November 2024 Faculty Senate Newsletter
Reminders
Faculty Personnel Deadlines
Several important deadlines are coming in December for faculty personnel actions. They are:
- Advancement in Title: the 1st Tuesday in December (December 3) is the deadline for faculty members to request that the unit administrator begin the process of consideration for advancement in title.
- Promotion and Tenure: 1st Tuesday in December (December 3) is the deadline for unit administrator recommendations and the PAD to be sent to the Dean (or for the Brody School of Medicine Promotion and Tenure Committee to make their recommendation to the Brody School of Medicine Dean).
- Post-Tenure Review: 2nd Monday in December (December 9) is the deadline for the unit administrator’s review to be sent to the Dean.
- Workload Guidelines: According to the Timeline for Workload Activities for the 2024-2025 Academic Year, units should be submitting their guidelines to their deans for approval, and then forwarding approved copies to Rachel Baker in the Faculty Senate Office.
What’s New
Faculty RSVP Form for Commencement
Faculty interested in participating in the Fall 2024 University Commencement Ceremony should complete the RSVP form to participate. The deadline to RSVP is December 3, 2024. Please direct any questions to commencement@ecu.edu.
Call for Proposals: 2025-26 Faculty Support and Reassignment Award
The Office of Research, Economic Development and Engagement and the Faculty Senate Research and Creative Activities Committee are issuing the call for the 2025-26 Faculty Support and Reassignment Awards for Research and Creative Activity. Applications will be due by 11:59 PM on January 10, 2025, for an award that can be used in Fall 2025 or Spring 2026. This program provides funds to allow faculty dedicated time in the academic year for creative and scholarly activity and to prepare and submit a competitive application for extramural support. We encourage applications in the Arts and Humanities. Activities may include preparing grants for research, scholarship, creative and artistic activities, fellowships and residencies, art, and music commissions, exhibits and performances, book publishing contracts, museum and library fellowships, artist-in-residence, and scholar-in-residence programs. Requests for time to work on scholarly endeavors such as a book are allowed, if the project can be completed during the semester of the reassignment. Extramural sponsor types may include federal, state or foundation. Please read the full call for proposals for the eligibility requirements, application process, and other important information.
In addition, the Research and Creative Activities Committee is collecting feedback on schedule options for the award, and anyone interested in applying for the award (for this award cycle or future award cycles) is asked to complete the short, 1-minute survey.
Faculty Assembly Volunteers
The Committee on Committees is seeking faculty volunteers for two delegates and two alternates for upcoming open seats on the 2025-2026 UNC Faculty Assembly. Service begins July 1, 2025. Volunteers should be full-time faculty, holding no administrative duties outside their department. In addition to attending the six yearly meetings of the UNC Faculty Assembly, the delegates are expected to attend and report at the eight monthly meetings of the Faculty Senate and Agenda Committee. Everyone wishing to volunteer is asked to complete the Faculty Assembly Volunteer survey no later than Monday, January 6, 2025.
The Committee on Committees will provide the Faculty Senate with a list of nominees for consideration during their January 28, 2025 meeting. Please direct any questions to Professor Michael Daniels, chair of the committee, via email.
Chancellor’s Action on October Faculty Senate Resolutions Postponed
The Chancellor received the October Faculty Senate resolutions but will take additional time to review the revisions made to the Academic Program Review Guidelines and Part VI.VII of the East Carolina University Faculty Manual. Those resolutions were being held until the university policy on Academic Program Review was approved by the Board of Trustees, which happened on November 22nd.
Committee Updates
General Education Listening Session Recording and Survey
A subcommittee of the General Education and Instructional Effectiveness Committee is reviewing the requirements for the general education program this academic year. Chair of the Faculty Ticknor facilitated the first listening session, which was held on November 20, 2024. A recording of the the listening session is available, as well as the slideshow presented by Chair of the Faculty Ticknor. Faculty are encouraged to review the materials and fill out the survey to share feedback with the subcommittee.
Committee Restructuring
Several committees have been asked to provide feedback on potential mergers or restructuring of their charges, and their feedback is being considered by the Committee on Committees as they work to draft new charges for the proposed mergers. Mergers of certain committees are being proposed for several reasons. Recruiting faculty to serve on university committees has become more difficult due to shrinking faculty rosters and shifting or increased workloads as faculty are pressed to fill gaps left in their units by faculty leaving the university, whether through retirement or for other positions. Several committees have variable workloads that last for only a portion of the year, or routinely have one large task that is accomplished in a few meetings. Others are meeting regularly, but rarely bring reports to the Faculty Senate. In an effort to increase efficiency and solve these issues, the Committee on Committees is weighing the needs of the university, faculty, and students to maximize the impact of the committees run through the Faculty Senate and ensure that faculty are engaging in meaningful service.
Scholarships Workshop
The Student Scholarships, Fellowships, and Financial Aid Committee will be assisting with a Scholarships Workshop scheduled for Wednesday, December 4, from 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM in Main Campus Student Center 249.
Upcoming
Call for Faculty Volunteers
The Call for Faculty Volunteers will be sent out beginning in December. This call is a preference survey that the Committee on Committees uses to form a nomination roster for to fill upcoming vacancies on the University Academic, Faculty Senate, Appellate, and Administrative committees. The survey will be open from December through early February, after which the Committee on Committees will begin reviewing the survey results and creating the nomination rosters for elections at the April 29, 2025 Faculty Senate organizational meeting. If you are interested in contributing to Shared Governance at ECU and engaging in university-level service opportunities, then be on the lookout for that call and complete it prior to the deadline. For more information you can also view the recording of an OFE session about University Committees and Faculty Service and read Descriptions of Committees.
December Faculty Senate Meeting
The December 3, 2024 Faculty Senate meeting will take place at the East Carolina Heart Institute Conference Rooms A-D. Please see the agenda for the topics and feel free to tune in via the livestream.
Notice
Editorial Revision to East Carolina University Faculty Manual
Editorial revisions were made to Part II.V (PDF). of the East Carolina University Faculty Manual to correct links to the Appointment and Review of Administrative Officers policy and the associated Implementation Guidelines (PDF). Both documents were updated in August 2024, but because the policy update was not posted through the HiQ system for public comment, the erroneous links were only recently detected. The Faculty Governance Committee will review the updated policy and present formal faculty advice to the Faculty Senate at the January 28, 2025 meeting.