College Senate
MINUTES OF FREDONIA UNIVERSITY SENATE
May 3, 2004
The Fredonia University Senate met on Monday, May 3, 2004 in Room 105 of Fenton Hall. The meeting began at 4:03 P.M., chaired by Joe Chilberg. Associated with the meeting, but prior to it, was the approval of the confirmation of degrees for candidates for bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and for certificates of advanced study.
1. The agenda for the meeting was approved (Courtney, Nelson), amended to move the report of the Academic Affairs Committee up to after the approval of the minutes of the meeting of April 5, 2004.
2. The minutes of the meeting of April 5, 2004 were approved (Courtney, Antosh).
3. Joseph Straight, chair of the Academic Affairs Committee, presented the committee's annual report, thanking the committee's membership and especially its former chair, Kevin McMahon.
Straight noted that the committee had met earlier in the day on a draft distance education policy. The Senate will receive it for action early in the fall semester.
Straight then offered an demonstration of a new on-line course proposal form. The on-line form will permit tracking the entire process, from departmental approval through the various administrative offices and committees. Several suggestions were made on how to improve the form.
4. President Dennis Hefner presented his report, starting out by noting that the day was the birthday of Senate Chair, Joe Chilberg.
He then turned to an update on the SUNY budget. The process has been slow, but it appeared likely that the budget would include money to fund collective bargaining increases. It also appeared likely that there would be at least a partial restoration of funds which had been lost when the proposed increase in tuition was reduced. Funding to permit replacement of our campus's high pressure steam lines seems assured. Overall, things seem to be headed in the right direction, even if going at glacial speed.
Applications for admission are currently ahead of our all-time high, leaving us well ahead of last year's target.
Hefner then cited several significant student achievements: the student research poster session had over 100 participants, the college's SIFE team won the regionals for the 7th year in a row and was headed off to the nationals, and our computer science teams (2 of the 29 competing) came in 2nd and 5th in a recent competition (indeed, the team which came in second was actually tied for first, losing first place on a tie-breaker). He also hailed the spring musical, "Damn Yankees."
The President then went on to mention that SUNY's Presidents meet each summer for a retreat and that that retreat would be on our campus from June 7th through June 9th.
He had also learned that he has been appointed to serve as the University College representative on a committee to review SUNY's campus funding formula.
The President then offered his thanks to the Senate's leadership for its work during the year and wished all a "great summer."
In response to a question from Mac Nelson, Hefner indicated that May 1st had been the deadline for deposits. By then, typically, 95% of those who will make deposits will have made them, but deposits can come in late. Transfers have a later deadline.
5. Vice President for Administration Tracy Bennett indicated that the Cranston Hall project has gone out to bid, with bids to be opened on May 18th. He expected "really good bids," with work likely to begin during the summer. The residence hall portion of the project is expected to be completed prior fall 2006, with major penalties if not. The Rosch Recital Hall in Mason will be occupied during this summer.
In response to a question from Bruce Simon, Bennett indicated that all state contracts must be union contracts.
6. Vice President for Academic Affairs A.I. Musah presented his report. Academic Affairs had 24 searches for full-time, tenure track faculty. 20 were successfully completed, one failed, and three were still in progress. There were also three deans searches. The search for a Dean for the College of Education was successful with Christine Givner accepting our offer. However, the searches for the Deans for the College of Natural and Social Sciences and for Graduate Studies and Special Programs failed.
Associate Vice President Karen Klose, co-chair of the Strategic Planning Committee offered that committee's report. She expressed her thanks to her co-chair, Jim Hurtgen, to the members of the committee, and to the members of its various subcommittees.
The committee's report was posted on the web on April 27th. It is not a finished work. It is expected to be modified based on feedback during the summer and the fall.
In response to a question from Bruce Simon, Klose pointed out that Maggie Bryan-Peterson, the chair of the Planning and Budget Committee was also a member of the Strategic Planning Committee, thus facilitating communication between the two groups.
7. Senate Chair Chilberg reported that April's resolution regarding the Patriot Act had been mailed to those specified in the resolution.
The bylaw amendment to change committee structure to bring it in line with the reorganization of Academic Affairs failed by a very narrow margin due to lack of a sufficient number of overall votes. 159 total votes were necessary, but only 151 were received. The amendment was overwhelmingly favored (136 "yes" votes, 8 "no" votes, 7 "abstentions").
8. SUNY University Senator Bob Rogers reported on the April Plenary Session of the SUNY University Senate. The meeting was held at the Upstate Medical Center in
Syracuse. Garrick Utley, the new President of the Levin Institute, had reported to the Senate on its mission of offering graduate programs and advanced certification programs, but also offering the training sought by various businesses for their employees. The Institute expects to be flexible.
During the session, a good deal of attention was paid to the concerns over the assessment of general education raised by the Faculty Council of Community Colleges, the community college equivalent of the University Senate. The Senate took those concerns into account and passed a resolution on the assessment of general education in a vote of 33-6. Rogers voted "no," based on his concerns over potential misuse of assessment information.
The Senate voted in support of a Student Assembly resolution that called for strong sanctions on hazing.
The Senate continues to support legislation which would have the President of the SUNY University Senate as a non-voting member of the SUNY Board of Trustees. The proposal, which would give faculty a voice in Board deliberations, has been defeated in the legislature in the past.
There was also a panel discussion during the plenary on the issues of faculty and of student plagiarism.
9. Kim Tillery, the chair of the Faculty and Professional Affairs Committee. She initially noted two errors in the Committee's Annual Report. Under number 2, Melinda Karnes is a member of the Strategic Planning Committee. Under number 8, the Calendar Committee is actually a Subcommittee.
She then turned to the issue of search committee composition. The committee had prepared a three page document. It included a review of guidelines developed by SUNY and by Fredonia and a restatement of the steps listed in the SUNY Fredonia Affirmative Action Recruitment Policy and Procedures. The Faculty and Professional Affairs Committee recommended that those Recruitment Policy and Procedures be amended to "include a section on Search Committee formation, minimum number of committee members, and suggestions on how the committee can meet gender and ethnic diversity." The Committee suggested the following clarifications:
A. Potential search committee members may be obtained from the following:
1. Faculty and staff within the hiring department
2. Faculty and staff in other departments
3. Students
B. The SUNY System Guide to Recruiting the Most Talented Workforce indicates, on page three that three to six members should be included in the Search Committee. The SUNY Fredonia policy should include information on the number of participating Search Committee members deemed appropriate.
C. Whenever possible, a Search Committee should have a diverse membership.
D. The members of the Search Committee should identify themselves to the candidate.
During the discussion concerns were expressed about several elements of the document as a whole.
Among them: the sentence at the end of a paragraph of the SUNY Fredonia Affirmative Action Recruitment Policy and Procedures which reads: "At every step of the search process we need to ensure that persons with ethnic and gender diversity are present." Concerns centered about the phrasing of the last half of the sentence and also about its meaning and intent. In response to one question, it was stated that this phrasing did not require the attendance of a person reflecting diversity at each search committee meeting.
Another concern: How to interpret "Whenever possible..." in the recommended clarification "C": "Whenever possible, a Search Committee should have a diverse membership." Does that suggest a "good faith effort" or is it to be understood as a expectation which would always be fulfilled? Associated with that concern was whether search committee members (and especially student members, if any) should have appropriate levels of knowledge and expertise regarding the position being searched for. It was also noted that small departments might have difficulty finding diversity within their own faculty and staff ranks.
The recommendations did not require a second since they came from a Senate standing committee. They were approved by the Senate. However, since they were, in essence, recommendations to the Affirmative Action Committee, President Hefner stated that any changes that the Affirmative Action Committee made, based on Senate action, would come back to the Senate for review and approval prior to adoption as college policy.
10. The Senate accepted the report of the CCC Committee.
11. Joan Burke presented her report on Graduate Studies. She first discussed the need for a program revision for the MS in Speech and Language Disabilities to comply with American Speech and Hearing Association guidelines. Our current program now can be done in a year and a half (often a full academic year and two full summer sessions). The new program would take two years. Most other SUNY programs have already made the necessary changes. She then reviewed her Annual Report. A major action was the development of a graduate course repeat policy. Only two course repeats would be permitted and any one course could be repeated only once. The repeat would have to take place within two years after the course was initially taken. Upon completion of the repeat, the first grade would not be counted toward the student's GPA.
12. Chair Joe Chilberg concluded the meeting with words of thanks and appreciation to the Senate's Executive Committee, to President Hefner and to Vice President Musah.
13. The meeting concluded at 5:43 P.M.
Minutes prepared by Dick Reddy, substituting for Faculty Secretary, Ray Rushboldt.