FACULTY SENATE MINUTES #10

                                                  March 4, 2008

 

1. CALL TO ORDER:  The tenth meeting of the Faculty Senate for 2007-2008 was

called to order at 1:10 PM on March 4, 2008 in the Park Center Hall of Fame Room

by Chair Karla Alwes.

 

SENATORS AND MEMBERS PRESENT:  K. Alwes, B. Buxton, E. McCabe,

D. Berger, I. Jubran, K. Lawrence, N. Helsper, H. Botwinick, J. Shedd, D. Miller,

D. West, J. Reese, J. Walkuski, J. Governali, J. Hendrick, O. White, A. Dahlman,

D. Harrington, T. Vigers, D. Ritchie, T. Slack, M. Ware, S. Snell, J. Clark, C. Hahl,

J. Riddoch, E. Bitterbaum, E. Davis-Russell, R. Peagler, D. West, J. Ford, S. Anderson

 

SENATORS AND MEMBERS ABSENT: J. Rayle, J. Duncan, B. Langhans,

D. Videto, B. Schecter, R. Franco, W. Shaut, M. Connell

 

GUESTS PRESENT: N. Aumann, P. Koryzno

 

II. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES:

The minutes from February 19, 2008 were approved.

 

III. SENATE ACTIONS:

There were no Senate actions taken.

 

A straw poll was taken at the Senate with the results below:

 

OPTION 1�������� (Departmental Model)������������������������������ (11 approved)��������������������

OPTION 1�������� (Departmental Model w/ modifications���� (16 approved)

��� OPTION 1�������� (Departmental Model)������������������������������ (3 Not Approved)

 

IV. CHAIR�S REPORT:

The Chair mentioned the Provost�s search process with sessions being conducted the following

day involving Mark Prus and encouraged everyone to participate.

 

V. VICE CHAIR'S REPORT

B. Buxton � No report.

 

VI. SECRETARY�S REPORT:

E. McCabe - no report  

 

VII. TREASURER�S REPORT:

D. Berger � The Treasurer reported that there was $1071.69 in the Senate Treasury and thanked

everyone for contributing, indicating it a possible record amount.

 

VIII. PRESIDENT�S REPORT:

President Bitterbaum gave a brief report.

 

IX. STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS:

 

Long Range Planning Committee Janet Ford, co-chair � No report.

 

 

Educational Policy Committee � R. Kendrick, Chair � Donna West reported that her

committee met on February 21 and discussed Part II of the Review of Governance Report. She also

indicated that the EPC Committee needs to be recharged by the Faculty Senate regarding the withdrawal policy.

 

Student Affairs Committee � M. Connell, Chair � No report (absent)

 

Faculty Affairs Committee � J. Walkuski, Chair � The Chair indicated that his committee has completed

reviewing the policies of the Philosophy Department which would be going to the chair that week.

 

College Research Committee � No report.

 

General Education Committee � M. McGuire, Chair � No report (absent).

 

X. OTHER COMMITTEE REPORTS:

 

Committee on Committees � J. Barry, Chair � No report.

 

XI. AREA SENATOR�S REPORTS:

T. Slack gave a brief report on energy on campus for the month of January from the SUNY Task Force on Energy.

 

XII. SUNY SENATOR�S REPORT � M. Ware � No report.

 

XIII. STUDENT SENATOR�S REPORTS:

The students gave a brief report.

 

XIV. OLD BUSINESS

The Old Business regarding Voluntary Accountability was addressed.Chairwoman Alwes indicated that although

the Steering Committee met and the issue was put on the agenda under Old Business, since there was not a

quorum at the Steering Committee, they would have to meet again and decide whether it should be an agenda

item for the next meeting.

 

XV. NEW BUSINESS

Howard Botwinick, Chair of the Review of Governance Committee gave a brief introductory statement before the

discussion began involving Part I of the Review of Governance Report relating to the Faculty Senate structure

{SEE Appendix 1}

 

After lengthy discussion a straw poll was taken at the Senate with the results below:

 

OPTION 1�������� (Departmental Model)������������������������������ (11 approved)��������������������

OPTION 1�������� (Departmental Model w/ modifications���� (16 approved)

��� OPTION 1�������� (Departmental Model)������������������������������ (3 Not Approved)

 

Respectfully Submitted:

 

Barbara Kissel

Recording Secretary

The following reports are appended to the minutes in the order they are submitted:

 

(1)    Statement from H. Botwinick, Chair, Review of Governance Committee, submitted by H. Botwinick

 

APPENDIX 1

����������������������������� H. Botwinick, Chair, Review of Governance Committee

 

Points of Clarification in terms of Overall Process

1) The ROG Report is officially finished � It�s now up to Senate.
However, having said this, the Senate should consider that this report represents

- I year of work, collecting a great deal of input from the campus community
- Initial Forums, Numerous Interviews & perhaps the most significant faculty survey in years
       
163 out of 256 Academic Faculty, or 64% of the faculty responded to the survey.

- Moreover, our recommendations regarding: the reduction of Administrators, increasing academic faculty,  the removal of student votes,  insuring that most standing committees are chaired by tenured academic faculty  --  All have clear support from the survey

- The Senate should also consider that the composition of the ROG Committee was very inclusive and was not dominated by A&S.  We had two members from each of the three academic schools, two professionals, one librarian and one ex officio representative from the Administration.

- Given all of this careful work based on a great deal of data, I would hope that the Senate would begin its deliberations by taking the committee�s recommendations seriously as a starting point for our deliberations.

2) What was the recent round of forums organized for?

Largely for educational purposes 
       
- to explain why ROG came up with these proposals
       
- to see if faculty had serious questions or objections to particular parts
       
- to see if we needed to further clarify certain points as the Senate moves towards its own recommendations

3) My proposal for today�s discussion is the following:

- We should move to an informal discussion of Option One as a Committee of the Whole and attempt to get a sense of what Senate members are thinking regarding this proposal.

        - how many support Option One as it stands
       
- how many would support the departmental model with a few changes
       
- how many are seriously opposed to the departmental model

- We should then frankly discuss why people support the proposal, or want to see some   changes - .

- If a few compromises are necessary to get a strong majority to support Option one, then we can discuss these possibilities.

4) At the next Faculty Senate Meeting, we will hopefully be ready to begin a more formal discussion of Option One, and be ready to make any compromise amendments that may be necessary to gain strong support for this model.

Thank you,

H.Botwinick



http://www.cortland.edu/senate/minutes/0708min10.html

 

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