University Standing Committees and Task Forces

Duties

All grievances by the faculty are directed to the University Mediation Committee as the first step in the grievance process.  The committee makes the determination of grievability and attempts to mediate and solve the grievance.  In cases where mediation is not possible, the committee will assist in the selection of a Hearing Tribunal and call the first meeting of that tribunal and the Senior Faculty Member who is appointed as a liaison person by the Executive Vice President and Provost and the President of the Faculty Senate.

Composition

The University Mediation Committee is composed of six faculty members who are not administrators and two administrators.  The faculty members are elected by the Faculty Senate, at its regular November meeting, to staggered three-year terms, with two terms expiring on December 31 of each year.  No more than two faculty representatives may be from any one academic division.  Faculty members completing a term on the committee are ineligible for re-election until two years have passed.  Any faculty vacancy occurring on the committee may be filled on a temporary basis by a majority vote of the faculty representatives remaining on the committee; the Faculty Senate shall elect a faculty member to fill the remainder of the unexpired term.  The President of the University or his or her designee chooses the administrative members from among the administrators of the University who are tenured or tenure-earning faculty members in one of the academic programs and who hold an administrative appointment in an academic area.  Each January, the committee selects its chairperson from among the faculty representatives.  The chairperson is responsible for coordinating and expediting the work of the committee, ensuring that grievances normally are settled or are submitted to Hearing Tribunals within no more than six weeks from the time the grievances are received by the committee.

Reporting Channel

Dr. Robert Witt, President

Membership

Shane Street, Assoc Prof, Chemistry, 1/1/05 – 12/31/08
Mary Alice Fields, Head, Gorgas Inf Services, Libraries, 1/1/05 – 12/31/08
Sara Barger, Dean, Capstone College of Nursing, 1/1/07 – 12/31/09
Steve Miller, Assoc Prof, School of Lib & Inf Studies, 1/1/07 – 12/31/09
Kimberly Bart, Asst Prof, Law, 1/1/07 – 12/31/09
Mindy Nancarrow Prof, Art History 1/1/08 – 12/31/10
Walter A. Robbins Prof, Accounting 1/1/08 – 12/31/10