Faculty Council approves changes to bylaws ahead of officer elections

Faculty Council last week voted to approve changes to Section 3 of the Faculty Senate bylaws, which focus on the council.

During the governance group’s April 3 meeting, held via Zoom, Cindy O’Bryant, immediate past chair, said changes were made to align with revisions to the Faculty Senate Constitution that took effect at the beginning of this year. While many were minor adjustments, a significant change reflects a new officer post on the council. Along with the current positions of chair and past chair, Facutly Council is adding the position of chair-elect, who succeeds the chair at the conclusion of the chair’s term.

The council will elect a chair, chair-elect and secretary at the April 24 meeting, which also is a meeting of the Faculty Senate. Faculty Council Secretary Vicki Grove said nominations are open until April 18.

Also during last week’s meeting, the council received an update on CU’s Faculty Housing Assistance Program from Usha Sharma, treasurer, chief investment officer and associate vice president of budget and finance; and Chad Marturano, vice president of budget and finance and chief financial officer. The program’s offerings remain available to eligible tenured and tenure-track faculty.

An alternative program that offered home loan assistance to eligible staff including instructional, research and clinical (IRC) faculty launched in 2020 when CU partnered with Landed. In late 2022, however, Landed ceased accepting new applications due to a lack of funding. Sharma told the council that administration has explored alternatives to Landed but has not yet identified any that would be suitable for CU employees.

“We’re still continuing to evaluate options and look for different partners,” Sharma said.

The next Faculty Council and Faculty Senate meeting is scheduled for noon to 3 p.m. April 24.