The new faculty bylaws specify more frequent communication between the University Senate
and its constituencies. This is the first in what will be a series of approximately monthly
bulletins.
Highlights of issues to be addressed by the Senate 10/04/2004
President Ryan has asked that the Senate review and comment on proposed College of Nanoscale
Science and Engineering bylaws and charter by October 8. Those proposed bylaws are available on the
Senate web page, www.albany.edu/senate, as are the bylaws of the University faculty and the charter of
the University Senate. The Senate is being asked for its opinion on what constitutes best practice in
faculty governance, while taking into consideration the local autonomy of the new college in matters of
graduate curriculum, research, and tenure and promotion. The proposed new college bylaws, for
example, leave centralized the administration of research ethics and human research regulations. In
accepting the local administrative autonomy of the new college, President Ryan similarly specified
additional administrative areas that would remain centralized. Aside from ensuring that there is general
understanding of what specific decision-making is being retained at the university level, and agreement or
commentary on what decision-making should be delegated to the local units, there may be other issues
that must be addressed. For example, the manner in which university-wide policy decisions would be
implemented in the proposed autonomous structure should be clearly understood. In the various areas
for which the existing University bylaws and charter and the proposed documents of the new school are
inconsistent, the Senate should be prepared either to propose changes to the University documents or
provide clear rationale for specific areas in which the majority feels they should not be changed. These
issues may have impact beyond the single unit for which they are intended if they are regarded as
establishing precedent for the rest of the University. [Then] Provost Santiago indicated at the EPC
meeting of 4/16/2004 that other units might request similar treatment. The Governance Council will be
meeting specifically to review the proposed CNSE bylaws and will report on its conclusions to the Senate.
Other ongoing items:
The ad hoc university-wide governance committee, which is investigating the ramifications of
potential increased autonomy of school and college governance, has been meeting weekly all
summer. Minutes and a draft report are expected by October 29.
The Committee on Ethics in Research has drafted a new policy on misconduct in research and
scholarship that is being circulated to appropriate councils and should be available for review by
the senate in October.
The University Life Council, in the wake of last year’s Senate approval of a one-year calendar
change to include recognition of the Muslim holiday of Eid al Adha on January 21, 2005, is
investigating the larger question of what criteria should be used in granting recognition of
religious holidays, if any.
Andi Lyons
University Senate Secretary
Carolyn MacDonald
University Senate Chair
