At its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, April 3, held virtually via Zoom, the University of Delaware Faculty Senate approved new degrees, discussed affordable course materials and voted to make the SAT/ACT optional for all applicants through 2025, among other items.

Provost Laura Carlson, UD’s chief academic officer, gave an update on several dean searches. On March 16, Fabrice Veron was appointed to a three-year term as dean of the College of Earth, Ocean and Environment; the University will conduct a national search in the 2025-26 academic year. A search advisory committee has begun its work to identify the next dean of the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics; Carlson said she anticipates bringing finalists to campus before the end of the semester. Carlson said she is in the final stages of forming a search advisory committee for the next dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources; she anticipates first-round Zoom interviews will occur toward the end of the summer, with finalists coming to campus in the first few weeks of the fall semester. Carlson also said she is beginning the process for selecting an interim dean for the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), with plans to meet with the CAS Faculty Senate executive committee, department chairs, faculty, staff and students this month; the goal, she said, is to make a selection by mid-May. In the meantime, she will also commence a national search for a permanent dean.

Carlson said strengthening communications between the provost’s office and the campus community is a focal point for her, having joined the University on June 8, 2022. She hosts open office hours each month; the next sessions are on April 7, May 19 and June 9. UD community members can sign up online for a 15-minute session. Carlson has also regularly met with the Faculty Senate executive committee and the AAUP-UD (American Association of University Professors, University of Delaware Chapter) executive committee. Additionally, the Office of the Provost will launch its Monthly Digest during the month of April. The monthly communication will provide a round-up of stories, initiatives, updates and upcoming events from the Office of the Provost’s units — all compiled in one place.

Carlson shared that registration for Summer Session opened on Monday, April 3.

“I want to thank you for your efforts in building such great opportunities for our students for the summer,” she said. “It's an incredible time for students to take a class of interest, fulfill a requirement, get caught up, do an internship, conduct undergraduate research or other experiential learning opportunities. Thank you for the work you do to enable that for our students.”

In her announcements, Faculty Senate President Nancy Getchell reminded senators that the General Faculty meeting will be held at 3 p.m., Monday, May 1, in Mitchell Hall, just prior to the May Faculty Senate meeting. She also announced that next year’s Faculty Senate meetings will be held in Trabant University Center Theater, which can seat 280 and will accommodate the increased number of senators, as well as any spectators who want to come to Senate meetings. 

Meg Grotti, associate University librarian for learning engagement and curriculum support, gave a presentation about open and affordable course materials. The University of Delaware Library, Museums and Press leads campus efforts to increase the affordability of course materials through the use of open educational materials (OER), open access publications and library collections.

“Increasing access to information is truly what libraries are all about and why we're excited about this work,” Grotti said. “This is why we fund and manage the open and affordable teaching materials initiative. Our purpose in the initiative is to increase the affordability of a UD education by supporting faculty in reducing the costs of course materials.”

The Consent Agenda portion of the meeting included a single vote to approve 166 undergraduate and graduate proposals.

On the Regular Agenda, the Faculty Senate approved, provisionally for five years, the M.S. in Accounting Analytics, M.S. in Accounting Controllership, M.S. in Accounting Financial Management, M.S. in Accounting Information Systems and HBS in Sustainable Food Systems. The Senate approved the disestablishment of the B.S. in Hospitality Business Management, Honors B.S. in Hospitality Business Management, Master of Engineering: Particle Technology and Particle Technology Certificate. It voted to approve the Data Science and Behavior Certificate.

The only resolution that generated debate was a proposal to modify the University’s undergraduate admissions testing requirement. Naomi Nash, director of enrollment management strategic initiatives, gave an overview of the proposal and provided background information on the test-optional policy at UD.

In February 2016, the Faculty Senate voted to make the SAT/ACT optional as a criterion for Delaware residents applying for admission. The goal of the pilot program, Nash said, was to remove application barriers for certain student populations, particularly low-income students, first-generation students and students of color. Due to early impacts of the pandemic, in May 2021 the Faculty Senate voted to continue the SAT/ACT optional policy for all students applying for admission through fall 2023.

Nash emphasized that the change would not be permanent and would instead make the SAT/ACT optional for all applicants through 2025, allowing time for a committee to review student diversity, retention and graduation data.

Duane Cottrell, associate professor of music, said he was in favor of the proposal, citing that more than 1,800 accredited four-year universities in the U.S. are either test-optional or test blind (meaning they don’t consider test scores for admissions at all).

“The data is absolutely clear that the SAT and the ACT favor wealthy white students,” Cottrell said. “We know this. The data is a little less clear as to whether or not there is any sort of correlation with academic performance. But what most of the data that I have read has indicated there is zero decline in graduation rates and academic performance of students in universities who apply test-optional. The only consistent voice advocating for using the SAT and ACT for college admissions are the companies that profit off of the SAT and ACT tests.”

John Morgan, associate professor of physics and astronomy, brought up a concern that SAT/ACT scores are the only objective criterion the admissions office can use when deciding which students should be admitted — and to which campus. Susan Conaty-Buck, assistant professor of nursing, said that many students, particularly those in the College of Health Sciences, have to pass a licensing exam at the end of their time at UD — and tests like the SAT and ACT can reflect how prepared a student is to take that kind of exam.

After much back and forth debate, the resolution passed 43-11.

For new business, William Repetto, a graduate student representative, brought forward a motion to increase the graduate student stipend to a range of  $35,300-$38,000 for a 12-month contract; the Faculty Senate will discuss that resolution at the next meeting on May 1.

Further information about the Faculty Senate, including meeting minutes and agendas, can be found on its website.