2009-2010 University Senate
Monday, April 12, 2010
3:30 pm, Campus Center Assembly Hall
Michael Range, Chair
Present:
J. Philippe Abraham, Heidi Andrade, Hassaram Bakhru, Robert Bangert-Drowns, Henryk Baran, Jeffrey
Berman, Tom Bessette, Scott Birge, Lance Bosart, Christine Bouchard, Daryl Bullis, Brian Butcher,
Andrew Byon, James Castracane, Richard Collier, Edward Cupoli, John Delano, James Dias, Jane
Domaracki, Sue Faerman, Nicholas Fahrenkopf, Patrick Ferlo, Susanna Fessler, Robert Gibson, Eric
Hardiman, Andrew Haas, Allen Israel, Donald Keenan, John Kimball, Laurence Kranich, Kajal Lahiri,
William Lanford, Hamilton Lankford, Fernando Leiva, Cristian Lenart, Eric Lifshin, Candace Merbler,
John Monfasani, Gwendolyn Moore, Robert Nakamura, Nancy Newman, Julie Novkov, John Pipkin,
Marjorie Pryse, Michael Range, Joan Savitt, Shadi Shahedipour-Sandvik, Benjamin Shaw, Daniel
Smith, Lawrence Snyder, Kabel Nathan Stanwicks, Daniel White
Guests:
Steve Beditz, Ryan Farrell, William Hedberg, Martin Hildebrand, Reed Hoyt, Robert Keesee, Carolyn
MacDonald, Sheila Mahan, Elisa Martin, Clarence McNeill, John Murphy, Katie Murther, Anna
Radkowski-Lee, Joe Sanders, Christine Wagner, Benjamin Weaver, Edelgard Wulfert, Albin Zak
The meeting convened at 3:32 pm.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
The minutes of March 8th were approved.
PRESIDENT’S REPORT by SUSAN PHILLIPS
Provost Phillips provided the report for President Philip in his absence. The President sent a greeting welcoming
everyone back from spring break.
The Student Association was applauded for its latest segment of its speaker series which featured a debate between
Howard Dean and Karl Rove. The Times Union referred to it has high political theater. The event was an excellent
follow up to the series which featured Colon Powell in the fall, and it is hoped that the Student Association will
continue this series which brings a huge spotlight to the University.
Budget:
The PHEEIA continues to be the Chancellor’s highest priority and is being used to fuel the SUNY Strategic Plan.
The Plan was launched in New York City today and will be launched in Albany on Wednesday of this week. The
challenge for PHEEIA is in the State Assembly which has vowed not to make it a budget issue. The SUNY
Student Assembly has voiced its support for the act as have many business leaders and the New York Conference
of Mayors. The impact of additional cuts to SUNY, which now stand at $152 million, without approval of the
legislation is daunting. SUNY Stony Brook has closed its South Hampton campus and expects to save $6 million.
President Philip is very concerned about our status but is looking for assistance from BAG3 to help build a
financial plan out of fewer resources than we now have. The group will be meeting May through June. It is
unknown when the State will pass the budget, but with a $3.2 billion gap, there does not appear to be any good
signs for our campus.
Middle States Report:
The visit by the Middle States review team in March was the final stage of the accreditation cycle. The University
was highly complemented by the site visit team for its candor and thoroughness. The report indicated the
University had met all 14 accreditation standards. The report will go to the Middle States Commission, and we
should be informed of our accreditation status in mid-June.
The review provided a basis for our strategic planning process. The strategic planning committee has about eighty
members and there have been five town hall meetings to address different topics. Six more are scheduled over a
two week period. The committee continues to look for feedback which can be posted to the wiki. It is hoped that a
draft will be available in early May.
PROVOST’S REPORT by SUSAN PHILLIPS
The Provost referred to Chapter 8 of Notes from the Faculty Research Frontline and highlighted a few points.
Enrollment Management:
Over 22,000 applications have been received for the incoming freshman class. There have been 9,830 offers of
acceptance but the class size is expected to be about 2,250. The metrics in terms of SATs and GPAs are strong and
ahead of last year. There will be an open house for accepted applicants April 17-18. The Provost asked for faculty
participation during that time and stressed the importance of their presence.
Notes from Campus:
Professor Sheila Barnard, History, was awarded $2,250 from the New York Council for the Humanities
Professor John Monfasani, History, was awarded a summer grant from the National Endowment for the
Humanities.
Professor Richard Cunningham, Biology, received a grant from the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory.
Assistant Professor Melinda Larsen, Biology, received a grant from the National Institute of Dental and
Craniofacial Research.
CAS Dean Edelgard Wulfert received the 2010 Research Award from the New York Council for Problem
Gambling.
David Lewis, Geography and Planning, testified at a hearing of the US House of Representatives
Committee on Small Business.
Professor Mark Greenwold, Art Department, is currently exhibiting at the DC Moore Gallery on Fifth
Avenue in New York City.
Professor Catherine Lawson, Geography and Planning has been appointed as a member of the
Transportation Research Board Oversight Committee for the National Cooperative Freight Research
Program.
Four teams each from the School of Business and CNSE will compete in the Regional Tech Valley Business
Plan Competition which is focused on renewable energy and sustainability.
Professor Siwei Lyu, Computer Science, was awarded a $499,596 grant from NSF for the “CAREER”
project.
Assistant Professor Megan Kurlycheck, Criminal Justice, will serve on the editorial board of Criminology
and Public Policy.
Professor Frank Vellutino, School of Education, will be inducted into the International Reading
Association’s Reading Hall of Fame at its 55th Annual Convention this month. UAlbany’s representation of
five in the Hall of Fame is the largest representation by any single institution.
The Preventive Medicine Residency Program in the School of Public Health was awarded a $300,000
American Cancer Society Sanford H. Goldstein Physician Training Award in Preventive Medicine.
Professor David Carpenter, School of Public Health, received a Medical Society of the State of New York’s
Albion O. Bernstein, MD Award for his outstanding contributions to the prevention of disease during the
previous calendar year.
Associate Professor Karl Rethemeyer received a $500,000 grant from the Defense Threat Reduction
Agency to study the detection of terrorist networks.
The School of Social Welfare’s RSVP Program was featured in the Times Union in an article, “Doing good,
having fun--Helping others also helps retirees live fulfilling lives.”
CNSE’s NYS Center of Excellence in Nanoelectronics and Nanotechnology received the 2010 Citizens
Budget Commission Prize for Public Service Innovation.
NYSERDA announced a $1.5 million award to establish a clean energy business incubator program at
CNSE.
CNSE announced the launch of its baccalaureate degree program in Nanoscale Engineering.
In Athletics, the women’s lacrosse team is in first place in America East, and the men’s and women’s indoor
track and field are 2010 America East Champions.
ITS has its Catch of the Day on its website to inform users of emails that are a hoax.
Professor Fernando Leiva from Latin American and Caribbean Studies raised concerns about the President’s Office
supporting the World Within Reach speaker’s series. He asked for assurance that future speakers be in line with
the concept and that they will address the future and not the past like Mr. Rove and Mr. Dean. He did not believe it
speaks well of the University to provide a forum to speakers who are questionable from many points of view. He
asked that future speakers include women as well. A student from the Student Association informed Professor
Leiva that the event was organized by the Student Association and their program director had put a lot of time into
putting the series together. They are hoping to have more diverse and global speakers in the future. The Senate
showed its support of the event and applauded them for the effort.
SENATE CHAIR’S REPORT BY MICHAEL RANGE
Spring Faculty Meeting. The meeting will be on Monday, April 19, 2010 at 3pm, with refreshments and informal conversations beginning at
2:30pm. The main agenda item is President Philip’s report to the faculty.
Meeting with President Philip. GOV Chair Lifshin and Chair Range met with President Philip on March 8, 2010 to discuss the following items.
a) Revisions of Misconduct Policy. CERS has completed its review of revisions proposed by the CERS-GOV working group. Much of the
current draft has been reviewed by the university counsel, but some items are still pending. The President agreed to urge counsel to complete his
review in a timely manner. At its 3/22 meeting, the SEC approved to introduce the revisions to the senate at the 4/12 meeting, for discussion only.
A vote will be scheduled for the May meeting.
b) Charter Amendments. The discussion confirmed differences in perspectives regarding the graduate course and IRCUAP amendments.
President Philip is not willing to approve them, but he is aware of governance’s reading of BOT Policies that stipulations in the bylaws or charter
that do NOT involve consultation with the President do not require the President’s approval. He has no objections that the relevant amendments
approved by the senate be included in the charter, as long as it is understood that the President did NOT approve them. A resolution of the
different interpretations of BOT policies will be deferred until the issue comes to the forefront with a specific proposal requiring application of
either one of the amendments.
c) Review and Evaluation of Administrators. The rationale and merits for such an evaluation process were discussed with President Philip. The
President summarized his concerns at the Senate meeting later that afternoon.
Resolution on Evaluation of Administrative Services and Functions. Discussion of the original version of this resolution was terminated at
the last Senate meeting for lack of a quorum. The SEC revised the resolution in light of that discussion. (Revised version attached) Further Senate
discussion, including a vote, is on the agenda of the 4/12 meeting.
Gen Ed Task Force. The Gen Ed Task Force submitted its INTERIM recommendations to the UAC and the SEC (included in the agenda
packet). The Task Force recommends that NO changes be implemented for 2010-11. The TF continues its work regarding possible long term
revisions to UA’s Gen Ed requirements, and will report on its progress to the Senate at the May 10 meeting. On behalf of the Senate, the Chair
thanks Distinguished Teaching Professor Steve North, Chair of the TF, and all members of the Task Force for completion of the first charge to the
TF in a very short time frame.
OTHER REPORTS
UFS (University Faculty Senator’s Report) – William Lanford & Daniel D. White,
SUNY Senators
The SUNY University Faculty Senate (UFS) has been considering the “Empowerment Act” which has now taken the acronym PHEEIA (Public
Higher Education Empowerment and Innovation Act). In mid-March, UFS President Ken O’Brien circulated a grid containing bullet points on
the following elements of PHEEIA: Tuition Policy and Financing, Land Use, Public-Private Partnerships, Operating Efficiencies, Hospital
Reforms, Procurement Efficiencies. The grid included information from SUNY Administration, UUP, and a general summary by the UFS
leadership. This document is available on demand from Senator White.
On March 16, 2010, UFS President O’Brien held a conference call with approximately 30 UFS Senators and Campus Governance Leaders. Chair
Range participated. Two resolutions from the Chancellor were circulated before the meeting (RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING A
COMPREHENSIVE TUITION POLICY FOR THE 64 CAMPUS SUNY SYSTEM and RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING A
COMPREHENSIVE ASSET MANAGEMENT POLICY). These resolutions and PHEEIA were discussed in detail. The meeting resulted in a
letter from the UFS President O’Brien to Chancellor Zimpher and Senior Vice Chancellor Rimai on behalf of the UFS.
In brief, the letter expressed support for SUNY controlling the General Tuition Rate and a strong desire for the State of New York to commit to
supporting SUNY financially. The letter also expressed concern for the Special Tuition Rate proposal and the lack of a substantive role for faculty
governance in both resolutions. These resolutions were circulated by Chair Range to the UAlbany SEC and the letter from Ken O’Brien to the
Chancellor is available on demand from Senator White.
SUNY Senator Lanford discussed the reaction to the PHEEIA legislation at the last SUNY meeting and it has created a lot of
interest. SUNY Senators did not feel they had enough information but there was a show of strong support for it. The Senate
Executive Committee has discussed it with UUP and there are differing viewpoints. The Executive Committee passed a
resolution in support of the act’s principles and is now formally in support of the bill. Senator Lanford made a request to add
the resolution to today’s agenda for endorsement by the UAlbany Senate. Chair Range agreed to put it on the agenda under
New Business but if time did not allow, it would be discussed at the next SEC meeting.
There was a brief discussion about what the proposal provided in terms of assisting qualified students with tuition. Senator
Lanford stated that if there is an increase in tuition, an allocation will be available to fund those students who show a need
and there is a sincere commitment not to exclude students based on their economic situation. Those who receive TAP would
be made whole by the provisions of the legislation.
A motion to add the resolution to the agenda was made, seconded and approved by a two-thirds majority vote.
GSO (Graduate Student Organization) – Nicholas Fahrenkopf, GSO Representative
Nothing to report.
SA (Student Association) – Dustin Lanterman, Academic Affairs Director, SA
The spring 2010 edition of the World Within Reach Speaker Series featured Howard Dean and Karl Rove, discussing the important issues of
today’s world, Thursday, April 8th, 2010 in the SEFCU Arena.
MSCHE Steering Committee Report – Reed Hoyt, University Senate
Representative
The Middle States Commission Visiting Team met with the Steering Committee and other University officials on Sunday, 15 March. Due to my
teaching schedule I was unable to meet with the Steering Committee and the Team on Monday 16 March. The final session with the team took
place on Wednesday, 17 March as a wrap-up open to Senior Staff, Deans, University Council, Senate Executive Committee, some Alumni
Association representatives, key Student Leaders, and all the people who participated in the preparation of the self-study.
On Sunday the MSCHE Team was introduced, though some of them were unavailable due to travel problems caused by the storm on the East
Coast. Dr. Langenberg and others appraised the Self-Study as comprehensive and honest in its assessments of the campus.
The team consisted of the following:
Donald N. Langenberg
(Chair) Chancellor Emeritus and Professor of Physics and Electrical Engineering, University of
Maryland, College Park
John E. Benhart
Professor and Chair, Department of Geography and Regional Planning
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Harding Faulk, Jr.
Director, Institutional Research, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
Charles J. Fey
Vice President for Student Affairs, University of Akron
Nina D. Jemmott
Associate Vice President & Dean, Graduate Studies, William Paterson University of New Jersey
Henry A. Mauermeyer
Senior Vice President for Administration and Treasurer, New Jersey Institute of Technology
Stella Porto
Program Director/Collegiate Professor, University of Maryland, College Park
Linda B. Salamon
Professor of English and Human Sciences, George Washington University
Working with them:
Elizabeth Bringsjord
Associate Provost, Academic Programs, Planning, and Assessment, SUNY
On Wednesday the summary statements by Dr. Langenberg and others from the team echoed those assessments and added the following, in no
particular order:
•Despite the turnover in administration the campus is doing well.
•Faculty Development is an issue that needs further attention.
•UAlbany is further along than many in its view that students are central to its mission. The Student Success program was favorably
regarded.
•The notion of assessment needs further refinement. Are we teaching students what they should learn and how well they are learning it?
Offices and services also need to be assessed and some appear not to have been. “Closing the loop” on feedback was stressed so the
community can appreciate that assessment efforts are having a positive effect.
•The faculty needs to be aware of technological changes, the most radical since the invention of the printed book. In general the faculty
needs to be adaptable, both in terms of utilizing technology (e.g. distance learning) and in the way they think about their disciplines. A
question regarding humanities prompted a comment that certain areas should think about forming new groups that would cut across
traditional disciplines.
•Research on the campus is strong, as exemplified by the increase in external funding, while acknowledging that some areas will not
draw in large amounts of funding. CNSE has progressed far above comparable units in other institutions. A relatively new area of
research worth exploring is pedagogy within the discipline.
•Fundraising—everyone needs to be involved in fundraising, including individual faculty in some instances.
•More contact and involvement with alumni should be fostered.
•The role of governance here is quite typical.
•Facilities are actually better here than is the case in many places. (He was not more specific than that.)
•The strategic plan is well underway and is on the right track. The MSCHE report should help in the formulation of the strategic plan.
Although the process of identifying aspirational peers is useful and necessary, the university should try to understand better what its
identity should be.
COUNCIL/COMMITTEE REPORTS
CAA (Council on Academic Assessment) – Heidi Andrade, Chair
The Council on Academic Assessment met on March 10 and 25, 2010. We discussed the GAC’s plans to review the CAA assessment reports, Dr.
Hedberg’s response to our request for the addition of assessment-related language to the “Administrative Procedures for the Preparation of
Recommendations for Promotions and Continuing Appointment” document, and the streamlining assessment proposal passed by the Board of
Trustees on March 23. We revised and approved a memo to the Provost about the Graduate Student Support review in which we commented
positively on the rigor of the methods used and made suggestions for improvements to future reviews, including the possibility of reducing
redundancy with existing program review processes. We revised a draft job description for department assessment coordinators. We began a
review of a list of CAA recommendations made since 2007 in order to determine which recommendations require follow up. The Chair of the
General Education Assessment Committee reported on a productive meeting with faculty and staff from University in the High School. We
reviewed the Judaic Studies and Informatics report presented by the Program Review Committee. Both were approved by consensus. .
CAFFECoR (Committee on Academic Freedom, Freedom of Expression, and
Community Responsibility) – Susanna Fessler, Chair
CAFFECoR has submitted the following bill to today’s Senate meeting recommending:
DELETION OF “PRINCIPLES FOR A JUST COMMUNITY” FROM UNIVERSITY DOCUMENTS
IT IS HEREBY PROPOSED THAT THE FOLLOWING BE ADOPTED:
The “Principles for a Just Community” statement be removed from the Community Rights and Responsibilities
That the Bill be forwarded to the President for approval and implementation.
BACKGROUND:
The “Principles of a Just Community” statement was first approved by the Senate in 89-90. A revision was last made in 00-01. The initial
rationale for the 89-90 bill was not explicitly included therein, but seems to have been an administrative response to off-campus incidents in the
New York City area. The revisions in 00-01 were sponsored by ULC; the background section of that bill stated that “There have been requests for
minor revisions to this document. In response to those requests, the University Life Council reviewed it and approved the proposed revisions.”
The 89-90 bill proposed that the “’Principles for a Just Community’ be endorsed by the University Senate, and that these principles be included
in all appropriate publications and otherwise disseminated throughout the University Community.” Consequently, the PJC currently appears,
among other places, at the front of the “Community Rights and Responsibilities” and the Undergraduate Bulletin.
In a recent review of the “Principles of a Just Community” as a part of a comprehensive review of the “Community Rights and Responsibilities,”
CAFFECoR discovered a number of passages in the former which conflicted with the text in the latter. For example, the “Principles of a Just
Community” states, “the University must allow the free expression of ideas, no matter how outrageous” whereas the CRR states, “The University
at Albany strives to protect all members of the University at Albany community by prosecuting bias or hate crimes that occur within the campus
jurisdiction” where “bias or hate crimes” are defined as “Engaging in behaviors or using language that demonstrate hatred or bias against other
persons because of national origin, ethnicity, race, age, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, color, creed, or marital
status.”
Moreover, CAFFECoR found that on occasion the PJC seemed to contradict itself. For example, one passage states “…this academic
community…must…be just. There is no definitive theory of justice.”
In sum, CAFFECoR was concerned that these passages would cause confusion among students and other members of the university community.
After careful consideration, CAFFECoR decided that any attempted revisions of the “Principles of a Just Community” would only further
complicate the document. And, because freedom of speech is already addressed elsewhere in the CRR, the best solution was to delete PJC from
CRR.
The members of CAFFECoR would like to stress that this action is not tantamount to eliminating the concept of justice, or the
importance of justice, on this campus. Rather, this action is an attempt to clarify campus policy for the entire community. The PJC
will remain on other university documents, unless another Senate Council or Committee proposes otherwise.
CERS (Committee on Ethics in Research and Scholarship) – John Monfasani, Chair
The following documents have been sent to Senators for consideration: (1) the bill itself; (2) the proposed new CERS policy text, with
numbered lines; the present CERS policy text with numbered lines; and (4) a comparison of the two texts.
COR (Council on Research) – James Castracane, Chair
The Council on Research met on April 7th and discussed multiple topics including:
- The Subcommittee on Excellence in Research Review reported the results of their work. This subcommittee selected four candidates to
recommend for this year’s awards. These recommendations will be forwarded for consideration.
- Two proposed institutes were presented to COR by the Chair of the Subcommittee on Centers, Institutes and Spec Labs: the Institute for
RNA Science and Technology and the Institute for Financial Market regulation. The Directors of both proposed institutes were in attendance
to answer questions and clarify their plans. Recommendations on both institutes were made by COR and will be communicated to the
Directors.
CPCA (Council on Promotions and Continuing Appointments) – Carlos Rodriguez,
Chair
CPCA has nothing to report.
GAC (Graduate Academic Council) – Laurence Kranich, Chair
GAC met on April 7, 2010. To facilitate the Council’s consideration of CAA assessment reports, Kris Bendikas from Institutional Research
presented an overview of the assessment process. Next, the Council voted to approve a proposal by the School of Business to reactivate the
Organizational Studies Doctoral Program. This decision was based on academic content only, with the understanding that the full resource
impact of the proposal will be considered by UPPC.
The Chair briefed the Council on efforts to obtain data on the allocation of graduate assistantships from 2004-present. Since then, the Council
has received such information from the College of Arts and Sciences. Also, on behalf of the Council the Chair informed the Provost and the
Senate President that GAC will not comment on the GSS Review Final Report until it has received the individual program assessments.
Finally, subsequent to the meeting, the Council was asked to comment on the Graduate Education section of the draft Strategic Plan.
GOV (Governance Council) – Eric Lifshin, Chair
A call letter was sent to all Voting Faculty asking for nominations for the positions of Senate Vice-Chair and Senate Secretary. GOV members
agreed on initial slates of nominees for two seats for SUNY Senator, two seats for Teaching Faculty Senator-at-Large, two seats for Professional
Faculty Senator-at-Large, and two seats on the UAS Board of Directors. The slates were sent to all Voting Faculty inviting petitions to add
nominees to the slates. A link to the “Senate Participation e-form” was posted on the Senate’s web page and a call letter went to all Voting
Faculty encouraging them to volunteer for membership on Senate councils. The council was asked to review suggested membership on the BAG
3 group; no member of GOV objected to the names included on that list.
LISC (Council on Libraries, Information Systems, and Computing) – Gwen Moore,
Chair
The University images database was demonstrated using Luna software. Images, audio and video are being entered into this institutional
repository, with over 5000 images provided by the Art Department, Art Museum, and Writers Institute have been digitized so far. Mark Wolfe of
Libraries Special Collection is developing the database. The dataset can be viewed at http://Lexington.univ.albany.edu/luna .
The Libraries now have an EBSCO discovery tool (beta version) available online as well as the American History and Video Collection that has
videos, newsreels, documentaries and other material in a searchable database.
ITS is beginning an evaluation of email and calendaring services on campus. Meetings with stakeholders are being held now; evaluation of
products will take place over the summer with results and reports in the fall.
UAC (Undergraduate Academic Council) – Joan Savitt, Chair
In addition to preparing its bill related to a new option for completing a UA degree which will be presented April 12 (see bill and supporting
materials) to be voted on in May, UAC approved revised standards for retention in the Honors College as requested by the Senate (see bill);
approved changes in coursework in Philosophy to allow for an additional course to be counted in one area; approved suspension of admission to
the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences BA program; learned that University Counsel advises against further wording changes to the Undergraduate
Bulletin or further legislation at the Senate Level regarding the SUNY BOT's new regulations regarding General Education, and therefore
submits no bill related to this topic; approved revised wording for student-elected S/U grading to clarify the original intention of that policy (see
bill); reaffirmed approval of modifications to the Honors B.S. Program in Chemistry. UAC anticipates taking action on additional curricular
items in Public Health, Globalization, History, Math, Music, Judaic Studies, Chemistry, and CNSE.
Chair Savitt added that UAC expects to introduce a bill at the next Senate meeting that would suspend admission to the Earth
and Atmospheric Sciences BA program.
ULC (University Life Council) – Daniel R. Smith, Chair
ULC met to consider a request to review parking appeals policy based on a complaint filed with the senate chair over ticketing post-February
24th snow storm. ULC also heard a report on an upcoming NYS Audit of Cleary Act compliance for the UAlbany campus; the audit is part of the
Comptroller's audit of campuses state-wide.
UPPC (University Planning and Policy Council) – John Delano, Chair
The UPPC has met three times since the previous Senate meeting on March 8.
I. March 12 meeting: (a) The proposal from the College of Arts and Sciences to suspend admission to the Russian M.A. and Certificate
programs was discussed with Dean Elga Wulfert. The proposal was approved unanimously by the UPPC. (b) Associate Vice President, Kim
Bessette, from the Office of Finance and Business provided budgetary information bearing on questions previously submitted by the UPPC.
Representatives from CNSE attended this meeting in response to a previous request from Senate Chair Range for information about annual NYS
funding to CNSE. CNSE representatives stated that the 2004 MOU between CNSE and UAlbany explicitly stated that such information was not
subject to review by the University Senate. (c) Chief of Staff, Vincent Delio, presented an overview of the Governor’s proposed Public Higher
Education Empowerment and Innovation Act (PHEEIA).
II. March 26 meeting: (a) Registrar Robert Gibson discussed the proposed academic calendar for the 2011-2012 academic year. (b) The Chair of
the General Education Task Force, Steve North, presented its recommendation that the University should keep the current General Education
program for the 2010-2011 academic year, while the Task Force considers any future revisions in response to the changes approved in January
2010 by the SUNY Board of Trustees. (c) Provost Susan Phillips provided reports on the strategic planning activities occurring at UAlbany and
those by SUNY Chancellor Zimpher. Strategic plans for both the University at Albany and SUNY are expected to be completed by mid-May
2010. In addition, Provost Phillips provided the UPPC with her views on NYS cuts to UAlbany in the coming fiscal year. (d) A Motion was
approved (by secret ballot; 9-6) requesting that President Philip task a member of his administration to provide budget information for annual
NYS funding to UAlbany for 2001-02 through 2009-10.
III. April 9 meeting: (a) Discussion was held bearing on the proposal from the School of Business for the reactivation of its Ph.D. program in
Organizational Studies. The Dean of the School of Business, Donald Siegel, who could not attend the April 9 meeting, will be present at the April
23 UPPC meeting to participate in further discussion of this proposal. (b) The Governor’s PHEEIA proposal was discussed, in response to a
request from SUNY-wide Senate President, Ken O’Brien, that campus governance bodies express their perspectives on this topic. In preparation
for this matter being discussed at the next SEC meeting, the UPPC held a sense-of-the-UPPC vote to express its view on the PHEEIA proposal.
The vote was unanimously in support of the position expressed in the March 31 Resolution from the SUNY-wide Senate Executive Committee.
(c) Ken O’Brien also requested perspectives from SUNY campus governance leaders on the effects of impending budget cuts. Following
discussion with Provost Phillips, the UPPC concluded that it would not be prudent at this time for governance leaders to issue such statements.
OLD BUSINESS
Resolution on Faculty Evaluation of Administrative Services and Functions:
Chair Range stated that the resolution was modified to reflect the opinions expressed in last month’s debate. He
asked for a time limit of ten minutes for further debate and opened the floor for discussion. Provost Phillips
pointed out that the second “Whereas” still referred to evaluation of administrators and asked if that would remain
in the resolution. Chair Range stated that it would for purposes of expressing that we do not have that sort of
procedure.
In the ensuing discussion, CERS Chair Monfasani suggested maintaining the language referring to evaluation of
administrators in addition to administrative services and functions. A motion was made to add administrators to
the last “Whereas” and to keep it in the first “Resolved”. The motion was seconded to add this language to the
resolution. GOV Chair Lifshin stated that it could result in a two-step process: once services of a unit are
evaluated and if it’s determined they are not functioning well, the focus could shift to the person responsible for
that particular unit. UPPC Chair Delano said it was his recollection that the President voiced concern about the
process turning into a “witch hunt”, and administrators would have to be eliminated to make it possible for the
President to sign the resolution. Provost Phillips asked for a clarification of what administrative services would
include. Chair Range referenced the last “Resolved” and said those details would be worked out by the ad hoc
committee. Senate Secretary Collier stated in that regard, the President would not be involved as he is already
evaluated by the Chancellor. Chair Range asked Parliamentarian Robert Gibson if the President’s signature would
be required. Mr. Gibson said he was not able to offer a ruling on that procedure.
Chair Range asked for a vote to approve the amendment adding “administrators” before administrative services. A
vote was taken approving the amendment. He then asked for a vote to approve the resolution as amended. The
vote was in favor of the resolution. The Senate Executive Committee will appoint a task force to further develop
the procedure.
UAC Bill: Grade Point Requirements for Continuing in the Honors College
UAC Chair Savitt reintroduced the bill which was brought to the Senate back in December. There were questions
at that time about how the average would be calculated. The bill now proposes that the honors college academic
year, defined as two semesters and two sessions ending with the spring semester, is the period for achieving the
grade point requirements. This was the main change to the bill and there was no further discussion. A motion for
approving the bill was made and seconded, and the bill passed.
NEW BUSINESS
Election of Senate Officers (Vice Chair, Senate Secretary)
Chair Range announced the names of the nominees for Senate Secretary, Tom Bessette from Information
Technology Client Services, and Anna Radkowski-Lee from the University Libraries. He announced the names of
the nominee for the Vice Chair, Richard Collier, from CNSE, and asked if there were any other nominations. A
nomination was put forth by Senator Kajal Lahiri for Susanna Fessler from East Asian Studies. He cited her for
her willingness to serve and her extensive leadership experience. Chair Range asked Professor Fessler if she was
willing to serve and she said yes. Each candidate was then provided an opportunity to address the Senate.
Tom Bessette represents Information Technology and teaches classes available to all faculty and staff. When
approached about being nominated, he said he would be happy to serve in the capacity of Senate Secretary.
Ann Radkowski-Lee provided background and highlighted her career at the University which began in 1997. She
received a permanent appointment in 1999 and has been with Library since that time. She provided an overview of
her work with the library managing the administrative duties which include personnel monitoring and recruitment,
reviewing performance programs, and managing the budget and grants. She also has served as secretary to the
library faculty meetings, currently serves as liaison to CLUE and in the past was a member of CAFFECoR. Ms.
Radkowski-Lee currently serves on CPCA and will end her second year with the committee. She believes being
Senate Secretary represents continued professional growth.
Richard Collier provided his background with the University which began in 1963 as an undergraduate. As a
student, he was involved in student government. Mr. Collier has been a full time employee for 40 years and a
member of the voting faculty. He described his work experience assisting students with advisement. He also
provided background on his involvement with campus governance. Mr. Collier has served on the Senate and most
of its councils and committees and understands how the organization works. He was active on the Bylaws and
Charter committee, has served as a SUNY-wide senator five times and served on its executive committee. Mr.
Collier believes he would do a good job as vice chair. He has been consistently loyal to the University, its students
and faculty.
Susanna Fessler has been at the University since 1994 as a faculty member in East Asian Studies. In 2000, she was
chair of the department, which experienced much growth during that time. Her university service includes co-
chair of the CAS promotional committee and CAS faculty council. She is currently the chair of CAFFECoR.
Professor Fessler is an active researcher, and publishes actively as well. She regards academic integrity as the
most important principle and believes that transparency in governance is important. She has maintained a
cooperative working relationship with the CAS Dean, the Provost and President but is not beholding to anyone.
She said she would provide an autonomous and principled voice in the Senate.
Ballots were distributed to all senators and collected for counting.
Community Rights and Responsibilities:
CAFFECoR Chair Fessler introduced the bill which is a straight forward proposal to remove the Principles of a
Just Community (PJC) section from the Community Rights and Responsibilities (CRR) document. CAFFECoR is
not proposing that PJC be removed from any other documents at this time.
There was a brief discussion concerning the aspirational principles of PJC. John Murphy, who worked with the
Committee that formulated PJC, said those principles were viewed as essential ingredients of justice at that time.
Chair Fessler responded that members of CAFFECoR were concerned with the lack of clarity of PJC as it pertains
to CRR. There was no further discussion on the bill. A motion to approve the bill was made and seconded, and
the bill was passed.
CERS Bill: Revisions to Misconduct Policy (for discussion only):
CERS Chair Monfasani provided background on the bill. The text of the background narrative at the start of the
bill was written by past CERS Chair Carolyn MacDonald. The essence of the bill is to refine what is already in
place. The significant change is to the format, made on advice from the University’s Legal Counsel John Reilly, to
separate the policy from its scope. Last semester an ad hoc committee was formed to work on details of the policy.
Chair Monfasani met with John Reilly who endorsed much of the work the committee had done. The policy was
then returned to CERS for further refinement. The policy is now being reviewed again by Legal Counsel and
administration. CERS hopes to receive some feedback now that the bill is before the Senate.
Chair Range asked Senate members to review the policy and submit questions to Chair Monfasani. He and GOV
Chair Lifshin have spoken with President Philip to make him aware that the Senate is reviewing the policy in the
hopes that he will encourage Legal Counsel to move the review process along. Any questions that Legal Counsel
may have can be brought to CERS before the May meeting.
GAC/UPPC Bill: Suspension of Admissions to Graduate Programs in Russian and Russian Translation:
GAC Chair Kranich introduced the bill which would deactivate and suspend admissions to the graduate programs
in Russian and Russian translation. This is not a bill to discontinue the program. The rational for suspension was
driven by a drop in enrollments and a shift it in enrollment trends for Russian language. Dean Wulfert spoke and
stated that students’ interest in languages shifts depending on the political climate and we do not have interest in
Russian language at this time. She has discussed this with GAC, UPPC and the Executive Committee. UPPC has
approved this unanimously. A vote of members present approved the bill with two abstentions.
Election Results:
Chair Range was handed the results of the election. He announced that Tom Bessette had been elected the new
Senate Secretary and Susanna Fessler was elected Vice Chair. Chair Range encouraged all present to stand for
elections in the future.
UAC Bill: Policy on Requirement of Minors for Degree Completion:
Chair Range reminded Senate members that the bill was being presented for discussion only and will be presented
for a vote in May. UAC Chair Savitt then opened the discussion stating that the bill would offer students an
alternative path to complete their degree by completing upper level credits, allowing them to explore another area
without claiming a minor. UAC gave consideration to transfer students when constructing the bill and believe it
offers an attractive path for both students who begin at UAlbany and those who transfer. The minimum criteria is
obtaining 24 credits at the 300 level without a minor. UAC discovered that UAlbany is the only university center
in the SUNY system that requires a minor. Council members believe this will provide an option that is more
rigorous.
Chair Range asked for a motion to extend the meeting for an additional 15 minutes. The motion was made and
approved.
The discussion continued and concern was voiced about providing students the ability to opt out of a minor. The
minor provides a second layer of commitment that affords students a good way to structure their academic lives.
Also of concern is how students would obtain available seats in upper level courses. Chair Savitt referred to the
survey provided and UAC did not believe this will be an issue. CAFFECoR Chair Fessler explained that it’s
possible to get a listing of courses, excluding independent study and internships, which will show the number of
seats faculty will allow and there is an abundance of surplus seats.
A member from UAC spoke and stated that the council felt this would give students more flexibility. There are
some majors in which students will be able to satisfy the 300 level requirement but UAC would like students to
accomplish something incrementally that goes above and beyond what they are doing in their major.
UPPC Chair Delano stated that in its discussion, UPPC noted the disparity between the minimum criteria of 24
credits compared to what is being done at Stony Brook and Binghamton where there minor alternative requires up
to 40 credits. He asked if 24 credits would be too low. Chair Savitt said UAC based this on its research and the
current demands of a UAlbany degree.
Joanne Malatesta from UAC stated that the vast majority of general education courses are lower level that often
serve as prerequisites to upper level courses in a variety of disciplines. A number of students often opt to complete
minors in areas where they have accumulated credit via general education work so as to limit the number of
additional credits needed to complete the minor requirements.
Chair Range proposed closing the debate and moving forward with the agenda. He encouraged anyone with
questions to submit them to Chair Savitt and UAC. The discussion will continue at the May meeting.
UAC Bill: Policy on Student-elected S/U Grading:
UAC Chair Savitt introduced the bill. UAC believes the current policy on S/U grading is being exploited and this
bill attempts to amend the situation. The bill limits students to two courses of “S/U” grading in courses below the
300-level during their academic careers. The discussion among Senate members indicated a need for clarification
in portions of the bill’s language referring to dates. The bill will be returned to UAC for additional clarification.
Chair Range asked for a motion to extend the meeting an additional ten minutes to continue with agenda items.
The motion was denied and the meeting adjourned.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 5:18 pm.
Respectfully submitted by
Gail Cameron, Recorder
