Faculty Senate Minutes - December 2025

Behrend Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes

Thursday, December 11, 2025
11:30 a.m. – 114 Reed

  1. Call to Order
    1. Dave Dieteman, Faculty Senate Chair
  2. Approval of minutes from the October Faculty Senate Meeting
  3. Brief updates from the Leadership Team
    1. Chancellor, Ralph Ford – absent. Greg Filbeck gave Ralph’s report:
      1. Overview of Behrend’s AI strategy with PowerPoint presentation. Three pillars: (a) AI readiness of graduates, (b) campus-wide AI literacy, and (c) establishing Behrend as regional innovation hub for AI.
    2. Vice Chancellor and Dean of Academic Affairs, Greg Filbeck
      1. Engineering cluster hire, centrally funded and allows for hiring outside University Park.
      2. BCF-23 revision in consultation with Faculty Affairs committee. Efforts to collaborate with other campuses to offer popular courses more effectively. Questions about summer revenue allocation and the budget model.
      3. Discussion of new instructional mode policies, focus on 7% online course cancellation limit for residential courses.
      4. Behrend’s COACHE survey task force has completed its work, and is waiting for the University group to complete its work before results are shared with the faculty.
    3. Vice Chancellor and Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, Alicyn Rhodes
      1. Soon-to-be-completed Strategic Planning process
      2. Importance of involving undergraduates in research.
    4. Assistant Dean for Innovation and Corporate Strategy, Amy Bridger
      1. Update on the spring Career Fair.
  4. Old Business - none
  5. University Faculty Senate Update - Matt Swinarski explained test-optional admissions, and the manual substitution process for degree audits.
  6. Reports from Committee Chairs:
    1. Academic & Advising – Erin Dick discussed the success of the recent AI panel discussion. The committee is making progress on policy on classroom behavioral expectations and student misconduct.
      1. Athletics Subcommittee – Chuck Brown highlighted the strong academic performance of student athletes, with overall 3.3 GPA and 86% graduation rate.
    2. Undergrad Curricular Affairs – Melanie Ford (absent). Sara Luttfring reported for Melanie on the OPS major proposal and continuing work on evaluating academic programs.
    3. Graduate Curricular Affairs – Zhengran He (absent). Lynne Beatty reported for Zhengran on the approval of an MBA IUG proposal and efforts to review the graduate curricular development form.
    4. Faculty Affairs – Dustin Hemphill reported progress on all four charges, including a faculty retention website, review of workload policies at comparable institutions, workload flexibility for NTLs, and professional development.
    5. Research, Scholarship & Professional Development – Justyna Skomra (absent). Dave Kahl reported for Justyna that the committee has completed sabbatical application reviews.
    6. Campus Life – Eva Kuttenberg reported that the committee is making progress on all its charges, including encouraging attendance at athletic events, and working on the needs of transfer and international students.
      1. LIST Subcommittee – no report.
  7. New Business – Dave Dieteman announced that we need two more nominees for Vice-Chair. He also announced the upcoming creation of a new task force on Emerging Technologies, to work with the existing AI task force. He also thanked the faculty for attending the meeting and for their work on their committees.
  8. Adjournment