President's Report 11/8/24

November 08, 2024 / Lyndsay Rhodes

BOG & ACFS updates 

Regulation 8.003 Textbook and Instructional Materials Affordability and Transparency
New approved language requiring each university board of trustees to outline a process for textbook and instructional materials approval and adoption in a university regulation. The amendment also includes the requirement for faculty and instructors to attest that all required course materials will be reviewed for each course they teach each semester.

Development of the FGCU regulation will be initiated in Senate (Institutional Affairs Team) and approved by full Senate prior to going to General Council and the BOT for final approval (June meeting). Please engage unit faculty for feedback in this process.

Natural Disaster Impact on PBF Metrics

At the October 30, 2024, BOG meeting, USF Senate President David Simmons and myself brought up the impact major natural disasters have on PBF metrics, sometimes for years following a storm. The Governors were receptive to considering ideas on how PBF metrics might be adjusted following major disasters, given the proper documentation. David and I are planning to work together to draft a proposal to share with the Governors. I will circulate the draft for input prior to sharing it with the BOG, and welcome any ideas or suggestions as we start this process.

ACFS Updates

Advisory Council of Faculty Senates met at FIU on October 29, 2024. ACFS continues to discus and consult on the syllabi search request, Regulation 8.003, and the general education review. ACFS will be reviewing and drafting best practices for textbook/course materials review to provide to university BOTs as it relates to Regulation 8.003.

ACFS is meeting with BOG staff/Strategic Plan point person Thursday, November 14, 2024 to discuss BOG metrics for measuring faculty excellence (remaining on the new BOG strategic plan). The current metrics include 1. Faculty Membership in National Academies, and 2. Faculty Awards (as measured by Center for Measuring University Performance’s “Top American Research Universities” report, now discontinued). The goal of this meeting is to provide some additional measures of faculty excellence that can be used more broadly across the SUS that expands the focus beyond research, but ties to student success outcomes. If you have ideas you would like to share, please send those to me before November 14th.

Other University Updates

First Annual Faculty Fall Festival was November 4th and we had a nice turn out despite having to reschedule. We would love your feedback as we plan our spring event – Faculty Jam Session with music and karaoke (details to come).

Faculty Recognition Nights
November 13, 2024 and February 6, 2025
We are working to organize more public-facing faculty and staff recognition events. The first (and very short notices) will be next Wednesday to recognize the 2023-2024 Excellence Award Winners at the Men’s Basketball game. Attendees will be recognized and have tickets to the President’s Suite for the evening.
We are working on a larger Faculty & Staff night for the Spring. More details to come.
Athletics is interested in increasing faculty participation at sporting events and would like feedback on how to better to engage (and entice) faculty. If you have ideas, please send those to me.

Reminder that Professional Development Fund Grant application is now open and we have moved to 3 review cycles. The new review cycles are meant to increase the efficiency of our reviews and more timely decision making. There is a lot of new information, so please review the guidelines and frequently asked questions carefully. The information can be found on the PDFG website.