2015-2016 University Senate
Monday, April 25, 2016
2:45 pm, Assembly Hall
Cynthia Fox, Chair
MINUTES
Present: Abreu, Felix; Adams, Marcus; Alai, Kamiar; Alford, Julia; Pradeep, Atrey; Charles, Tiffany; Chittur, Sridar;
Collins, James; Craig, Allison; Cruz, Jose; Curtis, Henry; Dai, Aiguo; Earle, Keith; Fabris, Daniele;
Fessler, Susanna; Fox, Cynthia; Gulatee, Yenisel; Isralowitz, Joshua; Jahanbani, Nakissa; Jaromin, Michael;
Jerison, Michael; Kearney, Ann; Kiorpes, Karen; Kressner, Ilka; LaFond, Deborah; Lawrence, Zina;
Little, Walter; Londono, Johana; Mamorella, David; Manjak, Martin; Martinez, Maritza; McDowall, David;
Mckenna, Holly; Mitchell, Rachel; Moore, Chris; Mower, James; Ng, Vivien; Nowell, Greg; Ostro, Austin;
Pageau, Hanna; Pastore, Christopher; Petry, Greta; Prelow, Hazel; Pyles, Loretta; Scheck, Helene;
Schmidt, John; Slye, Katherine; Smith, Christy; Stefl-Mabry, Joette; Toseland, Ronald; Vuille, Mathias; Yuan,
Xiaojun
Ex Officio Administrators: Chen, Fan Pen; Stellar, James; Williams, Kevin; Wulfert, Edelgard
Guests:
Herrmann, Susan; Roberts, Austin; Chesin, Sorrell; Rojas, Jessica; Howard, Donovan; Winchester, Kathie;
Forsythe, Celine; Pinho, Patricia; Dzikowski, Michael; Janiszewski, Caitlin; Vero, Ron; Bartow, Jon;
Reinhold, Karin; Hedberg, William
The meeting convened at 2:47 p.m.
An electronic count was taken but did not reflect the number of senators signed in on the attendance
sheets; therefore Parliamentarian Ron Vero determined by a standing count that quorum had been
reached. It was agreed that the order of agenda items would be changed to ensure quorum was not lost
prior to voting on pending elections and legislation.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
The minutes of March 7, 2016 were approved with the following voting results:
Approved 42 (95%); Opposed 1 (2%); Abstained 1(2%)
The minutes of April 4, 2016 were approved with a minor change and the following voting results:
Approved 35 (85%); Opposed 1 (2%); Abstained 5 (12%)
APPROVAL OF PROPOSED COUNCIL AND STANDING COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIPS
2015-16 Council Membership Changes
GOV – Roxana Moslehi
CPCA – Randall Craig
A motion was made to approve the above changes in membership, with the following voting results:
Approved 37(97%); Opposed 0; Abstained 1 (3%)
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2016-17 Council Membership Changes
The proposed membership roster for the 2016-17 academic year was reviewed.
A motion was made to approve the above membership, with the following voting results:
Approved 41 (95%); Opposed 1 (2%); Abstained 1 (2%)
ELECTION OF SENATE SECRETARY FOR 2016-2018
Chair Fox announced that there were no nominations for the position of Senate Secretary. Current
Secretary Yenisel Gulatee provided a brief overview of the role, and Chair Fox promised to forward
information via e-mail.
ELECTION OF SENATE VICE-CHAIR FOR 2016-2017
The 3 Senate Vice Chair candidates were each given an opportunity to speak regarding their
nominations. Paper ballots were distributed by the Secretary and Parliamentarian, with the following
voting results:
Keith Earle, Physics, CAS
22
Susan Herrmann, Business Intelligence, ITS
2
Karin Reinhold, Mathematics, CAS
24
48 Total votes
X.1.4.3.2.5.4 If no candidate receives a majority of the ballots cast, then the candidate with the
lowest number of votes will be removed from the slate, and the election will be repeated until a
candidate receives a majority.
Per the Charter section above, a second vote was taken with the following voting results.
Keith Earle, Physics, CAS
22
Karin Reinhold, Mathematics, CAS
26
48 Total votes
The Senate congratulated Karin Reinhold on having been elected the 2016-17 Senate Vice Chair.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Senate Resolution 201516-01R: RESOLUTION ON EMERITI PARTICIPATION IN THE UNIVERSITY
SENATE
GOV Chair Collins provided a background and overview of the proposed resolution, clarifying that it
would not change the Bylaws or Charter. The resolution would indicate the Senate’s interest in
encouraging Emeriti participation and would establish a clearer relationship with the Emeriti through
their selection of a designated Senate representative.
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A motion was made to approve the above resolution, with the following voting results: Approved 45
(92%); Opposed 2 (4%); Abstained 2 (4%)
NEW BUSINESS
Senate Bill 1516-04: CEHC PROPOSAL TO ESTABLISH A BACHELOR OF ARTS AND A BACHELOR OF
SCIENCE IN EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, HOMELAND SECURITY AND CYBERSECURITY
Interim Dean David Rousseau provided an overview and answered questions concerning the proposal.
It was called to question that the lengthy discussion on the proposal be ended in order to ensure a vote
could be taken before potentially losing quorum, with the following voting results: Approved 37
(86%); Opposed 5 (12%); Abstained 1 (2%)
A motion was subsequently made to approve the proposal, with the following voting results:
Approved 36 (73%); Opposed 10 (20%); Abstained 3 (6%)
Chair Fox explained that, in light of the very full agenda and the fact that he would be addressing the
faculty at its Spring meeting the following day, the Provost would not be giving a report at this
meeting.
A member added that they would like campus-wide forums – not just in committees – held around new
programs.
UNIVERSITY SENATE CHAIR’S REPORT – Cynthia Fox, Chair
I. Informational
1. SEC met on April 13. The elimination of the Women’s Division I tennis program as of the 2016-17 school year and
recent Faculty Athletics Representative Report to the Senate has been the catalyst for a discussion of the relationship
between the Senate and the Athletics Department. Chair Fox pointed out that the Athletics Committee is one of three
standing committees of ULC, but that ULC had not informed of the change; in fact that committee has not been constituted
in at least the past four years. Chair Fox pointed out that she had learned of the change herself only because the press
release had been forwarded to her by UUP with a question as to whether the Senate had any standing in the matter.
2. At that same meeting, the SEC discussed with guests David Rousseau, Elizabeth Gray and Celine Forsyth Senate Bill
1516-04 CEHC PROPOSAL TO ESTABLISH A BACHELOR OF ARTS AND A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, HOMELAND SECURITY AND CYBERSECURITY.
3. Chair Fox met on April 15 with President Jones, Provost Stellar, Vice President for Research Diaz, and Presidential
Assistant Alice Oldfather to discuss the Spring Faculty meeting. The meeting is April 26 at 3:00 in the Campus Center
Ballroom with refreshments to follow.
4. Chair Fox will attend the SUNY-wide Plenary at Brockport on May 6-7.
II. Actions Taken
1. The SEC agreed unanimously that Senate Bill 1516-04 should be placed on the agenda of the April 25 Senate meeting.
Noting that the agenda was very full with elections and Resolution 11516-01R, the SEC asked that Chair Fox distribute the
proposal ahead of the agenda with a request that Senators read these documents and send their comments and questions to
her, with a copy to David Rousseau, by noon on Thursday, April 21. The idea was that this would help facilitate, and thus
expedite, the discussion when the bill gets to the Senate floor.
III. Recommendations for actions
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1. The relationship between the Senate and the Athletics Department should be clarified.
2. The issue of the non-constitution of Committees such as the ULC’s Athletics Committee should be addressed.
Senate Chair Fox reminded once again that the Spring Faculty Meeting would take place on the
following day, April 26th, and also noted that the SEC would meet one last time this semester prior to
the Senate May 9th meeting.
OTHER REPORTS
UFS (University Faculty Senator’s Report) – J. Philippe Abraham, Walter Little & John
Schmidt, SUNY Senators
We look forward to the next plenary meeting of the SUNY Senate in Brockport on May 6 &7. Details of the next SUNY
Budget will be a prominent topic then.
The President of the SUNY-wide Faculty Senate sent an e-mail correcting that the budget figures were
not reported accurately. There would be $4.7 million less in operating funds, and more details would
be included in the next report following the upcoming plenary meeting.
GSA (Graduate Student Association) – Katherine Slye, GSA President
Assembly Discussion with Dean Kevin Williams Regarding the GTA Blue Ribbon Panel Recommendations
Dean Kevin Williams attended our Assembly meeting on Friday, April 1st to discuss the progress on the GTA BRP
recommendations. Overall it was a productive and informative conversation and we agreed that the GSA will be a key
partner in continuing to push for increased resources in this area of Graduate Student Support.
He told us that he only got about half of the 1 million dollars he requested through compact budgeting, so the new base has
only risen to $15,300, with STEM fields having a higher base; this leaves us 90-95% of the way to the base
recommendations from the report. He also told us he was able to double the number of 5th year funding lines from 15 to 30.
In discussion of the other recommendations, Dean Williams wants to work with departments to increase the number of
research assistantships by bringing in grant money. He also wants explore cost sharing, where the University might pay
tuition but the grant from the professor pays for the stipend. He does recognize that this model works better for STEM
fields than the Humanities and Social Sciences, and that is why he thinks a department based solution is best.
As far as the recommendation for highly competitive university-wide fellowships, Dean Williams said there used to be a
Presidential Fellowship program whereby some graduate students received higher stipends; some faculty did not like
having tiers of graduate students. No other progress has been made on this recommendation.
We also discussed the loss of tuition remission for GAs in administrative units; the administrative units now must pay
tuition costs if they want their GA to continue to have tuition covered while the University will still pay the stipend. Dean
Williams told us that most units look like they will pay the tuition; he also said the money previously allocated to this
purpose was used to increase the GTA stipends. We had some students express a concern about this choice of moving
resources: it not only pits graduate students against each other in a competition for resources, but some departments have
students that depend upon Administrative GA positions since their department does not have GTA lines. There was a
concern that some departments might lose students if the administrative unit they work in is unable to find the money to
pay their GA’s tuition.
Assembly Resolutions and Advocacy
I provided a letter for support on behalf of the GSA for the Office of Environmental Sustainability’s Energy to Lead
proposal. This proposal will not only enable the University at Albany to be a sustainably leader in New York State, but
empower students to be a part of that change and accomplishment. Their plan will make Liberty Terrace a net zero energy
campus living residence and continue their engagement with students on programming and education efforts to continue to
spread awareness of sustainability in addition to partnering with students in the creation of actionable solutions to
sustainability issues on campus.
At our Assembly meeting on April 1st, the Assembly passed a resolution in support of the Fossil Fuel Divestment Act,
Senate Bill 8573 and Assembly Bill A811a. These bills call for NYS to stop investing state money in fossil fuels and calls
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for investments in clean energy. Assembly Representatives, the E-board, and other attendees also signed letters of
opposition to a NYS natural gas pipeline. They were sent to Governor Cuomo and Assemblyman McLaughlin and Senator
Marchionne whose districts would be negatively affected by the pipeline should it be installed.
Two members of the GSA, our Treasurer Hina Thalho and the 16-17 Equity and Inclusion Chair, along with myself, are
attending the SUNY Student Assembly meeting April 15-17th. At this meeting, all SUNY campuses have the opportunity to
send voting delegates to discuss the official stances of the SUNY SA on important issues facing students, our state, and
nation. There are about 15 or so resolutions being considered, and we will be presenting two resolutions our Assembly has
passed this year: Fossil Fuel Divestment Act and Ban the Box Resolutions.
Four GSA members, including our Vice President Hirah Mir and the 16-17 President and Treasurer, are attending the
NAGPS Northeast Regional Conference April 15-17th. Hirah will be presenting on an alternative jobs handbook, a resource
intended to help graduate students market themselves for non-academic jobs, and all of the attendees will attend sessions to
gain information to help the GSA grow and develop.
President’s Forum
We are hosting our annual Forum with President Jones on Friday, April 22nd at 5:30pm in SS256. We will be discussing the
role Graduate Students will play in the University strategic planning process, the GTA and Contingent BRP
recommendations, as well as other issues graduate students want to discuss.
Candidates Forum & Election Results
On March 30th, students heard from the candidates who are running for GSA office for the 201-2017 year. The candidates
were able to share their plan for the next year and students were able to ask questions of the candidates.
The 2016-2017 GSA Officers are:
President: Jefferson Garcia
Vice President: Dylan Card
Treasurer: Thomas Robertson
Equity and Inclusion Chair: Scott Wilcott
Programming Chair: To Be Appointed by the President and Confirmed by the Assembly
Grants Chair: To Be Appointed by the President and Confirmed by the Assembly
University Council Rep: Stanley De La Cruz
Lead Senator: To be Determined
Renaming Indian Quad
At the next University Council Meeting, the GSA is asking the Council to consider renaming Indian Quad, with current
suggestions being “Indigenous People’s Quad,” “First Nations Quad,” or the Mohawk word "Onkwehon: we," which means
"The Real People" referring to the Mohican and Mohawk. The GSA will also consider this issue in our Assembly in the
coming weeks. This topic emerged last year as we prepared to host the National Association of Graduate-Professional
Students’ annual Leadership Summit. Hosting student leaders from across the country at Liberty Terrace and giving them a
tour of the heritage garden led to a critical dialogue about why our University still maintained the name "Indian" for one of
our quads when the use of this term in reference to indigenous people of New York State is generally seen as offensive.
The naming of the quad and its halls (the halls named after various indigenous nations in New York; Mahican, Cayuga,
Seneca, etc.) is undoubtedly an attempt to pay respect to New York State heritage, but the evolution of the term “Indian”
since the quad was named suggests that we need to revisit how we respect the indigenous populations of New York State.
Regardless of the recommendations of names to come, the basic request from students to the Council is to at least
thoughtfully consider a name change. We believe we should take advantage of the opportunity to show respect for
indigenous nations of New York, rather than letting a questionable term continue to be used.
Viola Hall was elected Lead Senator for the 2016-2017 year, and the incoming President has made
appointments to the Programming and Grants Chair positions, which will be up for confirmation at
our last meeting of the year on May 6th. The President’s Forum allowed for a dialogue with the
President, Provost and Graduate Student Association Dean.
SA (Student Association) – Jarius Jemmott, Student Association President
No response
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2016-17 President Felix Abreu introduced himself and reported that SA was accepting nominations for
director positions and that the next SA Senate meeting was scheduled for Wednesday.
COUNCIL/COMMITTEE CHAIRS’ REPORTS:
CAA (Council on Academic Assessment) – James Mower, Chair
CAA will meet on April 21 to approve assessment reports submitted by APRC.
CAA approved the assessment reports for the Physics Department and for Educational Administration
and Policy Studies.
CAFFECoR (Committee on Academic Freedom, Freedom of Expression, and Community
Responsibility) –Carol Jewell, Chair
I. Informational
CAFFECoR met on April 4, 2016.
II. Reports of Actions
CAFFECoR discussed issues remaining on the agenda for the remainder of the academic year, and possible actions for the
following academic year.
III. Recommendations for Actions
CAFFECoR will submit two (2) resolutions on academic freedom, to be voted on at the May 2016 Senate meeting.
CAFFECoR will meet again on April 21, 2016.
CERS (Committee on Ethics in Research and Scholarship) – Michael Jerison, Chair
Nothing to report
COR (Council on Research) – Daniele Fabris, Chair
Nothing to report
CPCA (Council on Promotions and Continuing Appointments) – Lynn Warner, Chair
March 28 - Reviewed 1 continuing appointment case, 1 promotion case
April 12- Reviewed 1 promotion case
No other cases are expected this semester
GAC (Graduate Academic Council) – Ronald Toseland, Chair
GAC voted to approve a new Certificate of Graduate Study program in Computing Education. Pending additional
endorsement by UPPC it is recommended to the Senate for approval. GAC also gave final approval to changes in the
Educational Administration & Policy Studies PhD program, Physics MS and PhD programs, Behavioral Neuroscience PhD
and Biomedical MS & PhD programs. GAC discussed and voted to approve the recommendation of its Committee on
Educational Policy & Procedures that the definition of certifiable full-time enrollment be amended to become a minimum
of 9 credits per term, and recommends the Senate take action to approve this policy change. GAC discussed the graduate
Ombuds Program and requested a program status update and GSA briefing regarding it from the Graduate Dean’s office.
GAC discussed the Blue Ribbon Panel report on graduate student funding and received an implementation update regarding
it from Graduate Dean Williams. Further consideration of the details in conjunction with GSA representatives was
requested of the Committee on Educational Policy & Procedures.
GOV (Governance Council) – James Collins, Chair
Old/continuing business
The Council’s two main committees:
* Committee on Assessment of Governance and Consultation: Has developed and distributed the biennial survey of Senate
constituencies. At the Council’s 3/28/16 meeting, it discussed strategies for improving response rates and committed to a
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plan of action. Results are now in, with higher response rates than in 2014. The Committee has begun scheduling analysis,
preliminary to preparing a report for the University Senate next fall.
* Committee on Liaison & Election: Is immersed in the ongoing tasks of conducting annual Senate elections. It also
submitted a request to create an Emeritus Faculty listserv, and continues to work on the details of developing a Part-time
Faculty listserv. It has also assisted with three Senate Forums on March 25 (Academic Freedom), April 5th (Contingent
Faculty Concerns) and April 18th, Sustainability.
An ad-hoc working group was established to revise a Charter Amendment from CAA. It did so in consultation with the
Chair of CAA, and anticipates submitting the Charter Amendment to the Senate for May 9.
Actions taken/new business:
The Council reviewed the role, functioning and oversight of the existing Graduate Student Ombudsperson, and referred the
matter to GSA leaders and the GAC.
LISC (Council on Libraries, Information Systems, and Computing) – David Mamorella, Chair
1.
UAlbany App, Version 2.0 Demo w/questions/comments (Goodwin/Smith)
Jeff and Brian provided the committee with a demo of how the new UAlbany App functions on a person’s phone. The
App was designed to provide students with access to the information that they use most. Input for the App came from
the students as well as administrative staff. Communications and Marketing partnered with EAS to create this App.
Some of the functions students wanted to see in the App were mobile access to academic standings, bus information,
laundry facility availability, as well as registrar info, class schedules, etc. The student foundation helped with input
and feedback. Still need to establish focus groups, as a more formulized process is needed. In addition, a governance
body is needed and a decision as to whether the App should be developed in house or outsourced. There are currently
11 – 12,000 students using the App. It was suggested to add a feature that could push out alerts and notifications for
students for graduation, emergency alerts, weather alerts, etc. Also, it would be useful to be able to view availability
of computers in the Information Commons.
2.
Report from Interim Dean of the Libraries, Rebecca Mugridge
Faculty searches. The search committee for the Access Services & Information Commons Evening Associate position has
completed its work, and Glen Benedict will begin working on April 7. The Reference Librarian search committee has
completed its review of candidates and made recommendations for which candidates to bring in for interviews; we will be
requesting permission from ODI to invite them tomorrow. The Interactive Media Center position has been posted with a
deadline of April 29. We have sent the hiring paperwork for an Information Literacy Librarian position to ODI/HR/Budget;
that paperwork is making its way through the system. We hope to post that position in the next two weeks.
Conversations in Standish. There will be an upcoming conversation on April 6: Rick Fogarty, History Department, will be
speaking on April 6, 12:35-1:30 on “What Can 1916 Tell Us About 2016? Europe, Islam, and the Middle East.” We plan to
host 2-3 of these conversations every semester; they have all been highly successful at bringing faculty, students, and the
community together.
Information Commons Steering Committee. Now that Simeon is on board, and we have a new Director of Public
Services, we are planning to revitalize the Information Commons Steering Committee.
Information Literacy Conference. Members of the Libraries’ Information Literacy Department, including Trudi Jacobson,
Allison Hosier, Kelsey O’Brien, Greg Bobish, and Irina Holden planned and offered a one-day conference on the new
Information Literacy Framework, the new information literacy standards for higher education which was recently adopted
by the Association of College and Research Libraries. This highly successful event drew more than 50 attendees from as far
away as Illinois and Texas. The Badging System was introduced. This tool is used by students to complete a module and
receive a badge for doing so.
Compact planning proposals. The Libraries are putting forward four compact planning proposals this year. They include:
Funding to replace student seating in the University Library
New Information Literacy Classroom in the Science Library
Library Support for Engineering Programs
Library Support for the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security, and Cyber Security
Marcia Brown gift and event. The Libraries are hosting an event on April 8 to celebrate the life of Marcia Brown, an
award-winning children’s book author and illustrator, best known for Stone Soup. The event will be held in the Standish
Room, from 2:00 to 5:00. All are welcome but are asked to RSVP to Brian Keough at bkeough@albany.edu or 437-3931.
3.
Report from CIO – Simeon Ananou
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Gartner License. ITS has acquired an institutional license to Gartner, a leading information technology research and
advisory company. An informational announcement will soon go out to the Campus community.
Information Security Office. ITS acquired the capability of scanning any University system with a leading Gartner
product, Nessus. In addition to vulnerability scanning, Nessus also does configuration scanning (for devices like network
gear), and compliance scanning for things like PCI.
ResNet bid award information. This is currently in progress, but we have requested 75Mb links for both wired and
wireless which is a dramatic improvement over the current 10Mb links that are currently provisioned for the residential
halls. The bid is scheduled to open on Tuesday, March 29th. We should have the results, and this project will be well
underway in time for a report at the University Council meeting. We hope to have a new service provider by Fall.
NYSERNet & Internet II. The University has direct access to NYSERnet, whereby we can share a lot of information. In
addition, Internet II is a very robust network aiding in the exchange of information with other institutions here and
overseas. Everyone has access to these services.
College Scheduler Implementation. Transforming the capability of students to plan their schedules their way.
Web & Digital Strategy. ITS is still working with Communications and Marketing to defining the strategy to achieve
operational excellence by deploying enterprise-wide digital solutions that meet our consumers’ needs, internally and
externally; with an initial focus on how to engage students and their influencers.
Transfer-Credit Transition. Transitioning the technology and processes used to ensure our transfer students can come and
go more seamlessly and plan their degree.
4.
New Business
The Committee is down two members; if anyone knows of someone who is interested in joining, please email Dave.
Additionally, Rebecca will have someone from the Libraries present on the “badging” model for the next LISC
meeting.
UAC (Undergraduate Academic Council) –Karen Kiorpes and Christy Smith, Co-Chairs
The UAC met on March 31st and April 12th, 2016.
The Curriculum and Honors Committee
Approved a proposal from Latin American, Caribbean and U.S. Latino Studies Department to deactivate the
Globalization of Americas minor for lack of enrollments.
Approved proposals from Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Department to revise the LGTBQ and the
Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies minors.
Approved a proposal from Chemistry implementing additional offerings available in the department slightly
changing all their majors.
Along with UAC via an email vote, approved Latin American, Caribbean and U.S. Latino Studies
Department’s proposal to change the name of the major to Latin American, Caribbean, and U.S. Latino Studies and
a department minor from Latin American Studies to Latin American and Caribbean Studies. The change to the
major will have to be approved on the State Education Department level.
Approved proposals from Biology revising prerequisites and creating a new course, ABIO 330.
UAC approved a proposal from the Department of Communication to change the name of their major and minor from
“Rhetoric and Communication” to “Communication”, along with a change to the HEGIS code.
The Biology General Education Competency Plan was previously approved by UAC pending clarification for the oral
discourse competency. ABIO 212 was addressed and the plan was approved unanimously.
A revised plan from Geography and Planning, including revised syllabi for required courses and designated electives that
fulfill the oral discourse requirement, was approved.
The Art General Education Competency Plan was previously submitted, with the Information Literacy and Advanced
Writing competencies still needing approval for both majors (36 credit and 60 credit). The revision was reviewed on April
12th. Recommendations regarding Information Literacy and Oral Discourse requirements were submitted by the UAC
Chairs to the Chair of Art and Art History requesting further revision.
ULC (University Life Council) – Michael Jaromin, Chair
1) Old Business
No response from Dean Nasca to see if he would attend on the 29th as a follow-up to the Tobacco-Free campus initiative.
Will also pursue for 4/26
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2) New Business
a) 11:00 a.m. Randy Stark, Associate Vice President Human Resources
i)
Randy Stark noted that a new training coordinator will start in HR next week. Orientation and on-boarding
will be on the agenda for this staff person. Members of the Council noted that there should be a focus on an
Orientation for new faculty/staff but also on a Welcome to the University to build a connection to the campus
and surrounding community.
ii)
Orientation should be University-wide but also department specific. Randy mentioned that they would also
be looking at having some training available on-line and that they would also look at other models on other
campuses for best practices.
iii)
Some of the topic noted that should be covered were policies, benefits, policies,
services, safety, parking, research info, harassment, workplace violence,
tenure/promotion/renewal, blackboard etc.
iv)
Randy also mentioned the possibility of a 3-3-3 program where new hires were followed up after 3 days, 3
weeks and 3 months.
v)
Other issues were brought up such as part time staff, on-line only staff who never come to campus.
vi)
Randy noted they would begin this on-boarding in the summer and could include previous hires.
b) 11:30 a.m. Tamra Minor Chief Diversity Officer and Assistant Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion
i)
Senate Forum. Deborah LaFond noted that the Senate should consider holding a Forum on diversity issues
specifically coming out of the bus incident—this forum would likely be hosted by ULC. This forum would be
faculty led not led by the administration.
ii)
Dr. Minor noted there have been three additional dialogues led by faculty so far and they had been announced
campus-wide. Additional dialogues would be announced soon and would be student-focuses, faculty-focused and
some would combine student-faculty-staff.
iii) These faculty are led by faculty who are leading experts in these areas such as Dr. Vivien Ng, Dr. Karyn Loscocco,
Dr. Robert Miller, Dr. Lani Jones and Dr. Loretta Pyles among others.
iv) It was noted that the focus of these dialogues is not necessarily about the cdta incident but addressing other
campus wide issues.
v)
The graduate student representative noted that the Dialogues have been great but thought that all faculty/staff
should perhaps have training. Dr. Minor noted the faculty Dialogue in Action series and a possible proposal to
have all new faculty sign up for these in the fall.
vi) It was noted that Deans and Directors should encourage faculty and staff to attend these workshops and what
better ways might there be to get the information out. The beedworks calendar system was noted as being
cumbersome.
vii) Senator LaFond is interested in drafting a resolution supporting additional faculty led forums which she will pass
to the ULC for review.
3) Other
a) Next meeting topics:
Dr. Michael Christakis, Vice President for Student Affairs will attend on 4/26
Maternity and Paternity Leave
UPPC (University Planning and Policy Council) – Joette Stefl-Mabry, Chair
I. Informational
UPPC met on April 7th, 2016 and the meeting was chaired by Dr. Cynthia Fox as Dr. Joette Stefl-Mabry was
attending a conference.
o
Approval of the minutes from the February 18, 2016 meeting was deferred because quorum was not met.
o
Dr. Laura Schweitzer, Vice President for Health Sciences and Biomedical initiatives provided the rational
for renaming the “East Campus” to the “Health Sciences Campus” to highlight its presence as a site for
health sciences-related research and teaching currently taking place in the School of Public Health, the
Cancer Research Center, and the Center for Functional Genomics. The renaming will be accompanied by
a press release, new website, and campus event.
o
James Van Voorst, Vice President of Finance and Administration provided an update to the Council on
recent developments regarding the 2016-17 State Budget and its impact on the University:
The Maintenance of Effort (MOE) was not continued
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University Centers were authorized to raise non-resident tuition by up to 10 percent
No $20 million for the renovation of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Schuyler
building and
20% funding increase for the Educational Opportunity Program
UPPC held a special meeting on April 14th, to discuss three new proposals:
o
Certificate of Graduate Study in Computing Education (CCE Online), presented by Dr. Peter Shea,
Educational Theory and Practice
o
Certificate in International Education Management, presented by Dr. Mitch Leventhal and Dr. Alan
Wagner, Educational Administration & Policy Studies (EAPS).
o
Letter of Intent describing a Graduate Degree Program: M.A. International Education Management,
presented by Dr. Mitch Leventhal and Dr. Alan Wagner, Educational Administration & Policy Studies
(EAPS).
II. Reports of Actions
UPPC voted to conditionally approve the proposal for the Certificate of Graduate Study in Computing Education
(CCE Online) pending revisions to the original proposal as suggested by the Council.
UPPC voted to conditionally approve the proposal for the Certificate in International Education Management
pending revisions to the original proposal as suggested by the Council.
UPPC voted to accept the Letter of Intent describing the Graduate Degree Program: M.A. International Education
Management.
III. Recommended Actions
N/A
UPPC approved 2 proposals as follows: 1) CCE Online and 2) revised Graduate Certificate in
International Education Management.
NEW BUSINESS (Cont.)
The procedure for calling a forum related to new programming, and for items in general, was
discussed. Regarding the CEHC and its new programs, UPPC Chair Stefl-Mabry commended Interim
Dean Rousseau for having worked with and reported to the Senate and its councils from the very
beginning of the planning stages. GOV Chair / Senate Vice Chair Collins added that there are
provisions for the GOV Elections and Liasons subcommittee to co-sponsor forums, such as the 3
forums held this semester, and recommended that items be proposed early in the year in order to allow
for scheduling.
The Senate Chair and Vice Chair commented that they were encouraged by participants being more
engaged during Senate meetings. They suggested that council and committee reports to the Senate be
reviewed closely, as much of the ongoing Senate work is done at that level. Chair Fox also encouraged
that the campus community be actively involved in the strategic planning process and continue to
communicate with our university administration.
ADJOURNMENT
The Senate adjourned at 4:24 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by
Elisa Lopez, Recorder
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