Academic Affairs Committees

Members of each of the Academic Affairs Standing Committees are appointed by the Provost/SVPAA at the beginning of each academic year, or as vacancies occur. 

Faculty: Committee Membership Interest Form

Charge: The AAPI Committee is charged by the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs to oversee the formal process for the implementation of all new programs, program changes and initiatives.  This includes providing information and continued support to department heads throughout the various phases of notifications, approvals and the subsequent student advisement and marketing of the programs after implementation.  The committee does not approve new programs, program changes or new initiatives. The Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs serves as the liaison between the committee and the President's Cabinet and the JSU Board of Trustees for program and initiative notification and approval.  See also Academic Affairs Programs and Initiatives and on Substantive Change webpages for more information. 

The AAPI Committee consists of members representing the following areas:

  • Chair of the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee
  • Chair of the Graduate Curriculum Committee and Graduate Catalog
  • SACSCOC Liaison/ACHE Liaison
  • Academic Resources Liaison
  • Financial Aid
  • Courseleaf/Banner/Undergraduate Catalog Representative
  • Institutional Effectiveness
  • Alabama State Department of Education
  • Academic Advising
  • Admissions

Current Membership:

  • Dr. Andrea Porter, Associate Vice Provost of Curriculum and Academic Partnerships
  • Dr. Channing Ford, Dean of the Graduate School, co-chair
  • Ms. Kimberly Presson, Executive Director, Institutional Accreditation/SACSCOC Liaison, co-chair
  • Ms. Kim Turner, Director of Academic Resources & Business Operations
  • Ms. Charlotte Cole, Director of Financial Aid
  • Ms. Tori Gaddy, Assistant Registrar
  • Ms. Amanda Abernathy, Coordinator of Institutional Effectiveness
  • Dr. Nilufer Guler, Associate Dean, College of Education and Professional Studies

Charge:  The Faculty Handbook Committee which is charged with reviewing, modifying, and approving changes to the JSU Faculty Handbook, in consultation with subject matter experts.  This committee will work with Faculty Senate, Extended Deans’ Council, and Department Head Council to ensure that the Faculty Handbook is consistent, accurate, equitable, and reflects current JSU policies, procedures, mission, and values. 

The Faculty Handbook Committee will meet either when (a) a modification to the Faculty Handbook has been recommended or (b) there is a call from the Provost/SVPAA for a full handbook review and revision (which should occur every 5 to 7 years). 

 

The Faculty Handbook Committee shall consist of the following 10 members:

  • Faculty Senate Executive Committee member (at time of appointment), co-chair
  • Provost/SVPAA (or designee), co-chair
  • One dean (appointed by the Provost)
  • Two department heads (appointed by the Provost)
  • Two Faculty Senate Advocacy Committee members (at the time of appointment; appointed by the Faculty Senate President)
  • Three at-large faculty members (appointed by the Faculty Senate President)

 Current Membership:

  • Dr. Heidi Dempsey, Professor of Psychology and Faculty Senate President, co-chair
  • Dr. Christie Shelton, Provost/SVPAA (or designee), co-chair
  • Dr. Maureen Newton, Dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
  • Dr. Christi Trucks, Department Head of Career Technical Education and Professional Studies
  • Prof. Jodi Poe, Department Head of Library Services
  • Dr. Lance Ingwersen, Associate Professor of History and Faculty Senate Advocacy Committee representative
  • Dr. Jenna Ridlen, Assistant Professor of Biology and Faculty Senate Advocacy Committee representative
  • Dr. Stacy Mikel, Assistant Professor of Nursing
  • Dr. David Dempsey, Professor of Mathematics
  • Prof. Emrys Donaldson, Assistant Professor of English  

Committee appointment will be for a three-year term with staggered rotation such that one administrator and two faculty members will rotate off per year.  A committee member may be reappointed for an additional term with the consent of the chairs and incoming Faculty Senate President.  In the case of a tie in voting, the co-chairs will determine the outcome.

Current Faculty Handbook

Charge:  The Faculty Honors and Grants Committee is charged with maintaining and developing faculty awards, honors, and grants including annual institutional-level awards, Emeriti honors, and institutional faculty scholarly/creative activity grants.  Committee members will receive the nominations and applications, review materials, and determine selections based on established criteria.  Additionally, the committee will routinely evaluate and amend awards, grants, and honors criteria to maintain clear expectations and effectively recognize faculty achievement.  See the Faculty Honors and Grants Committee webpage for information about honors, awards, and grants administered by this committee. 

The Faculty Honors and Grants Committee shall consist of the following 11 members:

  • One faculty member from each of the following five colleges:  College of Business and Industry, College of Health Professions and Wellness, College of Education and Professional Studies, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and the Library
  • Three faculty members from the College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences (one from the arts, one from the humanities, one from the sciences/mathematics)
Current Membership:
  • Dr. Jeff Danzig, College of Business and Industry representative, 2024-2026 (alternate: Vacant)
  • Dr. Serena Gramling, College of Health Professions and Wellness representative, 2024-2026 (alternate: Vacant)
  • Dr. Ashley Turner, College of Education and Professional Studies representative, 2024-2027 (alternate: Vacant)
  • Dr. Paul Hathaway, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences representative, 2024-2027 (alternate: Vacant)
  • Ms. Karlie Johnson, Library representative, 2024-2025 (alternate: Vacant)
  • Dr. Michael Boynton, College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences, arts representative 2024-2026 (alternate: Vacant)
  • Ms. Katelyn Walker, College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences, humanities representative, 2024-2025 (alternate: Vacant)
  • Dr. Christopher Ogden, College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences, science/math representative, 2024-2027(alternate: Vacant)

Non-voting members:

  • Mica Mecham, Director of Faculty Commons, co-chair
  • Kim Turner, Director, Academic Resources & Business Operations
  • Dr. Heidi Dempsey, Faculty Senate Executive Committee

The Faculty Senate President, in consultation with the Senate Elections Committee, shall make appointments to this committee, including the selection of alternates for each faculty member nominated.  The committee shall elect the faculty co-chair (the Faculty Senate Executive Committee member may not serve as co-chair).  Members will serve a three-year term, except for the Faculty Senate Executive Committee member who shall serve a one-year term.  A committee member may be reappointed for an additional term at the recommendation of the chairs and incoming Faculty Senate President, in consultation with the Senate Elections Committee and the faculty member’s department head.  The Faculty Senate Executive Committee member shall be non-voting, except in the case of a tie, in which they shall cast the deciding vote.  

If a member of the committee has been nominated for a faculty award chosen by this committee, has a conflict of interest with a nominee (e.g., wrote a letter of support for the nominee or the nominee is a significant other), or has applied for a faculty research grant, they shall recuse themselves from the selection of that award or grant.  In these cases, the alternate will step in for the review of that particular faculty award or grant so the committee retains its representative composition, with respect to each college, in the award/grant selection.

Charge:  The Faculty Salary Committee is a standing committee charged with ensuring that JSU faculty salaries remain competitive and provide equitable compensation.  They are responsible for recommending JSU benchmarks for faculty salaries based on discipline and evaluating where current JSU salaries are in relation to adopted benchmarks.  Benchmark comparison groups are re-evaluated every five years, or after a change in Carnegie classification, whichever comes first.  This committee makes recommendations to the Provost/SVPAA, Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and President regarding salary increases.  They also recommend the compensation amounts for rank increases, overload pay, and summer pay. 

The Faculty Salary Committee shall consist of the following 12 members:

  • Faculty Senate President, Past-President, or Vice-President (at time of appointment)
  • One faculty member from each of the following: College of Business and Industry, College of Health Professions and Wellness, College of Education and Professional Studies, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and the Library
  • Two faculty members from the College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences
  • A chair of the Department Head Council (at time of appointment) or designee

Non-voting members:

  • Provost/SVPAA or Vice Provost, co-chair
  • Chief Financial Officer
  • Director of Academic Resources & Business Operations 

Current Membership:

  • Heidi Dempsey, President of Faculty Senate, co-chair
  • Falynn Turley, College of Business and Industry representative
  • Lori Bobo, College of Health Professions and Wellness representative
  • Michael Alvidrez, College of Education and Professional Studies representative
  • Shannon Robertson, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences representative
  • Kim Stevens, Library representative
  • Mohammed Alam, College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences representative
  • Michael Boynton, College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences representative
  • Renee Baptiste, Department Head, Music

Non-voting members:

  • Staci Stone, Vice Provost, co-chair
  • Arlitha Harmon, Chief Financial Officer
  • Kim Turner, Director of Academic Resources & Business Operations 

Members of this committee shall serve for three-year terms and shall be recommended by the President of the Faculty Senate, in consultation with the Faculty Senate Elections Committee.  The committee shall elect a faculty member to serve as co-chair with the Provost/SVPAA.  A committee member may be reappointed for an additional term at the recommendation of the chairs and incoming Faculty Senate President, in consultation with the Senate Elections Committee and the faculty member’s department head.  Approximately one-third of the members shall rotate off each year.

Charge:  The charge of this committee is to oversee the design, implementation, assessment, and reporting of all aspects of General Education (GE) as specified in Principle 9.3 of the SACSCOC Resource Manual; to conduct a periodic review of the relevance, effectiveness, and currency of the GE program; and periodically revise or redesign the GE program as needed. 

The Jax MIX General Education Committee shall consist of the following 17 members:

  • College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences, Arts representative
  • College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences, English representative
  • College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences, History representative
  • College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences, Math representative
  • College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences, Science representative
  • College of Social and Behavioral Sciences representative
  • College of Business and Industry representative
  • College of Education and Professional Studies representative
  • Library representative
  • Registrar’s Office representative
  • Advising representative
  • Jax MIX Director, co-chair
  • QEP Director, co-chair
  • Jax MIX graduate assistant
  • Jax MIX ambassador 

Current membership:

  • Sarah Ellis, College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences, Arts representative, 2023-2026
  • Marija Reiff, College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences, English representative, 2024-2027
  • Llewellyn Cook, College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences, History representative, 2024-2026
  • Daniel Smith, College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences, Math representative, 2024-2027
  • Ross Martin, College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences, Science representative, 2024-2027
  • Ben Gross, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences representative and Jax MIX Director, co-chair
  • William Hankins, College of Business and Industry representative, 2024-2026
  • Aimee Weathers, College of Education and Professional Studies representative, 2024-2027
  • Shanteia Beavers, College of Health Professions and Wellness representative, 2024-2027
  • Karlie Johnson, Library representative, 2023-2027
  • Tori Gaddy, Registrar’s Office representative
  • Sharee Hutchinson, Advising representative for the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
  • Mike Long, Advising representative for the College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences
  • Staci Stone, Vice Provost, QEP Director, co-chair
  • Emily Faucett, Jax MIX graduate assistant
  • Vacant, Jax MIX ambassador
  • David, Dempsey, Faculty Senate Representative

Charge:  In alignment with SACSCOC standard 9.6, the Graduate University Curriculum Committee is charged with ensuring that post-baccalaureate degree programs are progressively more complex than similar undergraduate programs and that graduate degree programs demand more rigor and higher-order thinking and learning.  The GUCC achieves this goal by reviewing, evaluating, and discussing proposed programs and courses to ensure that each meets the expectations of graduate-level coursework within the institution.  This charge includes ensuring that those courses offered at the undergraduate and graduate levels, provides a clear distinction between the requirements of undergraduate and graduate students. 

The Graduate University Curriculum Committee shall consist of the following 11 members:

  • College of Health Professions and Wellness representative
  • Library representative
  • College of Business and Industry representative
  • College of Social and Behavioral Sciences representative
  • College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences representative
  • College of Education and Professional Studies representative

Non-Voting Members

  • Dean of the Graduate School (chair)
  • Assistant Director, Graduate School
  • Two Graduate Program Specialists, Graduate School
  • Registrar’s Office representative

 Current Membership

  • David Kearn, Assistant Professor, Department of Kinesiology, College of Health Professions and Wellness representative
  • Jodi Poe, Department Head, Library representative
  • John Sneed, Professor, Department of Finance, Economics, and Accounting, College of Business and Industry representative
  • Paige McKerchar, Department Head, Department of Psychology, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences representative
  • Seth Johnson, Associate Dean, College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences representative
  • Nilufer Guler, Associate Dean, College of Education and Professional Studies representative

Non-Voting Members

  • Channing R. Ford, Dean of the Graduate School (chair)
  • Ashlee Hanvey, Assistant Director, Graduate School
  • Julie Maddox, Graduate Program Specialist, Graduate School
  • LaRilda VanSandt, Graduate Program Specialist, Graduate School
  • Ms. Tori Gaddy, Assistant Registrar, Registrar’s Office

Charge:  The charge of the Student Achievement Sub Committee is to ensure JSU’s compliance with SACSCOC Standard 8.1.  This includes writing the 8.1 Student Achievement narrative for the SACSCOC ten-year reaffirmation process and annually updating graduation rates, retention rates for first- and second-year students, licensure pass rates for education and nursing, and developmental math and English placement rates.   

The Student Achievement Committee shall consist of the following 9 members:

  • Vice Provost for Student Success
  • Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness representative
  • College of Business and Industry representative
  • College of Health Professions and Wellness representative
  • College of Education and Professional Studies representative
  • College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences representative
  • Student Success Center representative
  • Student Success Center representative
  • Faculty representative, at large

Current membership:

  • Tim King, Vice Provost for Student Success
  • Vacant, Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness representative
  • Falynn Turley, College of Business and Industry representative
  • Betsy Gulledge, College of Health Professions and Wellness representative
  • Courtney Christopher, College of Education and Professional Studies representative
  • Jan Case, College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences representative
  • Debra James, Student Success Center representative
  • Courtney Pepper, Student Success Center representative
  • Vacant, Faculty representative, at large

Charge:  The charge of the Tenure and Promotions Appeals Committee is to review the portfolios of any faculty member who applied for tenure and/or promotion to the associate professor or professor rank, was denied, and has formally requested an appeal following the Tenure and Promotion Appeals process outlined in Chapter 5 of the Faculty Handbook.  

The Tenure and Promotions Appeals Committee shall consist of the following 8 members:

  • One tenured full professor from each of the following five colleges: College of Business and Industry, College of Health Professions and Wellness, College of Education and Professional Studies, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and the Library
  • Two tenured full professors from the College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences 

Non-voting:

  • Faculty Senate President

Current membership:

  • Vacant, College of Business and Industry representative
  • Vacant, College of Health Professions and Wellness representative
  • Vacant, College of Education and Professional Studies representative
  • Vacant, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences representative
  • Vacant, Library representative
  • Vacant, College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences representative 1
  • Vacant, College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences representative 2 
  • Heidi Dempsey, Faculty Senate President 

The Faculty Senate President, in consultation with the Faculty Senate Elections Committee, shall make appointments to this committee.  The committee shall elect the chair.  Members will serve a three-year term with staggered appointments.  A committee member may be reappointed for an additional term at the recommendation of the chair and incoming Faculty Senate President, in consultation with the Faculty Senate Elections Committee and the faculty member’s department head.  A committee member who is in the same department of the appellant must recuse themself from the committee and a temporary replacement member from that college shall be appointed by the Faculty Senate President.

Charge:  The primary role of the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee is to review and approve all proposals for the following:  new undergraduate courses; existing undergraduate courses in which substantial changes have been made; new majors, minors, programs, concentrations, microcredentials, and degrees that have been approved by the various departmental/college curriculum committees; and discontinuation of courses and programs.  

The Undergraduate Curriculum Committee shall consist of the following 11 members:

  • One faculty member from each of the following colleges:  College of Business and Industry, College of Health Professions and Wellness, College of Education and Professional Studies, and College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
  • Two faculty members from the College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences

Non-voting members

  • Vice Provost (co-chair)
  • Assistant Vice Provost for Advising
  • Registrar’s office representative
  • Executive Director, Institutional Accreditation/SACSCOC Liaison
  • Faculty Senate representative
  • JaxMIX Director 

Current Membership:

  • Mr. Michael Walker, College of Business and Industry representative, 2024-2026
  • Dr. Teresa Gardner, College of Education and Professional Studies representative, 2023-2026
  • Dr. Franco Zengaro, College of Health Professions and Wellness representative, 2023-2025
  • Dr. Christopher Douglas, College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences representative, 2023-2026
  • Dr. Jimmy Triplett, College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences representative, 2023-2025
  • Mr. Jonathan Adams, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences representative, 2023-2025

Non-voting members

  • Andrea Porter, Associate Vice Provost (co-chair)
  • Janet Bavonese, Assistant Vice Provost for Advising
  • Tori Gaddy, Assistant Registrar
  • Kim Presson, Executive Director, Institutional Accreditation/SACSCOC Liaison
  • Heidi Dempsey, Faculty Senate representative
  • Benjamin Gross, JaxMIX Director

Charge:  The charge of the Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) Committee is to oversee the WAC program, evaluate WAC submissions, create/revise rubrics for WAC assessment, ensure that there is a periodic review process for the WAC program, and determine appropriate communication to all faculty regarding the importance of WAC. 

The Writing Across the Curriculum Committee shall consist of the following 9 members:

  • One faculty member from each of the following colleges:  College of Business and Industry, College of Health Professions and Wellness, College of Education and Professional Studies, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and the Library
  • Two faculty members from the College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences
  • One faculty member from Learning Services
  • Director of the Writing Center

Non-voting members:

  • Department Head, English, co-chair 

Current Membership:

  • Benjamin Cunningham, College of Business and Industry representative
  • Vacant, College of Health Professions and Wellness representative
  • Vacant, College of Education and Professional Studies representative
  • Jody Long, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences representative
  • Katelyn Walker, College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences representative, co-chair
  • Sharifah Albraiki, College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences representative
  • Laura Pitts, Library representative
  • Khadeidra Billingsley, Director of the Writing Center

Non-voting members:

  • Raina Kostova, Department Head, English