2008 Woodie Awards
Faculty senate listens to Hall speak
Marc Walls
Issue date: 10/31/07 Section: News
The Faculty Senate met Oct. 25 for the third time this semester.
President Timothy Hall spoke to the Faculty Senate about three matters of concern to him.
The president first reiterated his belief that policy making was not one of Austin Peay State University's most pressing needs.
Rather, Hall said, the school's priorities lie in helping students. As a result, Hall proposed that policy making be moved to a secondary body instead of remaining a concern for the President's Cabinet.
"The secondary body will not be as administrative heavy as the President's Cabinet," Hall said. The news brought about roaring applause from the Senate.
Hall then talked about the process in which department chairs are selected.
"I'm still trying to figure out what role a president should play in selection of chairs and deans," Hall said. The president noted that he believes that external searches for chairs are very valuable in the long run.
"It's good for us even when we have strong internal candidates," Hall said.
Jack Deibert, geosciences professor, mentioned that it has been difficult looking not only for someone qualified for the chair position, but also holding a specific skill under APSU established criteria for chair candidates.
"There might only be one person out there that fits those qualifications," Deibert said.
Hall went onto discuss the progress of the proposed doctoral program in education.
Hall said that significant resources have been allocated to the program, including new lines to the education department that Hall called "understaffed."
The president justified the demand for the degree program and its consistency with APSU's history as a normal school.
"It's consistent of the need of this region to invest in education," Hall said. "We have problems on our end because of the weakness of the K-12 program," he said.
Michael Becraft, special assistant to the Provost, briefly reviewed a new textbook policy drafted by the university.
"This is a policy that covers cost minimization, procedures and to detail monitoring procedures of textbook costs," Becraft said.
Becraft noted that although faculty are responsible for making sensible, cost effective choices with respect to their book selections, the campus bookstore still has the option of charging up to 25 percent over the publisher's cost to the students.
For more information on the new textbook policy, visit www.apsu.edu/senatef/documentsreview.htm.
President Timothy Hall spoke to the Faculty Senate about three matters of concern to him.
The president first reiterated his belief that policy making was not one of Austin Peay State University's most pressing needs.
Rather, Hall said, the school's priorities lie in helping students. As a result, Hall proposed that policy making be moved to a secondary body instead of remaining a concern for the President's Cabinet.
"The secondary body will not be as administrative heavy as the President's Cabinet," Hall said. The news brought about roaring applause from the Senate.
Hall then talked about the process in which department chairs are selected.
"I'm still trying to figure out what role a president should play in selection of chairs and deans," Hall said. The president noted that he believes that external searches for chairs are very valuable in the long run.
"It's good for us even when we have strong internal candidates," Hall said.
Jack Deibert, geosciences professor, mentioned that it has been difficult looking not only for someone qualified for the chair position, but also holding a specific skill under APSU established criteria for chair candidates.
"There might only be one person out there that fits those qualifications," Deibert said.
Hall went onto discuss the progress of the proposed doctoral program in education.
Hall said that significant resources have been allocated to the program, including new lines to the education department that Hall called "understaffed."
The president justified the demand for the degree program and its consistency with APSU's history as a normal school.
"It's consistent of the need of this region to invest in education," Hall said. "We have problems on our end because of the weakness of the K-12 program," he said.
Michael Becraft, special assistant to the Provost, briefly reviewed a new textbook policy drafted by the university.
"This is a policy that covers cost minimization, procedures and to detail monitoring procedures of textbook costs," Becraft said.
Becraft noted that although faculty are responsible for making sensible, cost effective choices with respect to their book selections, the campus bookstore still has the option of charging up to 25 percent over the publisher's cost to the students.
For more information on the new textbook policy, visit www.apsu.edu/senatef/documentsreview.htm.
Be the first to comment on this story