The recent faculty regent election and Big Red Gen Ed were the height of discussion at the Faculty Senate on Thursday.

The Faculty regent election has just concluded, and the results were sent to the Faculty Senate Chair, Dan Clark. Immediately following the senate meeting, the Senate Executive Committee will oversee the results. The winner will be revealed after the SEC informs WKU President Timothy Caboni for a formal announcement.

The Board of Regents elects a faculty regent member to speak on behalf of faculty at WKU. According to the WKU website, the Board of Regents is composed of eight members that can serve up to two six-year terms.

The current faculty regent, Shane Spiller, a professor of management at the Gordon Ford College of Business, will be retiring from his position after his first term in December, when the new regent is sworn in on Dec. 10.

Two senators, Merrall Price, senior associate dean of the Potter College of Arts and Letters and professor of English, and Kurt Kneely, assistant professor for the Doctor of Physical Therapy program, ran for faculty regent.

Katrina Burch, associate professor of psychological sciences, stated in a faculty-wide email that Price may not be fit to serve as faculty regent considering her administrative position.

Burch said an administrative position may “complicate their ability to independently advocate for faculty interests, particularly when those interests conflict with administrative decisions.”

Burch worries that Price’s position, despite qualifying her for the position, may not be able to accurately portray the faculty’s voice.

“It raises legitimate questions about whether faculty have a truly independent voice in those discussions,” she said in the email.

However, she worries that combining the roles of faculty and administration may not best serve the representation of faculty as a whole.

Catherine Wilson, an associate professor of music education, responded to the email two hours later. She defended Price and said that if she had not met the requirements to run, questions about her eligibility should have been brought up before the election began.

“It is important that we respect the established process and the individuals who have stepped forward to serve,” Wilson said in her email.

When voting, she said that it is the faculty’s job to discern the candidates’ qualifications, experiences, perspectives and leadership abilities.

“We may have different ideas about what effective faculty representation looks like, and that is certainly part of a healthy university community,” Wilson said in her email.

She backed up Price by stating that she advocates for staff compensation; WKU currently ranks 19th out of 19 institutions in faculty pay according to Wilson.

“That said, I sincerely believe both candidates are highly capable and would do an excellent job representing us,” she said in her email. I respect and appreciate their willingness to serve.”

Spiller spoke at the meeting as his time as faculty regent comes to a close.

Spiller reflected on the past six years, how he had been elected amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and how far the team has come.

“When I was elected, we were going through quite a bit,” he said.

Spiller continued by connecting the budget cuts the team was forced to make when he joined in 2020 to the future. He forwarded a news release done by Continuing Professional Education that shows that by 2040, we will see a roughly 10.5% decline in high school graduates.

“I anticipate problems,” Spiller said. “I anticipate that we’re going to have to continue to be tight with our budgets.”

After the warning, Spiller eagerly spoke about his dream of having a smaller role on campus following the retirement of his position. Despite this, he also said that he has made many lifelong friends from his seat.

“I do appreciate you putting me into this role and allowing me to speak on your behalf with the board,” Spiller said.

Professor Mac McKerral from the School of Media and Communication thanked Spiller for his time as faculty regent.

“The university has been well served by you, and I hope whoever replaces you can be just as effective in terms of representing the faculty, but also the betterment of the institution,” McKerral said.

Senators discussed the process motions recommended to the Faculty Senate regarding the Big Red Gen Ed Program.

The BRGE Program Proposal will be more manageable for future students to complete and also acts as a way to preserve the liberal arts foundation, according to a Herald article.

The first motion to have two held readings of the BRGE Program proposal was passed with all but two senators in favor.

The second motion caused debate. It said that if the BRGE Program is amended by any senator or receives a “No” vote, the proposal would be sent back to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, a standing committee within the Faculty Senate, for further consideration.

The motion was written reflecting the 2012 passing of the Colonnade course program. Matt Pruitt, a professor of sociology and criminology, noted an error with the language of the motion and brought up that senators may worry that a “no” or amendment to the BRGE Program means they agree with the current state of Colonnade requirements.

“We just want to make sure that we have the right to amend,” Pruitt said.

Robert Dietle, a history professor, countered Pruitt. Dietle was on the committee when the original Colonnade program was passed. He said that in the original meeting, they never suggested that the Senate had no right to amend.

“We’re not bound by a precedent for something that happened in 2012,” Pruitt said. “This should reflect the body now about what we think is the best way to move forward.”

McKerral stood up to speak, siding with Pruitt, worrying about the university siding with general education in an attempt to cut costs.

“This (program) will never be perfect, no matter how many times it’s amended and it goes back here, and it goes back there,” McKerral said. “We can’t let perfect be the enemy of good.”

Pruitt requested a ballot for the vote, meaning the senators’ vote would be anonymous. There were 37 votes in favor, and 10 against. The motion moved as a 3/4ths majority approved.

The senate agreed that the proposal seemed incomplete and some aspects were vague.

“I know how difficult it is to balance all different demands,” Dietle said. “(However) I do think this proposal needs some improvement.”

At Pruitt’s suggestion, the senate also agreed to send any proposed amendments over email to make the process go more smoothly.

The post Faculty regent position causes controversy, Big Red Gen Ed Program ‘needs some improvement’ appeared first on WKUHerald.com.

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