Faculty Senate approves program closure

Degree program closure

Improved academic efficiencies were on the agenda for the Dec. 7, 2022, University of Louisville Faculty Senate meeting. At the meeting, senators approved the closure of a Master of Engineering in Industrial Engineering degree program. Faculty Senator Candace Harrington presented the report and said closure of the program was duplicative to the Master of Science in Industrial Engineering degree program also offered by the Department of Industrial Engineering. In addition to the review and approval by the Faculty Senate, the proposal was reviewed by and approved by the Speed School’s Industrial Engineering Committee and the Graduate Education Committee.

President search follow-up

In his report, Faculty Senate President Eugene Mueller provided a follow-up to the Nov. 30 announcement of Kim Schatzel as the university’s new president. Mueller, who served on the Presidential Search Committee, emphasized that the university “will be in excellent hands” when Schatzel begins her service on Feb. 1, 2023.

Mueller also acknowledged some concerns by the faculty about the access to presidential candidates throughout the search process. He said that the need for confidentiality among the candidates was necessary to avoid any potential issues with the candidates’ current employers and assured senators that he “represented strenuously” the faculty’s needs, interests and concerns throughout the screening process.

Part-time faculty resources

Part-Time Faculty Committee Chair Roy Fuller announced that Rose Mills is retiring from teaching. As such, her vacated Faculty Senate seat will need to be filled. Mills has been a longtime instructor in the English Department and has served for many years as a part-time faculty senator. The committee agreed to invite Tim Roberts, also from the Department of English, to rejoin the committee. Until this past May’s election, Roberts had been a part-time faculty senator.

Fuller also announced that the Office of the Provost will soon hire a faculty affairs department coordinator tasked with supporting part-time faculty.

AAPI at UofL

Andrew Zhao, an associate professor in the Department of Anthropology, was among the guest speakers at the meeting. Zhao was on hand to share the successes of the Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Faculty & Staff Association. The employee resource group was established in 2021 to build community, address the needs and lift up the unique perspectives and experiences of UofL’s AAPI community. According to Zhao, more than 700 UofL employees identify as AAPI. Over the past year, the group hosted several events including the AAPI Heritage Week in April, the Welcome Back event at the Health Sciences Center in September and the AAPI Expo in November. Zhao said the AAPI leadership team is growing and looking for leaders to take the employee resource group to the next level. Those interested in joining must complete the online interest form by Jan. 17, 2023.

The next meeting of the University of Louisville Faculty Senate will be held Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, in the Ekstrom Library Chao Auditorium on Belknap Campus. The meeting is open to the public. Committee reports, meeting minutes and other information from the Dec. 7, 2022, faculty Senate meeting are available on the Faculty Senate webpage.