Faculty Senate Sends Proposal 26-15 Back for Revision
Iowa State senators referred the annual review proposal to committee while three graduate program cuts head to a December 15 vote.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Remote Work
The Iowa State University Faculty Senate returned proposal 26-15 to its Faculty Development and Administrative Relations Council for further revision. The proposal would expand annual reviews to cover progress toward promotion for tenured associate faculty and advancement for term faculty.
Why it matters
The change would extend formal annual review requirements beyond the tenure track that currently governs probationary faculty. Senators also moved to discontinue three graduate programs with low enrollment or demand, a decision that affects students and faculty in Ames.
The Senate reviewed proposals to discontinue the Master of Healthcare Analytics and Operations and the Master of Accounting Analytics due to low enrollment, with both to be consolidated into the College of Business' Master of Business Analytics. A separate proposal would discontinue the Graduate Rural Sociology program for low demand and overlapping coursework, and the source does not specify final enrollment figures or the revised text of proposal 26-15.
The players
Iowa State University Faculty Senate
The governing body of faculty representatives at Iowa State University that debates and votes on academic policy and program changes.
Jason Keith
Provost at Iowa State University who oversees academic affairs and cautioned faculty about people secretly recording conversations with targeted questions.
The details
Senators debated proposal 26-15 and considered changes to its wording and documentation requirements before sending it back to committee. An amendment shifted the language to emphasize discussing progress with faculty seeking promotion or advancement. In the same meeting, the Senate reviewed the three program discontinuation proposals.
Timeline
Dec. 15: Senate vote on the three program discontinuation proposals.
Dec. 15: Next scheduled Faculty Senate meeting.
Career Path
Proposal 26-15 extends the annual review framework that currently tracks tenure progress for probationary faculty to tenured associate and term faculty, which would formalize promotion and advancement discussions for those ranks. The change follows the university's existing structure for tracking faculty career progression across ranks.
Faculty on term and tenured associate contracts could see promotion and advancement discussions added to their annual reviews if proposal 26-15 passes in revised form. Students enrolled in or considering the Master of Healthcare Analytics and Operations, Master of Accounting Analytics, or Graduate Rural Sociology should check with their programs about the proposed discontinuations and consolidation into the Master of Business Analytics.
The takeaway
Faculty and students should track the December 15 Senate vote, since the outcomes will determine both the review requirements for associate and term faculty and the future of three graduate programs.
What happens next
All three program discontinuation proposals will return to the Faculty Senate for a vote on Dec. 15.
Further reading
For more on how academic and workplace policies shape faculty careers, explore Remote Work coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Iowa State Daily.
