Senate Resolution 1112-03R
UNIVERSITY SENATE
UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
Introduced by:
Senator David Wills
Date:
February 6. 2012
RESOLUTION TO INVESTIGATE VIOLATIONS OF GOVERNANCE PROCEDURES IN THE
MATTER OF THE 2010 PROGRAM DEACTIVATIONS
Whereas Section 2.2.2 of the Faculty Bylaws of the University at Albany stipulates that “the Faculty
shall be informed and given opportunity to discuss at the earliest possible stages in their formulation,
and shall review and provide formal consultation on, prior to adoption, all proposals regarding the
creation, renaming, major re-organization, or dissolution of academic units and programs”;
Whereas the 10/1/10 decision to deactivate programs in Classics, French, Italian, Russian, and Theatre
failed to meet the standard of formal consultation required by Faculty By-Law 2.2.2 [“The Faculty
shall be informed and given opportunity to discuss at the earliest possible stages in their formulation,
and shall review and provide formal consultation on, prior to adoption, all proposals regarding: (a)
Creation, renaming, major re-organization, or dissolution of academic units and programs”],
Whereas no formal response was provided by the administration to the Senate following passage of
Resolution 1011-01, which opposed the deactivations and called upon the President to pursue a
consultation process that complies with the spirit and the letter of the Faculty By-Laws, and
Resolution 1011-02, which determined that those deactivations compromised the core mission of the
university and the ability of SUNY to fulfill its global mission as articulated by “The Power of
SUNY” strategic plan,
Be it resolved that the Senate charge GOV:
to make a full and detailed investigation of the administration's actions,
to identify specific actions that were in violation of procedures outlined in the Faculty By-Laws,
to create a set of guidelines that more clearly determine how the Council on Governance will
respond to similar administrative actions in the future,
to provide a report to the full Senate by 3/15/12;
Be it further resolved that, following that report, the Senate chair call on the President to reverse any
administrative decisions that are determined to have been in violation of 2.2.2 of the Faculty By-
Laws.
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