptick in community safety alerts. Increasing ambassadors, increasing availability of Safe Rides, increasing availability of walking escorts. Pushing an app that includes option for a virtual escort. Robyn Hadley will send message to students about staying aware and traveling safely.

Non-Compliance with Mandatory Testing

Susan Kirk shared clarification on the process for faculty member non-compliance with mandatory testing. There is a clearly worded set of sanctions, progressing over time. Built into the process is an opportunity for a three-person panel review by faculty senators after notice of potential termination has been given (after 4 weeks of noncompliance).

Grievance Committee will only hear cases as it relates to application of the policy, not the policy itself.

Student Council Sustainability Project

Sarah Kirk gave a brief presentation on the Student Council Sustainability Agency’s efforts to encourage online-only assignments, reduce the cost and impact of printing. A survey for professors and TAs is in the works to solicit opinions and feedback on creating the online-only initiative.

Election to Non-Senate Committees

Susan Kirk shared background on a written motion regarding requests for representation by a Faculty Senator on outside committees. Committees include the Athletics Advisory Committee, Colonnade Club Committee, Virginia Faculty Senate, University Finance Committee. 

Tish Jennings initiated motion; Jim Savage seconded.

WHEREAS: standing committees outside of the Faculty Senate governance structure periodically request representation of the Faculty Senate

AND

WHEREAS: the Faculty Senate endeavors to participate in such committees in order to advise them on interests of the Faculty Senate I motion that the Faculty Senate establish a standard practice that allows for the election of Faculty Senate members to such committees:

  1. Process for election of Faculty Senate members to non-Faculty Senate Committees

    1. Committees requiring representation by the Faculty Senate should be identified before and announced during the first spring meeting of the Faculty Senate

    2. Interested senators may nominate or self-nominate by notifying the Chair of the Nominating Committee and including a statement of their interest

    3. Any term limits imposed by the non-Faculty Senate committee must be compatible with the remaining years of the nominees’ Faculty Senate terms

    4. Voting will occur by the last regular meeting of the Faculty Senate in the spring

    5. The names of the elected individuals will be presented to the non-Faculty Senate committee chair by the end of the Spring Semester

Discussion

  • Item C-may be too restrictive to say outside committee terms must be compatible with remaining term on Faculty Senate

  • Will all nominations to external committees happen by the spring? Committees work on the same academic calendar, it would be most efficient for this to all occur at the same time, putting elected individual in place at the beginning of the academic year.

Joel Hockensmith made a motion to amend-delete Item C; Tish Jennings seconded.

Vote on Proposed Amendment
For: 37   Against: 0
AMENDMENT PASSES

Vote on the Amended Motion
For: 39   Against: 0
MOTION PASSES

Updates from Senate Committees

No committee updates

Topics Shared by Schools, May-Jun

Susan Kirk shared some concerns raised by the schools during the spring which may be topics of interest for the Faculty Senate to consider this year.

  • Does the financial model still work now that the curriculum has changed, and more courses are co-taught?

  • What has been the attrition of faculty, particularly faculty of color?

  • Is P&T standardized across the schools? Has the impact of Covid and extension of the clock been universally adopted?

  • Who advocates for wage faculty, most of whom do not make a living wage or receive benefits?

  • Can we maximize participation of senators by rethinking: orientation, committee participation, timing of meetings?

New Business
No new business

Meeting adjourned

4:37 PM