Author: Everard, Michelle

Motion Passed: Scholastic Standing & Dismissal Bylaw Change

During its regular meeting on April 1, 2024, the University Senate passed a motion presented by the Senate Scholastic Standards Committee initiating several changes to the Bylaws, Rules & Regulations of the University Senate II.E.13. Scholastic Standing & Dismissal. These bylaw changes will come into effect starting in Fall 2024.

Overview of Bylaw Changes:

  • Name changes of overall process:
    • Rename “scholastic standing” to “academic standing” when referring to the overall process or individual academic standings
    • Rename “scholastic probation” to “academic Notice”
  • Removal of scholastic warning standing and credit-based scholastic standing criteria
  • Change in minimum required time away from UConn after dismissal:
    • Reducing the minimum required time away for students following academic dismissal from 2 semesters to 1 semester after the first academic dismissal and from 8 semesters to 4 semesters for second academic dismissal.
  • Clarifying language added regarding the impact of summer and winter classes on academic standing
  • Change in how a student is returned to good academic standing:
    • Both semester GPA (sGPA) and cumulative GPA (cGPA) must be above 2.0 for a student to return to good standing, regardless of the number of earned credits
    • No student with at least a 2.3 sGPA average after completing all courses for which they are registered at the end of a semester is subject to dismissal; the student will be continued on academic notice if such status is warranted, until both the sGPA and cGPAs are at least 2.o.
  • Moving language about end of semester to II.H.1: University Calendar
  • Small edits to readmission language to more accurately reflect the holistic readmission process for dismissed students.

The full motion language can be viewed here and the University Senate bylaws will be updated to reflect these changes before they come into effect for Fall 2024.

University Senate Meeting: April 29, 2024

The University Senate will meet on Monday, April 29, 2024, in a hybrid format. Click here to learn more and to view meeting materials. Please note the location for in-person attendance has moved to the Student Union Theatre and the public may join either in-person or virtually via Livestream. This is the final meeting of the University Senate during the 2023-2024 Academic Year. 

Spring 2024 Senate Constituency Election Results

Spring 2024 Constituency Election Results:

Deans Constituency:
Three-Year Term, 7/1/2024 – 6/30/2024
*John Elliott, Dean of The Business School

School of Business Constituency:
Three-Year Term, 7/1/2024 – 6/30/2024
Timothy Folta, Boucher Management & Entrepreneurship

CAHNR Constituency:
Three-Year Term, 7/1/2024 – 6/30/2024
Tracy Rittenhouse, Natural Resources & the Environment

CLAS Constituency:
Three-Year Terms, 7/1/2024 – 6/30/2024

CLAS Physical & Life Sciences:
Christian Brueckner, Chemistry
Alvaro Lozano-Robledo, Mathematics

CLAS Social Sciences:
*Michael Morrell, Political Science
*Eleanor Ouimet, Anthropology
*Cindy Zhang, Geography

CLAS Humanities & Centers/Institutes:
Jennifer Terni, Literatures, Cultures & Languages

School of Engineering Constituency:
Three-Year Term, 7/1/2024 – 6/30/2024
Horea Ilies, Mechanical Engineering

School of Fine Arts Constituency:
Three-Year Term, 7/1/2024 – 6/30/2024
Alexis Boylan, Art & Art History

School of Law Constituency:
Three-Year Term, 7/1/2024 – 6/30/2024
*Joseph MacDougald, Law

School of Nursing Constituency:
Three-Year Term, 7/1/2024 – 6/30/2024
Kristin Bott, Nursing

School of Social Work Constituency:
Three-Year Term, 7/1/2024 – 6/30/2024
Nathanael Okpych, Social Work

Stamford Campus Faculty Constituency:
Three-Year Term, 7/1/2024 – 6/30/2024
Ingrid Semaan, Sociology, CLAS

Waterbury Campus Faculty Constituency:
Three-Year Term, 7/1/2024 – 6/30/2024
Kimberly Cuevas, Psychological Sciences, CLAS

 

Wymanized at end of term

University Senate Passes Series of Motions to Update SET

During its regular meeting on Monday, March 4th, 2024 the University Senate approved a series of three motions presented by the Senate Faculty Standards Committee:

  1. In official university documentation, remove the “SET+” terminology, which implicitly foregrounds and prioritizes the SET as a primary and definitive assessment of teaching effectiveness. “Assessment of Teaching Effectiveness” (ATE) is the desired general descriptive language to be used moving forward. (63 YAY, 0 NAY, 3 ABSTAIN)
  2. Redefine the SET acronym from “Student Evaluation of Teaching” to “Student Experience of Teaching,” which reflects the subjective nature of the instrument and acknowledges the potential inherent biases present therein. (66 YAY, 2 NAY, 1 ABSTAN)
  3. That the Senate endorse these recommendations and implementation strategies, as well as provide additional venues to their broad distribution, including appropriate websites and the Senate FSC/Provost Office PTR Information Sessions in the spring of each academic year. (62 YAY, 2 NAY, 4 ABSTAIN)

The full SET Taskforce recommendations referenced in these motions can be found in the Academic Affairs Governance Documents Library and the full language of the motion presented by the Faculty Standards Committee to the Senate can be found here.

 

University Senate Fall 2023 Election Results

Fall 2023 Election Results

Faculty At-Large
Three-Year Terms, 7/1/2024 – 6/30/2027
John R. Cooley, CLAS
David Embrick, CLAS
Kenneth Fuchs, SFA
Beth Ginsberg, CLAS
Phoebe Godfrey, CLAS
Rachel O’Neill, CLAS
Del Siegle, Neag School of Education
Rebecca Thomas, CLAS

Professional Staff At-Large
Three-Year Terms, 7/1/2024 – 6/30/2027
Leo Lachut, First Year Programs
Carl Rivers, Registrar’s Office

Faculty Review Board
Deborah Chyun, Nursing (term ending June 30, 2026)
Judith Thorpe, SFA (term ending June 30, 2026)

Senate Approves a Motion for a Learning Accommodations Taskforce

During its regular meeting on Monday, February 5, 2024, the University Senate approved a resolution presented by the Senate Executive Committee to charge the Provost’s Office with convening a university-wide taskforce to address issues related to learning accommodations delivery from a faculty-facing perspective.

As described in the resolution, “The purpose of the Taskforce is to analyze CSD and faculty data with respect to the nature and frequency of accommodations, obtain input from faculty and students on challenges and effective strategies around accommodations, and evaluate faculty training and support in adopting Universal Design for Learning and inclusive teaching approaches that might reduce the need for accommodations.”

An update on the work of this taskforce should be shared with the University Senate Executive Committee by the end of the Spring 2024 semester, and the final report should be presented to the University Senate in the Fall of 2024, along with any other units relevant to the report.

The motion passed YES 62, NO 2, ABSTAIN 1. The full resolution is available here.

University Senate Bylaw Change: I.C.3.d Senate Committees

During its regular meeting on Monday, February 5, 2024, the University Senate approved a resolution to amend the University Senate Bylaws I.C.3.d Senate Committees to give the President of the Avery Point, Hartford, Stamford and Waterbury student governments the authority to nominate students to serve on University Senate Committees. More information and the approved resolution can be viewed here.