Professor Lindsey thanked the board for inviting the group to sit at the table. She added that the Faculty Senate Executive Committee provided a report that was included in the meeting packet. She began by reporting that Faculty are involved in the mission, vision, and strategic plan work every day. They sit with students in several health and wellness ways from assisting with family issues, financial issues, and mental health issues. In addition, the Faculty Senate recently led, in partnership with the United Faculty of Central and the Academic Department Chairs, a food drive for the Wildcat Pantry. Faculty Senate as a representative body, are the voice and advocate for faculty. The leadership team of the Senate spends a lot of their efforts elevating the concerns of faculty at large to the administration to try and find solutions. Faculty Senate is also integral to the functioning of the institution, to curriculum in general education, policy making and revisions, evaluations, and assessment. Next academic year, Senate will lead the efforts in the revision of general education to streamline and make smoother pathways for transfer students, to simplify advising for general education, and to improve management of the general education program. The Senate Curriculum Committee is currently exploring three-year degree options, including accelerated degrees, dual degree programs, and reduced credit programs. They are currently surveying faculty now and will continue this work in the fall. They have also invested a tremendous amount of time this year engaged in shared governance, attempting to elevate the voices of faculty in shared governance. Professor Lindsey added that one of their biggest measurements of success is when the consultative process helps craft a stronger artifact. Another measurement of success is by the trust that the FSEC has been shown by faculty. The FSEC hopes for genuine consultation and collaboration moving forward in the challenges facing the university. Professor Lindsey added that earlier consultation in processes would be helpful. • Employee Classified Council Josie Rollins, Chair of Employee Classified Council, explained that this group is a volunteer organization rather than a representative body. One of the primary functions of the council is to encourage appreciation and recognition of staff at CWU. They handle the celebrations for Employee of the Month and Employee of the Year. Over the last several years, the council began to branch outwards to help address some of the greater needs they saw regarding communication and attrition. They have become sort of an unofficial ombudsman for the classified employees who don’t know who to turn to for certain issues. Thanks to President Wohlpart’s intentional communication with the council, they now sit on virtually every committee across campus. One of the council’s greatest efforts is that of communication, and one of their greatest initiatives is the quarterly town halls. They have been very successful and have focused on several different topics. Future initiatives are specifically focused on getting information out there to employees who can’t attend forums or sit and watch videos, particularly maintenance and custodial staff. The council is extremely excited about being included in the shared governance discussions. There is a great feeling of inclusion among staff. • Exempt Employee Association Laura Brant-Hoefer reported she has been chair of Exempt Employee Association (EEA) for the past two years. The EEA is somewhat like the Employee Classified Council, although they do have bylaws. The key initiative that they work on is employee retention because ultimately; to live into the mission, vision, and strategic plan, we need folks to be here to support students. The EEA’s purpose is to represent the opinions and concerns of exempt employees. They recommend to the President and Human Resources on matters relating to exempt employees. The Association is managed by a governing board called the executive committee that has a total of nine people. There are two employees from each division and one member at large. This executive committee serves as the shared governance leaders of the group, and typically, the employees on the executive committee are not administrators. Currently, the executive committee is a very diverse representative group. Different humans with different
10 Board of Trustees Minutes May 21-22, 2026
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