Faculty Senate Committees

About Faculty Senate Committees

The members of the 2023 - 2024 Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate are Stella Anderson (Chair of the Faculty Senate and Faculty Governance Committee), Paul Sebastian (Senate Vice-Chair and Chair of Committee on Committees), Kevin Gamble (Senate Secretary), Stefan Frisch (Parliamentarian),  Tammy Haley (Chair of Academic Policies), Erik Rabinowitz  (Chair of Athletics Committee),  Jim Westerman (Chair of Budget Committee), Rene Salinas (Chair of Campus Planning),  (Chair of Faculty Welfare Committee),  Randy Reed (Chair of Campus Technology Committee) and (Chair of Welfare of Students).

The committees of the Faculty Senate are appointed by the Chair of the Faculty Senate, with the advice and consent of the Faculty Senate.  The chairs of these committees are elected by the membership of the respective committees.  The membership lists are indicated under each respective committee.

The Faculty Senate may establish, when its members perceive the need to do so, ad hoc (temporary) committee(s) for the purpose of addressing specific and major faculty and/or institutional concerns.

Faculty Senate Committees

Current Membership:

  • Tammy Haley, Chair
  • Pavel Osinsky
  • Scott Relyea
  • James Ivory
  • Julie Sakowski
  • Maryam Ahmed

Description:

Committee on Academic Policy

The Committee on Academic Policy:
(a) considers matters of academic policy;
(b) handles other business that influences academic policy; and
(c) members of the committee serve as liaisons to the Undergraduate Academic Policies and Procedures Committee and the Graduate Academic Policies and Procedures Committee, and are non-voting members of Undergraduate Academic Policies and Procedures Committee and the Graduate Academic Policies and Procedures Committee, unless otherwise appointed to the committees as college/school representatives.

Additional Information:

Current Membership:

  • Stella Anderson, Chair
  • Stefan Frisch
  • Paul Sebastian
  • Kevin Gamble
  • Heather Norris,  Provost & Executive Vice-Chancellor
  • Neva Specht, Vice Provost for Faculty Policies and Development

Description:

Agenda Committee

The Agenda Committee shall be defined as the elected officers and the parliamentarian of the Faculty Senate, the past chair of the senate and the provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs (non-voting). The Agenda Committee shall meet at least once prior to each Appalachian State University Faculty Handbook  regularly scheduled senate meeting to formulate and approve (by the vote of the members in attendance) the agenda for each upcoming senate meeting. The Agenda Committee also:

(a) works with the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor and, where applicable, the chancellor, to prepare the agenda for the General Faculty meetings;
(b) refers matters to the appropriate committee; and
(c) handles other business pertaining to agenda matters.

Additional Information:

Current Membership:

  • Jennifer Zwetsloot
  • Catherine Garner
  • Erik Rabinowitz, Chair

Description:

Athletics Committee

The Athletics Committee:

(a) fosters the faculty's ability to address how matters in Athletics impact the University's academic mission, faculty affairs, and faculty autonomy as pertaining to the academic mission;

(b) considers concerns of faculty pertaining to Athletics;

(c) the University's Faculty Athletics representative will serve as an ex-officio, nonvoting member; and (d) the chair of the Athletics Committee will serve as an ex-officio, nonvoting member of the University Athletics Council.

Additional Information:

Current Membership:

  • Jim Westerman, Chair
  • Kathleen Schroeder
  • Leigh Dunston
  • Katherine Ledford
  • Brock Stoddard

Description:

Budget Committee

The Budget Committee:

(a) studies matters relating to budget planning at Appalachian;
(b) studies matters relating to the acquisition and distribution of the University’s funds, equipment, and supplies;
(c) considers University financial concerns of faculty; and
(d) the chair of the budget committee and the Faculty Senate Chair will serve as members of any tuition committees established.

Additional Information:

Current Membership:

  • Kevin Gamble
  • Rene Salinas, Chair
  • Jon Carter
  • Frankie Flood
  • Laura Ammon

Description:

Campus Planning Committee

The Campus Planning Committee:

(a) considers matters of faculty concern relating to long-range and physical planning;
(b) serves as Faculty Senate liaison with the Strategic Planning Commission and the Traffic Policy Committee; and
(c) investigates problems arising from the condition or management of the physical environment on campus.
(d) Senate will assign a member of this committee to serve on the University Council on the Safety of the Campus Community.

Additional Information:

Current Membership:

  • Ken Corley
  • Scott Rice
  • Darin Hodges
  • Randy Reed, Chair
  • Beth Buchholz

Description:

Campus Technology Committee

The Campus Technology Committee:

(a) represents the Faculty Senate on technology related committees, councils, and task forces that deal with technology issues;
(b) selects representation for technology related committees, councils, and task forces;
(c) is a conduit for faculty needs to the various technology groups on campus;
(d) brings the Faculty Senate information about proposed changes to technology policy and infrastructure on campus.

Additional Information:

Description:

Chancellor Advisory Committee

The Chancellor Advisory Committee meets four times each academic year (two times each semester).

The membership consists of:

  1. chair and vice chair of the Faculty Senate;
  2. two standing committee chairs; each standing committee chair attends at least once each academic year;
  3. four or five senators will attend one (1) of the meetings so that each senator, other than chair, vice chair, and standing committee chairs, attends once throughout the academic year; and
  4. Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor.

The Chancellor Advisory Committee acts as an informal advisory committee on behalf of the faculty to provide information and discuss matters of faculty interest and concern with the Chancellor.

Additional Information:

  • 2023-2024 Meeting Dates
    • TBA
    • TBA
    • TBA
    • TBA

                    *All meetings are held in the Chancellor's Boardroom, Fourth Floor, B.B. Dougherty Building.

Current Membership:

  • Paul Sebastian, Chair
  • Pam Shue
  • Francois Amet
  • Jim Houser
  • Kinji Ito

Description:

Committee on Committees

The vice chair of the senate is the chair of the Committee on Committees. The Committee on Committees:

(a) submits to the senate, at its April meeting, and at other appropriate times, recommendations for nominations to fill vacancies on University committees;
(b) strives to insure that a nominee serves on no more than one standing University committee per three-year term and has no more than one other University committee assignment (including Faculty Senate committees and University committees);
(c) reviews annually the membership and responsibilities of each of the University committees, and periodically conducts detailed reviews of University committees;
(d) determines whether or not each University committee is meeting as often as specified and fulfilling the functions it was created to fulfill;
(e) makes recommendations to the senate for abolishing, changing, and/or adding University committees;
(f) makes recommendations to the senate for the replacement of members on those University committees on which such members are not accepting their responsibilities, or when vacancies on those committees occur;
(g) handles other business that pertains to committees; and
(h) will solicit names and oversee the voting and the election process for the following year’s nominates of senate officers.

Additional Information:

Current Membership:

2023 - 2024 Appalachian State Delegates to UNC Faculty Assembly

Designation

Stella Anderson

Lead Delegate

Jim Westerman

Delegate

Mike Hambourger

Delegate

Andrew Polonsky

Delegate

Paul Sebastian

Alternate

Description:

Faculty Assembly Committee

Representation in the Faculty Assembly is apportioned among the constituent institutions of the University of North Carolina according to the number of full-time equivalent faculty positions allocated to each institution. Thus, Appalachian is currently apportioned four delegates to the Assembly. The Chair of the Senate serves as head of Appalachian's delegation to the Assembly, with the Vice Chair of the Senate serving as his/her alternate.

The Faculty Assembly Committee consists of 3 delegates and 1 alternate. The alternate will attend the meetings in the event that one of the delegates cannot attend. Those wishing to become delegates to the Faculty Assembly submit their names during the process in which Senate committee assignments are made. The term is for 1 year, but Senators may have their service on the committee renewed. Should there be fewer than 4 members of the Senate able to serve on the Faculty Assembly Committee, the Committee on Committees will make recommendations to the Senate from the faculty for committee members and/or an alternate.

It is the responsibility of the delegates to the Faculty Assembly to represent the interests of the Appalachian faculty to the Faculty Assembly, the President of the University of North Carolina, and the General Administration. Further, the delegates serve as a conduit for information from the Faculty Assembly and the General Administration to the faculty at Appalachian.

The longest serving member of the delegation (other than the Faculty Senate chair) will make a presentation to the Senate summarizing the Faculty Assembly agenda and any items requiring action at the first Senate meeting following a meeting of the Assembly.

In the event that a Faculty Assembly delegate must vacate the office, the Senate’s Committee on Committees will make a recommendation to the Senate for a replacement to serve the remaining time in the delegate’s term. Preference will be given to sitting Senators.

Additional Information:

2023-2024 Faculty Assembly Meetings

  • TBA

Current Membership:

  • Stella Anderson, Chair
  • Paul Sebastian
  • Tim Smith (Spring 2024)
  • Anindita Das
  • Mike Hambourger
  • Stefan Frisch
  • Anna Cremaldi (Spring 2024)
  • Sandie Gravett (Non-Senator Member)
  • Neva Specht, VPFPD (Ex-Officio)
  • Leo Flores (Ex-Officio)

Description:

Faculty Governance Committee

The Faculty Governance Committee:

(a) monitors matters pertaining to faculty governance on the campus;
(b) monitors the formal structures of faculty governance and recommends changes that will improve the functioning of those structures;
(c) maintains oversight of changes to the Faculty Handbook proposed by the Faculty Senate and approved or modified by the chancellor or the provost and executive vice chancellor;
(d) recommends to the senate changes to the Faculty Handbook that will improve clarity, accuracy, and provide updated information;
(e) works with the provost and executive vice chancellor, the chancellor, and the Board of Trustees to ensure progress regarding any proposed change;
(f) works with those responsible for publishing the Faculty Handbook to make sure it is widely and easily available to faculty;
(g) monitors, as well as advises and informs the senate regarding all proposals for changes in the Faculty Handbook;
(h) the composition of the committee includes the chair and vice chair of the Faculty Senate, the immediate past senate chair if he/she continues to be employed by the University, or a past
senate chair who continues to be employed by the University who is willing to serve, and two or more additional faculty members at the chair’s discretion. The provost and executive
vice chancellor (or designated representative) and a representative from the Council of Chairs shall serve as ex-officio, non-voting members;
(i) The chair of the committee shall be the chair of the Faculty Senate.

Additional Information:

Current Membership:

  • Alan Arnholt
  • Alex McAllister
  • Jennifer Luetkemeyer
  • John Bean
  • Matthew Richards
  • Nancy Love
  • Jacqui Ignatova
  • Jon Winek
  • Elizabeth Campbell

Description:

Committee on Welfare and Morale

The Committee on Welfare and Morale:

(a) monitors in all areas of fringe benefits and provides representation by three committee members on the Faculty/Staff Benefits Committee;
(b) coordinates and participates in the orientation program for new faculty members and spouses;
(c) handles other business that pertains to faculty welfare and morale; and
(d) a member of the Committee on Welfare and Morale shall serve as a member of the non-tenure track faculty committee.

Additional Information:

Current Membership:

  • Yalcin Acikgoz
  • Derek Davidson
  • Tynecca Lynch
  • Brandy Bryson
  • Steven Pressley

Description:

Committee on Welfare of Students

The Committee on Welfare of Students:

(a) deals with problems, or problem areas, that directly affect the general student body and the well-being of every student currently enrolled at Appalachian;
(b) serves as liaison to bring serious student problems and possible solutions to the attention of the faculty, administration, and student body for the purpose of developing or reformulating policy;
(c) collaborates on matters related to student and/or student–faculty relations, with other campus persons or units, in particular the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Development, the director of Auxiliary Services, the presidents of Student Government Association and Graduate Student Association Senate, the director of Admissions, and the Registrar; and
(d) serves, in some situations, as an investigatory body.

Additional Information: