A review of the operational structures of the Urbana Academic Senate office is over, and Senate Executive Committee chair Roy Campbell said a complete list of recommendations will be brought before the SEC for action in the near future.
Campbell, a professor of computer science, said the review was done to improve senate processes and identify ways to keep senators better informed.
“It will save hours of work and make things more streamlined,” he said of the anticipated recommendations, many of which will focus on using technology to make documents more easily accessible and to reduce paperwork, such as distributing senate meeting information packets electronically instead of making printed copies.
One of the recommendations will be to hold future elections – including the nomination process – electronically through a website portal, which Campbell said would save time and money.
Other recommendations:
- Increase the senate website’s capabilities to search archives, a process that has already started through an agreement with the Office of the Chancellor that offers the senate office scanning and Web-posting assistance.
- Use website management software to improve the input process and allow documents to be uploaded faster.
- Make the senate listserv available for public use as an announcement center and create a new Web-based location for ongoing conversations of senate-related issues.
- Create templates for submitting committee recommendations in an effort to make the process more consistent.
- Require that documents that need to be updated go through the senate office to ensure continuity.
Campbell said there are details to be worked out and he is hoping for more input and discussion on the recommendations before they are submitted to the senate for action.
He also announced the formation of a committee that will center its attention on campus compensation and benefits.
He said the charge of the committee will be to give the “whole picture” of the campus salary structure, comparing salaries internally and externally with peer institutions. The information would be used in future budget discussions.
“I hate to create a new committee,” he said, “but this is going to be a big, major concern.”
Campbell said he is in the process of finalizing the committee roster.
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