The bylaws for Academic Governance regarding term limits were changed to ensure terms for all university committees begin on Aug. 16 as opposed to the summer semester following appointment.

“The reason for this is to make (term periods) consistent for all of the rest of university committees,” Secretary for Academic Governance Jacqueline Wright said during Tuesday’s meeting.

The Energy Transition Plan also was discussed during the Academic Council meeting.

Although the university currently is making strides in ensuring campus sustainability, there is more to be done, said Jennifer Battle, assistant director of campus sustainability.

Eventually, nonrenewable energy resources will run out or become too costly to afford, she said. Changes must be made, but converting completely to renewable energy sources is not an option at this point, she said.

“Today, renewable technology is just not sufficient to meet our needs,” she said.

Education is necessary to make MSU sustainable, she added.

“Our education outreach is very robust,” she said. “We want to educate campus on basic energy principles.”

Maintaining a website with information about the plan also is an important part in educating the community and maintaining transparency, Battle said.

By the end of the month, staff are working to create an online tool to enable students to build an energy portfolio and see their impact on energy costs and emissions, she said.

Also at the meeting, faculty members were invited to attend a faculty forum at 3 p.m. Thursday in Room 191 Communication Arts and Sciences Building.

Faculty forums allow staff to bring concerns or comments to Academic Governance without going through formal procedure, Executive Committee of Academic Council Chairman John Powell said during the meeting.

The forum will help members of governance better “represent the issues that are on the minds of our faculty and colleagues,” he said.

Additionally, changes and additions made to programs were discussed. The Eli Broad College of Business will offer an international business minor in the fall. Other changes were made to about 26 programs. No programs were deleted.

Faculty also were invited to recommend members for the task force on student assessment, created by the Executive Committee of Academic Council.

About 10 or 12 faculty have shown interest in joining the task force so far, Powell said.
“There are a number of people who are interested in tackling this challenge,” he said.