����������������������� ��
1. CALL TO
ORDER: The fourth meeting of the
SENATORS AND MEMBERS PRESENT:� B. Buxton,
SENATORS AND MEMBERS ABSENT:
�K. Lawrence, J. Duncan, J. Shedd,
GUESTS: �N. Aumann, H. Wilson, B. Mattingly, K. Alwes, R. Borden, A. Wiegard, M. Kennedy
II. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES:
The minutes from
III. SENATE ACTIONS
The nomination from the Committee on Committees was approved
(Passed) {SEE Appendix 1]
There was a vote to
amend the proposal regarding the addition of two full-time lecturers with
voting rights to the Senate elected at large (Approved)
There was a vote as
follows: Article VI of the Senate bylaws should be amended to include the
following additional voting members:�
�Two elected representatives for full-time lecturers.� One to be elected at-large
from full-time lecturers in Arts and Sciences. One to
be elected at-large from full-time lecturers in Professional Studies and
Education, combined.� (Postponed;
There was a vote to
send the Summer Scheduling Proposal to the Educational Policy Committee (Approved)
There was an
amendment to the motion to send the Summer Scheduling Proposal to the
Educational Policy Committee with the provision that it be reviewed by the EPC
and sent back to the Senate by the next meeting on October 28, if possible (Approved)
IV. CHAIR�S REPORT:
Chair Buxton began
his report with a reminder that the next
The next item of
business concerned the Academic Grievance Tribunal involving the need for new
members since the present terms have run out.�
Buxton explained that, although a procedure is supposed to be in place
for the Senate to fill these vacancies, after having done some research on the
matter, none presently exists.� To
resolve the problem, Buxton referred to a place in the handbook allowing the
V. VICE CHAIR�S REPORT:
K. Lawrence � No report (absent)
VI. SECRETARY�S REPORT:
J. Shedd - No report (absent)
VIII. �PRESIDENT�S REPORT:
President Bitterbaum gave a report involving alums who have offered
to donate frequent flyer miles to help defray costs of travel considering the
current budget situation; Strategic Planning on campus; the Resource
Enhancement Committee; a productive meeting he had with Student Government
recently; and the SUNY Student Assembly who voted for a tuition increase.
The President
indicated that the campus would not hear anything new until after the election.
President Bitterbaum, as well as Provost Prus,
answered several question regarding the enrollment overflow allocation funds.
IX. STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Educational Policy Committee � R. Kendrick � R.
Kendrick was absent but reported through the chair that the EPC is continuing
its discussion of the policies affecting overlaps between majors, minors, and
concentrations. Ginny Levine, Assistant to the President, prepared a packet of
materials on SUNY and college policies on this issue that will be distributed
to committee members at the meeting on Thursday, October 16 at
Student Affairs Committee � T. Phillips, Chair � no report.
Faculty Affairs Committee � J. Walkuski (absent) � Chair Buxton reported for the committee that they are getting organized and, hopefully, they should have something to report soon.
College Research Committee � No report (absent)
General Education Committee � D. Miller, Chair � Miller reported that his committee is finalizing notification to faculty who are teaching GE courses to be assessed the spring semester, which is scheduled to go out at the end of the week.� The GE committee is trying to clarify whether the Math category is going to be assessed or whether it will be postponed.� Miller indicated that the committee has been planning on using the test that was being developed by an outside agency, but since that standardized test collapsed, they are working through the issue.� He finished by reporting that things are looking good.
Committee on Committees � B. Buxton gave the report for the Committee on Committees.
The nomination from the committee was approved {SEE APPENDIX 1}
X. AREA SENATOR�S REPORTS:
There were no Area Senator reports.
XI. SUNY SENATOR�S REPORT � M. Ware gave a detailed report, along with a report from SUNY President, Carl Wiezalis, which are included in their entirety in Appendix 2.
B. Buxton asked Dr. Ware a question regarding the issue of articulation, indicating that he had been asked to approve a 200 or 300 level from a community college which he declined to approve. Chair Buxton inquired as to how strong the push is regarding articulation.
M. Ware encouraged anyone interested to look at the resolution from the UFS that is set up on the Senate website regarding articulation.� She indicated that what the UFS is trying to do is keep articulation within the hands of the faculty.
M. Prus also reported on different ways the topic is being approached, including from System Administration, the Board of Trustees, chief academic officers of all the campuses, and especially the comprehensive colleges.�
XII. STUDENT SENATOR�S REPORTS:
C. Hahl had nothing to report.
XIII. OLD BUSINESS:
The Old Business from the Review of Governance Report
regarding the addition of two full-time lecturer positions to the Senate was
discussed at length.� The proposal was
amended by H. Botwinick as follows: Article IV of the
Senate bylaws should be amended to include the following additional voting
members:� �Two elected representatives
for full-time lecturers. One to be elected at-large from
full-time lecturers in Arts and Sciences.� One to be elected at-large
from full-time lecturers in Professional Studies and Education, combined.
{SEE
Senate Actions}
Ann Wiegard was recognized from
the floor who spoke to the proposal. She read from a statement from the
Lecturer�s Review Committee {SEE Appendix 3}.� �She indicated that she has been a full-time lecturer
since 1999 on this campus, and before in
H. Botwinick referred to the
statistics as far as full-time lecturers which had been provided by M. Prus showing the number of full-time lecturers broken down
by department {SEE Appendix 4)�
H. Botwinick made a motion to amend the proposal from the original one, that one full time lecturer be added from Arts and Sciences to be elected at large, and one from Professional Studies and Education combined to be elected at large.� The motion to amend the proposal was approved. Then discussion ensued regarding the actual amended proposal.
There were several questions directed to A. Wiegard regarding the Lecturer Review Committee�s sentiments, since none were in attendance and the original proposal had been changed.� Dr. Wiegard indicated the committee�s continued support.
There was the need for clarification since the previously unseen amended version had been listed erroneously on the agenda instead of the original one, causing some confusion.
D. West commented that she felt it might cause some discord between Education and Professional Studies if the schools were not represented over a period of time.
B. Buxton confirmed that the positions would require
standard two year terms.
R. Borden also spoke to the proposal, indicating that he has served as a full-time lecturer and on the Lecturer Review Committee on campus for many years.� He mentioned that the issues full-time lecturers deal with go across all schools and all work has been shared without division.�
D. West asked a question regarding salary distinctions across the schools as far as full-time lecturers are concerned.
R. Borden indicated that the salaries are essentially the same, quoting salary figures.
M. Prus expressed concern since Borden made a statement that was contradictory to the amended version of the proposal.
R. Borden responded that although there are some issues that divide the schools, he felt this was not true in terms of the issues specific to them.
K. Alwes responded, as chair of the department (English) with the most lecturers on campus, in support of the proposal stating that the issues transcend schools.
M. Kennedy from the English Department also spoke in support of the proposal.
H. Botwinick mentioned his intent on amending the proposal indicating awareness of how sensitive individuals are on campus to numbers between the schools.
Dr. Weigard reported that many schools are doing this across the country.
J. Governali asked a question regarding the election process, if the lecturers would be elected by school.
B. Buxton responded that such a process would be consistent with what Senator Botwinick proposed.
D. West wondered why one full-time lecturer would not suffice for now, with expansion possible at a later date.
There was a motion to approve amending the original motion
regarding the addition of two full time lecturers as voting members to the
J. Governali asked for clarification as to what specific issues this constituency deals with.
N. Helsper responded that the issue is that they are faculty who don�t get to vote.
Dr. Wiegard indicated that the group is not included in tenure track decisions and they would like a voice.
Dr. Borden mentioned academic freedom issues.
J. Hendrick asked a question regarding the number of lecturers (48) and if that figure would stay consistent over the years.
M. Prus indicated that full time lecturer positions within the schools are at a cap.
R. Borden mentioned the problem of contingency on campus and the fact that the part-time faculty are too busy trying to find additional employment to attend Senate meetings.
E. McCabe mentioned her work with full-time lecturers and spoke in favor of the proposal.
D. West felt that there are still some divisions between the disciplines.
A. Dahlman asked a question, if the proposed number of two full-time lecturers derived from the part a or b option from the Review of Governance Report, where the professionals were theoretically proposed to be changed to 6.
H. Botwinick responded in the affirmative and mentioned the incongruity and level of inconsistency as to how the process evolved over the years as to numbers and representation.
J. Governali asked about the lack of a rationale asking for more clarification as to specific issues the group deals with.
J. Rayle made a motion to postpone the proposal until the next meeting on October 28 which was approved.
After lengthy discussion, due to time limitations, there was
a motion from J. Rayle to postpone further discussion and vote until the next
meeting on October 28, which was approved.
XIV. NEW BUSINESS
The Summer Scheduling Proposal was introduced by B. Mattingly and discussed.� Following a question from J. Hendrick as to why the proposal had not gone through the Educational Policy Committee, according to Senate procedures and since the original summer scheduling plans had originated from here, there was a motion from J. Hendrick to send the proposal to the Educational Policy Committee for its consideration before bringing it back to the Senate.� There was an amendment to this motion, which was approved, that the proposal be expedited so that it could be considered by the next Senate meeting on October 28, if possible, due to the need for urgency.�
B. Mattingly spoke to two issues, possible energy and money savings, and elimination of under-utilized classes.
Respectfully Submitted:
Recording Secretary
The following reports are appended to the minutes in the order they are submitted:
(1) Committee on Committees report submitted by J. Barry, Chair.
(2) SUNY Senator�s report and President�s Report, submitted by M. Ware
(3) �Full-time Lecturer document from Colleen Buchanan, Chair, Lecturer�s Committee submitted by A. Wiegard
(4) Number of Full-time Lecturer�s, submitted by H. Botwinick
(5) Summer Scheduling Proposal, submitted by B. Mattingly
����������������������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������������� APPENDIX 1
����������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������������� Committee on Committees report
Item # 1
Committee
on Teaching Effectiveness � Kathleen Burke representing Social/Behavioral
Sciences (2005-2009 � complete unexpired term)
This
requires confirmation by the
����������������������������������������������������������� �
��� APPENDIX 2
��������������������������� Submitted by SUNY
Senator M. Ware
Faculty Senator�s Report �
The
Of interest, however, is the President�s report which has
been sent to us already, in preparation for the Plenary.� I will append that report to my report and
give you some highlights here.� The
year�s theme is � Empowering New York through
Sustainability and Diversity�.� The
budget remains a concern uppermost in everyone�s minds.� The Acting Vice Chancellor of Finance and
Administration (SUNY System Admin) will be at the
The Senate is working with the UUP and with the trustees to attempt to deal with budget issues on a unified basis.� Carl McCall, Phil Smith and Carl Weizelis have met face to face to begin this effort and to get to know each other.
The Chancellor�s search committee (of which Carl Weizelis is a member) is still working. Carl mentioned many rumors flying around and dispelled those which he could, given his requirement of confidentiality.� The committee is meeting again soon.
A Senate committee on Articulation and Transfer (one of the
ad hoc committees I mentioned) will present a resolution at the Fall
Plenary.� After reading it, I�m not sure
it will pass, however for those interested, information and the resolution are
posted on the
Again I am sorry not to be attending this Plenary, as I think it will be an interesting gathering of concerned senators and the issues of budget, chancellor search and articulation and transfer will be discussed, however I will gather information and keep you informed once the Plenary ends.� I have close contact with several other senators from four year colleges, and will ask them to share information with me.
Respectfully submitted,
University Faculty Senator
President�s Report
October 2008
May I
begin this report by welcoming you all back to the Fall
semester and to faculty governance.� It
was difficult to enjoy this past summer with the challenges of the State and
SUNY budgets looming over the State of
During
our Spring Plenary meeting at SUNY Delhi you will remember that I asked our
committees, standing and ad hoc, to extend their activities into the summer to
advance their project work and create a less-interrupted business year.� Many of our faculty and staff colleagues work
a calendar year, and all of our campuses and System Administration certainly
are very active throughout the summer.
By
pressing on with our committee work through the summer we have the opportunity
to increase the volume and timeliness of our work.� I want to thank all of our committee members
and leaders who pressed on while others enjoyed an extended vacation.� The additional work was measurable.
The UFS
Summer Planning Retreat was held at the
This is a
good place in my report to give credit to a very important person, critical to
the day-to-day operation of the Senate � Carol Donato.� She is the organizational force behind the
planning and operations of all of our executive, standing and ad hoc committee
meetings, plenary meetings, design of all documents, communications with our
colleagues and administration, and management of the president�s travel,
calendar and correspondence.� She is a
wise and respected advisor, having worked with System Administrators for over
two decades.� She often puts her position
and the University
I want to
recognize and thank the out-going chairs and members of our committees for
their dedication and high performance during the last academic year.� We deeply appreciate their sacrifices and
invite them to return to this work in the future as time allows.� For those member and chair returning for yet
another year, we want you to know that the leadership and membership recognize
your service efforts and celebrate your engagement is shared governance.
The
University
NYS
Department of Education Office of the Professions, co-chaired the day with
me.� Frank was an enthusiastic supporter
of this first-ever colloquium and has pledged his support for doing this
annually.� (For those of you unfamiliar
with the licensed professions, they include medicine, nursing, respiratory
care, dentistry, veterinary science, to name a few.)� Alignment between the SUNY academic programs
and the Office of the Professions is critical for NYS licensing.� Even if a student graduates from a college of
medicine, for example, that student cannot practice in the State of
The
Governor�s budget continues to challenge SUNY in proportion to other State
agencies.� While Chancellor Clark and
Trustee Chair Carl Hayden have diligently tried to re-negotiate the
relationship between SUNY and the Governor�s Office, most efforts to date have
met with failure.� The Board of Trustees
Finance Committee, chaired by past New York State Comptroller H. Carl McCall,
is advisory to the full Board of Trustees relative to budget policy and
planning.� The Finance Committee,
together with Carl Hayden and senior System Administration have
been working tirelessly throughout the summer to find a way to manage and
mitigate the across-the-board cuts advanced by Governor Patterson.� At the last meeting of the Finance Committee,
Carl McCall asked all State-operated college presidents to prepare budgets
consistent with the proposed cuts.�
Further, our college presidents were asked to describe, in some detail,
what the proposed cuts would mean to campus programs and operations.� The only persistent good news is that the
capital budget remains intact, as described at our spring plenary.
Jim Van Voorst, Acting Vice Chancellor for Finance and
Administration will be with us at the Potsdam Plenary to offer an
up-to-that-date budget presentation and answer your questions as only he
can.� So please talk with your colleagues
about their budget concerns and bring those questions with you to
I am
pleased to report that we were successful in arranging a meeting between/among myself, H. Carl McCall, UUP President Phil Smith, Executive
Vice President of NYSUT Allen Lubin and senior staff
of UUP and NYSUT.� This was an effort to
organize the behavior of these educational leadership bodes to seek pathways to
short and long-term mitigation of the financial short-falls which threaten the
future of all education in
On
October 2, I was able to organize a private meeting in
As
always, our advocacy work begins at our home campuses, with our local
administrators, businesses, legislators and unions to promote the parts of our
System.� Many of us are active with the
legislative initiatives of UUP, as our union is uniquely positioned for local
and State-wide advocacy.� I recommend
your engagement without reservation.� As
President, I meet with System Administrators to explore what the Senate might
do as a body to promote SUNY.� As a
member of the SUNY Board of Trustees I get to share our perspectives with the
Board and its committees.� Additionally,
I meet with the President and leadership of the SUNY Student Assembly and I
attend their State-wide meetings, where budget is frequently on the
agenda.� The budget is always a prime
subject of the Executive Committee of the University
Other
than pragmatic questions about the budget, most questions directed to me relate
to the Chancellor�s Search Committee.� I
am pleased to represent the University
Contrary
to the popular rumor and articles in newspapers, our Chancellor Search process
continues.� Three names were NOT given to
Governor Paterson to select from.�
Without violating my oath of confidentiality regarding this search, I� may add that many
applications have been received from individuals interested in the
position.� A small sub-committee of the
full Search Committee was appointed by Chair Carl Hayden, Milton Johnson,
President of the Faculty Council of Community Colleges and I have been serving
on that sub-committee. The sub-committee has been screening and offering
preliminary interviews to applicants of promise, and there have been several
promising candidates identified.� Most of
these promising applicants remain in the active applicant pool.� We have not lost many applicants as a
result of protracted time, press leaks and/or the gloomy budget situation for
SUNY.� The mix of applicants has been of
traditional academics as well as non-traditional candidates.� And I must report that the diverse mix of
candidates has not caused an extra-ordinary split among the Search
Committee members, as has been reported in the press.� We have been assured that the search has been
and will be objective, transparent and without political intrusion.� If it becomes otherwise, I would resign from
the search committee.� Everyone agrees
that we are upon difficult times in SUNY, and these times require a strong,
experienced leader able to articulate the vision and mission of public higher
education and market that mission and vision to all New Yorker-legislators,
economic leaders and the taxpayers alike.�
Our future is dependent upon our recruiting such a person.� A meeting of the full Search Committee will
be scheduled in the next couple of weeks.�
I shall keep you updated.
Ram Chugh, the new Executive Director of the SUNY Retiree
Service Corps will present an update of the work of his office at the Potsdam
Plenary.�
We have
three ad hoc committees operating under the umbrella of the
The
Special Joint Committee on Articulation and Transfer, an ad hoc committee
jointly sponsored by the University
I have
been a monthly participant of the meetings of the Business and Education
Leadership Cooperative, an organization of agency, business and education
(public and private) leaders dedicated to preserving and advancing New York
through research, education, workforce development and economic
development.� Barbara Drago,
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Business and Education chairs this informal
organization of over one hundred interested parties/organizations.� Barbara will be offering a short presentation
at
Well, I
thought that this would be a short report when I sat down to write it five
hours ago.� This report remains
incomplete, but it does address the snow-capped peaks of our mountain range.� Clearly, we must seek to preserve what we
have before we research new initiatives.�
The Report of the Commission on Public Higher Education describes the
immaturity of our great public promise, but it also advises on our great potential.� The faculty remain
the foundation of our great University System.�
The work of the faculty defines the University.� And it is the faculty who must guide this
public university to its date with destiny.�
The power of the University is in the diversity and sustainability of
the faculty and all that means.
Respectively
submitted,
Carl P. Wiezalis, President
����������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������������� APPENDIX 3
Full-Time
Lecturer�s Statement, submitted by A. Wiegard
Statement to the
We the undersigned are the current members of the
Lecturer Review Committee, a standing committee of the College charged to
support the institution of full-time lectureships and to advise in personnel
decisions on advancement.� Since 2003, we
have reviewed the work of many candidates for promotion and made
recommendations to the Deans, the Provost, and the President.�
Our work as a committee has confirmed what we know
from individual experience: that full-time lecturers
are fully involved in teaching, the basic work of the College.� In the pattern of this work, we are all
interdependent � contingent and tenure-line faculty together.� Some of us have served on other committees
with you, within departments and also college-wide.� As full-time lecturers share the work with
you, we ask that you allow us a role in the most important institution of
shared governance, the
Full-time lecturers have served the College for many
years and are integral to many departments.�
Our work is informed by our experience, drawing on the history and
culture of the College, the ambitions and needs of the
In the policy statement �Contingent Appointments and
the Academic Profession,� published in November 2003, the AAUP declared,
�Governance responsibilities should be shared among all faculty.�� With respect to academic freedom, it
emphasized, �In order to protect the right and the responsibility of nontenured as well as tenured faculty to participate freely
and effectively in faculty governance, it is incumbent on all faculty to protect the exercise of academic freedom by their
colleagues in faculty governance processes.�
Full-time lecturers are no less interested than our
tenure-line colleagues in the ideals of the university and in the crisis of
academic labor.� Without a voice in
faculty governance, we cannot bring our experience to bear on questions of
academic freedom and academic responsibility.�
We cannot join the Senate�s efforts both to protect and improve the
College and to resist managerial models of restructuring.� We are prevented from winning the principled
respect of our colleagues and from achieving a genuine measure of academic
freedom.�
As the College extends its relationships with the
community and with the market, it is divided into separate interests and
instrumentalities.� The academic
profession becomes segmented, and as we answer to others, we lose the
confidence of a common purpose.� The
Senate is a place for the faculty to negotiate these differences and to
constitute itself again as a faculty.�
We recognize that the Senate is concerned not to legitimate the
College�s reliance on contingent faculty. But this reliance too � with
its many implications now and for the future � needs to be recognized
openly. And a third fact deserves special emphasis here. The
contingent faculty itself wants to serve the College in reducing
contingency and restoring a stable and autonomous
professoriate. This is our strongest reason for requesting that full-time
lecturers be allowed two seats on the Senate, to be filled by faculty in
different Schools.�
Yours truly,
Lecturer Review Committee:
Colleen Buchanan, Chair
Virginia Dudgeon
Susan Kather
Renee Potter
Laureen Wells
������ ����������������
����������������������������������������������� APPENDIX 4
����������������������� ����� Number of Full-time Lecturers
����������������������������������� Submitted by H. Botwinick
��������� Of the 48 FTL�s, 31 are in A&S
����������������������� English (15)
����������������������� ICC (7)
����������������������� BIO (3)
����������������������� ECO (2)
����������������������� 1 each in CHE, COM,
GEOL, AND MATH
�����������
����������������������� Childhood (6)
����������������������� FSA (1)
�����������
����������������������� Health
����������������������� KIN (2)
����������������������� PE (3)
����������������������� REC (1)
����������������������� SPEECH (2)
����������������������� SPMG (1)
�����������������������
�
����������������������� �����
�����������������������������������������������
����������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������������� APPENDIX
5
����������������������������������� ����������������������������������������������� Summer
Scheduling Proposal
Summer Scheduling Proposal
Background: The
issue of summer scheduling was raised at Provost�s cabinet on July 23. The
initial motivation for this discussion was a desire to revisit the past
practice (in some departments) of offering daytime courses 4 days per
week.� Provost Prus
appointed a subcommittee to study this issue and develop recommendations.
Committee members included Bruce Mattingly,
Process: The
committee reviewed data provided by the Summer Session Office with particular
attention to the number of courses offered and cancelled in various terms, and
the resulting enrollments in the courses that ran. Our intent was to formulate
a list of specific recommendations as a starting point for a broad-based campus
discussion in multiple venues.� Initially
the recommendations will be presented to the chairs� council in each of the
three schools, with the expectation that further discussion will occur at the
department level, and also at the Joint Chairs� council. These recommendations
will also be sent to the
Recommendations:
Based on our review of summer session enrollment data, we are issuing the
following recommendations at this time. We encourage that implementation as
early as summer 2009 be considered, with the
understanding that there should be ample opportunity for broad-based discussion
and consensus before any decisions are made.
�
Summer courses that meet during the day will
meet Monday-Thursday. Starting and ending times are shown in the attached
Course times Chart (Appendix A.)
�
Retain the full term (10 weeks), the two 5-week
terms (I and II) and two 2.5-week terms (A and C) that coincide with the beginning
of the 5-week terms.
�
Eliminate the B and D terms (2.5 weeks,
coinciding with the second half of the 5-week terms.)
�
One-week courses may only be offered during the
first week of terms A or C, with the exception of courses at
�
One-week courses scheduled at
Rationale
�
Offering summer daytime courses for 4 days per
week instead of 5 will reduce commuting time and expense for both students and
faculty. It therefore has the potential to increase summer enrollments.
Offering 4-day per week courses has been past practice in some departments,
both formally and informally, indicating that this has been a desirable
scheduling option.
�
Data shows that current B and D terms are
under-utilized. Retaining them creates additional difficulties for an already
complex scheduling procedure. The tables in Appendix B show the number of
courses offered and cancelled during the last 4 summer sessions, broken down
according to term. Appendix C provides a bar graph showing the number off
courses offered and cancelled in each of the short terms. Appendix D provides
this information in tabular form and also shows the number of courses that were
allowed to run with fewer than 10 students.
http://www.cortland.edu/senate/minutes/0809min4.html