Dr. Matthew Hudnall teaches management information systems in the Culverhouse College of Business. He is highly active in interdisciplinary funded research, serving as principal investigator/co-principal investigator on more than 70 grants totaling over $40 million in combined funding since 2014. Hudnall has taken on many roles in his over 23 years of service at UA, including graduate student, staff member and tenured faculty.
What were some of the Senate’s highlights this past year?
In our continuous effort to enhance the academic journey, we introduced and passed Senate resolutions for a dedicated student resources section in syllabus templates as well as increased promotion of meal swipe donations. These small but significant steps ensure that every student has the tools and support they need right at their fingertips and within every class that they take.
Thanks to a fruitful collaboration with the provost, a new subvention program was launched to support faculty with monograph publishing costs. This initiative was swiftly implemented and exemplifies our shared goal of advancing academic excellence.
This past year also marked the creation of a new Senate task force to focus on advancing faculty teaching assessment including student opinions on instruction. This SOI Taskforce is comprised of over a dozen faculty from many different colleges and we are looking into ways in which we can better assess teaching performance, including revising SOIs, peer evaluations and other options based on research-backed best practices.
We also implemented the largest-ever revamp and expansion of the Karen Steckol Academic Regalia Loan Program. The Senate purchased 60 new sets of regalia and is now better equipped to handle the needs of faculty as more and more faculty attend graduation ceremonies.
What are some of the Senate’s goals and major projects for the 2024-2025 academic year?
For this academic year, the Senate will be continuing its SOI taskforce work and will present the findings of the group to the faculty for refinement and to the administration as suggested actionable changes. We are examining research-backed best practices for assessing teaching quality and we hope that the findings will result in methods that more comprehensively represent teaching performance.
Enhanced research support and incentives are areas in which we will also be focusing many of our efforts. As UA continues as a major research leader, we must examine and enhance processes, procedures and policies that encourage and support faculty research. We are looking forward to working with the new vice president of research and economic development, Dr. Bryan Boudouris, to accomplish those goals.
As changes unfold with programs, policies and focus areas at UA, the Senate will maintain its advocacy on behalf of all faculty to make sure that faculty concerns are heard, considered and implemented whenever possible.
What was the biggest lesson the Senate learned from the past year that will impact it going forward?
My biggest lesson from this past year is that less can be more. We significantly cut back on many Senate expenses and those cutbacks resulted in our ability to revamp the regalia program.
How can more faculty get involved with Faculty Senate or stay informed?
Senate monthly meetings during the academic year are open to the public and are generally held on the third Tuesday of each month. Faculty can review our website, which also has our meeting calendar. The best way for faculty who are not senators to have the Senate address their concerns is for faculty to reach out to the senators within their college or to contact one of our nine standing committees that focus on a variety of faculty areas.
What is one thing you would like for members or potential members to know about Faculty Senate?
The Faculty Senate is the best route for faculty to voice concerns, gather feedback and take action that can result in real change. Our shared governance model with the UA administration allows faculty to have significant input across the board through the Faculty Senate.