2011-2012 University Senate
Monday, March 5, 2012
2:45 pm, CC Assembly Hall
Susanna Fessler, Chair
Minutes
Present:
J. Philippe Abraham, Hassaram Bakhru, Steve Beditz, Lee Bickmore, David Carpenter, Bruce
Dieffenbach, Diana Dumesnil, Carmen Duncan, Sue Faerman, Susanna Fessler, Richard Fogarty,
Cynthia Fox, Timothy Groves, Hal Gueutal, Yenisel Gulatee, Jean Guyon, Janell Hobson, Jane
Kadish, Donald Keenan, Daniel Keyser, Alice Krause, Vincent LaBella, William Lanford, Danielle
Leonard, David Lewis, Eric Lifshin, Andi Lyons, JoAnne Malatesta, Candace Merbler, Carla
Meskill, Jose Messmer, Bruce Miroff, John Murphy, Toni Naccarato, Nancy Newman, Heidi
Nicholls, Gregory Nowell, Lawrence Raffalovich, Bruce Saddler, John Schmidt, Charles P. Scholes,
Shadi Shahedipour-Sandivk, Benjamin Shaw, Leonard A. Slade, Jr., Lorre Smith, Joette Stefl-
Mabry, Tim Stephen, Daniel White, Kevin Williams, David Wills, Ryan Witte
Guests:
Aymen Assuwiyan, Jon Bartow, Stuart J. Daman, Sue Freed, Elana Gordis, Sarah Maynard, Tamra
Minor, Aran Mull, John Pipkin, Kathie C. Winchester
The meeting convened at 2:48 pm.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Chair Fessler asked for a motion to approve the minutes of February 6. A motion was made and seconded. There
were no changes to be made and the minutes were approved with the following voting results: Approved: 36;
Opposed: 0; Abstained: 0
PRESIDENT’S REPORT—STEVE BEDITZ
Interim Vice President for Finance and Business Steve Beditz reported on behalf of President Philip.
Mr. Beditz provided an update on the challenge grant which is part of the NYSUNY 2020 proposal. The grant is
under active review and is one of the topics President Philip is discussing today with legislative leaders. It is
expected that the grant will be approved immediately after the state budget is approved. At a meeting of SUNY
Presidents on February 6, an amendment to the 2020 legislation was proposed which would provide extensions for
the full five years even though only four years are left. The challenge grant is also being extended to allow some
of the comprehensives to compete for small amounts of capital. A tuition credit will be provided to make
recipients of TAP whole. The campus is looking at a more efficient means of consolidating and distributing the
money as opposed to making it available in small refunds.
At the president’s meeting, Chancellor Zimpher discussed some of her priorities including shared services. Her
goal is to shift 5% of administrative budgets to academics. The Chancellor also discussed productivity and finding
ways to measure its success with the strategic plan. Chancellor Zimpher emphasized the costs associated with
academic remediation. According to the Chancellor, SUNY spends $70 million per year on remediation and
believes the money could be used for other initiatives. The Chancellor also emphasized access and completion
with part of her agenda providing for a seamless transition between community colleges and the completion of a
four-year degree.
Other campus news and events:
Last week the School of Business and Marvin and Company announced the results of the 26th annual
business climate survey. It was the second time in 17 years that Capital Region firms ranked the national
economy ahead of rising health care costs as their primary business concern.
UAlbany Day was a great success with participation of over thirty schools and colleges and 1,200 students
from area schools participating. The capstone was the evening reception attended by the Chancellor and
the entire UAlbany delegation. The Purple Growl was also a resounding success. The sold out game saw
the men’s team lose but the women’s team won and will be going to the America East finals. President
Philip sent his thanks to everyone who made these events possible.
Lieutenant Governor Duffy has reconvened the Regional Economic Development Council at SEFCU. The
governor and legislature have offered another $200 million this year. The University had two to three top
rated projects in the first round and received $2-3 million for projects with RPI and Albany Medical
College.
The University’s Small Enterprise Economic Development (SEED) program has had great success. In only
six months, the program has created 52 new jobs. It is the Capital Region’s first character-based microloan
program with support from SEFCU and Empire State Development.
The 33rd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Luncheon was held on February 1. Political commentator Jeff
Johnson delivered the keynote address.
The University at Albany Foundation has named I. Norman and Micki Massery, and School of Social
Welfare Dean Katherine Briar-Lawson recipients of the 2012 Citizen Laureate Awards. Recipients will be
honored on November 1 in Saratoga Springs.
SENATE CHAIR’S REPORT – SUSANNA FESSLER
A special meeting of the full Senate was called on February 22nd in order to give senators a chance to meet with representatives of
Isaacson, Miller, the search firm retained for the Presidential Search. Attendance was low, at just over a dozen senators.
The SEC also met on Wednesday, February 22nd (Monday was a holiday for professional faculty, so the meeting was moved to a
Wednesday). The first agenda item was a 30-minute session with Michael Baer and Pam Pezzoli of Isaacson, Miller. The
president recused himself from this portion of the meeting and there were no SEC minutes taken. The conversation revolved around what
characteristics the SEC members felt would be important for the next university president. The Senate Chair and Vice Chair, obligated to
attend a Presidential Search Committee meeting that overlapped the SEC meeting, left shortly thereafter and the Chair of CPCA presided
over the remainder of the SEC meeting. The remaining agenda items were: follow up on Resolution 1112-04 and 1112-05, and also a
number of bills from UAC. The bills from UAC were all approved to be moved to the Senate floor. After a long discussion about
Resolution 1112-04, the SEC concluded that, as noted in the resolutions, a procedure for formal inclusive consultation at the “earliest
possible stages” already existed, and further since the Senate is defined as a consultative body, no mechanism for enforcement or
requirement could be constructed by this body, so that further action was not within its purview. On Resolution 1112-05, the SEC decided
to delegate the forming of the committee to the Governance Council.
Senator Wills asked for clarification concerning the SEC’s decision on Resolution 1112-04R to not take further action when it
was approved by 80% of the Senate membership. Chair Fessler commented that the decision resulted from the belief that a
process is in place and nothing more needed to be done, but she deferred to SEC members who were present at the meeting.
UPPC Chair Lifshin responded and informed Senator Wills the resolution was discussed for an hour at the SEC meeting.
SEC members questioned whether the resolution should be advanced to the president given that a procedure is already in
place. The resolution appeared to be a statement of principle as opposed to one which required specific action from the
president. The procedure for moving the resolution did not go through normal channels which would have the SEC to review
it before going to the Senate and it was brought to the SEC after the fact. Chair Lifshin said he was not exactly sure what
Senator Will had hoped would take place but the resolution made its point.
Senator Wills asked if the resolution was forwarded to President Philip. Chair Fessler said the resulting vote was not to act
on it. She referred to the portion of her report which read “a procedure for formal inclusive consultation at the “earliest
possible stages” already existed, and further since the Senate is defined as a consultative body, no mechanism for
enforcement or requirement could be constructed by this body, so that further action was not within its purview.” Senator
Wills believed the problem to be that the process as it stands is not working. He added that when the question of
administrative review came to the Senate it was debated and asked why that did not seem possible in this case. Chair Fessler
stated the resolution was different category since it addresses consultation. The SUNY Board of Trustees policy states that
provisions of bylaws concerning consultations are subject to the approval of the president. The procedure on administrative
review is not consultation.
Chair Lifshin referred to other discussions that took place at the SEC meeting and members found it difficult to define what
needed to be done. UAC Chair Malatesta expressed a similar sentiment. She said people did not disagree with the content
or spirit of the resolution but saw difficulty in how it would be implemented. Resolutions 1112-03R and 05R both provided
actions to create a committee and what needed to be implemented. Perhaps Resolution 1112-03R could address some of the
issues in 1112-04R. Secretary Leonard referred to the discussion of the SEC concerning a discrepancy between the Charter
and the Bylaws about how resolutions are brought to the floor and the SEC’s ability to determine if something is ready to go
to the Senate. The Charter states the Executive Committee shall either refer a proposal to an appropriate Council or place it
on the Senate agenda while the Bylaws state the agenda must contain all items submitted by any or any senator at least 10
days before the meeting. The ten-day of the Bylaws was invoked without the SEC having the ability to discuss them or take
appropriate action. Senator Wills responded that the detail and spirit of the resolution is to implement specific proceedings
other than those currently in the Bylaws. He suggested that the practices and procedures of other campuses be examined and
said the resolution was inspired by actions at another SUNY campus. He questioned why it was not possible or why the
Senate could not adopt a position paper on consultation procedures. Chair Lifshin again responded and said the SEC is not
a legislative body and it’s appropriate for the Committee to refer some things to appropriate councils. If a specific course of
action is desired it should be proposed by one of the councils. The SEC was able to refer 1112-05R to GOV. Senator wills
inquired why 1112-04R could not be referred to GOV and Chair Lifshin explained 1112-05R was referred to GOV because it
asks to form a committee. Senator Wills asked further about GOV’s authority and Chair Fessler explained that it is largely
responsible for forming and reviewing committees. She suggested that instead of attempting to refer the resolutions to a
committee, it may be best to state a clearer set of directions since it appears the resolution would require an amendment to
the Bylaws as well as the rules and procedures of the Bylaws. She informed Senator Wills that the onus was on him to clarify
the end goal and how it would be accomplished. Chair Lifshin said he did no think the actions of the SEC should be
interpreted as being against the stated objectives.
OTHER REPORTS
UFS (University Faculty Senator’s Report) –Daniel D. White, J. Philippe Abraham & Shadi Shahedipour-
Sandvik, SUNY Senators
The University Faculty Senate Report was sent under separate cover. The Spring plenary meeting is scheduled for April 19-21 at Geneseo
University.
Senator White referred to the resolutions at the end of the report as well as the report from Carey Hatch. Mr. Hatch delivered
a presentation about interruptions to traditional higher education by online technology. Many students are taking on-line
courses and are developing skills but not a degree. M r. Hatch’s report includes many websites for online learning. The UFS
Senators are working on a white paper that will provide better information concerning what is evolving at this level and
hopes it will abate some of the surprise when things begin to shift.
GSO (Graduate Student Organization) – Heidi Nicholls, GSO Representative
At our last GSO Assembly Meeting, a committee was formed and has already had their first meeting, addressing the fundamental flaws of
our Constitution. Upon adjournment, our Assembly Speaker stepped down from his position. President Nicholls was charged with the role
of appointing a new speaker by the March Assembly Meeting. GSO recently held their monthly social mixer at Jillians and is revving up
for the big Mardi Gras celebration to be done Casino Style and the movie screening of Piled Higher Deeper. Also coming up in the end of
the month is the next of the Graduate Student Speaker Series showcasing School of Social Welfare Doctoral Candidates YiYi Chen and
Yong Li, discussing the development of support systems for supervisors in public child welfare. Currently in the office we have been
coordinating with the non-uptown campuses on concerns of how better to serve those particular graduate student populations such as
emailing in event reservations, required flyers, voucher pick-ups etc. On a larger scale we are looking at the possibility of establishing a
downtown campus GSO office and have been meeting with SWSA and SWARE as RGSOs to spearhead this project.
GSO welcomes new student senator Aymen Assuwiyan. A screening of the comedy The PhD Movie was held on March 1but
due to bad weather attendance was low and GSO is planning to hold it again. The Mardi Gras event was very successful and
the third installment of the speaker series had its highest attendance so far. Other activity includes working on the
leadership awards and securing a GSO office on the downtown campus in addition to the office on the east campus. GSO is
attempting to branch out of the typical programming and has looked at the Student Association format for ideas such as
suicide prevention and take back the night. GSO Elections will be held in April. Ms. Nicholls said she is reaching the end of
her term but is confident about new people who will be coming on board.
SA (Student Association) – Bryant Barksdale, Student Association President Designee
The Student Association recently held mid-term elections to fill all Student Senate vacancies along with the open Vice Presidential spot.
The current administration is in the process of filing all open executive board positions.
On Friday February 17th SA kicked of its “Student to Student Initiative”. This is a five week program that will have high school students
working with five of our student groups in workshops and mentoring activities. Student Association and university administration are
currently working with Albany High School and city officials to allow the students to perform with the groups at an event planned for
April.
ParkFest, our annual spring event, is currently being planned. We are considering looking at three different locations for the event and are
still in the process of deciding on performers. Since there will be no Fountain Day this year SA is looking to do more with this one event
for the student body.
Other events that we have planned for this semester are the Culture Carnival, Outstanding Faculty Award, Purple and Gold Awards, and
various co-sponsorships for speaker events. We are also looking to collaborate with the SUNY Student Assembly to participate in SUNY
Palooza.
Elections for next year’s Student Association leadership will be held on Tuesday, March 6. SA has completed the
constitutional convention and it will be on the ballot for ratification.
COUNCIL AND COMMITTEE REPORTS
CAA (Council on Academic Assessment) – Adrian Masters, Chair
In its meeting on February 1 the CAA approved the PRC reports for the program reviews of Africana Studies and
Music. The reports have been forwarded to the respective department chairs.
CAFFECoR (Committee on Academic Freedom, Freedom of Expression, and Community Responsibility) –
Aran Mull, Chair
CAFFE-CoR met Monday, February 13th to continue work on a draft complaint management process. Edits completed in the meeting
have been compiled and forwarded to the committee membership for review.
The Committee will meet again on March 12.
CERS (Committee on Ethics in Research and Scholarship) – Carolyn MacDonald, Chair
CERS has passed a revised version of the policy document to be brought to the senate at its next meeting.
The Committee passed a revised version of the CERS policy.
COR (Council on Research) – James Castracane, Chair
The Council on Research met on February 2nd and considered multiple agenda items:
VPR Dias provided a Research Foundation (RF) update which included the UAlbany Research Activity report for the second half of 2011
and the 2012 RF Operating Plan.
The FRAP-A subcommittee held its proposal review meeting on January 19th and scored the 15 applications. Based on application
quality, 11 applications were recommended for funding totaling ~$105,000. These recommendations were unanimously endorsed by
COR and forwarded to the VPR for final decision. A discussion ensued to determine the causes/solutions for the marked decline in
applications seen over the past 2-3 years.
The Researcher’s Liaison subcommittee presented its initial report on the establishment of an Early Career Achievement Award similar to
the existing Excellence in Research and Creative Activities Award. The Early Career award is designed to recognize an outstanding early
trajectory of junior faculty. The draft guidelines were discussed by COR and the sub-committee is working on modifications to the
proposed procedures. The revised version will be considered at the next COR meeting on March 1st.
CPCA (Council on Promotions and Continuing Appointments) – Christine Wagner,
Chair
CPCA has now completed the review of eighteen cases this year. The next meeting will occur March 2, 2012.
GAC (Graduate Academic Council) – Tim Groves, Chair
The GAC met on February 6. The policies and practices for dealing with academic dishonesty were discussed. The GAC members have
submitted recommendations for updates to the language appearing in the Graduate Bulletin. This will be coordinated with the UAC for a
joint Senate bill. There are presently no bills pending from GAC.
The Committee meets again on March 6.
GOV (Governance Council) – Andi Lyons, Chair
The Governance Council met on February 13 to discuss Senate Resolution 1112-03R. At the GOV Chair’s request, Provost Phillips
attended the meeting to answer questions and provide narrative on the upper administration’s perspective. Dan White has agreed to lead
GOV’s task force as we proceed with this investigation and the work of developing procedures for the future. The Council also discussed
strategies for bringing the work of the Administrative Review Committee into line with the needs of the administration. A meeting to
discuss President Philip’s concerns, outlined in the memo read at the February 6 Senate meeting, is planned for the near future. The next
meeting of the GOV Council is scheduled for February 27.
Members of the CARE committee met with Bruce Szelest to discuss the proposed Charter amendment and possible ways to
move forward with the notion of administrative assessment. The committee has decided to withdraw the amendment and to
continue discussion and work, with the intention of submitting a revised proposal next year.
Secretary Leonard spoke in her capacity as chair of the Committee on Liaison and Elections and informed the Senate that
election season is underway with calls for nominations and preliminary slates being sent out today. The deadline for
additional nominations is March 19. On-line elections are scheduled to be held April 2 through April 5. If anyone has
questions concerning the process, they should contact Secretary Leonard.
Senator White provided an update concerning the task force he is leading in response GOV’s charge to address the concerns
in Senate Resolution 1112-03R. He is compiling documentation with the help of colleagues to make the report as full as
possible. He requested flexibility with the March 15 deadline and made a motion to extend the deadline to the next Senate
meeting of April 2. The motion was seconded and approved by a vote with the following results: Approved: 46; Opposed: 1;
Abstained: 1
Senator Wills inquired about the questions addressed to the Provost at the February 13 meeting and her answers concerning
Resolution 1112-03R. Senator White responded concerning the discussion GOV members had about the procedure that was
in place in the spring of 2010 when the CAS Dean approached relevant councils to talk about the Russian program. All of
the councils signed off as did the Senate and the procedure went forward. There was a divergence from that procedure when
President Philip announced the five program deactivations. Provost Phillips responded that although it seems that the
usual way is to have the process come through a department; it is not the only way, especially during a budget
crisis when the process can take on a different meaning.
LISC (Council on Libraries, Information Systems, and Computing) – Nancy Newman, Chair
The majority of our Feb. 6 meeting was devoted to Counsel John Reilly’s presentation by on UAlbany’s protocol for handling FOIL
requests. All NY State agencies are subject to FOIL requests, and all agency records are potentially accessible. There are, however, nine
categories of exemptions (such as records covered by FERPA). Requests are handled by Counsel on a case-by-case basis to determine the
applicability of FOIL and its exemptions. New York’s “Intra-Agency Exemption,” which protects the “deliberative process of
government,” offers some safeguards against wholesale requisition of faculty records, and might have been applicable in the UWisconsin
case that was discussed at UFS. Counsel Reilly’s presentation provoked lively discussion, and details are available in LISC’s published
minutes.
The Library Committee heard from Associate Librarian Karen Brown about the “Digital Content Task Force” on Feb. 10. This group is
developing a long-term plan for archiving, preserving, and expanding access to electronic materials created within the University.
The IT Committee, which met twice in January, plans to review a draft of the "Responsible Use" policy by the end of February in
anticipation of its presentation at the next LISC meeting, March 5.
Chair Newman reported that LISC met today to discuss the IT policy and what the results of the revisions should be.
UAC (Undergraduate Academic Council) – JoAnne Malatesta, Chair
The Undergraduate Academic Council met on January 30th and February 13th to review a series of departmental proposals. We will meet
again on the 27th to review additional proposals from Music and Informatics. UAC approved the following proposals and is now
forwarding them on to the Senate for review:
Senate Bill 1112-09 End Admissions to GEO Concentration of Env. Science BS & GEO Minor in DAES
RPUB to PRAD Program Proposal
Senate Bill 1112-11 ECO Revisions to BA
Senate Bill 1112-12 EAS 2011 Curriculum Revision
Senate Bill 1112-13 POS Concentrations
The General Education proposal was forwarded to UPPC for review on February 13th.
Secretary Leonard inquired about what the next steps would be for the general education proposal. Chair Malatesta said it
would be presented at the next SEC meeting and hoped to bring it to the Senate in April.
ULC (University Life Council) – Yenisel Gulatee, Chair
ULC met on February 2nd. We discussed new topics we'd like to focus on in the Spring semester, such as international students,
student engagement, and employee satisfaction. Furthermore, we reviewed the letter recommending President Philip to form a task force
in order to further study our campus smoking policy and the implementation of a Tobacco-Free campus. Since not all the members were
present at the meeting, we decided to vote on its approval via email. The letter was approved by ULC members and has been sent. Our
next meeting is on March 1st with guest speaker, Margaret Reich from the Office of International Education.
UPPC (University Planning and Policy Council) – Eric Lifshin, Chair
UPPC met on Friday February 17. The Provost provided an extensive report on a variety of topics including new Federal reporting
regulations, the status of strategic plan implementation, SUNY 2020 and the Chancellors report. Details of the presentation can be found
in the minutes as well as in other support documents provided by the Provost. UAC reported on the proposal for new General Education
requirements and their implementation. UPPC evaluated resource implications and voted to forward the proposal to the full SEC. Time
was not available to discuss the current effort of UPPC to develop a campus impact statement that will accompany proposed legislation
and help UPPC and other councils in establishing their position for proposed legislation or other items put forward for discussion or a
vote. A draft of the proposed form will be circulated to the membership for their consideration the process can be expedited prior to the
next meeting.
NEW BUSINESS
The following bills from UAC were introduced by UAC Chair Malatesta.
Senate Bill 1112-09: End Admissions to GEO Concentration of Env. Science BS & GEO Minor in DAES
The Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Science does not have faculty with expertise to continue the
concentration and the minor and cannot adequately support students. Three areas of concentration will remain
intact. There are currently 21 students in the geology concentration and 2 students in the minor,and the department
is committed to seeing them through. There was no discussion concerning the bill and a motion to approve was
made and seconded. The bill passed with the following voting results: Approved: 37; Opposed: 5; Abstained: 6
Senate Bill 1112-10: Urban Studies and Planning, Faculty Initiated Interdisciplinary
The bill will be presented at a later date.
Senate Bill 1112-11 ECO Revisions to BA:
The Economics Department is proposing that AMAT 101 replace AMAT 106 to satisfy the mathematics
requirement for the Economics BA. Currently, students need to take MAT 106 to move forward to MAT 111 but
the change would allow students to pass 106 and move to MAT 11, It would also allow students to be better
prepared for the skill set they need. The Mathematics Department has indicated it approves the change and is
prepared for the enrollment changes. The Economics Department believes the change will widen the range of
opportunities for undergraduates interested in economics. GOV Chair Lyons asked for a clarification concerning
the number of credits. Chair Malatesta responded that this would not reduce the number of credits. There was no
further discussion concerning the bill and a motion to approve was made and seconded. The bill passed with the
following voting results: Approved: 30; Opposed: 11; Abstained: 8
Senate Bill 1112-12 EAS 2011 Curriculum Revision
The bill was deferred to a later date at which time it will be coupled with an additional bill that needs to go through
the SEC. The bill was table without objections.
Senate Bill 1112-13 POS Concentrations
The Political Science Department is asking for students to declare a concentration as soon as possible after
declaring their major. The move would provide greater efficiency in the process and would be better for students.
There was no discussion concerning the bill and a motion to approve was made and seconded. The bill passed
with the following voting results: Approved: 44; Opposed: 1; Abstained: 3
Senate Bill 1112-14 Prefix Change in PAP Courses
The Department of Public Administration and Policy is proposing consolidation of courses and is suggesting
converting all undergraduate courses beginning with the RPUB prefix to RPAB. The change would provide more
accurate representation of the courses. The current prefix is confusing for students as well as faculty. A series of
course action forms will be submitted to move this forward and the proposal would provide permission make the
change across the board. There was no discussion concerning the bill and a motion to approve was made and
seconded. The bill passed with the following voting results: Approved: 46; Opposed: 2; Abstained: 0
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 3:50 pm.
Respectfully submitted by
Gail Cameron, Recorder
