Submitted by Subbu Kumarappan, kumarappan.1@osu.edu
1. P&T Input: OAA is seeking input on the P&T Process as they work to better align data systems, support faculty, and select and implement a new P&T data platform. If you have recently gone through the process of 4th-year review, promotion and tenure, or promotion, you may receive a survey from OAA. Please respond! Your feedback is important and much needed.
2. Presidential Search - This is top of mind for faculty, students, and staff. Faculty senators continue to press for transparency and maximal faculty involvement in the search process. A letter was sent to the BOT on behalf of the faculty on February 6th. The BOT was projected to solidify a search process at their quarterly meeting this week. We will keep you updated as more information emerges.
3. ChatGPT - The Senate will engage in a cross-constituency conversation regarding the opportunities and concerns around ChatGPT at our next meeting on February 23rd. Michael Flierl, faculty in the OSU Libraries, will share basic information, followed by responses from Graduate and Undergraduate Students, university administrators, and staff. Senate meets via Zoom, and meetings are open to all. If you’d like to attend this meeting, you can log in as a guest via this link.
4. Free Speech Policy - The work on the Free Speech Policy is moving forward. The policy is project to be circulating for Public Feedback between March 6th to April 8th. These alerts generally come via OnCampus, so please keep an eye out. I will also work to send a reminder when the policy is open for review and feedback from the campus community.
5. Faculty Resignation- A new Faculty Resignation policy has been added to the OAA Policies and Procedures Handbook. The new policy details the specific processes for tendering and retracting a resignation, and the expectations of administrators around these decisions. The new policy is on page 18, policy 1.4.8 Faculty resignation. There is now a clear policy allowing faculty to rescind resignation. Senate will continue to monitor the effectiveness of this policy to determine if a more substantive Rules change is in order.
6. Join a Senate Committee - Senate is recruiting all faculty members (Senators or not) to join the work of Senate via one of the 20 standing committees. We are hosting a virtual, Senate Committee Open House on Friday, March 10th from 9:00-10:00 am via Zoom. This event is designed to give faculty a chance to learn more about the workings of each committee, including their responsibilities and meeting schedules, before volunteering to serve.
Dr. Caroline Clark
Faculty Council Chair, University Senate
Professor, Literacies, Literatures & Language Arts (LLLA)
Department of Teaching and Learning
The Ohio State University
265 Arps Hall 221A 1945 N. High Street, 43210