2011-2012 University Senate
Monday, April 2, 2012
2:45 pm, CC Assembly Hall
Susanna Fessler, Chair
Minutes
Present:
J. Philippe Abraham, David Anderson, Aymen Assuwiyan, Hassaram Bakhru, Robert Bangert-
Drowns, Bryant Barksdale, Joseph Bassell, Steve Beditz, Lee Bickmore, Christine Bouchard,
Pedro Caban, Raysa Capellan, James Castracane, Thomas Devlin, Bruce Dieffenbach, Peter
Duchessi, Diana Dumesnil, Carmen Duncan, Sue Faerman, Susanna Fessler, Richard Fogarty,
Cynthia Fox, Jennifer Greiman, Timothy Groves, Hal Gueutal, Yenisel Gulatee, Jean Guyon,
Janelll Hobson, Michael Jaromin, Jane Kadish, Donald Keenan, Daniel Keyser, Alice Krause,
William Lanford, Danielle Leonard, David Lewis, Eric Lifshin, Andi Lyons, JoAnne
Malatesta, Adrian Masters, Candace Merbler, Elizabeth Moran, John Murphy, Toni Naccarato,
Nancy Newman, Heidi Nicholls, Gregory Nowell, Susan Phillips, Lawrence Raffalovich,
Arthur Rushforth, Donna Scanlon, John Schmidt, Charles P. Scholes, Shadi Shahedipour-
Sandvik, Benjamin Shaw, Holly Sims, Leonard Slade, Jr., Lorre Smith, Joette Stefl-Mabry,
Tim Stephen, Christine Wagner, Daniel White, Kevin Williams, David Wills, Ryan Witte,
Alissa Worden
Guests:
Simi Alex, Rachel Amaud, Gianna Annunziata, Roneyka Anthony, Nayed Aquino, James
Banville, Jon Bartow, Sheryl Berkowtiz, Michael Bilica, Darnell Bostick, Shlomo Boukai,
James Breitfeller, Jean-Francois Briere, Ray Bromley, Cali Brown, Raven Brown, Grace
Bruno, Shaneaka Butler, Carlos Caban, Jonathan Cabezas, Naini Carvalho, Dan Cave,
Heather Cean, Tiffany Chen, Brian Chung, Angelica Clarke, Sara H. Cohen, Brian Cordero,
David D’Alto, Toni-Marie DeGrella, Bhaghya Dey, Danielle DiLevo, Ana Paula Dugan, Tuuli
Edwards, Tori Ellis, Jessica Estrella, Virginia Eubanks, Jourdan Farrell, Vincent Feliciano,
Rossy Fernandez, Christopher Ferraro, Krystal Folk, Danielle Frank, Sue Freed, Roy Frias,
Rosanna Garcia, Darioa Garcia, Joseph Gildea, Nick Goldman, Breanna Good, Elana Gordis,
Anthony Greathouse, Crystal Griffith, Jose Gustavo Guillen, Victoria Gurrieri, Nelson
Gutierrez, Alyssa Hagadorn, Leslie Halpern, Meghan Haney, Anita Hanson, Jacqueline
Harden, James Harren, Tyler Hassan, Jackie Hayes, Cory Hofmann Fisher, Kristen Hourigan,
Trudi Jacobson, Caitlin Janiszewski, Abigail Jones, Benjamin Kaufman, Maureen Keggins,
Haley Lamberg, Joanna Landers, Jeff Lasher, Kathryn Lee, Brian Levy, Randy Lin, Calvin
Lin, Eric Marcias, Ashley Mawad, Laura Melburn, Samara Meyers, Anthony Monello, Aran
Mull, Alexander Naidoo, Jake Nasar, Eli Nascimento, Esther Ng, Kiana Nguyen, Kate
Paarlberg-Kyam, Jennell Pascall, Alejandra Pereyra, Kenneth Perez, Amanda Peveraro,
Annmarie Pichiarallo, Matthew Pipitone, John Pipkin, Shelly Polanco, Elizabeth Prairie,
Gregory Priest, Calvin Prince, Samantha Roberts, Sade Roberts, Jeremy Rogers, Catherine
Rojas, Julissa Rosado, Marissa Samaci, Joan Savitt, Helen Scheck, James Schiaffo, Sophia
Smart, Carlucio Sorriento, Ryan Stern, Kirstin Strand, Justin Strumph, Nesaulry Torres,
Katherine Truby, Seth Varcirca, John Weigel, Francine White, Kathie C. Winchester, Marcella
Woytash, Justine Wright, Lauren Zimmerman
The meeting convened at 2:50 pm
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
The minutes of March 5 were approved with the following voting results: Approved: 48; Opposed: 0;
Abstained: 5
PROVOST’S REPORT—SUSAN PHILLIPS
Provost Phillips provided an update on the budget. The Governor and Legislature passed an on time budget.
For the first time in five years there were not cuts in state assistance to SUNY. This was one of the benefits
of the maintenance of effort clause included in the SUNY 2020 legislation. The SUNY hospitals received
almost $30 million which is a major restoration to those budgets. Had the restoration not been made it would
have come from all other SUNY campuses. The 2020 Challenge has been expanded to allow campuses to
compete for an addition $20 million.
There were several UAlbany initiatives that received state funding including the Center for Autism and Just
for the Kids. The campus received $22 million in capital for critical maintenance. This is the fifth
installments of capital funding which will support repair and maintenance on campus, the Campus Center
extension, the new building for the School of Business, new dorms and the complete renovation of Mohawk
Tower. The Tower renovation will be the largest residential improvement project ever undertaken on
campus. The Facilities Master Plan was initiated during the past year and is managed by UAlbany’s
Facilities Office and the State University Construction Fund. The intent of the plan is to define planning
over the next 10 to 20 years. The plan will be rolled out to the community this week with open forums and
information sessions. The Facilities Office will be asking for feedback from the campus community.
Provost Phillips reported on campus events related to the President’s Diversity Dialogue Program. Last
month Chancellor Nancy Cantor from Syracuse University visited the campus and discussed how to forge a
new understanding of the role of universities in society. Later in April, representatives from Texas A&M will
attend to discuss recruiting and maintaining a diverse faculty.
The University has been named to the 2012 Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. The campus
was recognized for three programs: Communities for Healthy Living, Middle Earth Peer Assistance Program
and the Urban and Regional Planning Program in Arbor Hill and the South End.
The University at Albany student group Reclassifying All Children Equally Organization was recognized by
the Newman’s Own Foundation and received a $10,000 award for its efforts mentoring at-risk youths in the
community.
Provost Phillips offered congratulations to the women’s basketball team for winning the division title. The
title is an honor for both the team and the school.
The Provost referred to the handout of faculty accomplishments. She also reminded everyone that
Commencement is coming up and encouraged all to participate.
The SUNY 2020 proposal has not been fully accepted by the governor’s office but the campus continues to
make plans for faculty hires. New faculty were hired under the pilot proposal and 49 proposals have been
received and are under review. The Provost is hoping the process will be completed before the end of the
semester. Provost Phillips expects to make a report on the work of the strategic planning working groups in
May. Updates on the steering committee can be found on her website.
Senator Lewis (?) referred to a presentation of the facilities master plan that was held the Saturday during
spring break. He said slides referred to a school of pharmacy and an academic village. CERS Chair
MacDonald offered clarification and said those were presented as examples. The Provost was not aware of a
meeting being held during that time and said she did not believe that was intended for this campus. She
added that the purpose of the FMP process is to convey their findings to the community and to solicit
feedback.
SENATE CHAIR’S REPORT – SUSANNA FESSLER
The Senate Executive Committee met on Monday, March 19th. Agenda items included a presentation by Miriam
Trementozzi, Sue Faerman, and Phil Nasca about CCUCE; feedback to UPPC on its proposed campus impact form;
multiple bills from UAC, including the General Education bill; and the revised policy from CERS on Research Integrity.
The Presidential Search Committee hosted an open forum on Friday, March 9th on the Uptown Campus to solicit feedback
from all faculty and staff regarding what qualities they would like to see in the next president of UAlbany. There were
approximately twenty people in attendance. A second session was held on Tuesday, March 20th on the Downtown campus.
There were four people in attendance. The comments were wide ranging and focused on the characteristics and
experiences sought in a new President, major issues that will face a new President, and the search process itself. For those
unable to attend either meeting, the committee welcomes feedback through the Presidential Search website at
http://www.albany.edu/presidentialsearch/
Facilities Master Plan: The FMP is a comprehensive, integrative document that helps inform future capital funding
requests for both UAlbany and the State University Construction Fund (SUCF) and identifies and prioritizes an
implementation sequence for a 10+ year period. The FMP will be driven by enrollment projections and incorporate both
academic and physical master planning. Each of the SUNY campuses are doing an FMP as part of a statewide
SUNY/SUCF initiative.
Facilities Master Plan Informational Sessions are scheduled as follows (each session lasts approximately 90 minutes):
4/3/12 Downtown Campus Session, 1:00 p.m., Husted Hall Room 106A
4/4/12 East Campus Session, 1:00 p.m., conference Room A/B (near the cafeteria)
4/6/12 Uptown Campus Session, 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., SEFCU Hall of Fame
Information about the FMP is available online at http://www.albany.edu/facilities/fmp/
The annual Spring Faculty meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 18th at 2:30 in the Campus Center Ballroom. Save
the date!
OTHER REPORTS
UFS (University Faculty Senator’s Report) –Daniel D. White, J. Philippe Abraham & Shadi
Shahedipour-Sandvik, SUNY Senators
The SUNY Senators will be meeting at SUNY Geneseo for the spring Plenary on April 20 and 21.
GSO (Graduate Student Organization) – Heidi Nicholls, GSO Representative
The graduate student organization will be holding their elections on April 16th and 17th in order to prepare for the Executive
Board turn over. We are currently in the process of preparing an online forum to discuss the proposed changes to our constitution
and present them at the next GSO Assembly meeting (April 13th) in time to put them on the All Graduate Student Ballot. We have
welcomed Jak Akdmir as our new MCAA chair, Raysa Capelllan as our new Lead Senator and Aymen Assuwiyan as our fourth
senator for the Spring Semester. Similarly, the office is looking to hire new office managers and a new Lead Office Manager for
the summer and fall of 2012. There are also various exciting events underway such as a Badminton Tournament, cultural movie
night, world games evening, and more.
Ms. Nicholls reported that attempts are being made to form a cricket team. Currently there 15-30 people who have
been regularly participating and they are all from diverse cultural backgrounds. The GSO is following the lead of the
SA to have programs similar to their suicide prevention and take back the night.
SA (Student Association) – Bryant Barksdale, Student Association President Designee
Run-off elections will be held on March 27th and 28th to determine the new President and Vice President of the student Association
for the 2012-2013 Academic Year.
On March 29th the annual comedy show will take place in the Hall of Fame Room in the SEFCU arena at 9pm. The feature act will
be Tony Rock brother of Chris Rock. This event is free to all students, but we recommend a small donation that will go to the
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). Also on April 1st on the academic podium the Student Association will be
co-sponsoring an Autism Speaks walk.
ParkFest is currently scheduled for April 21st we are working out the final details on what performers will be coming to the event
and then will advertise it to the student body. On the following day our annual Culture Carnival will take place out on the Dutch
Quad commons area.
The online form is ready for all undergraduate students to nominate a faculty member for the Outstanding Faculty Award. The date
and event where this will be presented is still being worked out.
Mr. Barksdale reported that run-off elections were recently held and announced that Arthur Rushforth will be the new
Student Association president. Rebecca Kurlander will be the new vice-president. The revised Constitution was on the
ballot and was ratified. Changes will become effective in August.
COUNCIL/COMMITTEE REPORTS
CAA (Council on Academic Assessment) – Adrian Masters, Chair
At its meeting on 29th February the CAA established a reporting procedure for Gen. Ed. Assessment reviews.
Chair Masters reported that the Council met on March 28 and finalized the program review for Public Administration.
CAFFECoR (Committee on Academic Freedom, Freedom of Expression, and Community
Responsibility) – Aran Mull, Chair
The committee met on March 12th to review the revised Responsible Use of Information Technology policy and continued work on
the committee’s policy for managing complaints brought to the committee.
CERS (Committee on Ethics in Research and Scholarship) – Carolyn MacDonald, Chair
CERS met and voted to approve the revised policy document, which is submitted as a bill.
COR (Council on Research) – James Castracane, Chair
COR met on March 1st in an abbreviated (and quorum-less) session due to the “snow storm”. VPR Dias presented the UAlbany
Division for Research update.
The process of annual report review from the Centers/Institutes/Labs sub-Committee has begun. All Directors of a Center/
Institute will be contacted in the near future to provide their status and progress during the last year.
Chair Castracane reported that recommendations have been made to the Vice President for Research to fund 8out of
10 of the benevolent award applications.
CPCA (Council on Promotions and Continuing Appointments) – Christine Wagner, Chair
CPCA has now completed the review of twenty cases this year. Two additional cases will be reviewed at the
next meeting on March 23, 2012.
GAC (Graduate Academic Council) – Tim Groves, Chair
The GAC met on March 6.
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Rockefeller College’s Department of Public Administration and Policy had proposed several changes to its Public Sector
Management Certificate of Graduate Study. The overall structure of the Certificate remains intact. The changes ensure
course availability and give students relevant elective choices, The Committee on Curriculum and Instruction voted 6-0-0
on March 1 to accept the changes, and forward the proposal to the GAC. The GAC in turn voted unanimously on March 6
to accept the proposal.
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George Robinson presented his review of the most recent Middle States self-assessment of the Physics program.
Following discussion, the GAC voted unanimously to accept the report.
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A lively discussion of policies, practices, and procedures for academic dishonesty took place, with a summary of GAC
members’ inputs. This discussion will be coordinated with UAC for upcoming joint action.
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Next GAC meeting is April 4.
The GAC has no bills pending Senate approval.
GOV (Governance Council) – Andi Lyons, Chair
The Governance Council met on March 19. Dan White was unable to attend, so the Council has not yet reviewed the task force’s
materials addressing “Resolution 1112-03R to Investigate Violations of Governance Procedures in Matter of 2010 Program
Deactivations.” GOV has received nominations from some groups, but is still awaiting representatives from GAC and UPPC to
finish populating the committee to address “Resolution 1112-05R to Determine Offerings in European Languages & Classical
Studies in Accordance with UAlbany's Mission and Strategic Plan.” The Committee on Liaison and Elections had announced the
deadline for nominations by petition as March 19. The spring elections will be held electronically, from April 2-5. Updates to the
Senate Handbook were discussed, and we considered possible clarifications to the bylaws. Due to a lower than normal meeting
turnout, GOV decided to postpone any decisions until its next meeting, which is scheduled for April 16.
Chair Lyons reported that UAC and GAC have submitted names of members to represent their councils on the
subcommittee charged to make determinations as outlined in Resolution 1112-05R.
Senator White reported on behalf of the task force charged to investigate violations of governance procedures as
outlined in Resolution 1112-03R. He said members are reviewing a draft of the report but it is not ready for public
view at this time.
LISC (Council on Libraries, Information Systems, and Computing) – Nancy Newman, Chair
The IT Committee chair, Larry Raffalovich, and Assistant CIO Lisa Trubitt presented the revised “Responsible Use of IT” Policy
at the March 5 meeting. The policy is considerably streamlined from its current version, but will contain references (links) to other
relevant texts reflecting changes in technology and usage over the past decade. Discussion ensued as to whether “Responsible
Use” would be presented to the Senate for consideration, and it was agreed that further consultation with CIO Chris Haile is
needed. A brief overview of the Digital Content Task Force was presented by Library Committee chair Charles Hartman and Dean
of Library, Mary Casserly.
Chair Newman reported that LISC will present revisions to the responsible use of IT policy at a future date.
UAC (Undergraduate Academic Council) – JoAnne Malatesta, Chair
The Undergraduate Academic Council met on February 27th and March 12th to review a series of departmental proposals. UAC
approved the following proposals and is forwarding them on to the Senate for review:
Proposed changes to the General Education Curriculum
Proposed changes to the Policy on Double Majoring
Proposed changes to the Policy on Internships (UNI390) and creation of a sophomore level internship option (UNI290)
Proposed update to the implementation date of Bill 1112-05.
Proposed curriculum changes to the Biology BS program.
Proposed curriculum changes to the Music Program
Proposed curriculum changes to the Informatics Major
The Urban Studies and Planning proposal was forwarded to UPPC for review on February 22nd.
ULC (University Life Council) – Yenisel Gulatee, Chair
ULC met on March 1st. We had a guest speaker, Margaret Reich, from the Office of International Education. She talked about our
international student community. She discussed concerns, needs and issues they face. Our next meeting was on March 22nd where
Michael Jaromin made a presentation on the recent survey measuring student engagement in diverse organizations and activities.
In addition we discussed the academic calendar and issues that have been expressed over the changes. We also continued the
discussion on smoking on campus since health concerns continue to be raised from faculty and staff.
UPPC (University Planning and Policy Council) – Eric Lifshin, Chair
NEW BUSINESS
FACULTY ATHLETICS REPRESENTATIVE (FAR) INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS REPORT – GUESTS: TERESA HARRISON AND LEE
MCELROY
Dr. Harrison explained her role as Faculty Athletics Representative to the council and presented data about the academic standing
of the 437 students on some kind of athletic scholarship, including the average GPA and SAT scores of incoming freshman student
athletes and the majors that all student athletes enroll in. She noted that we have a significant number of student athletes enrolled
in restricted majors. Additional information presented to the council included the GPAs of student athletes divided by sport, and
the student athlete graduation success rate (GSR). The NCAA tracks the Academic Progress Rate (APR) by each sport and closely
monitors academic eligibility. The university takes corrective action if the APR falls below 925 (max. score of 1,000).
Dr. Harrison went on to explain the composition and charge of the Intercollegiate Athletics Advisory Board. Dr. McElroy
commented on the Breakfast of Champions program – student athletes invite one of their professors to see what a day in the life of
a student athlete is like. Dr. Lifshin asked about the rationale for the NCAA imposing academic standards – Dr. McElroy
responded that the metrics are established to protect academic integrity and to make sure that the institutions do not allow at risk
students to participate in athletic programs to the detriment of their academic experience. Mr. Birge commented that we seem to
be attracting students who are academically talented and who often take their 4 th year of eligibility to take a graduate degree. Dr.
McElroy concurred that we are attracting this type of student and they are doing very well, and that our student athletes reflect the
academic profile of the institution, which is not so common in NCAA Division 1 schools. Dr. Lifshin thanked Drs. McElroy and
Harrison for their attendance.
SPRING BREAK SCHEDULING – GUESTS: KAREN CHICO HURST AND BOB ANDREA
Ms. Chico Hurst explained how the academic calendar is built. There are 23 factors that go into the construction of the academic
calendar.
The main goal of the academic calendar is to make sure that we are compliant with the required number of meeting dates. She
explained the difficulties with planning the schedules with all the different factors in play, and requested the Council’s assistance in
ranking the importance of the various planning criteria. Dr. Fessler brought one of the issues that came up in SEC was that we
have been operating at the minimum for several years, and this semester we have three extra days. The faculty would like
consistency in order to plan their syllabi. Ms. Chico Hurst would like to see us start with 14 or 15 meetings to allow for
cancellations. Dr. Fessler also requested a preference for symmetry between the semesters.
Ms. Chico Hurst would like to know how many people are interested in our breaks coinciding with the school breaks. She has
polled other SUNY campuses and most do not do that. Dean Bangert-Drowns brought up the different values (academic quality,
religious accommodation, family friendly, etc.) and how we might weigh them. If there is a conflict between values, how do we
rank (and who ranks) what is most important. Dr. Lifshin suggested if different calendars could be created based on those values,
the council might provide input as to what works best.
The St. Patrick’s spring break issue was raised – the preference from the Provost and President is to try it for a couple of years. Dr.
Fessler suggested a survey to prioritize preferences across the university. Ms. Khan noted that the Student Association passed a
resolution that the breaks should coincide with religious holidays as opposed to wanting students off campus for St. Patrick’s Day.
Dean Bangert-Drowns asked about religious observation protections for faculty – Mr. Beditz responded that labor laws protect
faculty who wish to observe religious holidays.
Ms. Chico Hurst has vetted three years’ worth of calendars with critical university services and can provide calendars for review by
mid-April. She asked how the council feels about the potential for a ‘bonus’ day if no cancellations are used. Faculty members of
the council felt that it would be disruptive to the faculty.
OLD BUSINESS
CAMPUS IMPACT STATEMENT FORM DESIGN
The revised Campus Impact form was circulated to the council for any final comments. SEC has seen the form and not responded
with comments. Dr. Lifshin called a motion to adopt this form for use in future program submissions to SEC. Unanimously
approved.
ACTION ITEMS
Dr. Fessler will circulate the approved form to SEC.
Next meeting will be Friday, April 20, 2012.
OLD BUSINESS
Approval of Changes to Council Memberships
Senate Secretary Leonard reported that only a few changes are pending Senate approval. On CPCA, Sandra
Vergari has stepped down and Eric Hardiman will replace her. UPPC has added a new GSO senator, Aymen
Assuwiyan.
Secretary Leonard reminded everyone that Senate elections are underway and the polls would be open until
Thursday, April 5. She encouraged everyone to vote and to contact the Senate recorder or secretary if there
were problems.
Senate members voted to approve the changes of council memberships with the following voting results:
Approved: 63; Opposed: 0; Abstained: 1
NEW BUSINESS
Senate Bill 1112-15: Revisions to the General Education Policy:
Chair Fessler asked UAC Chair Malatesta to introduce the bill. Following her introduction a debate session
would take place. In the interest of fairness, she asked that once a person has asked a question or spoken that
they allow other the chance to speak.
The floor was opened for a question and answer period followed by a comment period.
Q: Where is the concentration for US Diversity and Pluralism?
A: Chair Malatesta responded that UAC anticipated that the principles behind US Diversity and Pluralism
will be part of Challenges for the 21st Century.
Q: What is the rationale for not including US History?
A: Chair Malatesta responded that it would not be excluded. Senator Richard Fogarty, Chair of UAC’s
General Education Committee (GEC) added that courses in US History were an important part of the GE
learning objective and those courses would remain and fit into Challenges for the 21st Century (Challenges).
Sue Faerman,Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, said that although GEC can consider courses with
learning objectives for a certain category, we need to obtain approval from SUNY System that a course
counts in its learning objectives. The purpose of maintaining a category such as Challenges is that it is not
mandated by SUNY.
Q: Associate Professor Virginia Eubanks from Women’s Studies asked if 30 credits would provide more
flexibility for students and whether it was the minimum or the maximum.
A: Senator Fogarty said the general education credits are an attempt to enhance the time to degree and
mobility to campus and to complete as close to that number of credits as possible.
Senator Merbler commended UAC for the amount of work put into forming the bill and offered two
observations. As a librarian, she often deals with freshman who have difficulty finding available general
education courses and the library assumes an assistive role. She requested assurance from the committee that
seats would be made available in required courses. Secondly, Senator Merbler inquired about the impact on
the Writing Center which has recently undergone cuts. She asked the committee to ensure the program
moves forward.
Q: How did UAC derive the number of members on the Advisory Board?
A: Chair Malatesta said the process began by using the Honors College Board as a model. UAC wanted a
board large enough to represent those teaching GE courses across campus and work with the College of Arts
and Science and GEC. UAC wanted the board to be inclusive and represent various GE categories. It was
important that students be part of the board and there are five seats for undergraduate students. Vice Provost
Faerman said that all the schools and colleges were included in order to balance representation for those that
offer the majority of GE classes.
Q: How did UAC reach the conclusion of three credits for the foreign language requirement?
A: Chair Malatesta said UAC had productive discussions on the topic and realized that students were having
difficulty getting to the second level course currently required. The new proposal offers alternate ways to
satisfy the requirement.
Q: UPPC Chair Lifshin asked how a faculty member would obtain general education certification if they
were to propose such a course. Currently, courses have to be certified at the SUNY level but he asked who
would make the decision at the university level.
A: Chair Malatesta said the procedure would remain as it currently is with the GEC making the
determination as to whether courses need to be advanced to SUNY Administration for approval. She said the
advisory board would not have input in the decision.
Q: Can the number of students on the advisory board be increased. Concerns were raised that students may
feel less intimidated if they had a stronger representation.
A: Chair Malatesta said that could be revisited if there was a strong student sentiment. A suggestion was
also made to have recent alumni invited to participate.
Q: (Kate) There are no categories that could fulfill US Diversity and Pluralism. It appears that an
undergraduate could complete four years of study without having taken a course in this discipline—is this
possible?
A: Senator Fogarty addressed the inquiry. To get through the GE curriculum without encountering US
Diversity would be difficult. Diversity is present across much of the curriculum. One could complete the
GER without taking a specific course but would encounter courses in US Diversity in many other courses.
Diversity means many different things. UAC tried to put diversity upfront in Challenges for the 21st Century.
Students are most likely to encounter diversity in the International Perspectives and the Challenges, both of
which were created specifically to provide a home to diversity in all of its manifestations.
Q: (James) A request was made to provide more information about who will teach the International
Perspectives and Challenges courses. He asked why US Diversity and Pluralism became an issue and why
there is not more specific information available about the Challenges courses.
A: Chair Malatesta addressed the teaching portion of the questions. Since the deans oversee hiring, they
were consulted and asked to solicit feedback from faculty who teach GE courses. Concerning specific
information about the Challenges courses, Chair Malatesta said a great deal of time was dedicated to crafting
the requirement and believed it would be impossible for students not to engage in global interactions within
the Challenges requirement. Senator Fogarty said there no courses being eliminated. Many of the courses in
US Diversity and Pluralism count in other categories and these courses will be a major part of Challenges for
the 21st Century and International Perspectives.
Senator Lanford made a request to have the program reviewed in one or two years to measure the
attractiveness of the program from the students’ perspective. He also suggested making a parallel study with
our peer institutions which would include the other three university centers in Binghamton, Stony Brook and
Buffalo. The university should determine at that time whether adopting this program has gained UAlbany
better of less qualified students. Chair Malatesta said this had been discussed over the past two years and
much of the discussion seems to indicate that the university was losing students under the current GE
program.
At approximately 4:15, Chair Fessler asked for a motion to extend the meeting for an additional 30 minutes.
The motion was made and seconded. Extension of the meeting was approved by a vote with the following
results: Approved: 51; Opposed: 12; Abstained 2
Senator Cabán from LACS asked for a guarantee that the new proposal would not lead to a drop in full time
enrollment and not be used as a justification to eliminate classes. Chair Malatesta said consideration was
given to how the new program will impact departments and it is anticipated that the courses currently being
taught will find a place in International Perspectives and Challenges. Senator Fogarty said the perception is
that if students want particular courses they will continue to take them whether or not they are categorized as
US Diversity and Pluralism or International Perspectives and Challenges. Senator Cabán said he would vote
against the bill and read the following prepared statement:
I am Pedro Cabán- Senator elected by my colleagues in the Department of Latin American, Caribbean and
U.S. Latino Studies (LACS).
On December 14, 2010 the department submitted to the General Education Task Force a statement
enumerating the reasons for its opposition to the proposed Gen Ed revisions under consideration at the time.
There is no need to reiterate the elements in that document, since it is part of the record. However, I will
mention that Senate Bill 1112-15 reaffirms the original Gen Ed Task Force report, and ignores the concerns
raised by LACS.
I will vote against the Bill for a number of reasons, but will mention only two, given time constraints.
1. The academic rationale for the Gen Ed revision that eliminates the category of U.S. Diversity and Cultural
Pluralism is vague and flawed. For example, The World Within Reach: Global Challenges in the 21st century
is a problematic category since it lacks coherence or a set of unifying academic themes. Moreover, I cannot
ascertain the academic rationale for simply asserting equivalence among a variety of content subjects and
interdisciplinary approaches as proposed in World Within Reach.
The challenge that historically unprecedented demographic transitions pose for national unity and the
exercise of democratic practice in the United States, which is one of the most salient issues of the moment, is
arbitrarily positioned in the same category as social interaction (whatever that maybe). A serious conceptual
liability in the World Within Reach category appears in footnote 13,where the report recommends the
“recasting” of the History of the Civil Rights Movement or Race and Ethnicity as the Civil Rights Movement
or Race and Ethnicity in the 21st century. I assume the report is referring to the civil rights movement/race
and ethnicity in the United States.
A student of the U.S. civil rights movement can raise any number of reasoned objections to the proposed
recasting. The most elementary criticism is that the 21st century has just entered the second decade so, to put
it mildly, it is premature to embark on a historical analysis of the young century’s civil rights movement.
Indeed, I am tempted to ask where is the 21st century U.S. civil rights movement taking place? Or is the Gen
Ed revision suggesting that courses on global civil rights movements should be offered?
More importantly, how can one seriously entertain the idea of studying what is arguably one of the most
transformative events in the formation of this nation without any historical grounding? How can we presume
that a course on Race and Ethnicity in the 21st century is an adequate substitute for this momentous episode
in U.S. history?
The lack of intellectual coherence in the Challenges for the 21st Century is apparent in the report’s statement
that “any department may offer these courses,” while simultaneously referring to this kaleidoscope of
courses as a “University at Albany signature course.”
The University community and future generations of University at Albany students would be much better
served if the U.S. Diversity and Cultural Pluralism category is retained.
2. It is the University at Albany’s responsibility to prepare our students to have meaningful and productive
lives and ideally to contribute to the betterment of our society. This responsibility is particularly urgent if the
majority of the graduates of this taxpayer- and tuition-dependent institution choose to reside in our culturally
and ethnically diverse metropolitan region.
The United States is experiencing a profound cultural transformation as a consequence of sweeping and
continuous demographic changes. What is the university doing to prepare students to succeed in this
challenging domestic environment that is persistently being shaped by the forces of globalization?
It’s my impression that the Gen Ed revision assumes social and cultural uniformity among our students. In
this instance I think the Gen Ed proposal is woefully out of touch with the experiences and sensitivities of the
current generation of students.
Some of our students live in racially and ethnically diverse urban communities, but many do not. As
educators it is incumbent on us to create learning environments in which students acquire the knowledge,
skills and competences to successfully adapt to the domestic cultural and social changes wrought by the
forces of globalization.
This ability to adjust to and succeed in a culturally shifting environment is not achieved simply by living in
close proximity to those who differ from you. The knowledge, skills and competencies students acquire in
college are indispensable to achieve understanding and cooperation across cultural and ethnic divides.
The new Gen Ed Requirements will do little to prepare our students for the challenges they will face in one
of the most diverse metropolitan regions in the world, nor do the requirements equip them with an
understanding of the richness and complexity of the formation of the United States.
For this and other reasons, I urge my colleagues to vote no on Senate Bill 1112-15.
GSO Senator Capellan commented that she viewed the changes as collapsing US Diversity and Pluralism
into Challenges. She read excerpts from a letter of a fellow student which expressed concerns that UAlbany
wants to make students “dumber”. The letter also expressed concerns that the Challenges requirements
would render Diversity and Pluralism obsolete and the education of UAlbany students would be irreparably
harmed. Senator Capellan said it would mean students would not be required to take courses dealing with
the lives of those outside of the US and Europe would affect interdisciplinary courses and the humanities.
GSO President Nicholls voiced concerns about the direction the conversation was going as it appeared that
the issues were over concerns of race and attempts to accomplish something that would set the course of
things at the university backwards. She did not view the new proposal as a mechanism that would eliminate
diversity but instead was hearing in the discussion that opportunities to fulfill requirements for diversity and
pluralism would exist in multiple categories. She asked members of the Senate and those present not to lose
sight of this new offering.
Arthur Rushforth, Chair of the Student Association Senate commented that the proposal would not please
everyone but acknowledged the importance of the discussion. He referred to diversity in terms of
diversifying one’s college experience. General Education is a tool to point students in the right direction,
especially if they have yet to declare a major. Mr. Rushforth added that the courses now being grouped into
Challenges provide an opportunity to obtain an in depth view of GE offerings.
A motion was made to call the question and end the debate. The motion was seconded and put to a vote with
the following results: Approved: 38; Opposed: 17; Abstained: 1
The bill was then put to a vote and approved with the following voting results: Approved: 38; Opposed 21;
Abstained: 2. The results of the vote drew outrage from some members present including one student who
claimed the actions of the Senate were racist. Chair Fessler requested that the student to take her seat and
warned that further disruption would result in her removal. The student’s continued outbursts eventually
resulted in her removal from the room.
Due to the amount of New Business that needed discussion and the late hour, Chair Fessler again requested
extension of the meeting, this time for an additional 15 minutes. The motion was not approved and the
resulting vote is as follows: Approved: 22; Opposed: 24; Abstained: 0
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 4:46 pm
Respectfully submitted by
Gail Cameron, Recorder
