FACULTY SENATE

The Faculty Senate approved the following resolution from the Non-Tenure Eligible Committee on June 5, 2019:

Whereas the University does not currently have a notice of release requirement for full-time non-tenure-eligible faculty on an annual reappointment cycle, and

 Whereas the lack of appropriate advance notice of non-reappointment does not allow faculty enough time to secure alternative employment, should they not be renewed, and

 Whereas the AAUP recommends that notice of non-reappointment should be given in writing according to the following standards:

 Not later than March 1 of the first academic year of service, if the appointment expires at the end of that year; or, if a one-year appointment terminates during an academic year, at least three months in advance of its termination; Not later than December 15 of the second academic year of service, if the appointment expires at the end of that year; or, if an initial two-year appointment terminates during an academic year, at least six months in advance of its termination; At least twelve months before the expiration of an appointment after two or more years in the institution, and

 Whereas many of our peer institutions require advance notice of release for one-year appointments,

 Be it resolved, that the Senate calls upon the University, including all schools and departments, to adopt a policy of notifying full-time non-tenure-eligible faculty about non-reappointment decisions for one-year contracts in accordance with the AAUP standards, and

 Be it further resolved, that the Senate calls upon the University as a whole to strengthen its commitment to full-time non-tenure-eligible faculty and, whenever possible, to limit the use of one-year contracts and expand the use of multi-year contracts.

The Faculty Senate approved the following resolution from the Social Responsibility Committee on June 5, 2019:

Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine’s mission is “to impact the practice of medicine through discovery and education.” We believe that investment by any part of the university in tobacco-related companies is contrary to that mission.

We believe this to be important because of the clear detrimental health effects of tobacco. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimate that Cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year in the United States, including more than 41,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke exposure.

In adopting a policy of non-investment in tobacco related companies, Northwestern would join many peer institutions including Columbia University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, the University of Michigan and the University of California.

Be it resolved that the Faculty Senate supports the development of a proposal to Northwestern’s Advisory Council on Investment Responsibility recommending that Northwestern divest itself of all current tobacco-related investments and adopt a policy of not investing in tobacco-related companies in the future.

The Faculty Senate approved the following joint resolution from the Student and Educational Affairs Committees on June 5, 2019: 

Whereas the university supports an inclusive, diverse, welcoming, and respectful environment, and 

Whereas this environment fosters intellectual vitality, strong community, and mental health,

Be it resolved that the Faculty Senate calls on Northwestern to promptly implement a record-keeping system that allows students, faculty, and staff to specify and record their chosen name and pronouns, where this information can be reflected in all of the university’s public-facing records, including class rosters on CAESAR and Canvas, the online directory, email servers, and the Wildcard system, and where it is an option to have one’s legal name hidden from public view.

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The Faculty Senate elected Therese McGuire (Strategy, Kellogg) President-Elect of the Faculty Senate on June 5, 2019.

The Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate nominated Therese McGuire (Strategy, Kellogg) for President-Elect on May 8, 2019.

The Faculty Senate approved the following motion from Non-Tenure Eligible Committee on April 10, 2019:

Whereas Northwestern should be an academic community in which all faculty are provided with institutional support to thrive, and

Whereas an integrated view of the University is needed to support all faculty, create an equitable climate, and achieve transparent decision making,

 Be it resolved that the Faculty Senate fully endorses the petition for an NTE Associate Dean position in WCAS and emphasizes the need to address the concerns of NTE faculty across all schools,

 And that the Faculty Senate recommends that the Office of the Provost create a position at the rank of assistant provost or above to oversee non-tenure-line faculty affairs university-wide.

On April 10, 2019, the Faculty Senate approved a motion to amend the minutes from the March meeting.