University at Albany, 2005-06 University Senate
Minutes
Monday, March 20, 2006
Present: Abraham, J. P., Bartow, J., Berkowitz, J., Bessette, T., Bisbing, R., Blum, M.,
Bunnell, G., Burke, G., Button, K., Chaiken, S., Chinnam, S., Collier, R.,
Cupoli, E., Dai, D., Dewar, D., Duchessi, P., Dutta, S., Faerman, S.,
Friedman, S., Gibson, R., Hall, K., Hanifan, J., Hauser, F., Hong, C., Hoyt,
R., Idone, V., Israel, A., Jerison, M., Joris, P., Kranich, L., Lanford, W.,
Lawson, R., Leonard, P., Levine, S., Lyons, A., McNutt, L-A., Merbler, C.,
Messner, S., Miller, R., Moore, G., Murphy, J., Ongiti, O., Pelosi, O., Pryse,
M., Range, M., Redkey, E., Rodriques, M., Savitt, J., Schell, L., Sherman, M.,
Shub, D., Stromer-Galley, J., Tenenbaum, S., Truchan, D., Turner, S.,
Wagner, D., Weaver, B., Wessman, J., Williams, O., Worden, A., Wright, J.,
Wulfert, E.
Guests: Bangert-Drowns, Robert, Claiborne, Nancy, Fanfeng, Liu, Fortune, Ricky,
Mahan, Sheila
The Senate experimented with the use of a PowerPoint presentation during Senate
meetings. The Meeting Agenda and other documents, where practicable, may be
projected on-screen for future meetings in the interest of saving paper.
Minutes: The minutes of February 13, 2006 were approved.
President’s Report, presented by President Kermit L. Hall:
Athletics: President Hall reported that the basketball program and UAlbany’s
participation in the NCAA Tournament have generated a good amount of attention
to the University. It has stirred a lot of interest among alumni. He has received
many notes from alumni all over the world, even China. The University Basketball
team members behaved very well both on and off the court; and thus, have made
him proud. He is very pleased with the positive attention, and reminded the
Senate that athletics can be a plus for the institution.
Spring Faculty Meeting: President Hall reported that he has asked for the
meeting to be rescheduled to April 20" this year. He requested a later date
because he would like to be able to deliver the budget response at that meeting.
He will have other news and announcements to deliver at that time. These will
include a separate report on the environmental status of the University and a
report on the meetings with the Board of Visitors.
Board of Visitors: President Hall reported that the Visitors are genuinely
interested in the success of the University. They will be here again in May, and at
that time, the Administration will review their responses and consider them in
conjunction with the University’s Compact Plans.
¢ Enrollment: Currently there are over 18,000 students who have applied to the
University. This brings the total number of applications up over 2,000 from last
year, which is about a 4.5% increase. This is the largest number of applications
this University has received, and this could bring the diversity numbers up. The
challenge is to enroll the kind of student population the University would like to
recruit.
¢ China: President Hall reported that he will be visiting China again soon. He
noted that a partnership with China is a real benefit to the University. The
University signed an agreement to conduct joint “air quality” research with Fudan
University in Shanghai. Joint funding is coming from the US Government and the
Chinese Government. Also, additional progress has been made with Nanjing
University. An MOU will be signed by SUNY Administration. Next week,
UAlbany will have visitors from China East Normal University. The purpose of
their visit is to forge strong links with faculty.
¢ Academic Bill of Rights: President Hall reported that he and Professor
Malcolm Sherman discussed the Academic Bill of Rights with other SUNY
colleagues. President Hall stated that he does not believe the University needs
another set of policies on students’ rights. He does think that there is some value
in having discussion on this subject and suggested it might be a good Senate topic
for the year to come. The SUNY Board of Trustees determined that there was no
need to further pursue the Academic Bill of Rights.
¢ Budget: Regarding the Capital project, the podium renovation looks very good.
¢ Albany High School Students: Eleven students have been selected for the
program to begin tomorrow at the University. Two Albany High School Teachers
will teach them. The program will run until June 23rd. These students have been
selected in an effort to provide a safe and secure environment for a group of
under-performing students.
Chair’s Report:
¢ Conference: Chair Messner announced that SUNY is supporting the
International Conference on Computational Science and Education. The
conference theme is “Engaging People in Cyber infrastructure (EPIC) and
the Role of Computational Technology in Research & Education.” The
conference will be held August 7-10 in Rochester. If anyone is interested,
they can contact him.
¢ Faculty Representation: The University Commission on Diversity and
Affirmative Action has invited faculty representation from the Senate. The
Chair has asked Diane Dewar, Chair of the Governance Council, to
determine the most appropriate way to have representatives on this
Committee. The Commission is also asking for nominees to serve as
commissioners for the next cycle.
Senate Forum: The First Amendment on Trial: A forum cosponsored by the
Senate is scheduled for Monday, March 27" from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in CC 375.
Chair Messner displayed posters regarding the forum and explained that the format will
be as follows. Four students from the UAlbany Moot Court Team will present oral
arguments; a panel of justices recruited from both inside and outside the University will
hear the case; and then the floor will be open for questions and commentary from the
audience. The forum is being cosponsored by the University Senate, Division for
Student Success, Office of Undergraduate Studies, the Graduate Student Organization,
Albany Criminal Justice Association and Pre-Law Association, and Chartwells.
Council Reports:
¢ Council on Academic Assessment (CAA), Malcolm Sherman, Chair: The
CAA is considering a review of Project Renaissance.
¢ Council on Research (COR), Vincent Idone, Chair. COR met on March 8,
2006 and voted to recommend permanent center status for the New York Center
for Information Forensics and Assurance. The Committee on Centers, Institutes
& Specialized Labs distributed an outline of proposed next steps for
center/institute reviews. The review process is consistent with the University’s
assessment plan. The Researchers Liaison Committee continues to review the
feasibility of implementing an “AIRE Model” on the East Campus and College of
Arts and Sciences. Discussion of the issues related to the inconsistency of
wording between the respective responsibilities of COR and UPC in the Senate
Charter was tabled pending further consideration and clarification of these
issues. A proposal has been submitted to governance to create a Department of
Informatics in the College of Computing and Information. A draft of the Policy
Regarding Distribution of Credit for Sponsored Projects Involving More Than one
Organizational Unit was distributed and discussed. The draft will be revised
based on feedback from Council members. Other policies currently under review
include: Conflict of Interest and Distribution of Campus Royalties. The University
retained an external consultant, Academic Analytics, to perform a study of 23
doctoral programs, leading to a quantitative assessment of each via calculation of
a “Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index.” Questions have been raised about
whether there possibly should have been consultation with COR, given the direct
relation between doctoral program activities and the campus research enterprise.
¢ Council on Promotions and Continuing Appointments (CPCA), David Shub,
Chair: CPCA is meeting weekly, reviewing two cases at each meeting.
¢ Graduate Academic Council (GAC), Monica Rodriguez, Chair: GAC met on
March 3, 2006 and discussed a revised version of the Proposal for Standards for
Social Work Education submitted by the School of Social Welfare. This amended
version was approved by the GAC and a bill was submitted to be considered for
action by the Senate. Other business included curricular changes to the
Information Sciences and Public Administration and Policy Ph.D. programs, and a
graduate policy exception for a student.
Governance Council (GOV), Diane Dewar, Chair: The Governance Council
met to discuss the Standards for Social Work Education with Ricky Fortune and
Barbara Rio from the School of Social Welfare. The main issues being addressed
were the decentralization of the process related to academic dismissal, and the
composition of the committee that would review student cases in the School of
Social Welfare. It was suggested by the Governance Council that the committee
should include tenure track faculty with professional social worker input so that
academic norms can be established and upheld in the cases reviewed. The
Council also briefly discussed the upcoming elections and the process to be used
for nominations.
Council on Libraries, Information Systems, and Computing (LISC), David
Wagner, Chair: LISC met on Monday, March 6, 2006. The primary issue of
concern at the meeting was our review of the composition, purpose, and
functioning of our committees (i.e., Library Acquisitions and IT Policy Review).
Both committees had previously existed as committees bridging the gaps between
academic and administrative concerns. Under the new charter and by-laws, the
roles they play and the issues they consider are identified in more exclusively
academic terms; either the missions of the committees or the descriptions of
these committees in the charter may need some review and revision. We
concluded that we needed more information about the purpose and function of
some of the committees associated with other Councils, both here and elsewhere,
before we could identify what changes, if any, we need to make. We hope to have
some of that information available in time for our next meeting, on April 3, 2006.
Undergraduate Academic Council (UAC), Philippe Abraham, Chair: UAC
has considered the items below and taken the following actions: a) Proposals for
the creation of a BA in French Studies/MBA (5 years), a BA in Italian Studies/MBA
(5 years), and a BA/MA in Sociology/Public Affairs and Policy have all been
referred to the Graduate Academic Council for review; and b) Proposals for
phasing out the Geological Sciences B.S. degree Program and the creation of an
Interdisciplinary major and minor in Documentary Studies have been referred to
the University Planning and Policy Council (UPC). UAC has approved the
proposal to create a minor in Public Health, and is discussing the following: a)
reengineering our general education requirements to alleviate issues surrounding
students’ timely graduation and to be more in-line with our peer institutions; and
b) revising our minor requirement.
University Life Council (ULC), Joan N. Savitt, Chair: ULC is discussing
family leave, health insurance and intramurals.
University Planning and Policy Council (UPC), Carolyn MacDonald, Chair:
UPC met for an 8-hour meeting on February 21, with the assistance of
members of the Senate Executive Committee, to consider the University Compact
Plans and Planning Process. A report was issued to the Selective Investment
Committee March 1, 2006. UPC met March 17, 2006 to consider the calendar
and the draft MOU with SUNY. UPC approved the calendar and is waiting to hear
from student groups. There is no action required from the Senate on the
calendar. (Professor MacDonald noted that Eid happens to fall during holiday
periods, so it is not an issue.) UPC will meet March 30 to consider the Institute
for Social Services Research and Development, the Letter of Intent for a Ph.D. in
Communication, the China Center, the Documentary Studies Minor/Major, the
change in requirement for Biology Lab Courses, the Suspension of BS in
Geological Sciences, the proposed Department of Informatics, and the proposed
temporary suspension of admissions to the Organizational Studies Ph.D. The
Resource Allocation Committee met to review some of these items and is also
updating financial information on the MyUAlbany web site. The Facilities
Committee met and approved the planning process for the purple path.
Old Business:
Senate Bill No.0506-08: Proposal for Standards for Social Work Education. The
bill was introduced by GAC and UAC. There was discussion about changes made to
the bill. It was noted that UAC had passed it unanimously, that GAC voted five to three
in favor of it, and that the Governance Council unanimously approved it.
The Bill was brought to a vote and passed with a show of hands with the vast majority
in favor, one opposed, and three abstentions.
New Business:
¢ The Committee on Council Nominations reported that Lisa Dulgar-Tulloch is no
longer able to serve on the Council on Academic Assessment. The Committee
proposes replacing her with Bharat Kumar Avasarala. The motion passed
unanimously; the Senate members present approved the replacement.
¢ Professor MacDonald brought to the attention of the floor that next year’s
calendar is tight in the fall. Veterans’ Day is not as a day for suspension of
classes, but this falls on a Sunday.
Meeting adjourned at 4:20 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jayne VanDenburgh, Recorder
