Faculty Senate Approves SM 2603 and SM 2604
The Faculty Senate approved two motions at the Open Senate meeting on Wednesday, December 10:
SM 2603: Resolution to endorse 1) the Proposal for a New Graduate Degree Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing, and 2) the Proposal for a New Blended Graduate Degree Doctor of Nursing Practice with a Concentration in Family Nurse Practitioner
This motion endorses programs proposed by Dr. Robinson and Dr. Sibley, who have worked closely with members of the Program Creation and Reorganization Review Committee to address comments and questions of faculty senators at UMaine.
SM 2604: Resolution Regarding Fossil Fuel Investments in UMS-Offered Default Retirement Accounts
SM 2604 calls on the Faculty Governance Council representative and the Board of Trustees Representative to take specific actions related to the default retirement accounts offered by the University of Maine System, which currently contain investments in fossil fuels. With this motion, the senate announced its desire for the System to offer a default option that is fossil fuel-free, bringing practice into closer alignment with the Board of Trustees’ resolution to divest from direct fossil fuel investments by 2030.
Resolved, That the representative of the University of Maine Faculty Senate to the Faculty Governance Council is hereby directed to: (1) inform the FGC membership regarding the System’s default retirement plan offerings and their connection to fossil fuel investments and (2) formally request that the faculty senates and assemblies of the System campuses pass their own resolutions calling for fossil fuel-free default retirement funds; and be it further
Resolved, That the University of Maine faculty representative to the Board of Trustees is entrusted to: (1) request that the Board of Trustees provide System employees with default retirement fund options that are fossil fuel-free and (2) report back to the Faculty Senate regarding any commitments made by the Board of Trustees in response to this request.