Senate Faculty Handbook and Policies Committee
Year-End Report for Academic Year 2007-8
March 29, 2008

Committee Membership
The Faculty Handbook and Policies Committee members for the 2007-8 academic year were:
Isabel Brown (A&S), Anita King (NURS), Frank Pettyjohn (MED), Herbert Phelan (MED), Thomas Rowell (A&S), Barry Simpson (MCOB), Tootie Wright (NURS), Elizabeth Romey (EDUC), and Chair Eric Loomis (A&S).

The Committee met three times during the academic year: on 9/7/2007, 10/12/2007, and 3/20/2008.

Activities
The Committee authored, approved and brought two resolutions before the Faculty Senate during AY 2007-8, with a third resolution approved by the committee and to be brought before the Senate in the Spring of 2008. The two resolutions brought before the Senate were:

1. Resolution Endorsing a Modification to the Late Course Withdrawal Policy. This resolution recommended that students seeking course withdrawal between the end of the Add-Drop period and the deadline for course withdrawal obtain the signature of the course instructor.
The resolution was passed by the Faculty Senate and submitted to the Administration. Partial modifications to the University’s late course withdrawal policy were subsequently approved by the Academic Affairs Policy Committee.

2. Resolution Endorsing Revision of the Policy and Procedures for Probationary Faculty Non-Reappointment. This resolution proposed that the University’s procedure for the non-reappointment of non-tenured, tenure-track faculty be revised to include the provision of an appeal process. The appeal process would include a non-reappointment review committee that would have the power to request a re-consideration of the non-reappointment.
The Resolution was passed by the Faculty Senate and has been submitted to the University administration.

Ongoing:

3. A third resolution has been drafted and will be brought before the Faculty Senate at the April meeting. This resolution will recommend that professional development be included among the “Exceptions to Standard Workload Expectations” in section 4.3.5 of the Faculty Handbook. This change is intended to enable faculty, including instructor faculty, to be more clearly eligible for professional-development related workload exceptions.
The Resolution was approved by the Handbook and Policy Committee.

The Committee also considered modifying the Handbook to allow Faculty Senate members to succeed themselves on the Senate. The Committee decided to raise this issue at a future Faculty Senate meeting, but decided against drafting a resolution at this time.