Too long; didn’t read

• President Bowen spoke with the Board of Trustees about faculty issues. 
• The Student Satisfaction Inventory showed high approval ratings for academic advising.
• Faculty and staff continue to recruit previous PSEO students.
• A sliding scale was created for academic standing. 
• A committee is working on updating the Faculty Handbook.

Board of Trustees meeting

Faculty Senate President Mauvalyn Bowen answered questions from the Board of Trustees about teaching PSEO students, areas of hope among faculty and elements of innovation in the department. Bowen mentioned the intricacies of working with younger students who are often commuters. She also spoke on faculty commitment to the university and its students. Finally, she presented examples of work done in departments to create new curriculums, majors and minors. 

Student Satisfaction survey

Data from the Student Satisfaction Inventory was emailed to faculty and mentioned in the senate meeting. In it, academic advising was listed as high satisfaction along with approachability, goal setting and desire for student success, something Bowen congratulated faculty for. 

Q-Student recruitment

Assistant Provost Julie Finnern emailed faculty earlier this week about retaining early college students. PSEO students who come back to Bethel after graduating high school are called Q-students.  There are 43 deposits compared to 23 this time last year. Currently, 40 prospective PSEO students are still undecided. Faculty were encouraged to reach out to the undecided students. 

Academic standing

Following the November meeting, the Athletics Department was consulted on the approved adjustments to the Academic Standing Policy to make sure they met MIAC and NCAA eligibility. They suggested that the policy include a sliding scale similar to other MIAC schools. Students in their first semester of college, 0-16 credits, are required to hold a 1.7 cumulative GPA. In their second semester, 17-32 credits, they are required to hold a 1.8 GPA. Third semester, 33-48 credits, required to hold a 1.9 GPA. Students are required to hold a 2.0 GPA after exceeding 49 credits. 

Faculty Handbook review

Though faculty have been involved in changes to the Faculty Handbook in the past, there is no written policy mandating faculty involvement. Senator Drew Whitson from the business department explained that the committee will be creating a process surrounding updates to the handbook while also removing elements that are more fitting for an employee handbook, including specific processes for tenure and bringing the handbook into the digital age.