FACULTY SENATE

Senator Lois Hedman was voted President Elect on June 6, 2018.

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The Senate approved the following resolution from the Executive Committee on June 6, 2018:

Whereas, Dr. Edward F.X. Hughes has served four consecutive years in the Senate presidential leadership, and

 Whereas, during that time he has contributed mightily to the development of the Senate as an effective organization dedicated to shared governance on behalf of academic values and faculty interests, and

 Whereas, he has always done so with a rare combination of persistence, generosity, and graciousness, and

 Whereas, this service goes beyond the normal three-year term in presidential leadership and well beyond expectations for academic citizenship,

 Be it resolved that the Faculty Senate confers on Dr. Hughes the honorary title of Past-Perfect President, and

Be it further resolved that this body expresses its profound appreciation for his contribution to the Senate and the University.

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The Senate approved the following resolution from the Research Affairs Committee on June 6, 2018:

Whereas, The Graduate School (TGS) at Northwestern University provides five years/19 quarters of support to its doctoral-level graduate students, and

Whereas, In STEM fields, one year of that funding is derived from TGS monies. Funding for the remaining four-plus years of support are provided through the faculty advisors’ grants and research funds, at a cost of $65,926.40 (includes stipend, tuition and overhead) per student annually.

Whereas, The single year of university-supported funding makes it difficult to recruit outstanding faculty and graduate students when Northwestern’s peer institutions are offering two, or more years of university-supported funding for STEM graduate students

Whereas, recruiting outstanding faculty, junior faculty, and graduate students is integral to achieving the University’s stated goal of reaching $1 billion in research funding, and

Whereas, providing improved support for outstanding faculty and graduate students advances the University’s commitment to academic excellence,

Resolved, That the Northwestern University Faculty Senate strongly encourages the Provost’s Office and subsequently, TGS to increase the amount of university-funded support by one year to STEM faculty in order to support the graduate students in their field for a full two years. This change does not increase the stipend to the students on an annual basis.

Note: This proposed change has no impact on students’ funding packages, it merely shifts the allocation of some resources from the individual faculty advisor to The Graduate School. 

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A motion to approve the Faculty Fitness Panel proposal was passed by the Senate on June 6, 2018. 

A motion to propose a working group of administrators and Senate volunteers to draft implementation proposals of the ombuds program this summer and fall was approved by the Senate on June 6, 2018. 

The following resolution to amend the Faculty Senate Bylaws was approved on June 6, 2018:

Resolved, That the Bylaws of the Faculty Senate be amended as follows:

Current Bylaws –

 Article I, Section 7: The Faculty Committee on Cause provides an initial evaluation of appeals by faculty members in cases where the administration has imposed a minor sanction or is pursuing suspension or termination for Cause. Each fall, the Faculty Senate's Executive Committee will nominate seven Faculty Senate members to serve on the Committee on Cause. Two of the nominees must be non-tenure eligible faculty members. The President of the Faculty Senate will send the names of the seven nominees to the Faculty Senate's membership. The Faculty Senate will then consider those names and, by majority vote, approve the seven members of the Committee on Cause or propose other candidates to serve on the Committee on Cause.

 A modification of the text would be as follows:

 Article I: Functions

Section 7: The Faculty Committee on Cause reviews appeals in connection with faculty termination and suspension proceedings and faculty disciplinary proceedings. Each fall, the Faculty Senate's Executive Committee will nominate seven Faculty Senate members to serve on the Committee on Cause. At least two of the nominees must be non-tenure eligible faculty members. The President of the Faculty Senate will send the names of the nominees to the Faculty Senate's membership. The Faculty Senate will then consider those names and, by majority vote, approve the members of the Committee on Cause or propose other candidates to serve on the Committee on Cause.