Faculty Senate held their final 2019-2020 session meeting on May 5 through a Zoom conference call.
Sustainable Financial Model (SFM)
- The SFM Working Group was tasked in Oct. 2019 with recommending a new financial model to guide the budget process.
- The process included establishing guiding principles for financial decisions and the evaluation of proposed models.
- The group unanimously decided against continuing with the current incremental model.
- The final SFM recommendation was the Vandal Hybrid model which aims to decrease the pressure on reserves. With this model, operational costs are incorporated into base budgeting to avoid using the university’s reserves.
- Declining enrollment and increasing expenses have depleted cash reserves in the past.
- President Scott C. Green said he hopes to be able to continue parts of this model past 2021, but he also addressed the continued need to assess the budget annually.
- “The plan was we’d take this year to year,” Green said.
Upcoming Fall Semester
- Lawrence said that the reopening of campus will roughly follow the stages of the Idaho Rebounds plan. The university is also working alongside health experts and local restrictions to determine what reopening will look like.
- “This is on everyone’s minds right now,” Lawrence said. “We’re all trying to navigate a situation we’ve never been through and a situation with many variables.”
- Some variables being considered include at-risk faculty, cleaning on campus and the compact nature of dorms.
- Multiple options have also been discussed, such as offering more online classes and readying to move online again. Lawrence hopes to have a clearer idea by the end of May.
- A senator said other faculty have been concerned about a current lack of communication from upper administration about plans for next semester, as many faculty will be away for the summer.
Faculty Senate New Session
- With the closure of the 2019-2020 session, Chair Terry Grieb led the final meeting for his last time after three years in the Senate.
- In the new 2020-2021 Senate’s second meeting, senators voted for Chair and Vice Chair.
- Previously Vice Chair for this past academic year, Barbara Kirchmeier was unanimously voted Senate Chair.
- Russell Meeuf was voted Vice Chair.
Haadiya Tariq can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @haadiyatariq