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Senate votes on non-tenured track faculty cap increase

University Senate voted Monday to endorse an increase in the number of non-tenure-track faculty members the university can hire, from 20 percent of the total number of full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty to 25 percent.

The move, which would apply to teaching and clinical professors, lecturers and clinical lecturers, will be presented to the Board of Trustees for approval as a resolution to university policy.

A cap increase for this class of faculty members -- formerly known as lecturers, clinical and professionally licensed, or LCPL -- has been discussed for months. Several senators expressed consternation that it had been held for a vote until the end of the semester, calling the issue one of the most important facing the body this term. Senate Executive Chair Shelly Jarrett Bromberg said the delay was due to a holdup as the Council of Academic Deans considered the issue.

In Monday's meeting -- which was called specially to vote on the cap increase -- Senate Resolution 18-15 was passed by voice vote, with 43 senators in favor, nine opposing and five abstentions. But senators took over an hour to reach a vote, with several friendly amendments being raised and struck down.

Five faculty members gave short speeches in support of the resolution at the start of the meeting, and included in the Senate meeting agenda were several statements of support.

Each department chair in the Farmer School of Business and in the College of Education, Health and Society signed their school's statement. A petition circulated by leaders in the College of Arts and Science (CAS) gathered 97 faculty signatures over the weekend, while John Weigand, associate dean of the College of Creative Arts (CCA), and Christopher Tanner, interim chair of the music department, submitted their own memos.

Seven of the twelve department chairs in the regional campuses' College of Liberal Arts and Applied Science (CLAAS) joined the CLAAS interim and associate deans in signing their own endorsement.

If passed by the Board of Trustees, the increase will take effect for the 2018-19 academic year.

zahneime@miamioh.edu

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