University Faculty Council – August 18, 2026
Action Items
- None
Minutes
The meeting was called to order at 1:02 PM.
Committee Website and Documentation Discussion
Ryland Willis presented the new University Faculty Council (UFC) website structure, which is currently under development and not yet live. He provided a tutorial and facilitated discussion regarding the types of information that will be displayed on the site.
The UFC discussed that committees will no longer be required to submit agendas. Instead, committees will submit meeting minutes organized as follows:
- Action Items at the beginning of the document
- Meeting Minutes following the action items
The UFC website will display committee action items and committee minutes as separate sections.
Document Storage and Access
The UFC Chair will investigate the creation of a dedicated UFC OneDrive location where supporting documents, such as red-lined handbook versions and other working documents, can be stored and accessed by UFC members.
Website Training, Security, and Editing Permissions
Ryland Willis will conduct training sessions for committee chairs and secretaries on the use and maintenance of the new website. An annual archive of each committee’s website will be created. The process is still under development and remains a work in progress.
Discussion occurred regarding methods of preventing edits to website content. Questions were raised regarding:
- Whether specific website pages or accordion sections can be locked.
- Whether PDF versions of documents would be a better option for preserving content.
- Whether a OneDrive folder may provide a suitable solution.
Miriam will consult with Ryland regarding options for restricting edits and preserving official documents.
Committee Chairs and Secretaries were dismissed from the meeting at 2:14 PM.
Future Meeting Recording and Accessibility
The UFC discussed recording and accessibility procedures for meetings.
- Meeting recordings will be stored on OneDrive and will not be posted on the website.
- To support accessibility and improve AI-generated transcripts, participants will be asked to state their name before speaking.
- The council is awaiting final guidance regarding the platform or method that will be used to record meetings.
UFC Officer Elections
Secretary Election
Randy Reif was nominated for the position of UFC Secretary and accepted the nomination.
Following a vote of the attending UFC members, Randy Reif was elected Secretary by unanimous vote.
Vice-Chair Vacancy
No nominations were received for the position of Vice-Chair.
Discussion followed regarding:
- The responsibilities of the Vice-Chair position.
- The succession process in which the Vice-Chair becomes Chair and subsequently Past Chair.
- Faculty Handbook provisions that allow for term extensions under special circumstances.
These steps will be taken next:
- The UFC Chair emphasized the importance of filling the vacant Vice-Chair position.
- The Vice-Chair vacancy will be added to the agenda for the September meeting.
- Miriam will contact Tim regarding the possibility of providing adjunct compensation to UFC Chairs who are unable to utilize the available course release.
Members noted that the absence of a Vice-Chair represents a significant concern for the council’s leadership succession process.
Curriculum Approval Updates
Members were informed that emergency curriculum approvals occurred during the summer. These actions will require formal approval by the appropriate committees during their opening meetings for the academic year.
Adjournment at 2:42 PM.