Sul Ross State University

The meeting commenced with the announcement that the committee needs to fill several officer positions, including Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. A volunteer was secured to manage social media on Instagram. The committee discussed upcoming events, including assisting with raffle ticket sales for Domestic Violence Awareness Month on October 12th, distributing popcorn with prevention slogans on Mental Health Awareness Day on October 10th, potentially hosting a table for Dia de Lobo on October 30th, and handing out water bottles with awareness slogans during the November 1st home football game. The group reviewed the 23-24 Biennial Review and the Fire Report. Suggestions included planning a large event before the December holidays and expanding the scope of the Biennial Review to include the RGC campuses by reaching out to a key contact there. A reminder was issued regarding the deadline for filling the remaining officer positions.

This Strategic Plan outlines Sul Ross State University's student-centric direction for 2022-2027, aiming to be a leading value in Texas higher education and expand access for underserved populations. The plan focuses on five key goals: promoting student opportunity and success, recruiting and retaining high-quality faculty and staff, improving resources for teaching and research, streamlining campus business processes, and transforming Rio Grande College into a branch campus. The vision is to provide a culturally inclusive environment that fosters creativity, critical thinking, diversity, and research to serve its region, state, and nation.

The meeting established a quorum and proceeded with the election of the council chair for the 2023-2024 academic year. A discussion was held regarding the continued service of RGC faculty on joint councils despite the lack of a functioning RGC Faculty Senate. Key responsibilities of the Joint Budget Oversight Council were reviewed, including academic salary structure, prioritization of capital equipment requests, fiscal priorities, account establishment, and proposed personnel changes related to academic programs. Action items resulting from this review included requesting current budget details and the operating budgets for both RGC and Alpine. The council identified several areas of concern for the 2023-2024 academic year, prioritizing the review of departmental budgets to ensure faculty governance input on academic budgetary priorities and addressing funding inconsistencies. The council also discussed Dean salaries and reviewed data regarding faculty salaries across Texas public universities, requesting a formal plan for adjusting faculty salaries with specific proposed versions for rank minimums.

The Budget Oversight Council meeting included the election of the Council chair, with Joseph Velasco being re-elected. Key discussions centered on defining the responsibilities of the Council, which encompass university budget policies and procedures, allocation reviews, and oversight of budgetary processes, specifically concerning academic salary structure, prioritization of capital equipment requests, fiscal priorities, account establishment, and personnel changes affecting academic programs. Furthermore, the Council reviewed past challenges and identified priority areas for the 2021-2022 academic year, including Higher Education Funds (HEF), Council membership representation from the Middle Rio Grande instructional sites, and the need for increased salary data.

This document is an impact report for Sul Ross State University's Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), titled 'Compass: Navigating Excellence through Effective Communication.' The QEP focuses on addressing student communication needs across all academic programs, colleges, and campuses, emphasizing written, oral, and visual communication. Key goals include enhancing student communication skills and expanding faculty's capacity to teach these skills. The report details the QEP's impact on student learning, discusses operational changes, and provides a budget summary for FY21, along with projections for Year Four of the plan's implementation.