May 1, 2020
Dear Chair Erickson and Board of Trustees Members:
I appreciate this opportunity to submit a brief overview of the activities of the Faculty Senate since the last Trustees meeting in February 2020. Since that time, the Executive Committee and the Faculty Senate Standing Committees have rapidly transitioned to working on policies and initiatives concerned with the immediate well-being of students, faculty, and staff. In response to the orders of Washington Governor Jay Inslee as well as Kittitas County Health Officer Dr. Mark Larson, Faculty Senators have been instrumental in helping to rapidly move spring quarter from face-to-face to online.
Pandemic Response
In response to health orders from Kittitas County Health Officer Dr. Larson, the Faculty Senate Chair, with the help of the Executive Committee began working closely with President Jim Gaudino and Provost Lynn Franken to assist the university by transitioning our campus to online final examinations and ultimately to an online spring quarter. While this time period was hectic, I applaud President Gaudino and Provost Franken for their sincere desire to communicate often with faculty through the Faculty Senate. During this time period there were a number of emergency initiatives that required rapid consultation and creative solutions. These included the drafting and passage of a new grading policy, the emergency pass/fail grade, changes to admissions to accommodate closures of SAT/ACT and TOEFL testing centers, and changes to the academic calendar to accommodate new financial aid requirements. Due to the expedited nature of these policies, some will be revisited by the full Faculty Senate during fall quarter to ensure they continue to serve our students in the most beneficial manner going forward.
Presidential Search
With the announcement of the retirement of President Gaudino following the 2020–2021 academic year, Faculty Senate Executive Committee is looking forward to assisting the Board of Trustees in the evaluation and selection of candidates for the next President of Central Washington University. Given the size and history of our university, the role of the President has historically played a large part in the day-to-day operations. It is important for the next president to be a strong leader on multiple fronts, including providing visible and tangible support of students, faculty, and staff; a strong emphasis on academics and the fundamental role that research plays in academics; and a strong gift for fundraising and university advocacy at the local and state level. We are committed to helping develop ways to include broad participation from all campus constituencies in our search for a new president. With an
Faculty Senate 400 E University Way • Ellensburg WA 98926-7509 • Office: 509-963-3231 • Fax: 509-963-3204
Barge 409 • Email: senate@cwu.edu • Web: cwu.edu/faculty-senate EEO/AA/TITLE IX INSTITUTION • FOR ACCOMMODATION EMAIL: DS@CWU.EDU. This is an electronic communication from Central Washington University.
Made with FlippingBook Publishing Software