University Senate Executive Committee Meeting

November 29, 2004

Minutes

 

Present:��������� S. Chaiken, R. Collier, D. Dewar, V. Idone, W. Lanford, A. Lyons,

C. MacDonald, S. Messner, G. Moore, J. Mumpower, M. Pryse, R.M. Range,

M. Sherman, G. Singh, D. Wagner

 

Guest: ����������� R. Bosco, R. Farrell

 

Minutes:�������� The minutes of October 18, 2004 and November 1, 2004 were approved.

 

 

President�s Report � Presented by Interim Provost Jeryl Mumpower:

 

Interim Provost Mumpower reported that Interim President Ryan will discuss enrollment and enrollment recovery at the next Senate meeting, indicating that the enrollment shortfall has potentially cost UAlbany 3.5 million dollars; that figure might be lessened if there is some enrollment recovery in the 2005 spring semester.There will be more details discussed on Monday.

 

Regarding the Mission Review II document, the Provost�s Office is the process of incorporating suggestions received thus far and will have to submit the final document to SUNY System Administration by the end of the semester.

 

Council Reports:

 

Council on Academic Assessment (CAA), Professor Malcolm Sherman, Chair:The Council has formed its two subcommittees and will meet later this week.

 

Governance Council (GOV), Professor Steven Messner, Chair:The joint working group with representatives from the College of Nanoscale Sciences and Engineering (CNSE) and the Governance Council has developed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) pertaining to the governance procedures for promotion and continuing appointment.�� The Council will meet Wednesday, December 1, to discuss the MOU and consider any recommendations to put forth at the meeting of the University Senate on December 6, 2004.The representatives from CNSE have been invited to address the Council and answer questions at the beginning of the meeting.Professor Dewar, Chair of CPCA, has also been invited to attend the meeting.Copies of the MOU have been distributed to members of the Governance Council and to Professor Dewar.

 

University Planning and Policy Council (UPC), Professor Marjorie Pryse, Chair:UPC has been reviewing a series of reports forwarded to the Council, including the draft of the University at Albany Institutional Assessment Plan.The Council has proposed to discuss the�Retention Task Force Recommendations� report submitted in 1998 by the then-Undergraduate Dean, John Pipkin, to then-Provost Judy Genshaft, and a document proposing a �4 x 4� curriculum structure, submitted by �4 x 4� Task Force Chair Ronald Bosco in the late-1990s, also to Provost Genshaft.The Council is continuing its discussion of institutional identity and is looking for a metaphor that will adequately characterize the relationship between and among CAS and the professional schools and colleges.The Council heard a presentation from Dean Peter Bloniarz of the School of Information Science and Policy and Professor Neil Murray, Chair of the Department of Computer Science, concerning the desirability and feasibility of a plan to expand IT Commons and to move the Department of Computer Science from CAS to SISP.The Council plans to take up this conversation with Dean Bloniarz and Professor Murray again early in the spring semester. The Council is also in the process of working on an in-house scientific survey that would be designed by a segment of the Psychology Department trying to contribute to the process of surveying students.

 

Undergraduate Academic Council (UAC), Professor Seth Chaiken, Chair:The Council has been discussing both the proposed revisions of General Education Assessment for next year (GEAR) and the draft Provost's Advisory Committee Assessment Plan.It is expected to soon get the report from the task force on undergraduate advisement.

 

Council on Research (COR), Professor Vincent Idone, Chair:The last meeting of COR concerned primarily the mechanics of formulating the various committees.There was some lively discussion of Mission Review II, this dealing primarily with what could be described as fundamental questions relating to how the AAU goal originated and its appropriateness for UA, as well as where the resources were coming from for the stated 25-35 IT Commons hires, and how, in fact, this apparent substantial initiative came to be.

 

Council on Promotions and Continuing Appointments (CPCA), Professor Diane Dewar, Chair:Professor Dewar was invited to attend the meeting of the Governance Council on Wednesday, December 1.

 

Council on Libraries, Information Systems and Computing (LISC), Professor David Wagner, Chair:LISC is mainly dealing with issues of open access to documents and open source computing.

 

University Life Council (ULC), Professor Gwen Moore, Chair:The Athletics Committee of ULC has been discussing the Athletics Master Plan.The Director of Athletics will report to ULC about this master plan at its December meeting.The Health, Safety and Well-being Committee is extending work on the resolution on pedestrian safety that Senate approved last spring.They are considering issues related to safety, including the low levels of lighting in some parts of the campus.The Ad Hoc Benefits Committee continues work on publicizing emeriti privileges on campus and on the issue of parental leave, especially for untenured faculty.The Ad Hoc Committee on Policy for Class Suspension for religious holidays continues to investigate this issue.On Dec. 2 (3:30, Campus Center Terrace Lounge) members of the committee held a forum to gather views on the current and other possible policies.Campus religious leaders, Senators, members of ULC, and leaders of student organizations were invited to present their views in writing or orally.

 

Committee on Academic Freedom, Freedom of Expression, and Community Responsibility (CAFFECoR), Professor Lawrence Snyder, Chair:No Report.

 

Committee on Ethics in Research and Scholarship (CERS), Professor R. Michael Range, Chair:CERS continues to discuss the Misconduct Policy and hopes to bring a revised version to the February Senate.

 

Awards for Distinguished Teaching and Service Professors:

Guests:R. Farrell and R. Bosco

 

Dr. Farrell and Dr. Bosco explained the process of staffing and the history of the Distinguished Teaching and Service Professor Review Committee.The Senate Chair has traditionally been a member of the Review Committee and oversees the selection of members for the review committee.�� Professor MacDonald noted that in accordance with the new Senate Charter, the nominating of staff to committees should go through the Committee on Nominations and Elections in the future.

 

The Executive Committee accepted the following recommendations for the committee membership for this year, and requested that Dr. Farrell submit the outline for the membership of the Distinguished Service and Teaching Professorship Review Committee to the Governance Council:

 

1.Steven Messner, Senate Vice Chair

2.Glenna Spitze, Sociology

3.David Anderson, Public Affairs and Policy

4.James Acker, Criminal Justice

���� Jan L. Hagen, Social Welfare

5.      John Pipkin, Geography & Planning

Roberta Bernstein, Art

 

The committee agreed to meet again to continue the assessment of the mission review final document when it became available.

 

 

 

 

Respectfully submitted,

Jayne VanDenburgh, Recorder