Faculty Council
Minutes of the meeting of March 14, 1994
0. Meeting called to order at 4:04 p.m. by Chairperson Ted Steinberg.
1. Motion (M.Nelson/M.L.Lunde): to adopt the published agenda. Motion passed.
2. Motion (M.Nelson/K.Lucey): to approve the minutes of the February 14, 1994 meeting. Motion passed.
3. President MacPhee congratulated the Blue Devils hockey team on having made the NCAA semi-finals; and the track team and Treavor Hitchcock for their recent accomplishments; and Terry Weaver for his success with his research and receiving a patent for his work on Lyme disease; and Richard Weist for his renewed NSF grant for $238,000 for continuing research on language theory; and Karen Mills-Courts for her recent address on the occasion of the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching. He congratulated Randy Dipert for having been selected as this year's Kasling Lecturer and encouraged all to attend his coming presentation. The President said the legislature was expected to pass the proposed SUNY budget item without major modification. He said he hopes to focus legislative attention on library needs and the incipient development campaign. MacPhee announced that a new half-time position had been created for a Director of Affirmative Action, and that a local search was under way; screening committee had been appointed: Ruth Antosh, Alberto Rey, Laurie Lanze, Kim Harrington and Heidi Mahoney. He said the hope was to fill the position before next fall. T.Steinberg asked, concerning departmental chair searches and the inclusion of extra-departmental search committee members and extra-departmental search committee chairs, whether a new policy in this area is in place, and how it was devised, and how and where it was approved. J.Hurtgen noted that the Phys Ed search committee had not yet been appointed, but that preliminary discussions were under way with the department concerning its composition. MacPhee responded that there was not a fast policy that each search for a chair would be an outside search. M.Nelson asked whether it was administration's intention to impanel search committees with approximately 50% extra- departmental composition. MacPhee answered that a department should be substantially represented on a chair search committee, but that he had no specific composition in mind. Hurtgen added that the Phys Ed search committee would include more than half of its members from that department. Nelson inquired whether it was necessary to have any members from outside the department. Hurtgen replied that while he had not been involved in all recent searches, it was his understanding that it was common practice to include at least some outside representation. D.Hess commented that intercollegiate athletics, students, Student Affairs office, and perhaps others would be represented on the committee. Nelson asked if there were a reason for someone outside the department to chair the committee. Hess said he felt it was generally a wise approach to do so. Nelson commented that there was a perception that appointing outside chairs for these search committees diminishes the sodality and power of the departments. Hess said that was not the intention. MacPhee said whether there would be an outside chair for a search would depend on the individual circumstances of the search. K.Mills-Courts asked whether the PE Department had been consulted before the search chair was chosen. Hurtgen replied that there had not been formal consultation. J.Kraus said it was his understanding that it was very unusual to have an outside chair, and that it represents a diminishment of departmental structure and input. Hurtgen said it was not his intention to undermine the department, and that in this case, 4/7 of the search committee were to be from the department. MacPhee added that the composition of the search committee is still under discussion. Mills-Courts supported the concerns of Kraus and called for a clear policy statement on search committee composition.
4. Chairperson Theodore Steinberg asked Richard Hart to report on the search for Associate Vice President for Curriculum and Academic Support . Hart said that two candidates, including internal candidate Jim Hurtgen had been interviewed the past week, and that two more were to be interviewed that week. He said final recommendations would probably be made to VP Hess by the end of March. K.Lucey inquired as to the salary being offered for the position. D.Hess responded that it would negotiated, but a minimum of $50,000.
5. Vice Chairperson Jane Romal made no formal report.
6. Faculty Senator H. Joseph Straight reported that the Faculty Senate was seeking nominations for its standing committees for the coming year. He said Fredonia's only current committee member was Sandra Brown who serves on the University Operations Committee.
7. Governance Committee chair Daniel Jelski reported the committee is considering several possible Bylaws revisions for fall semester. He distributed a document entitled "Trial Balloons" which outlined some of the ideas under consideration, and asked for feedback at a later date. Some discussion ensued concerning having the chairs of the standing committees elected directly by the Faculty Council. Jelski said the proposal would seat the committee chairs, along with the Executive Committee, on a Coordinating Committee. Steinberg commented that this would enhance communication between the committees and the FC. Jelski suggested that FC would have a little more direct control of the committees if it directly elected their chairs, and that these would be chosen from the whole campus, not just from the committees. Steinberg said Governance would be studying this and the other "Trial Balloons" before actually advancing them as proposals.
8. Motion (Calendar Subcommittee): to adopt the following resolution:
BE IT RESOLVED that spring break should coincide with Easter, if Easter is not later than April 15. If Easter is after April 15, there will be a mid-semester break in early March.
Nelson said it was generally considered by many parties to be a good idea to have spring break concur with the public school break, ordinarily at Easter. He said, however, that if Easter is late, many faculty and students object to the resulting long continuous session between start of Spring Semester and arrival of the break. G.McNeil asked whether having two one-week breaks had been considered. Nelson said that had not been considered. Jelski asked whether there had been consideration to having a shorter break, and ending sooner? Nelson replied that it did not seem a good idea to end before May 12 or 15. M.Dimitri added that students like the week-and-a-half break. Nelson said faculty like it, too. K.Mantai said it is too long a time between mid-January to late March. N.Bowser said it was unusual to have Course Selection before break. Mills-Courts commented that if the break is later, the remainder of the semester gets too short. Jelski commented that splitting up weeks interferes with lab schedules; partial weeks pose difficulties. N.Crino commented that many students plan travel for break, and that requires 1+ to 2 weeks. (Another student commented that two short breaks would be better for him.) A.Jackson asked whether the proposed change would affect fall semester. Nelson said it would affect only spring semester. G.McNeil advocated keeping the break aligned with public school schedule since that would make breaks more useful for families.
Motion (K.Mantai/J.Kraus): to postpone the question until the April meeting. Motion to postpone passed.
9. Report of Director of Creative Support Services was postponed.
10. A 13-page written report on "1993 Enrollment in Graduate Programs, Fall 1984 - Fall 1993 Enrollment Trends" was received from Dean Alan Wheeler. [Copies are available from his office, and are filed with the Archive minutes.]
11.Richard Hart reported on behalf of the Acting Director of Reed Library, John Ellison. Key points from his remarks include: (1) Faculty and students seem positive about the nearly completed renovation; use seems to be up. (2) The dedication ceremonies for the new wing have been postponed from April to September 30, corresponding to Homecoming. (3) Alberto Rey has hung library-owned art works and some of his own works enhancing the ambience of the library. (4) Senior Appreciation Day will be celebrated by library staff on March 23. (5) VP Hess has asked for a $50,000 to $80,000 shopping list. The Library Advisory Committee will advise him on this. (6) Reed Library has been accepted for a pilot project to share databases via Internet. Reed is expected to have access to the several indexes of the Wilson Guides free of charge through UB. Steinberg asked whether the purchasing scenario was still dismal. Hart said it was, with the runaway inflation of prices for academic journals as the chief factor with these outstripping inflation by 250%. T.Pencek commented that students seem to be being discouraged from using Inter Library Loans. Hart replied that there is no intention to discourage, but there is a huge volume of request the library cannot satisfy, so we like to encourage students to make use of the materials already available. MacPhee added that administration hopes to restore some of the budget for monographs. Hart noted that the library had in recent years cut some 300 serials, but that rising costs continue to necessitate further cuts in that area. He said that the present budget goes approximately 80% to serials versus 20% for books; historically it was 60% for books, 40% for serials.
12. New Business
a. Motion (Academic Affairs Committee): that the Vice President for Academic Affairs be urged to provide each department chairperson with the booklet Preparing Course Syllabi for Improved Communication from the National Center for Research to Improve Postsecondary Teaching and Learning. Motion passed. VP Hess responded that he would be happy to provide these books to the departments.
b. Academic Affairs Committee, MindaRae Amiran, chair, distributed a one-page written report on multiculturalism in the curriculum [copies included in the Archive minutes]. Motion (M.Nelson/G.McNeil): that the Faculty Council accept with gratitude the committee's report. Motion passed.
13. Chairperson Steinberg asked for and received consensus to adjourn at 5:10 p.m.
Attendance:
Professional Staff, Management:
[x] K. Bonds (95)
[x] S. Clarke (96)
[E] V. Conover (96)
[1] D. Danielson (95)
[x] K. Harrington(94)[1]
[x] R. Hart (96)
[x] A. Jackson (96)
[E] T. Malinoski (96)
[x] G. McNeil (95)
[x] T. Murphy (96)
[x] C. Niles (94)
[x] M. Pabst (94)
[ ] vacant
Arts, Education, Humanities:
[x] M.R. Amiran (96)
[x] C. Brown (95)
[x] J. Burke (94)
[x] J. Gillette (96)
[x] D. Kerzner (95)
[x] R. Klassen (95)
[x] K. Lucey (94)
[x] R. Ma
[x] L. Maheady (94)
[x] J. McVicker (95)
[x] K. Mills-Courts (96)
[x] M. Nelson (96)
[x] J. Parla (95)
Natural and Social Sciences
[1] S. El-Mofty (96)
[1] J. Hansen (94)
[x] D. Jelski (94)
[x] J. Kraus (95)
[x] G. Lash (96)
[x] K. Mantai (96)
[1] P. Mattocks (96)
[1] A. Parai (95)
[x] T. Pencek (96)
[2] T. Rywick (94)
[x] A. Sarker (95)
[E] B.J.Stephens (95)
[x] M. Vassallo (95)
Student Representatives:
[x] N. Crino
[2] S. Downey
[2] M. Eglin
[2] R. Kerr
[x] N. Merkel[1]
[2] G. Schneider
Ex Officio:
[1] D. Burdette
[x] J. Crowley
[x] M. Dimitri
[x] D. Hess
[x] M. L. Lunde
[x] D. MacPhee
[x] T. McNeil
[x] J. Romal
[x] T. Steinberg
[x] J. Straight
[E] A. Wheeler
[x] S. Zablotney
Tracy Bennett
Daniel O'Rourke
Nancy Bowser
Constance Willeford
James Hurtgen
Ronald Ambrosetti
Thomas McNeil, College Senate Secretary