Minutes waiting to be approved by Faculty Senate

Printable PDF

Slide Presentaion

Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes

Harrison Hall 123

October 22, 2025

3:15pm-4:30pm

I.            Call to Order 

a.      Meeting was called to order at 3:15

II.            Approval of FS Minutes from October 8, 2025

a.      Jim Meyer moves to approve. Chris Posbergh seconds. None opposed. No abstentions. Approved. 

III.            FYI Items 

a.      Annual Founder’s Day faculty award nominations due Nov. 15.

b.      Annual Faculty Symposium: Wednesday, October 29, 11:30-1:30PM 

“Mapping Success: mentoring and advising pathways to student self-discovery"

c.       Faculty Excellence Grant proposals due October 31. 

IV.            Undergraduate Courses and Programs

a.      Undergraduate Courses

i.      Second Read

1.      EDU 480 : Personalizing Learning with Competency-Based Education

2.      EMEC 456 : The Science and Engineering of Outdoor Sports Gear

ii.      First Reads

1.      CSCI 431 : Hypermedia Systems

2.      EMAT 352 : Mechanical Engineering Materials

3.      LS 398 : Internship: Supervised Professional Experience with Faculty Mentor

b.      Undergraduate Course Changes

i.      Second Read

1.      HEE 430 : Instructional Design in Health Enhancement

a.      Change in credits from 3 to 1

b.      New learning outcomes

2.      Changes to prereqs

ii.      First Read

1.      GPHY 329 : Environment and Society

a.      Changes to learning outcomes

c.       Undergraduate Course Inactivations

i.      First Read

1.      PHSX 435 : Astrophysics

a.      PHSX 435 was converted in 2022 to ASTR 476, which is now an ongoing course.

d.      Undergraduate Program Inactivations

i.      Second Read

1.      FDEN-OPTION : Hospitality Management-Food Enterprises

a.      Students did not enroll in this option, but were interested in some of the coursework. A certificate of Food Enterprise is being proposed.

V.            Graduate Courses and Programs

a.      Graduate Courses

i.      Second Read

1.      EDU 580 : Personalizing Learning with Competency-Based Education

2.      EDU 593 : Graduate Study Abroad

ii.      First Read

1.      EIND 594 : Seminar

2.      EMEC 556 : The Science and Engineering of Outdoor Sports Gear

3.      LRES 538 : Plant Community Ecology of the Northern Rocky Mountains

4.      MEDS 516 : Integration I

5.      MEDS 517 : Integration II

6.      MEDS 518 : Integration III

b.      Graduate Courses Changes

i.      Second Read

1.      NRSG 620 : Advanced Pharmacology II-FNP

a.      Title changed from Adv Pharm II

b.      New learning outcomes

2.      PSYX 505 : Psychology of Teaching and Learning

a.      Title changed from Teaching of Psychology

b.      Credit change from 1 to 3

c.       Changes to learning outcomes

c.       Graduate Course Inactivations

i.      Second Read

1.      GEO 583 : Applied Geological Hydrology

a.      Course hasn't been taught since Fall 2007; no faculty member to teach it anymore.

b.      Concern that some of these specialty courses are no longer offered. Just haven’t had the expertise to offer it. 

ii.      First Read

1.      CSCI 581 : Computational Thinking Tchrs

a.      This course will no longer be offered due to low student enrollment. Both MSSE and the Computer Science department have agreed upon its inactivation.

d.      Graduate Program Changes

i.      Second Read

1.      MOSE-MS : Master of Science in Science Education

a.      Changes to learning outcomes

VI.            Information Updates 

a.      Proposed revisions to Research Misconduct Policy; Visit and remarks by Kirk Lubick, MSU Associate Vice President for Research Integrity & Compliance

i.      See slide presentation

ii.      Questions

1.      Timeline for proposed changes?

a.      Has had first read at Unversity Council. If everything goes okay it will go for second read a the their next meeting

2.      How many aligations have there been.

a.      Since Kirk’s been here, 4 or 5

b.      Phone calls, 10 a year, but consensus is they were not research misconduct. 

3.      Policy for research data retention?

a.      https://www.montana.edu/research/osp/piguide/200.00.html 

4.      Has AI been talked about in reference to this topic?

a.      Was not highlighted in the changes. They do have guidance on AI. It is what we are used to and what you train your students. 

i.      If you are going to use AI to generate something, it needs to be cited. 

b.      Guidance will be coming out for when you are using human subject participants. 

b.      Proposed name change for Center for American Indian and Rural Health Equity (CAIRHE) to“Center for American Indian and Rural Health Excellence” (CAIRHE).

i.      Chris Posbergh moves to approve. Jim Meyer seconds.

1.      Will there be different bar to meet with Excellence instead of Equity?

a.      Was a request that was made, but not sure by whom. One of the funders.

ii.      One opposed. One abstention. Approved.

1.      Jim Meyers moves to forgo the second reading. Maggie Thorsen seconds.

a.      Do you anticipate opposition between first and second reading? Not that the chair is aware of.

b.      None opposed. Two abstentions. Motion will forgo its second read and has been approved at this meeting.

c.       Council Updates (Grad Council, Budget Council, Research Council, ...)

d.      Discussion of First Amendment, free speech in and out of the classroom, and possible special programs

i.      What counts as “political activities”?

1.      Would like to see some examples. 

a.      Chair will work on that. 

ii.      Faculty have anxiety about a shifting line, and support from the university if there is an attack on a professor online. Will the university have your back?

1.      Hope that the university would have your back. 

iii.      If we write a piece, can you identify yourself as a university employee?

1.      Yes, but you shouldn’t be speaking on behalf of the university. 

2.      You could not do this on your work computer. 

iv.      Different environments where this could take place. If questions unfold in the course of a class in the classroom, would like to know how to navigate that. Would like confidence in what we are able to engage with certain topics, even if related to the course. 

v.      Are we as a senate going to talk about Dept of Education Campus Compact. Even tenured faculty are afraid and unsure of what they can and cannot comment on. 

1.      Could bring it up during Senate Discussion.

vi.      Would like clarification on what is a work computer or home computer. If you connect your person computer to the MSU network (OneDrive for example), is that now a work computer?

1.      There is a consulting policy. 

2.      Faculty member gets allowance to pay for their cell phone. Is that now considered university property?

vii.      Would like to go over some scenarios that could occur and figure out in groups how to work through them. 

viii.      Faculty want CLEAR guidelines. 

1.      Including using social media. 

ix.      What would happen if we did a “teach in” to protest this infringement on free speech?

x.      Topics on evolution, CO2 and virology have been targeted. 

xi.      Will faculty be protected if something they do is deemed unethical?

1.      For example: A nurse must be prepared to help a transgender person whether or not the government recognizes them or not. 

e.      We will have someone from legal counsel come and speak to us. 

i.      Would love to have some guidance on photography/recording in the classroom. 

f.        Small group conversation: Noteworthy accomplishments for you and your colleagues?

i.      Jennifer Boles had a film show.

ii.      Concert at the Ellen in support of PBS. 

iii.      New grant from NIH to find a Lyme Disease vaccine. 

VII.            Senators’ Open Conversation 

a.      We need to talk about this as an overview if our university is being forced to sign on to the Compact for Education. 

i.      If someone wants to put some language together to bring forward to the senate, feel free to do so. 

ii.      Has the administration been talking about the Campus Compact? Haven’t heard it yet. It will definitely come up. 

b.      Conflict of interest forms: If you have research collaborators outside of the US, you have to report them. 

i.      Virtually all researchers have multiple collaborators outside of the US. Not sure what the conflict of interest is. 

c.       Parking?

i.      Randy Crandal will come and speak. Keep asking.

d.      Retirement policy is forcing people to stay in their positions longer. 

i.      HR doesn’t understand how university faculty operate. Will have Jeannette Gray-Gilbert come and speak to us. 

e.      Why does MSU Facilities charge us so much for work? Wanted $5,000 to install wifi. Should be a shared resource for all of us. 

f.        Can MSU faculty still get discounted ski lift tickets? Rob Maher will look into it. 

i.      Big Sky has a faculty and student pass. “Bobcat season pass”. 

VIII.            Public Comment 

a.      None.

IX.            Adjourn

a.      Jim Meyer moves to adjourn. Jennie Little seconds. Meeting adjourned at 4:32pm.