The Faculty Senate appointed senate member John Pommier to the Technology-Enhanced and Delivered Education Grants Steering Committee on Tuesday.

Pommier, assistant leisure studies professor, will begin working on the council responsible for evaluating technology grant proposals.

Faculty members are supposed to turn in their proposals to the committee by Friday. The committee must then determine which proposals will be awarded grants.

The senate also discussed the changing of a department title. The School of Adult and Continuing Education has been shortened to the School of Continuing Education.

Pamela Collins, director of off-campus and contract programs for the School of Continuing Education, offered some insight into the name change, noting that while the name change was in effect, her department had yet to begin reorganizing.

“We’re no longer serving adult students. We’re serving all students at this time,” she said. “We’re still discussing the whole idea of restructuring.”

Senate member James Tidwell said on-campus interviews are taking place for the director of the off-campus programming position.

Tidwell, journalism professor, said one of those interview sessions took place Monday, but he heard that the meeting didn’t attract a large attendance.

“I’m not sure anybody knew about it,” Tidwell said.

Senate Chair Bud Fischer, biological sciences professor, updated the senate on last Friday’s informal Council on University Planning and Budget meeting and Tuesday’s Illinois Board of Higher Education “Big Picture” meeting.

Tidwell said that, under former President David Jorns, the CUPB worked as a whole. Under former President Carol Surles, who succeeded Jorns, the CUPB’s subcommittees were more influential.

Fischer said its his understanding that, under interim President Lou Hencken, the CUPB will return to functioning as a whole.

Fischer also updated the senate on the scope of Tuesday’s “Big Picture” meeting. He said the university listed its priorities for Fiscal Year 2003: increasing employee compensation, improving teaching and learning, increasing technological enhancements and finally, capital improvements.

Fischer said IBHE Chairman Keith Sanders listed three goals for the future: easing the transition from high school to college, provoking interest in qualified high school students who don’t plan on attending college and increasing minimum high school graduation requirements.