Faculty Council
Minutes of the Meeting of February 12, 1996
1. Newly-elected chair Robert Deming called the meeting to order at 4:05 p.m. in room 105 of Fenton Hall and welcomed the members and guests to the first meeting of the calendar year 1996.
2. It was moved and seconded to approve the agenda as distributed, with the understanding, as stated by the Chair, that item number 9, College Name Change, would be tabled until March, because the report (by Tom Malinoski for Vice President Crowley) and supplementary supporting materials from Amin Sarkar were just available at the start of today's meeting. Passed.
3. It was moved and seconded to approved the minutes of the Dec. 11 meeting, with the following corrections:
a. On pg. 3 of the minutes, under the Calendar Committees report, dates for exams should read Dec. 20-22, not 22-22.
b. On pg. 4, item number 10 and also on pg. 2, in Amin Sarkar's motion, replace the second occurrence of the word "College" with "of New York."
c. On page 1, under President's report, change "30% cut in SUNY" to "30% cut in SUNY Central" and where it says "MacPhee predicts around a 4% cut," change "predicts" to "is using a planning figure of."
Motion passed.
4. Mac Nelson offered the following clarification (not correction) to the minutes:
In the calendar committees report, days not in session now also include Monday, September 6, 1999, and Thursday and Friday, October 7-8, 1999. He had omitted this information when making the committee report in November.
5. President's Report:
President Donald A. MacPhee announced that the Commencement Speaker for May 18, 1996, will be Dr. Michael Marletta, a graduate of Fredonia. Dr. Marletta is on the faculty at the University of Michigan where he holds an Endowed Chair in Biochemistry. He has been awarded the prestigious MacArthur Foundation Award.
Continuing Budget Saga: The pace of change, changing faces and changing processes, leads to a very uncertain budget environment. Much of the stability is going to have to come right here on the campus because there isn't much any place else. This doesn't mean that it won't clarify over time, but we need to hold steady and do what's right in a very uncertain environment.
Board members change: Fred Salerno, the Chair of the Board, is being replaced by Tom Egan, who was Vice Chair. He's someone who has been around the system a lot since his recent appointment to the board. He has been very energetic and active in the rethinking SUNY process. The vice chair is now Erland Kailbourne. He is, so far, a bright spot. He's a SUNY Alfred State Graduate. He's C.E.O. of Fleet Bank in Albany; he is quite well acquainted with SUNY, knows Fredonia fairly well, and has some good contacts.
Steve Weber, the intern President of Oswego, is going to San Diego State as President in the summer, and Bill Messner who is a Community College President in Orange County has been named associate provost of the system. The process has changed considerably as well: with a board that has an interest in the success of certain parts of the Governor's budget, and the relation between "Re-thinking SUNY" and its prospective savings, of course are linked very closely with the Governor's proposal. There is no commitment as yet (there may or may not be) from the board on the TAP restoration which in my judgement is the key issue for restoration right now, nor on other state funding restoration that might not be tied to specific recommendations in "Rethinking SUNY."
Please remember that the Board is not of one mind, even though they voted unanimously for "Rethinking SUNY." The tape that was made of the recent SUNY Faculty Senate meeting shows some of the differences among the trustees as to philosophy and some of the disagreements among members of the board.
The process is currently at the legislative hearing stage with staff and subcommittees doing their work behind the scenes. The Senate higher education committee had hearings throughout the state, the last one in Buffalo. Several SUNY Presidents, UUP and others testified there. The assembly higher education committee chaired by Mr. Sullivan will be in Buffalo at the end of this week. We'll also be presenting testimony there.
I made the rounds of our three legislators from Jamestown and Olean Friday afternoon and the three Presidents of U.B. and Buff State and Fredonia will be meeting, as we do each year, with the Western NY delegation on Thursday of this week in Buffalo.
So, there are opportunities to present our case. It is being presented. I'm being as direct as I can that TAP is a disaster and must be changed. I'm putting that at the top of my priorities, but with restoration that's not part of the Re-thinking SUNY. As you know, I'm supporting those recommendations in Re-thinking SUNY that could lead to dollar savings on budgets like ours.
We're putting together some graphic presentations that will get around to you a little later, that I think might be useful in seeing what the trade offs are to some of those, but we've talked about them in the past. So there's lots going on. The rumors of Presidents being gagged -- not able to advocate -- are highly exaggerated. They aren't true. There was something going around about the Chancellor telling the Presidents they couldn't advocate the budget. He didn't.
The Chancellor's role, I think, is muted or negated by the role of the Board in ways that has not been the case before and that is unfortunate. So the process goes on, and I will keep you posted on that and the others that are very actively involved, of course, as well.
In relation to campus planning, each campus is pretty well determining, as they have in the past, its own process and pace. Since we don't know what the cuts will be, (we are assuming there will be cuts, but we don't know the scale) it is premature to try to come out with a particular plan and a particular budget cut number. We simply don't know it, it's not fair to the people that might be involved, and it's not fair to the advocacy process.
You will hear from some campuses that retrenchments are being announced. They are, on some campuses, but that relates to their own situation. Fredonia is not at that stage. I hope we won't be, but we still are looking, as we have, at various levels of cuts, just in a planning way. We're still looking at what ifs, and the number I reacted to, the 4% planning number, is still as good as any, but it is strictly a planning number. We hope it will be less, but with the potential for a possible enrollment shortfall, we need to look at that as well.
Lots of things still need to be clarified, including the federal level, that could impact the state, how the Legislature will in fact react to the re-thinking SUNY document, and the recommendations on hospitals, early retirement, TAP, and tuition. There are recommendations but are not confirmed yet.
I will continue to work with the Planning and Budget Committee and should be meeting with them soon.
There is a faculty meeting scheduled for February 23; there may not be anything drastically new by then but I'll at least bring you up to date and hopefully there will be some other things we can talk about that are more pleasant than budget.
Questions:
Ken Mantai: In the announcements that come out of your office about the SUNY Awards, Chancellors Award and Distinguished Teaching Professors, is there any reason why University Professor isn't included?
President MacPhee: This is one that would need its own process. It can be done any time of the year, and we'll check into it.
Ken Mantai: Last meeting, or the one before, I asked about the MCI phone contract that generated money. David Burdette said something but he didn't say how much money. Notes were passed around that it was $300,000 per year; $100,000 going to instructional technology and the other $200,000 staying with Dave Burdette. I am just wondering if it's wise to distribute this way.
Vice President Burdette: Just a quick report. First, it doesn't stay with Dave. $300,000 was an expected goal based on last spring's projected enrollment, so now it's plus or minus $300,000. $100,000 was start-up costs for introducing the MCI system into the college. $100,000 was technology money and $100,000 was credited as part of a budget cut to my area.
Dr. Mantai: Are we going to get $300,000 a year?
Vice President Burdette: We hope so, depending, first on total enrollment, and second, what the dormitory population is like, and third, how often calls are made.
Dr. Mantai: Do you expect that more of that will go towards technology, since students are generating the money?
Vice President Burdette: I think ultimately it will all benefit student life on campus.
President MacPhee: It's all going to be related to technology, as is the technology fee, but there is some flexibility in modifying where it is directed year by year.
Mac Nelson: I'm told that the convocation for next fall has been suspended or planning for it has been suspended. Is it true that this was done without consultation with the Convocation Committee?
President MacPhee: We are looking at alternatives to use that event. I hate, as many of you do, to see that time go. It was done partly for funding. Also, I felt that because of the funding, it would be a good time next year for a new President with the faculty and the Academic Vice President to look at the process and re-energize it as necessary.
Dr. Nelson: That may well be so, but was there consultation with the committee when this was done?
President MacPhee: No; consultation would suggest asking for opinions.
Vice President Hess: The committee had asked what the progress should be, whether it should continue. I took it up with the President and we came to the conclusion that perhaps it should be re-studied and we are looking at other options for next year.
President MacPhee: We are looking at whether we might use this as a transition year. It may be that we have an opportunity to tap some of the private funding for next year, and then, the campus could look at the long term.
Kenneth Lucey: On the same issue, as a long-time member of the Convocation Committee, I would have welcomed the opportunity, if money was the concern, to figure out a way to maintain the tradition.
Minda Rae Amiran: On the budget, what are the implications of going back to the state year starting April 1?
President MacPhee: All negative. If this obtains, and I've urged our three legislators to kill the idea. There doesn't seem to be much idea of why the Governor even proposed it; we are trying to have it repaired. My understanding is that it would not affect us during 1996-97 but that it would have a very negative impact the following year.
Vice President Burdette: If the proposal is enacted, the nightmare will occur at or about March 31 of 1997. The proposal is not good news.
6. Chairperson's report:
a. Election of Vice Chair. Dr. Deming indicated Jane Romal was nominated for the position by the executive committee and called for nominations from the floor. There were none. The secretary was instructed to cast a unanimous ballot, and Ms. Romal was elected.
b. Dr. Deming appointed Jefferson Westwood as parliamentarian.
c. Dr. Deming: We are instituting a number of changes that we hope will bring about greater efficiency: Motions that you know you are going to make before you come to council we would appreciate having at the table in writing. If you have a spontaneous motion during the course of the meeting, please write it down and pass it down. Also, all standing committees who intend on making reports to council should get their reports to the College Senate Secretary by the date of the executive committee meeting so they can be sent out with the minutes. The reason for this is that we believe that Faculty Council members would like additional time to think and reflect upon the reports and perhaps consult their constituencies. We hope to get out the minutes and agenda on the Wednesday before each Faculty Council meeting.
d. As result of the faculty census, there are 44 voting members of Faculty Council and the quorum will be 23.
e. The motion previously passed by Council in November on 1994 regarding instructor-initiated drops ("During the second full week of classes, instructors may request in writing that the Registrar remove a student from a class roster if there have been at least two scheduled meetings of the class and the student has not attended any of the scheduled class meetings and has not contacted the instructor.") was never sent to the President for action last calendar but has been now, and I expect that he will be approving it shortly.
f. Thanks to John Hansen, Faculty Council now has a list-serve in which relevant materials will be posted by the Chair of Faculty
Council in order to keep members better informed and up to date. Anyone who joins the list-serve will receive these notices about available materials via E-mail. Long documents will be put on deposit on Faculty Council reserve in Reed Library. For example, when something happens on campus, like the cross-burning last fall, which I feel Faculty Council members should know about, then I will post it on the list-serve. The memo written by Julius Adams on this topic last semester was not received by many Faculty Council members because it was not distributed until the minutes went out. In the future, if a member of Faculty Council wants to communicate something to the entire body, he should send it to me via e-mail and I will post it on the list-serve.
g. The Executive Committee is in process of reviewing two things: 1) Possible consolidation among the various standing, ad-hoc and administrative/advisory committees, and 2) the likelihood and timeliness of doing administrative review as called for in the bylaws. If there are other things you feel the Executive Committee should be concerned with, please communicate them to any member of the committee.
7. Vice Chair: No report.
8. Faculty Senator's report (Moj Seyedian):
Written report was distributed with the minutes; will take questions.
Minda Rae Amiran: Was there any reaction from the Chancellor to the recommendations of the Senate?
Dr. Seyedian: I am not aware of any.
Dr. Amiran: When the senators expressed their deep concern about the recommendations of the Community College's Task Force, what did the Chancellor say?
Dr. Seyedian: That this is the beginning of the dialogue.
President MacPhee: The College and Center Presidents also expressed great concern about that report during a conference call. We worked out, on that call, that the report will be received and a process established where the missions of the various sectors (Colleges, Community Colleges, and Centers) will be looked at over time. I will be very surprised if this report moves forward now. The report essentially spoke of community colleges being the "primary point of access" which would have strong implications for baccalaureate colleges like ours.
Dr. Deming: This is the kind of thing, which if the President passes on to me, I will put a posting on the list-serve and then put it on Faculty Council reserve.
9. Presidential Search Committee (Ray Belliotti):
From a pool of 74 candidates, we have narrowed the field to 19. We are now in the process of fielding recommendations and drafting our own interrogatories. It looks like a strong field. There are three women and two African-American males among the 19. We would like to have campus visits completed by the end of April. There are four qualification clusters including Professional Credentials and Experience, Personal Attributes, Management Style and Outlook, and Special Expertise. Contrary to popular rumors, there are no internal candidates anywhere in the pool.
Dr. Deming: Can the full list of clustered qualifications be made available to Faculty Council?
Dr. Belliotti: I would think so. I will check with the committee and this could be made available through the new Faculty Council list- serve.
10. Governance Committee (Steve Rees):
Election results were announced according to a hand-out provided and the new members stood and were welcomed to a warm round of applause.
The committee has run elections for Faculty/Staff representatives to Faculty Student Association Board. Ballots will be tabulated on Feb. 13 and the winners announced on the list-serve. Please turn in faculty preference polls to Vince Courtney at Reed Library by February 19. Response has been only "fair" so far, according to Vince. Please remind your colleagues to turn these in.
11. Academic Affairs: No report.
12. Planning Budget:
Holly Lawson had a report attached with the agenda.
13. Professional Services Committee:
Dr. Deming said that Joan Burke reported that the committee's job-related time survey will be reported out in time for the March meeting.
14. Student Affairs: No report.
15. College Name Change: A memo from Tom Malinoski and a statement from Amin Sarkar supporting his previous motion to change the College name were distributed. Moved and seconded to table until the March meeting. Passed.
16. New Business:
Ken Mantai raised questions about service and satisfaction with the new Copy Center. There have been complaints within his department (biology) which are similar to ones in a recent letter to the editor of the Leader. Associate Dean Ron Ambrosetti responded that he is aware of problems; they are being addressed.
Joyce Stephens raised a question about stipends for coordinators of BASS programs. Dean Sharon Zablotney responded that no new policy has been implemented yet, just discussed. When implemented, all coordinators will be reimbursed under the new guidelines which were discussed with the coordinators.
Meeting Adjourned at 5:05 p.m.
Attendance:
Professional Staff/Management Confidential:
[x] Sylvia Clarke
[x] Fabrizio Daloisio
[x] Susan Maloney
[ ] Kevin Michki
[x] Timothy Murphy
[ ] William Ortega
[x] Martha Smith
[x] Charlene Wiles
[x] Vivian Garcia Conover
[E] Thomas Malinoski
[x] Lisa Marrano
[ ] Jerome Moss
[ ] Richard Notte
[ ] Patrick Rocheleau
[x] Terry Tzitzis
Arts, Education, and Humanities:
[x] Minda Rae Amiran
[x] Robert Deming
[x] Carl Farraro
[x] Rose Klassen
[x] David Ludlam
[x] Lawrence Maheady
[x] Malcolm Nelson
[x] Stephen E. Rees
[x] Candice Brown
[x] Janet Fairbairn
[x] Harry Jacobson
[x] Kenneth Lucey
[x] Ringo Ma
[ ] Karen Mills-Courts
[x] John Onufrak
[ ] George Sebouhian
Natural and Social Sciences:
[x] Nancy Boynton
[x] Jon Kraus
[x] Kenneth Mantai
[x] Tom Pencek
[x] Amin Sarkar
[ ] Mario Vassallo
[x] Nancy Gee
[E] Gary Lash
[ ] Peter Mattocks
[E] Greg Prechtl
[x] Brenda Joyce Stephens
[ ] Deborah Welch
Ex Officio Members:
[x] Moj Seyedian (Faculty Senator)
[ ] John Crowley (VP, Developement)
[x] Greg Harper (Acting Dean, Educational Studies)
[ ] James Hurtgen (Dean for Liberal Studies)
[ ] Peter Mooney (SA President)
[x] Jefferson Westwood (College Senate Secretary)
[x] David Burdette (VP, Administration)
[x] Michael Dimitri (VP, Student Affairs)
[x] David Hess (VP, Academic Affairs)
[x] Donald MacPhee (President)
[x] Stephen Rees (Chair, Governance Committee)
[x] Sharon Zablotney (Dean, Arts and Sciences)
Guests:
Ray Bellotti
Nancy Bowser
JoAnne Parla-Burdic
Respectfully submitted,
Jefferson Westwood, Secretary