The Latest in Faculty Governance | University Senate Governance

The Latest in Faculty Governance
No. 7
January 22, 2022

Faculty Consultative Committee (FCC) efforts and action since the December 2021 Faculty Senate meeting:

Recommended syllabus language addressing COVID-19 was developed for the spring 2022 semester by members of the FCC, the Senate Committee on Educational Policy (SCEP), and the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost. The updated language reflects current University policy and guidelines.
FCC leadership consulted with senior administrators during winter break about spring semester planning with respect to the University’s COVID-19 response. The FCC strongly advocated for distribution and access to high-quality masks and flexibility in teaching modality to accommodate for the current COVID-19 landscape.
The FCC discussed and voted to endorse the Academic Calendar Task Force Recommendations regarding Juneteenth. The task force recommended amending the Twin Cities/Rochester and Morris academic calendars for 2021-22 and 2022-23 to establish Juneteenth as a no classes day to align with the federal and State of Minnesota Juneteenth holiday. The proposal was also discussed and approved at the special Faculty Senate meeting on January 20, 2022. (These changes are for the academic calendar only; consultation continues on making Juneteenth a University holiday as well.)

Upcoming/Ongoing efforts:

FCC will host a virtual town hall for faculty senators on Thursday, February 3, 2022, from 2:30 - 3:45 p.m. A primary goal of this town hall will be to hear faculty input on how the administration can reward faculty efforts during the pandemic and support faculty efforts going forward. Faculty senators are encouraged to engage with colleagues about their ideas and concerns in advance of the town hall. Please RSVP by Wednesday, February 2, 2022, to attend.
The faculty legislative liaisons encourage faculty to attend virtual sessions of the University’s 2022 Legislative Kickoff on January 25, 2022, and become an advocate to the legislature for the University by joining UMN advocates.