Ensuring the continuation of high-quality teaching at the University of Delaware and improving budget transparency and financial stability were the primary topics of discussion at the Faculty Senate’s Sept. 9 meeting, its first of the new academic year.

In a 59-8 vote, the Senate approved the inclusion of a new teaching quality framework in the faculty handbook. The framework — developed over the past two years by Senate committees and incorporating feedback from throughout the University — articulates and accounts for all the work that goes into excellent teaching.

“This framework seeks to provide a consistent definition of teaching excellence across the University based on self, peer and student evaluation, allowing for more diverse sources of evaluation and putting less emphasis on student end-of-semester surveys,” said Meghan McInnis-Dominguez, an associate professor of Spanish and Faculty Senate vice president, who co-chaired the ad hoc committee that led the effort.

Co-chair Kevin Guidry, associate director of educational assessment, said that the framework should be thought of as an expectation and a common language that faculty should use.

The framework outlines seven characteristics of teaching excellence:

• Learning goals, content and alignment

• Teaching methods and practices

• Achievement of learning

• Culture of belonging

• Reflection and iterative growth

• Involvement in teaching service, teaching scholarship or teaching community

• Mentoring and advising of students

The framework will be incorporated into faculty promotion dossiers beginning in the 2028-29 academic year.

Also at the Faculty Senate meeting, President Dennis Assanis shared highlights of the incoming class of first-time, full-time students. The undergraduate application pool was very strong, reaching almost 40,000 students, a record and an increase of 6% from last year. Particularly noteworthy is a 9% increase in applications from Delawareans, including significant increases in Hispanic/Latino, black and first-generation applicants. He also highlighted preliminary enrollment statistics for both the undergraduate and graduate populations.

Assanis noted that UD ranks #26 overall among 500 colleges and universities nationwide in a new survey by The Wall Street Journal, a reflection of the many investments that the University has made in student success.

Assanis and Provost Laura Carlson also spoke about the University’s financial situation, which the president outlined in a message to faculty and staff on Sept. 6. Assanis thanked faculty members for sharing their perspectives on the University’s measures to reduce spending and increase revenue this year.

“I appreciate all the feedback about the need for more transparency, working together and increasing our communication,” Assanis said. “All those things improve our community. When our community comes together and works together, we produce some amazing results.”

Looking at the current FY2025 budget, Assanis said that “austerity measures will have to be replaced this year with empowerment.” Departments and other units will have more information to make decisions that balance revenues and expenses, and the University continues to explore alternative options for high-quality health insurance coverage that is less expensive than the state’s plan.

Carlson added that she met with members of the Faculty Senate, deans, department chairs and chief business officers over the summer to discuss the budget principles that the deans can share with their departments.

“I would say the most important principle across the board, from all levels, is that every unit starts out FY25 as balanced as possible,” Carlson said. She emphasized that by creating transparency, units are better positioned to plan for ways to meet their needs while also strategically investing in growth opportunities.

Carlson said the University will leverage existing academic pathways to serve students while creating better access for Delawareans and students across the nation. For example, Carlson spoke about UD’s connected programs with Delaware State University and Delaware Technical Community College. “We've also been having a lot of conversations about our associate’s degree pathway, which is already successful and could be expanded to provide more opportunities,” Carlson said.

Other long-term financial decisions made by the Board of Trustees will help address the University’s financial situation, Assanis said. 

“The trustees understand the importance of protecting the academic mission, and approved an operating budget with a shortfall, largely attributable to the very large escalation of healthcare insurance costs,” Assanis said. To ease financial pressures, part of this budget gap will be mitigated through the use of unit reserves, where applicable.  Bonds may also be issued to finance certain capital projects, most notably Building X.

Assanis said the projected FY2025 budget shortfall could be reduced significantly, or even eliminated, through the collective efforts of all administrators, faculty and staff. “It’s up to us, and I know we can do it,” he said.

In her remarks later in the meeting, Senate President Vickie Fedele, an associate professor of English and women and gender studies, said increasing budget transparency should help faculty leaders in making financial decisions.

“For the first time in UD history, units will be able to see their own budget and their college’s budget. And, probably at a more bird's eye level, they'll be able to see other colleges' budgets,” Fedele said. “This is unprecedented, which is why it is taking some time to be finalized. We're really hopeful that we can get budgetary transparency down to the academic unit level in order to empower faculty to participate in fiscal decision-making as soon as possible, followed by transparency from all administrative units.”

Assanis also provided an update to the University’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts since the departure of the vice president of institutional equity and chief diversity officer over the summer. An interim leader will be named while the University seeks a permanent replacement.

“I want to take this opportunity to reaffirm our unequivocal commitment to the DEI and belonging efforts because that is social justice, and we all need to practice this every day in our daily lives,” Assanis said.

Assanis also explained a new practice of limiting institutional statements to only those issues and events that directly pertain to the University’s mission.

Carlson said the Office of Sustainability has been restructured to focus only on operations and facilities, since academic and research efforts are already well underway. She thanked Christopher Williams, professor of entomology and wildlife ecology, for his leadership of the academic side of the office. 

Searches for new deans in the College of Engineering and the College of Arts and Sciences are underway and are on track to be finalized this fall, Carlson said. 

Also at the meeting:

• President-Elect John Jebb, an associate professor of English, said an ad hoc committee will review the rules established by the faculty handbook on the composition and purview of the Faculty Board on Athletics.

• Christopher Williams was unanimously elected as the chair of the Committee on Committees and Nominations.

• Fedele said faculty will receive numerical data and a summary of comments from a faculty survey conducted as part of a consultant’s review of Assanis’s performance as president.

• The Consent Agenda included a single vote to approve nine Professional and Continuing Studies proposals.

• On the Regular Agenda, the senate voted unanimously to approve the revisions made to the bachelor of science in nutrition and dietetics and the bachelor of science in nutrition and medical sciences.

• Rusty Lee, civil and environmental engineering, presented the findings of an examination of 420 proposals submitted to senate committees, as well as frequent issues that cause delays in reviewing those proposals.

• Erin Sicuranza, the director of academic technology services, Jevonia Harris, lead education software engineer and Joe Naccarato, digital media specialist, presented a demonstration of UD Study AiDE, which is a generative artificial-intelligence resource that uses faculty-approved data to produce customized resources to help students learn course material.

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