Faculty Senate discussed initiatives, faculty concerns and logos at the meeting, Sept. 20. Senators are seeking to increase the quality of life for faculty at Texas State.
First on the list was the proposal for a faculty club or venue that would feature dining, socialization and collaboration for faculty and select graduate students. When not being used by Texas State, it could be rented out for special events, such as weddings or receptions making the venue revenue neutral.
The intended purpose of this faculty club is to promote a positive atmosphere, culture and sense of community between staff members at the university. The senate believes that once morale is raised with this venue, it will improve faculty retention; therefore, keeping staffers that are valuable to Texas State education and its journey to be coming a tier one research institution.
Senators have discussed the faculty space during the past few meetings. According to Senators, the faculty previously had a lounge but due to conditions and location, it was not utilized. Faculty Senate believes the space would be utilized if more ideal.
Next, the senate decided to create an online forum on TRACS for faculty. The forum welcomes comments, complaints and suggestions.
This form will feature the options of entering an email or choosing anonymity. Once submitted, the comment will be discussed and placed online as a resource.
The request process for Texas State logos is going to be tweaked by the Faculty Senate.
Previously, a staff member from a program would request the logo and then provide it. The senate decided going forward, the Texas State Marketing team will handle all logo requests. The senate hopes for more accuracy and a faster return rate with this plan.
Lastly, the Faculty Development Leave Policy was addressed.
There was discussion over making changes on the amount of time staffers would be allowed to take development leave. Ultimately, the decision was made to make no changes to the Faculty Development Leave Policy.