After serving on the Board of Regents for seven years, Patti Minter is giving up her seat.

“It’s not that I no longer want to be the faculty regent,” Minter said. “I’ve learned an awful lot being faculty regent and the best part of it has been that I’ve been able to serve people and advocate for not just the needs of the faculty, but also for everybody at the university.”

Although she will no longer be on the board, Minter will still be active in University Senate. She is the chair of the faculty welfare committee and a voting member of the executive committee instead of an advisory member.

“I’m not going to stop being a faculty advocate,” Minter said.

She said she is now going to start devoting more of her time to other advocacy causes and research projects.

She will attend her last Regents meeting on Oct. 31 when her successor will be sworn in.

However, there is controversy surrounding how her successor will be chosen.

A document from Betsy Shoenfelt, professor of Psychological Sciences, stated there is a disagreement in interpreting who is eligible to be the next faculty regent.

President Gary Ransdell said he was at first surprised when he learned Minter was stepping down, but after further thought, he said it did not surprise him because she pours everything she has into what she does.

“Patti is a superb member of our faculty,” Ransdell said. “She is at a stage in her academic career where her teaching and research has to take precedence.”

Minter said she has tried to be a good communicator as a faculty regent so that the faculty always knows what is going on.

“I’m very proud of a lot of the things we’ve been able to do,” Minter said. “If I have a legacy I hope it’s that people understand that you don’t have to just accept the status quo and you don’t have to just do something because you are told to do it, but people can be empowered to make some really positive change.”