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 (Administrative co-chair)
  • Chair of the Graduate Curriculum Committee (Administrative co-chair)
  • SACSCOC Liaison/ACHE Liaison
  • Academic Resources Liaison
  • Financial Aid
  • Courseleaf/Banner/Undergraduate Catalog
  • 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: To assess the faculty handbook policies and procedures, there shall be a standing committee called 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’s 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/EVPAA 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), chair  
  • Provost/EVPAA (or designee), administrative liaison  
  • Vice Provost  
  • 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)  
  • Three at-large faculty members (appointed by the Faculty Senate)  

 Current Membership:

  • Dr. Heidi Dempsey, Professor of Psychology and Faculty Senate President, chair (2023-2026)  
  • Dr. Christie Shelton, Provost/EVPAA, administrative liaison  
  • Dr. Staci Stone, Vice Provost  
  • Dr. Brent Cunningham, Dean of the College of Business and Industry (2025-2026)  
  • Dr. Christi Trucks, Department Head of Career Technical Education and Professional Studies (2023-2026)  
  • Prof. Jodi Poe, Department Head of Library Services (2023-2027)  
  • Dr. Lance Ingwersen, Associate Professor of History and Faculty Senate Advocacy Committee representative (2024-2027)   
  • Dr. Jenna Ridlen, Assistant Professor of Biology and Faculty Senate Advocacy Committee representative (2023-2026)  
  • Dr. Stacy Mikel, Assistant Professor of Nursing (2023-2026)  
  • Dr. David Dempsey, Professor of Mathematics (2024-2027)  
  • Prof. Emrys Donaldson, Assistant Professor of English (2024-2026)  

Faculty members of this committee shall serve for three-year terms.  The Provost/EVPAA shall appoint the department head and dean representatives.  The Faculty Senate Executive Committee member shall serve as chair of this committee.  The role of the administrative liaison is to guide and support the chair in regard to overall planning for meetings, communication with campus and/or other administrators, and in finalizing the goals for the year to meet the charge.  The chair of the committee will run the meetings, and the administrative liaison will provide support when needed. 

Charge:  The Faculty Honors and Grants Committee is charged with maintaining and developing faculty awards and honors, including annual institutional-level awards and Emeriti awards, and institutional faculty research 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 criteria to maintain clear expectations that effectively recognize faculty achievement. See the Faculty Honors and Grants Committee webpage for more information. 

The Faculty Honors and Grants Committee shall consist of the following 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)  

Non-voting members:  

  • Vice Provost, administrative liaison  
  • Director of Faculty Commons  
  • Director, Academic Resources & Business Operations  
  • One member of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee  

Current Membership:

  • Dr. Michael Boynton, Arts representative from the College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences (2024-2026), chair (Prof. Chad Anderson, alternate)   
  • Dr. Jeff Zanzig, College of Business and Industry representative (2024-2026) (Dr. Wei Ning, alternate)  
  • Dr. Serena Gramling, College of Health Professions and Wellness representative (2024-2026) (Dr. Jennifer Savage-Burgett, alternate)  
  • Dr. Ashley Turner, College of Education and Professional Studies representative (2024-2027) (Ms. Valerie Wheat, alternate)  
  • Dr. Paul Hathaway, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences representative (2024-2027) (Dr. Makenzie Bayles, alternate)  
  • Prof. Karlie Johnson, Library representative (2024-2025) (Prof. Hanrong Wang, alternate)  
  • Ms. Katelyn Walker, Humanities representative from the College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences (2024-2025) (Dr. Helen Kaibara, alternate)  
  • Dr. Christopher Ogden, Science/Math representative from the College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences (2024-2027) (Dr. Lori Tolley-Jordan, alternate)  

Non-voting members:

  • Dr. Staci Stone, Vice Provost, administrative liaison  
  • Ms. Mica Mecham, Director of Faculty Commons  
  • Ms. Kim Turner, Director, Academic Resources & Business Operations  
  • Dr. Heidi Dempsey, Faculty Senate President (2024-2025)  

Members will serve a three-year term, except for the Faculty Senate Executive Committee member who shall serve a one-year term.  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.  The committee shall elect the faculty chair, who shall serve for one year but may be re-elected (the Faculty Senate Executive Committee member may not serve as chair).  The role of the administrative liaison is to guide and support the chair regarding overall planning for meetings, communication with campus and/or other administrators, and in finalizing the goals for the year to meet the charge.  The administrative liaison shall also oversee elections for a chair.  The chair of the committee will run the meetings, and the administrative liaison will provide support when needed. 

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 and benefits remain competitive and provide equitable compensation.  They are responsible for recommending JSU benchmarks for faculty base salaries based on discipline and rank and evaluating where current JSU faculty salaries are in relation to adopted benchmarks.  They also recommend compensation amounts for rank increases, adjunct/overload pay, and summer pay.  This committee makes recommendations to the Provost/EVPAA, Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and President.

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/EVPAA or Vice Provost, administrative liaison
  • Chief Financial Officer
  • Director of Human Resources
  • Director of Academic Resources & Business Operations

Current Membership:

  • Heidi Dempsey, Psychology, President of Faculty Senate, chair (2024-2027)
  • Falynn Turley, Finance, Economics, and Accounting, College of Business and Industry representative (2024-2027)
  • Lori Bobo, Nursing, College of Health Professions and Wellness representative (2024-2025)
  • Michael Alvidrez, Teacher Education, College of Education and Professional Studies representative (2024-2026)
  • Shannon Robertson, Psychology, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences representative (2024-2025)
  • Kim Stevens, Library representative (2024-2026)
  • Mohammed Alam, MCIS, College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences Math/Science representative (2024-2027)
  • Michael Boynton, Theatre & Film, College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences Arts/Humanities representative (2024-2026)
  • Renee Baptiste, Music, Department Head representative (2024-2027)

Non-voting members:

  • Staci Stone, Vice Provost, administrative liaison
  • Arlitha Harmon, Chief Financial Officer
  • Allison Casey, Director of Human Resources
  • Kim Turner, Director of Academic Resources & Business Operations

Faculty members of this committee shall serve for three-year terms.  The committee shall elect the faculty chair, who shall serve for one year but may be re-elected.  The role of the administrative liaison is to guide and support the chair regarding overall planning for meetings, communication with campus and/or other administrators, and in finalizing the goals for the year to meet the charge.  The administrative liaison shall also oversee elections for a chair. The chair of the committee will run the meetings, and the administrative liaison will provide support when needed. 

Charge:  In alignment with SACSCOC standard 9.6, the Graduate Curriculum Committee (GCC) 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 GCC 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 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, administrative co-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, administrative co-chair
  • Ashlee Hanvey, Assistant Director, Graduate School
  • Julie Maddox, Graduate Program Specialist, Graduate School
  • LaRilda VanSandt, Graduate Program Specialist, Graduate School
  • Tori Gaddy, Assistant Registrar, Registrar’s Office
  • David Dempsey (Faculty Senate Representative) (2024-2025)

Faculty members of this committee shall serve for three-year terms.  The Jax MIX director shall serve as chair.  The role of the administrative liaison is to guide and support the chair in regard to overall planning for meetings, communication with campus and/or other administrators, and in finalizing the goals for the year to meet the charge.  The chair of the committee will run the meetings, and the administrative liaison will provide support when needed. 

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 15 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, chair
  • QEP Director, administrative liaison
  • Jax MIX graduate assistant
  • Jax MIX ambassador
  • Faculty Senate Representative

Current membership:

  • Ben Gross, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences representative and Jax MIX Director, chair
  • Sarah Ellis, College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences, Arts representative (2023-2026)
  • Marija Reiff, College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences, English representative and Jax MIX Microcredential Coordinator (2024-2027)
  • Llewellyn Cook, College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences, History representative (2024-2026)
  • Dan Smith, College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences, Math representative (2024-2027)
  • Ross Martin, College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences, Science representative and Jax MIX Assessment Coordinator (2024-2027)
  • William Hankins, College of Business and Industry representative (2024-2026)
  • Aimee Weathers, College of Education and Professional Studies representative (2024-2027)
  • Karlie Johnson, Library representative (2023-2027)
  • Tori Gaddy, Registrar’s Office representative
  • Sharee Hutchinson, Advising representative
  • Staci Stone, Vice Provost, QEP Director, administrative liaison
  • Vacant, Jax MIX graduate assistant
  • Vacant, Jax MIX ambassador
  • David Dempsey, Faculty Senate Vice President (2024-2025)

Faculty members of this committee shall serve for three-year terms.  The Jax MIX director shall serve as chair.  The role of the administrative liaison is to guide and support the chair in regard to overall planning for meetings, communication with campus and/or other administrators, and in finalizing the goals for the year to meet the charge.  The chair of the committee will run the meetings, and the administrative liaison will provide support when needed. 

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 6 members:

  • Vice Provost for Student Success, administrative liaison
  • 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

Non-voting:

  • Faculty Senate Representative

Current membership:

  • Tim King, Vice Provost for Student Success, administrative liaison
  • Vacant, Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness representative
  • Falynn Turley, College of Business and Industry representative (2022-2025)
  • Betsy Gulledge, College of Health Professions and Wellness representative
  • Vacant, College of Education and Professional Studies representative
  • Jan Case, College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences representative
  • Debra James, Student Success Center representative
  • Vacant, Student Success Center representative
  • Anusree Mukherjee, Faculty representative, at large (2024-2027)

Non-voting:

  • Chris Clark, Faculty Senate Representative (2024-2025)

Faculty members of this committee shall serve for three-year terms (with the exception of the Faculty Senate Representative, who shall serve a one-year term).  The committee shall elect the chair, who shall serve for one year but may be re-elected.  The role of the administrative liaison is to guide and support the chair in regard to overall planning for meetings, communication with campus and/or other administrators, and in finalizing the goals for the year to meet the charge. The administrative liaison shall also oversee elections for a chair. The chair of the committee will run the meetings, and the administrative liaison will provide support when needed. 

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.  Recommendations are made from this committee to the Provost/EVPAA.

The Tenure and Promotions Appeals Committee shall consist of the following 7 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 (one from arts/humanities and one from math/science)

Non-voting:

  • Faculty Senate President

Current membership:

  • James Thomas, College of Business and Industry representative (2024-2027)
  • Kimberly Helms, College of Health Professions and Wellness representative (2024-2027)
  • Jennifer Troncale, College of Education and Professional Studies representative (2024-2027)
  • Todd McKerchar, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences representative (2024-2027)
  • Bethany Latham, Library representative (2024-2026)
  • Larry Gray, College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences (Arts/Humanities) representative (2024-2026)
  • Jim Rayburn, College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences (Math/Science) representative (2024-2026)

Non-voting:

  • Heidi Dempsey (2024-2025)

Members of this committee shall serve for three-year terms (except for the Faculty Senate Representative, who shall serve a one-year term).  The committee shall elect the faculty chair, who shall serve for one year but may be re-elected (the Faculty Senate Executive Committee member may not serve as co-chair).  The Provost/EVPAA serves as the administrative liaison to this committee but is not a member of the committee itself.  The role of the administrative liaison is to guide and support the chair in regard to overall planning for meetings, communication with campus and/or other administrators, and in finalizing the plan to meet the charge. The administrative liaison shall also oversee elections for a chair.  The chair of the committee will run the meetings, and the administrative liaison will provide support when needed. 

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
  • Library representative

Non-voting members

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

Current Membership:

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

Non-voting members:

  • Andrea Porter, Associate Vice Provost, administrative 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 President (2024-2025)
  • Benjamin Gross, JaxMIX Director

Members of this committee shall serve for three-year terms (except the Faculty Senate Representative who shall serve a one-year term).  The committee shall elect a faculty member to serve as co-chair with the Associate Vice Provost for one year but may be re-elected.  The role of the administrative co-chair on the committee is to organize the agenda and meeting materials, communicate with the faculty co-chair before the meeting to plan, and to mentor the faculty co-chair in running the meeting, meeting the charge of the committee, and handling any committee concerns. 

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, administrative liaison

Current Membership:

  • Katelyn Walker, College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences representative, chair
  • Benjamin Cunningham, College of Business and Industry representative
  • Jennifer Frank, College of Health Professions and Wellness representative (2024-2027)
  • Candice Byers, College of Education and Professional Studies representative (2024-2027)
  • Jody Long, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences representative
  • 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, administrative liaison
  • Stacy Mikel, Faculty Senate Representatives (2024-2025)

Members of this committee shall serve for three-year terms (except the Faculty Senate Representative, who shall serve a one-year term).  The committee shall elect a faculty member to serve as chair, who shall serve for one year but may be re-elected.  The role of the administrative liaison is to guide and support the chair in regard to overall planning for meetings, communication with campus and/or other administrators, and in finalizing the goals for the year to meet the charge. The administrative liaison shall also oversee elections for a chair.  The chair of the committee will run the meetings, and the administrative liaison will provide support when needed.