JACKSONVILLE-The Jacksonville State University Board of Trustees has approved a 13-member faculty roundtable designed to connect faculty representatives directly with university leaders.
The vote came during the board’s quarterly meeting Tuesday, Oct. 20. Jax State President Dr. Don C. Killingsworth, Jr., presented the new structure to trustees.
According to the university, the roundtable includes elected and presidentially appointed full-time faculty members. Each of Jax State’s five academic colleges has representation, along with Houston Cole Library.
The roundtable gives members a direct channel to share colleagues’ ideas, concerns, and recommendations with university leadership. Meanwhile, administrators can use the same group to communicate with faculty.
Killingsworth and Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Christie Shelton plan to participate in the meetings. Other university leaders may also join discussions when their areas relate to the topics under consideration.
The university developed the roundtable in response to Alabama Act 2026-432, which took effect Oct. 1. The law also abolished previously established faculty senates unless they met its requirements or received approval to continue from their governing boards.
In addition, the law requires covered faculty-governance groups to remain advisory. Those groups cannot receive final decision-making authority. They also cannot speak publicly on behalf of their institutions.
Before this transition, Jax State’s published shared-governance framework assigned its Faculty Senate several review and voting roles. For example, those duties included work involving catalogs, the Faculty Handbook, and other academic policies and procedures.
However, the university’s announcement describes the new roundtable as a communication and consultation network. Still, it does not say whether the roundtable will inherit each of the former Senate’s specific review, voting, or committee roles.
The College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences has four representatives: Dr. Marija Reiff, Dr. Gaus Alam, Dr. David Dempsey, and Dr. Peter Bryant.
Meanwhile, Dr. Leah Simmons and Dr. Shannon Robertson represent the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Ben Boozer and Dr. Carol Lucy represent the College of Business and Industry.
For the College of Education and Professional Studies, Dr. Ashley Turner and Dr. Diane Best serve on the group. At the College of Health Professions and Wellness, the representatives are Dr. Allen Gilbert and Jamie Hudgins.
Allison Boswell represents Houston Cole Library.
The roundtable was scheduled to hold its first meeting Wednesday, Oct. 21.
RELATED ARTICLES:
Jax State Trustees Approve Resolution Implementing New Higher-Education Governance Law
Scott Williams Dining Room Honors Decades of Service at Jax State
You must be logged in to post a comment.