UTMB Faculty Senate Minutes
Monday, October 14, 2024

Open Senate Meeting:

  1. Call to Order –The meeting was called to order at 4:30 PM by Jacquelyn Svoboda, DNP, APRN, WHNP-BC, Faculty Senate Chair.
  2. Attendance “Roll Call” & Establishing Quorum
    • Quorum Met 
    • Roll Call
      • BSBS: Robert Cross
      • JSSOM: Kelly Carmichael
      • SHP: April Cowan
      • SPPH: Brian Downer
      • SON: Kimberly Abraham
  3. Agenda Adoption
    • Consent Agenda Adoption – Approved 
  4. Review & Approval of Minutes– There were no minutes for September; members were directed to the Faculty Senate website for the meeting recording.

  5. Announcements
    • Introduction for Senators
      • Dr. Svoboda hosted the New Senator Orientation for the new FY25 senators prior to this meeting at 3:30 PM. Non-senators introduced themselves. Dr. Chubinskaya introduced new members from the Office of Faculty Affairs (OFA): Dr. Amanda Persons, Director of Mentoring Programs Dr. Kimberly Skarupski, Associate Vice Provost for Leadership Development Both provided brief introductions to their roles and how they will support the Faculty Senate. Senators introduced themselves.
    • UT Systems Faculty Advisory Council Feedback
      • Dr. Svoboda and Dr. Samreen represent UTMB on the UT System Faculty Advisory Council (FAC) and attend quarterly meetings. The council has not yet received updates on legislative priorities but will provide feedback when available. The Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs shared that Regents Rules will be reviewed, and FAC will be asked for feedback. Senate executive team will provide updates on the review process.
    • Communication: Pulse Survey & Website Link
      The Pulse Survey aimed to gather faculty concerns and issues. This year, faculty involvement and understanding increased. New topics in the survey included faculty retention, childcare, hiring processes, and timely distribution of grants.
  6. Unfinished Business & General Orders
    • The New Faculty Orientation (NFO) will be held this Thursday and will differ from past orientations by focusing on campus-wide opportunities and amenities for new faculty. This event will be held twice a year. Dr. Chubinskaya encouraged review and feedback on Tenure Policy (RR31007), emphasizing the need for an accumulated voice from UTMB regarding the definition of “full-time” status. Feedback to the OFA on this policy is appreciated. The Faculty Senate Outreach Link has been shared with the committee and will continue to be used to communicate with constituents. A QR code for this link is available on the Senate website.
  7. New Business
     Motion: A motion was made by Kelly Carmichael and seconded by Shannan Rossi to move into Executive Session, which passed unanimously.

  8. Announcements: None
  9. Adjournment:
    10. The meeting was adjourned at 5:58 PM after a motion to adjourn, which was seconded and passed unanimously.