Joyce Andrews

The board discussed and approved the recommendation of Executive Vice Chancellor Jacqueline Moloney as the next Chancellor of UMass Lowell. Speakers highlighted Moloney's work ethic, vision, kindness, and her role in the university's transformation, including strategic planning, enrollment growth, academic rankings, and fundraising. Moloney expressed her honor at being the first woman Chancellor and her commitment to the university's continued excellence and future challenges.

The discussion centered on maintaining affordable, quality education in public universities, addressing concerns over rising fees, and balancing quality with affordability. Topics included faculty salary increases, financial aid, budget cuts, and revenue generation through online programs and private funding. Efforts to reduce expenditures not directly related to students, consolidation of systems, and the importance of state investment in higher education were also discussed.

The meeting included updates from the Provost regarding federal and state developments, budget concerns, enrollment statistics, and LINC project progress. There were discussions of faculty senate department elections and deadlines for Curriculog proposals. The Senate discussed a policy change allowing shared credits between concurrent master's degrees, changes to the B.A. Digital Media program, B.S. Criminal Justice subplans, and the Certificate in Security Management and Homeland Security. Additionally, there was discussion regarding revisions to the GPAC and UPC Committee structure, Senate term start dates, and elevating the Core Curriculum Committee.

The meeting covered key topics including the election of representatives to the Board of Trustees, a report on House Bill 2153, and updates on leaking buildings. Several resolutions were approved concerning new certificate and degree programs, and a reduction in credit requirements for an Ed.D. program. A discussion on the new grading system and its implementation timeline took place. Finally, a vote of no confidence was passed in the Office of Information Technology due to concerns about network and email server instability.

The meeting covered preparations for upcoming elections, including department elections for 2023-2024 Faculty Senators, nominations for Senate officers, and the election of Senate officers at the May 1 meeting. An update on the Core Curriculum was provided, focusing on ELOs, Curriculog processes, and assessment of meeting ELOs. The Undergraduate Policy Committee reviewed and approved proposals to update the Nursing Degree Pathway, create a minor in Sports Engineering, and update the Education Minor. The Graduate Policy and Affairs Committee reviewed and approved several proposals to waive GRE admission requirements for various graduate programs and a proposal for a new Graduate Certificate in Pathogen Diagnostics.