Faculty Senate
February 26, 2026
MEETING INFORMATION
Date
Thursday, February 26, 2026
Time
3:15 - 5:15 p.m.
Business 3:30 - 5 p.m.
Location
101 Richard Woodcock Education Center
And we'll be in a different room next time!
Zoom link: https://wou-edu.zoom.us/j/81141923854
Agenda
Meeting Agenda (DOCX)
Draft Minutes
Draft Minutes for February 12, 2026 (DOCX)
“If you would like to request disability-related accommodation(s) to participate in a WOU activity or event, please complete the online request form at least three (3) business days in advance. If you have questions, contact Disability Access Services (DAS) at 503-838-8250 or das@wou.edu. QR Code to online request form:
MATERIALS
Institutional Reports
-
Faculty Senate President's Report (Michael Baltzley)
-
University President’s Report (Jesse Peters)
-
Interinstitutional Faculty Senate Report (IFS) (Ricardo Pelegrin, Tad Shannon)
Consideration of Old Business
1. None
New Business
1. Faculty Publications at WOU Bookstore (Kim Jensen)
2. American Sign Language Drop Concentration, Minor, or Other Programs Proposals (Brent Redpath)
- American Sign Language Studies: Culture Certificate
- American Sign Language Studies: Linguistics Certificate
- ASL Studies: Beginner Certificate
- ASL Studies: Intermediate Certificate
3. Canadian Studies Concentration Drop Concentration, Minor, or Other Programs Proposal (David Doellinger)
4. Criminal Justice Sciences Drop Concentration, Minor, or Other Programs Proposals (Misty Weitzel)
- Corrections Concentration
- Forensic Anthropology Concentration
- Forensic Anthropology Minor, Criminal Justice Majors
- Juvenile Justice Concentration
- Law Enforcement Concentration
5. Elementary Mathematics Specialization and STEM Education Drop Major, Degree, or Graduate Certificate and Drop Concentration, Minor, or Other Programs Proposals (Gregory Zobel)
- Elementary Mathematics Specialist (K-8) Certificate
- Elementary Mathematics Specialist (K-8) Specialization
- Elementary Mathematics Specialist (K-8), M.S.Ed.
- STEM Education, M.S.Ed.
- STEM Educational Leadership Certificate
6. Interpreting Studies: Educational Interpreting Certificate Drop Major, Degree, or Graduate Certificate Proposal (Elisa Maroney)
7. Department of Music Drop Concentration, Minor, or Other Programs Proposals (Daniel Tankersley)
8. Pre-Education Non-licensure Concentration Drop Concentration, Minor, or Other Programs Proposal (Laura Ellingson-Sayen)
9. 2025-26 Faculty Senate officer elections
- President
- Vice-President
- Secretary
- At-large members (2): Steve Scheck
Informational Presentations, Open Discussions, Committee Reports, Announcements
1. General Education Learning Outcome Assessment (Melanie Landon-Hays and Jay Schwartz)
2. Call for future business: New Business, Presentations, Discussions
3. Announcements
- Academic Excellence Showcase, Thursday, May 28th
- Fall Kick-Off Week Survey
- Panel conversation, Q&A, and a reception in the Willamette Room on Thursday, March 5th with Ryan Topper to discuss his new book Animist Poetics: Ancestral Trauma and Regeneration in African Literature
- Women of Culture Celebration on Wednesday, March 4th. Vendor market from 10-2, top floor of the WUC. Dinner with a guest speaker, Makana Waikiki, 6-8 in the Columbia Room
4. Closing discussion items from the floor
NEW BUSINESS ITEMS
Please submit new business items using the following link: https://wou.edu/facultysenate/submit-new-business/
IMPORTANT DEADLINES THIS YEAR
Curriculum proposals
To provide sufficient time for all the review steps (committee and Faculty Senate), the deadline for submitting curriculum proposals for inclusion in the next academic catalog is the second Thursday of February for course proposals, program changes and new certificates. New programs take longer to process.
See wou.edu/curriculum and the Deadlines and timing page for more specific information.
SUBMIT NEW BUSINESS
Have something you would like to share with or have discussed by Faculty Senate? Use this form to let us know!
VOTING LINK
When there is an active motion during Faculty Senate, current senators can use the link and QR code below to access voting via computer or smartphone.
OUR MISSION
The mission of the Faculty Senate is to lead faculty in fulfilling their responsibilities in the shared governance of the university and to represent faculty interests to university and community stakeholders. The Faculty Senate serves as a liaison between faculty and administration. Responsibilities include the following:
- ensuring that academic freedom is encouraged and protected;
- overseeing curriculum development that promotes student learning in alignment with identified university student learning goals and outcomes;
- participating in the review and implementation of the strategic plan of the university;
- informing faculty about university policies, procedures, and substantive changes made by the administration; and
- making recommendations to faculty and administration on policies to improve the learning environment.
