College Senate Bulletin
State University of New York at Geneseo
College of Arts and Sciences
Correspondence to Dennis Showers, School of Education, South 222C, showers@geneseo.edu, 245-5264
Note: Page numbers indicate pages as per the paper copy of the Bulletins.
Bulletin No. 6
Bulletin No. 6
Pages 75-93
February 4, 2008
Contents
Page Topic
76 Minutes of the Senate Meeting of November 20, 2007
82 Minutes of the Executive Committee Meeting of November 27, 2007
86 Minutes of the Senate Meeting of December 4, 2007
90 Minutes of the Faculty Affairs Committee Meeting of December 4, 2007
91 Minutes of the Research Council Meeting of November 11, 2007
92 Results of Fall 2007 Election
Senate Vice Chair
Senate Treasurer
Senate Secretary
At-Large Representatives: Over 6 Years
At-Large Representatives: 1-6 Years
Part-Time Representatives
Committee on Nominations
General Education Committee
Professional Leave Review Committee
Senate Minutes 20 November 2007
Present: D. Aagesen, J. Andrews, L. Argentieri, M. Bagel, L. Blackman, S. Brainard, C. Brown, D. Campbell, S. Chen, R. Coloccia, K. Conway-Turner, J. Cope, C. Dahl, R. Doggett, A. Eisenberg, C. Garrity, B. Gohlman, D. Granger (Chair), E. Hall, M. Harrigan, W. Harrison, G. Hartvigsen, A. Herman, J. Johannes, T. Kenney, J. Lewis, M. Lima, J. Lovett, D. Mackenzie, P. MacLean, C. Matthews, J. McLean, J. Morse, L. O'Brien, B. Owens, T. Paradis, D. Raynor, D. Robertson, C. Rowley, S. Salmon, L. Schiffel, D. Showers, H. Waddy, L. Ware, J. Zook
Guests: D. Brown, E.R. Johnson
Call to Order
Chair Granger called the Senate to order at 4:07 PM.
Adoption of the agenda (College Senate Bulletin #4, pp. 34-35)
The agenda was adopted without corrections or additions.
Adoption of the All-College minutes of Oct. 23, 2007 (College Senate Bulletin #4, pp. 45-48)
The minutes of the previous meeting were adopted without corrections, additions or deletions.
Adoption of the Senate minutes of Oct. 23, 2007 (College Senate Bulletin #4, pp. 48-51)
The minutes of the previous meeting were adopted without corrections, additions or deletions.
Senate Reports:
President’s Report
President Dahl announced that the SEFA campaign had reached its goal and extended his thanks to the campus community for their contributions. Given our mission to educate students for service and civic engagement, it is good to demonstrate our connection with the wider regional community and to show that people care about the whole variety of social service and advocacy organizations.
In lieu of a report, President Dahl offered a few tentative reflections on the recent blackface display and the community discourse that followed. The Steering Committee of Becky Glass (President’s Office), Monica Schnieder and Heidi Levine (Diversity Commission), and Fatima Rodriguez Johnson (Director of Multicultural Affairs) organized the open forum on November 16th and Dahl expressed his thanks for their work and for the efforts of the many facilitators in this very important work. He stated that while this is not a solution to problems in campus climate, it is important for students, faculty and staff to talk about the events and gather ideas for positive change. Whether individuals’ actions proceed from ignorance or malice, such behavior is destructive to the inclusive community we seek to foster, and a manifestation of historic and systemic racism in this country. We need to have a clear consensus that blackface or similar displays are unacceptable in this community—and why they are so.
Dahl said he was very grateful that a group of faculty and staff are organizing the March 9, 2008, Teach-In on Race and Campus Culture. Since many of the issues were put in bold relief by the blackface incidents and subsequent discussions and demonstrations, he expressed the hope that we can continue a serious conversation on campus climate in the coming months and keep focused on issues of race and issues of difference and issues of community. He plans to use his position to spur further thoughtful discussion and positive action. One unfortunate side effect of media attention to the blackface incident on campus is that it obscures the fact that we are making progress and people are making differences on this campus. In the short term such publicity inevitably does not help us in building a more diverse campus community; nor does it help in recruiting students of color or in interacting with a diverse regional community. We need to stay honest about this issue, he observed; we need to continue discussion and action and keep attention on the real issues of campus climate, racism, and ways we can be more inclusive for all.
All of us as a College community need to continue and redouble our long-term efforts to increase diversity at Geneseo, improve campus climate, enhance recruitment of students, faculty and staff, explore curriculum reform, and address a variety of related issues on campus.
Dahl concluded his comments by reminding everyone that these are very preliminary and personal reflections.
Provost’s Report
Provost Conway-Turner extended Happy Thanksgiving wishes to everyone.
Announcements:
There will be a Curriculum Open Forum – November 28th at 1:30 PM in CU 322-323 for students and December 5th 1:30 PM in Welles 121 for faculty/staff. The Provost is hoping for strong student participation along with faculty/staff. Please come to one of these forums and share your opinions
On November 28th at 4:00 PM at the Campus House, the annual seminar for faculty being considered for term renewal, tenure and promotion will be held. Formal letters have been sent inviting all tenure-track faculty and tenured Assistant Professors to this meeting.
The Promotion Workshop for tenured Associate Professors who are thinking about apply for promotion to Full Professor will be held on November 29th at 2:00 PM in the President’s Conference Room. Notification has been sent via email to eligible faculty.
The Professional Leave Committee has started its work and the Provost reported that it has 25 applications for sabbatical leave.
Fifteen faculty and a few professional searches are underway, and the Provost asked that, as those folks under consideration come to campus, the Geneseo community remember to extend to them the Geneseo welcome. Most candidates will visit campus during January and February 2008. She wished good luck to everyone involved in searches.
Chair’s Report
D. Granger expressed his thanks to Terry Holbrook, Math Department, for her willingness to serve as the interim secretary and doing so in such a professional manner. He then introduced Connie Hurlburt as the new official recording secretary to College Senate. He asked everyone to state their names as they address Senate and to make motions so that they can be accurately recorded in the minutes.
Granger noted that as a follow-up to the discussion at the October 23, 2007 Senate meeting, he sent a letter of condolence to Kaitlin Charity’s parents on behalf of College Senate. While Granger did not circulate the letter, please see him if you would like to see a copy.
Last year a constitutional amendment was passed to include part-time faculty in the College Senate. Therefore, two part-time representatives will be included for nomination in the spring. Granger will remind the Nominating Committee, and he asked senators to remind everyone that we will be looking for some part-time representation for next year.
Granger announced that nominations are now being accepted for campus awards, which include:
Lockhart and Roemer Supported Professorships
President’s Awards for Excellence in Advisement
President’s Awards for Excellence in Research and Creativity
Dr. Carol C. Harter Faculty Mentoring Award
Joseph M. O’Brien Award for Excellence in Part-Time Teaching
The deadline for nominations is February 14, 2008. All nominations should be sent either to the Campus Awards Selection Committee in care of the Provost’s Office or electronically to Linda Shepard (shepard@geneseo.edu). More information will be included in College Senate Bulletin #5, which will be available soon.
Vice-Chair’s Report
D. Showers announced that the Excellence Awards committee is continuing its work.
Past-Chair’s Report
D. Showers reported that information on the vote regarding the constitutional amendments will go out next week – look for a paper ballot and the election will be on-line.
Treasurer’s Report
No Report
University Faculty Senator’s Report
Maria Lima reviewed her University Faculty Senator’s Report (College Senate Bulletin #4, pp. 55-61).
M. Lima expressed a sense of loss of concept of consultation with less involvement in campus governance in almost all sectors. It is important that we mentor new faculty for governance.
M. Lima cited as evidence of the loss of consultation that most of the senators from the eight campuses that "volunteered" for the new "System of Accountability for Public Higher Education” had not heard a word about it. When she reported on this to our Executive Committee (November 6th meeting), both the Provost and the President reassured us that “it won’t happen in Geneseo.” Thus, it may not be necessary for Geneseo to adopt a resolution on this matter.
The presentation by Pedro Caban, the SUNY Vice Provost for Diversity and Educational Equity, was particularly relevant to Geneseo in light of both the work of the Curriculum Review Task Force and the "black-face" incident responses on our campus. Caban sees diversity not only as an issue of increasing the number of diverse faculty, staff, and students, but also as a more comprehensive project. What SUNY needs to do to become one of the best public education systems is to aim for intellectual diversity, embracing the world’s cultures in the curriculum to educate citizens for a very different world. Caban considers such diversity central to academic excellence and the commitment to life-long learning.
M. Lima has decided to wait until the Spring for her presentation on why WESTERN Humanities is not enough in this regard for Geneseo students.
Student Association Vice-President’s Report
No Report
Nominations Committee Report
Bill Gohlman expressed his concern about getting people to volunteer to serve on committees or run for Senate offices. He reminded everyone to vote for three new members of the Faculty Personnel Committee.
There was then a call for nominations for the Committee on Nominations – Jan Lovett volunteered to serve. Gohlman encouraged people to nominate themselves (it’s legitimate to send him an email nominating yourself). He suggested asking around in each department to see if someone is willing to serve. Gohlman shared that the busiest time for the nominations committee is in spring, with the election of Senate officers and the Gen. Ed. Committee.
Undergraduate Curriculum Committee
B. Owens proposed the following:
UCC Proposes for First Reading:
New courses (Listed on pages 36-37)
ARBC 101, Elementary Arabic I
ARBC 102, Elementary Arabic II
ARBC 201, Intermediate Arabic I
BIOL 116, N/General Biology Laboratory
BIOL 204, Ecology Laboratory
ENGL 336, Native American Literature
PHYS 387, Gravity
PLSC 227, Civil War and Conflict Resolution
PLSC 241, Politics of Genocide
No discussion, motion passed unanimously.
Course revisions (Listed on pages 37-39)
ANTH 100, S/M/Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
ANTH 105, S/Introduction to Physical Anthropology
ANTH 110, Introduction to Archaeology
ANTH 120, S/Language and Culture
ANTH 201, Human Evolution
ANTH 202, Health, Culture, and Society
ANTH 203, Human Osteology
ANTH 204, Human Adaptation and Variation
ANTH 215, The Ancient Civilization in the Old World
ANTH 216, The African Diaspora
ANTH 220, Linguistic Analysis
ANTH 232, S/M/China and Issues of Modernization
ANTH 233, Primate Behavior
ANTH 243, Women in Cross-Cultural Perspective
ANTH 301, M/Religion, Society, and Culture
ANTH 305, Field Methods and Techniques in Linguistics
ANTH 307, Third World Development
ANTH 313, Global health Issues
ANTH 320, Archaic and Woodland Archaeology
ANTH 328, Language Acquisition
ANTH 323, Primate Behavioral Field methods
ANTH 324, Primate Behavior Lab Methods
BIOL 117, General Biology I: Cells, Genetics, Evolution
BIOL 119, General Biology II: Diversity, Physiology, Ecology
GEOG 366, The Orient and Oceania
GSCI 332, Glacial Geology
MATH 113, R/Finite Mathematics for Society
MATH 160, Elements of Chance
MATH 213, Applied Calculus
MATH 345, Numerical Analysis I
MATH 319, Theory of Numbers
MATH 348, Oral Presentation and Research Seminar
MATH 371, Introduction to Complex Analysis
MATH 383, Biomathematics Seminar
PHYS 311, Advanced Mechanics
PHYS 352, Quantum Mechanics
PHYS 353, Advanced Quantum Mechanics
PLSC 217, Public Administration and Bureaucracy
PLSC 251, Modern Political Analysis
PLSC 291, Enduring Issues in Comparative and International Politics
PLSC 324, Human Rights
No discussion, motion passed unanimously.
Course deletions (Listed on page 39)
ACCT 311, Advanced Tax Accounting I
ACCT 321, Auditing II
BIOL 107, Human Fertility
BIOL 108, Age, Immunity, & Cancer
BIOL 374, Wildlife management
MATH 110, College Algebra
MATH 260, A Survey of Applied Statistics
No discussion, motion passed unanimously.
New minor (Listed on pages 39-40)
Biomathematics
Central and Eastern European Studies
No discussion, motion passed unanimously.
Revised major (Listed on page 40)
B.A. in Biology
B.S. in Biology
B.A. in International Relations
No discussion, motion passed unanimously.
Revised minor (Listed on pages 40-41)
International Relations
Linguistics
Mathematics
Native American Studies
Physics
Religious Studies
No discussion, motion passed unanimously.
UCC Proposes for Second Reading:
New Courses (Bulletin #3, pages 30-31)
AMST/HIST 262, American Indian Law and Public Policy
ANTH 392, Undergraduate Research Seminar in Anthropology
ECON 350, Law and Economics
ENGL 232, Topics in Pre-1700 British Literature (Slot course)
ENGL 233, Topics in Post-1700 British Literature (Slot course)
ENGL 320, Irish Literature
ENGL 359, Film Authors
GSCI 201, Geology of Alien Worlds
PLSC 326, Government and Politics of South America
No discussion, motion passed unanimously.
Revised Courses (Bulletin #3, page 31)
ENGL 285, Film Classics
Changes are title to Introduction to Film Studies
Change in syllabus/requirements and course description
Change in hours 3 (2-2)
ENGL 317, Contemporary British Literature
Change is description
MGMT 370, International Business
Change is prerequisite
No discussion, motion passed unanimously.
Deleted Course (Bulletin #3, page 31)
ENGL 362, Structure of English
No discussion, motion passed unanimously.
Revised Major (Bulletin #3, page 31)
BA in Mathematics w/Certification in Adolescent Education
Proposed change in course requirements
BA in Psychology
Proposed changes include additional course and minimum grade requirement.
BS in Biochemistry
Proposed changes include courses, addition of coordinator position, and writing requirement
No discussion, motion passed unanimously.
Revised Concentration (Bulletin #3, page 31)
English concentration
Proposed change updates course listings
No discussion, motion passed unanimously.
Deletion of Minor (Bulletin #3, page 31)
Organizational and Occupational Behavior
No discussion, motion passed unanimously.
Undergraduate Policies Committee
No report.
Graduate Academic Affairs Committee
No report.
Student Affairs Committee
Chair Granger announced for D. Scott that Dean Celia Easton will be attending the November 29, 2007 meeting. Please email Denise should you have questions.
Faculty Affairs Committee
Chair J. Zook reported that the FAC met on October 30th and November 13th, and introduced the following proposal for first reading by the College Senate:
FAC Proposal on Department Guidelines for Form H Categories
We recommend that departments review or create guidelines about which types of activities fall within each category on the H Form (Teaching, Contributions to the Discipline, and Service).
We also recommend that each department or school revise or create clear expectations identifying the types and levels of activities falling under each category of evaluation that are appropriate within that discipline’s culture. These expectations should be clearly defined for each of the various levels of evaluation: contract renewal, continuing appointment, and promotion to Associate and Full Professor. Information that would help evaluators outside the discipline regarding the relative significance of the different types of discipline-specific activities should be included.
These guidelines should be forwarded to the Provost’s Office for further refinement and approval by December 1, 2008, and thereafter publicized to candidates and provided to the Faculty Personnel Committee of the College with candidates’ materials.
No discussion, first reading was unanimously approved.
Old Business
There was no old business.
New Business
Following up on President Dahl’s comments, Greg Hartvigsen suggested that the Senate consider drafting and approving a resolution condemning behaviors and attitudes that are divisive along racial and ideological lines, from dressing in costume to suggestions that this campus’s greatest problem is that it is 'god-forsaken white.’
Chair Granger asked that a formal written resolution be sent to him for presentation to the Executive Committee for discussion.
Adjournment
Chair Granger adjourned the Senate at 4:48 PM
Respectfully submitted,
Connie Hurlburt
Recording Secretary to the College Senate
Executive Committee Meeting Minutes 27 November 2007
Present: K. Conway-Turner, D. Granger (Chair), M. Lima, B. Owens, S. Salmon, D. Scott, D. Showers, E. Wallace, J. Zook
Guest: Gregg Hartvigsen
Call to Order
Chair Granger called the Executive Committee to order at 4:02 pm
Adoption of the agenda
The agenda for November 27, 2007 Executive Committee meeting was approved without corrections or additions.
Adoption of minutes
The minutes of the November 6, 2007 Executive Committee meeting were approved without corrections or additions.
Guest
Chair Granger recognized guest Gregg Hartvigsen, Biology Department. Hartvigsen was invited to introduce his resolution “Tolerance of All Members of the SUNY Geneseo Community,” which was first suggested informally at the College Senate meeting of November 20, 2007.
Hartvigsen thanked Chair Granger for the opportunity to come before the Executive Senate and proposed that the College Senate approve his resolution in light of recent bias-related incidents on and off the Geneseo campus and the recent bias-related incident involving an opinion piece that appeared in the Lamron suggesting that Geneseo is “God-forsake white.”
Hartvigsen cited the resolution of 2002 passed by the College Senate condemning the display of swastikas on campus. He suggested that the College Senate take a stand and denounce all behaviors and actions that are aimed at diminishing the value of any individual or group of individuals on this campus, and that we work toward building a climate of tolerance across the campus community.
M. Lima responded that it was her op ed piece in the Lamron and acknowledged that she had sent a personal note to Hartvigsen along with a copy of the article “overcoming white supremacy: a comment,” by bell hooks, and brought along copies for Executive Senate. She expressed her concern that her comment was not about an individual but white supremacy as a belief system. She questioned the word “tolerance” in his resolution. She stated that she thought it was wrong from beginning to end.
Following a lengthy discussion, Provost Conway-Turner made a motion, which was seconded by D. Showers, to create a sub-committee comprised of members of the Executive Committee and the College Senate, appointed by Chair Granger, with Gregg Hartvigsen invited as a member, to develop a statement or resolution that would address tolerance of all members of the Geneseo community to be presented to the College Senate. This motion passed unanimously.
Reports
President's Report
President Dahl reported:
The Geneseo College Fed Challenge team came in second behind national champions Harvard University. David Granger will write a letter from College Senate to Mary Ellen Zuckerman and the student members of the team congratulating them on their accomplishments.
The facilitators for the open forum discussions on November 16th met recently and are looking for ways to continue the conversations on campus climate. Dahl noted that it is important for the faculty to have conversations similar to the student conversations and that language is an important part of these issues. The Steering Committee for the March 9th Teach-In is currently meeting; the teach-in focuses on race and campus culture, will provide readings and is addressed to a broad audience of faculty and students. These are real opportunities not only to talk but also to learn about the effect of race on campus culture and to examine our own roles in a racist society. It was suggested that the invitation for participation be extended by President Dahl. However, President Dahl deferred to Provost Conway-Turner.
The SUNY Trustees passed a strong budget request, and Dahl plans to discuss it at the December 4th College Senate Meeting.
The first iteration of the report of the Governor’s Commission on Higher Education is scheduled to be released on November 30th or December 3rd. We will know then more about the directions in which the Commission is going.
Provost’s Report
Provost Conway-Turner announced a workshop on November 28th at 4:00 p.m. at the Campus House for all faculty seeking tenure or promotion to associate professor. The Provost and President, along with several members from the Faculty Personnel Committee, will convene the workshop. This workshop provides a wonderful opportunity for people moving towards tenure to become more aware of the process, policies and procedures. On November 29th at 2:00 p.m. in the President's Conference Room, Provost Conway-Turner will facilitate a similar workshop for faculty seeking promotion to full professor.
On November 28th at 1:30 p.m. in MacVittie College Union - Rooms 322/323, an Open Forum on Curriculum Review will be held for all students. The Provost is looking forward to hearing from students about issues and concerns regarding the curriculum.
Candidates will be on campus for the Dean of the College search. As the Dean of the College is a very important position on campus, the Provost encouraged all faculty to attend open sessions to have their voices heard as part of the selection process.
Chair’s Report
Announcements:
Chair Granger stated that the regular fall election for College Senate will occur shortly. He noted that there are now enough nominees for the Personnel Committee to move forward, but that Beth McCoy removed her name from consideration. However, we are still looking for members willing to serve on the Nominations Committee. Granger asked Executive Senators to talk with their colleagues and put names of interested members forward to serve on these important committees.
Bill Gohlman has agreed to Chair the Nominations Committee until a replacement can be found.
Granger is planning to hold the Personnel and Nominations Committee elections in conjunction with the voting for the proposed constitutional amendments. D. Showers sent an email (via faculty-l) with an explanation of the voting process and the long version of the amendments so that ballots will read simply “yes or no.” The ballots will go out by the end of the week.
Granger made the initial call for faculty awards. These will be listed in College Senate Bulletin #5 with full detail describing the awards, past recipients, etc.
Vice Chair’s Report
No report.
Past Chair’s Report
D. Showers announced that the proposed Constitutional amendments are now listed on the College Senate website along with the minutes on the discussion of the amendments. An email referred people to that website if they wished this information.
Showers argued that the Nominations Committee needs to be taken much more seriously and we need to go to each department to seek nominations. If we are going to revitalize the Senate, we need to get good nominees and then turn the election process over to that important committee.
J. Zook asked if the committee would be renamed Nominations and Elections. Showers confirmed that this would be the proposal.
Treasurer’s Report
L. Ware sent out a second request for contributions. She stated that J. Zook’s suggestion of a return envelope being included with the fund request was productive.
Ware also received a terse response from someone who explained why he or she would never
contribute to the fund.
D. Showers suggested that it would be good if Linda could make a statement in her appeal that every Executive Senate member had made a contribution this year and asking that everyone follow that example and contribute as they are able. Then Ware could include such a statement in her next mailing for donations.
University Faculty Senator’s Report
No report.
Student Association Vice-President’s Report
No report.
Undergraduate Curriculum Committee Report
No report.
Undergraduate Policy Committee Report
No formal report, but due to a departmental meeting on December 4, E. Wallace will send Barb Welker to attend the Senate meeting for him.
Graduate Academic Affairs Committee Report
S. Salmon had no formal report. However, she did want to bring to the Executive Committee concerns about an email she recently received stating that submissions for course proposals had been sent to the Dean’s Office but that the Committee never received them. Following discussion, D. Showers suggested that the Dean of the College Office establish an automatic receipt email to acknowledge all submissions, and that there should also be a disclaimer statement on the form and website to the effect that if the sender doesn’t receive a receipt within two days, he or she should contact the Dean of the College Office.
D. Granger suggested we need to explore how this glitch occurred and then establish a formal process for acknowledging receipt of submissions.
Student Affairs Committee Report
D. Scott announced that Celia Easton would be presenting at the next committee meeting on bias and discrimination related issues. She shared that good ideas have come out of the committee discussions and that the committee is planning to make a formal report sometime next semester on possible workshops and courses. Scott stated that the committee hopes to tap into the wealth of knowledge at the College to provide and disseminate knowledge to students. Perhaps, too, this can tie into a broader discussion on how to get more faculty involved in these discussions.
Faculty Affairs Committee Report
J. Zook reported that her committee met on November 13th and continued its discussion of the report of the Task Force on Roles, Rewards, and Evaluation. The committee continues to go through the process systematically. The topic of service was discussed at length and the committee has decided to keep service in place. Zook shared a draft proposal:
FAC Proposal
Whereas the Presidential Task Force on Roles and Rewards recommended
a new PER form with no service category;
but service is an important part of faculty activity separate from teaching scholarship;
service should, therefore, remain a separate category for Personnel evaluation.
After discussion about the importance of service, it was suggested that it should be formally reported that the Faculty Affairs Committee believes strongly that a separate service category should remain as part of faculty evaluation. The Executive Committee agreed that this should be reported to the College Senate as a recommendation.
J. Zook concluded by stating that she would return to her committee and report this conversation.
Old Business
No old business.
New Business
No new business.
Adjournment
Chair Granger adjourned the meeting at 5:04 PM
Respectfully submitted,
Connie Hurlburt
Recording Secretary to the College Senate
Senate Minutes 4 December 2007
Present: J. Andrews, M. Bagel, S. Bailey, D. Baldwin, T. Bazzett, B. Bonfiglio, S. Brainard, S. Chen, J. Chester, R. Coloccia, K. Conway-Turner, S. Crilly, C. Dahl, R. Doggett, J. Dolce, T. Ellis, C. Garrity, B. Gohlman, D. Granger (Chair), E. Hall, W. Harrison, G. Hartvigsen, K. Hennig, A. Herman, J. Johannes, K. Keegan, T. Kenney, M. Kenny, N. Kivitz, C. Leary, K. Lemischak, K. Levison, M. Lima, D. Mackenzie, P. MacLean, J. Magan, C. Matthews, J. McLean, L. O'Brien, B. Owens, T. Paradis, J. Parent, D. Raynor, B. Reilly, D. Robertson, S. Salmon, S. Schwartz, D. Scott, F. Sheikh, D. Showers, C. Tesler, H. Waddy, E. Wallace, J. Wisniewski, J. Zook
Guests: K. Muller, B. Lewis
Call to Order
Chair Granger called the Senate meeting to order at 4:05 PM.
Adoption of the agenda (College Senate Bulletin #5, p. 64)
The agenda was adopted without corrections or additions.
Senate Reports:
President’s Report
President Dahl announced that the report from the Commission on Higher Education, which was to be submitted to the Governor on December 3rd, has been delayed. The Governor has granted the Commission a two-week extension, to December 17th. Dahl declined to speculate on the report.
Dahl reviewed the SUNY Trustees Budget request that was submitted on November 27th requesting $181 million in new state support. Highlights:
- $64 million to cover on-going expenses (contractual salary increases, additional monies to cover enrollment for last year, inflation monies to cover such things as departmental accounts)
- $116.7 million in new program initiatives (including $25 million for additional new faculty, monies for graduate stipends, about $10 million to increase diversity and access – including EOP and Vice Provost for Diversity Pedro Caban)
- $32 million for leading edge research (research that adds to economic development)
- $9.6 million for campus safety initiatives (alarms and adding to counseling staffs)
President Dahl stated that this is a good request and we will now have to wait to see where it goes in the budget process.
In addition to this, SUNY is proposing a new kind of partnership—among the System, the Legislatures, and students and their families—to be called the SUNY Compact. It would involve a three-way sharing of costs for new program initiatives, but it would also guarantee rational and predictable tuition increases. The proposal this year to pay for the $116 in new program initiatives would involve:
a 5% increase in tuition for value added for students – not for old things that we are already doing and not for filling holes in state funding
we will be expected to add a certain amount of philanthropy and make certain economies
30% of all new initiatives beyond mandatory increases would be funded by the state
This SUNY compact is similar to an idea proposed by CUNY and would make tuition increases predictable (and probably indexed to the Higher Education Price Index) and would ensure that all new tuition would provide further value for students.
In addition to the operating budget request, SUNY has also asked for $7.5 billion in capital over five years: $3.75 billion for critical maintenance, $2.5 billion for high priority new projects, and an addition $1 billion for evolving initiatives during the five years.
All of these requests are promising, but of course we are only in the first phase of the budget process—the first act of a five-act play. Stay tuned for the next act and the concluding episode!
Provost’s Report
No report.
Chair’s Report
Chair Granger reported that ballots for the regular fall election of College Senate will be out soon. Folks will be voting on nominees for:
Faculty Personnel Committee
Proposed amendments to the Senate constitution
Terms of the Chair and Vice Chair
Duties of the offices of Chair, Vice-Chair and Secretary
Granger announced that since there were not enough nominations for the Committee on Nominations, that election will be held next semester. He thanked Bill Gohlman for agreeing to continue serving as chair of that committee until a new committee is elected.
Granger asked members of Senate to consider nominating worthy people for the campus awards (see CSB #5 for more information).
Granger congratulated the Fed Challenge Team and faculty advisors for their second place finish in the national competition, and he announced that a letter of congratulations had been sent to Dean Mary Ellen Zuckerman from the Executive Committee of College Senate.
College Senate gave a round of applause!
Vice-Chair’s Report
No report.
Past-Chair’s Report
No report.
Treasurer’s Report
Chair Granger announced that, while L. Ware could not attend the meeting, she did wish to report that 10 contributions to the College Senate funds appeal were received last week, with 17 to date this year. Granger asked Senate members to talk with their constituencies and encouraged everyone to contribute.
University Faculty Senator’s Report
No report.
Student Association Vice-President’s Report
No report.
Undergraduate Curriculum Committee
B. Owens proposed the following:
UCC Proposes for Second Reading:
New courses (listed in CSB #4, pages 36-37)
ARBC 101, Elementary Arabic I
ARBC 102, Elementary Arabic II
ARBC 201, Intermediate Arabic I
BIOL 116, N/General Biology Laboratory
BIOL 204, Ecology Laboratory
ENGL 336, Native American Literature
PHYS 387, Gravity
PLSC 227, Civil War and Conflict Resolution
PLSC 241, Politics of Genocide
No discussion, motion passed unanimously.
Course revisions (listed in CSB #4, pages 37-39)
ANTH 100, S/M/Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
ANTH 105, S/Introduction to Physical Anthropology
ANTH 110, Introduction to Archaeology
ANTH 120, S/Language and Culture
ANTH 201, Human Evolution
ANTH 202, Health, Culture, and Society
ANTH 203, Human Osteology
ANTH 204, Human Adaptation and Variation
ANTH 215, The Ancient Civilization in the Old World
ANTH 216, The African Diaspora
ANTH 220, Linguistic Analysis
ANTH 232, S/M/China and Issues of Modernization
ANTH 233, Primate Behavior
ANTH 243, Women in Cross-Cultural Perspective
ANTH 301, M/Religion, Society, and Culture
ANTH 305, Field Methods and Techniques in Linguistics
ANTH 307, Third World Development
ANTH 313, Global health Issues
ANTH 320, Archaic and Woodland Archaeology
ANTH 328, Language Acquisition
ANTH 323, Primate Behavioral Field methods
ANTH 324, Primate Behavior Lab Methods
BIOL 117, General Biology I: Cells, Genetics, Evolution
BIOL 119, General Biology II: Diversity, Physiology, Ecology
GEOG 366, The Orient and Oceania
GSCI 332, Glacial Geology
MATH 113, R/Finite Mathematics for Society
MATH 160, Elements of Chance
MATH 213, Applied Calculus
MATH 345, Numerical Analysis I
MATH 319, Theory of Numbers
MATH 348, Oral Presentation and Research Seminar
MATH 371, Introduction to Complex Analysis
MATH 383, Biomathematics Seminar
PHYS 311, Advanced Mechanics
PHYS 352, Quantum Mechanics
PHYS 353, Advanced Quantum Mechanics
PLSC 217, Public Administration and Bureaucracy
PLSC 251, Modern Political Analysis
PLSC 291, Enduring Issues in Comparative and International Politics
PLSC 324, Human Rights
No discussion, motion passed unanimously.
Course deletions (listed in CSB #4, page 39)
ACCT 311, Advanced Tax Accounting I
ACCT 321, Auditing II
BIOL 107, Human Fertility
BIOL 108, Age, Immunity, & Cancer
BIOL 374, Wildlife management
MATH 110, College Algebra
MATH 260, A Survey of Applied Statistics
No discussion, motion passed unanimously.
New minor (listed in CSB #4, pages 39-40)
Biomathematics
Central and Eastern European Studies
No discussion, motion passed unanimously.
Revised major (listed in CSB #4, page 40)
B.A. in Biology
B.S. in Biology
B.A. in International Relations
No discussion, motion passed unanimously.
Revised minor (listed in CSB #4, pages 40-41)
International Relations
Linguistics
Mathematics
Native American Studies
Physics
Religious Studies
No discussion, motion passed unanimously.
Undergraduate Policies Committee
No report.
Graduate Academic Affairs Committee
No report.
Student Affairs Committee
D. Scott reported that Dr. Celia Easton had visited for the committee’s last meeting and had shared her plans for residential living. The committee y found it very informative and plans to continue its conversation related to discrimination and bias-related issues. Scott also acknowledged the strong student voice on the committee and expressed her appreciation for student involvement. She encouraged all students to offer input, as the Student Affairs Committee is a good vehicle for such discussions.
Faculty Affairs Committee
Chair J. Zook proposed for second reading:
FAC Proposal on Department Guidelines for Form H Categories
We recommend that departments review or create guidelines about which types of activities fall within each category on the H Form (Teaching, Contributions to the Discipline, and Service).
We also recommend that each department or school revise or create clear expectations identifying the types and levels of activities falling under each category of evaluation that are appropriate within that discipline’s culture. These expectations should be clearly defined for each of the various levels of evaluation: contract renewal, continuing appointment, and promotion to Associate and Full Professor. Information that would help evaluators outside the discipline regarding the relative significance of the different types of discipline-specific activities should be included.
These guidelines should be forwarded to the Provost’s Office for further refinement and approval by December 1, 2008, and thereafter publicized to candidates and provided to the Faculty Personnel Committee of the College with candidates’ materials.
Question: Chris Leary asked for clarification on whether this was related to the section on Service on the Form H. J. Zook confirmed that this proposal did not address that issue.
No further discussion, second reading was unanimously approved.
Old Business
There was no old business.
New Business
There was no new business.
Adjournment
Chair Granger adjourned the Senate at 4:24 PM
Respectfully submitted,
Connie Hurlburt
Recording Secretary to the College Senate
Faculty Affairs Committee Minutes December 4, 2007
Present: B. Colon, J. Lovett, J. McLean, J. Morse, B. Reilly, A. Sheldon, A. Stanley, H. Waddy, J. Zook (chair)
Call to Order
Chair Zook called the meeting to order at 4:01 PM.
Zook announced that the motion to require departments to develop expectations for candidates under review passed two readings in Senate.
Zook explained that the executive community recommended FAC not pursue the motion to retain service as a separate category on the Per form. The reasons given were that a.) there are no plans to remove Service, and b.) the recommendation to keep service would be in the FAC report.
Zook presented the Spring meeting schedule as follows:
Tuesday, Feb 5, 4:00 p.m., Union 325
Tuesday, Mar 4, 4:00 p.m., Union 325
Tuesday, Apr 1, 4:00 p.m., Union 325
Wednesday, Apr 23, 1:30 p.m., South 309
Zook announced that Provost Conway-Turner will visit our Committee on Feb 5th to discuss Faculty salary adjustments. The Committee discussed questions to be posed to the Provost. Zook agreed to compile the questions and forward them to the Provost prior to the meeting.
A member posed the question of what role the faculty have in decisions related to curriculum that are being examined by the Curriculum Task Force. A brief questioning of the role of Task Forces on campus was raised, and the concern of governance- by-Task Force potentially by-passing the role of existing governance. It was suggested that the issue is more likely suited for the Senate CUR committee. The Committee agreed to ask the Provost about the role of Task Forces during the Feb. 5th meeting to determine whether this needs to be addressed and, if so, by whom. Zook agreed to email these additional questions to the Provost in advance of that meeting.
The Committee then began a discussion about the issue of weighting on the Per form. The discussion focused on the limited usefulness of the numerical weighting scale because each department defines the values differently. The Committee agreed that the narrative for each criterion on the form is much more beneficial. The Committee also discussed options pertaining to the 50% teaching, 35% scholarly activity and 15% service weighting. Included in the discussion were the option of eliminating the percentages entirely and replacing them with a more descriptive narrative, as suggested by the Faculty Roles and Rewards Task Force, and the option of introducing a sliding scale for the scholarly activity and service components. It was noted that the expectations of department service needed to be clearly articulated before a sliding-scale could be effective so as to ensure that each department contributes its “share” to the College. The Committee agreed to look into approaches used by other institutions, in addition to the recommendations by the Faculty Roles and Rewards Task Force. It was suggested that we invite Steve West to a future meeting to discuss this further. Zook agreed to contact West. The Committee agreed to continue this discussion in the Spring.
Adjournment
Chair Zook adjourned the meeting at 5:00 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Amy Sheldon
Research Council Minutes November 16, 2007
Present: Ted Everett, Anne Baldwin, Sue Crilly, Paul Pacheco, Kazu Yokoyama, Denise Scott, Doug Baldwin, Dan DeZarn (for Doug Anderson), James McLean, Jani Lewis (chair)
Three applications were received for the Dean Johnston Assistantships. All three applications met with approval and were awarded the available assistantships.
The Faculty summer research fellowship gap was discussed. Previous discussion pointed out that because of the way the eligibility guidelines are written there is a potential “gap” between the Presidential Summer Fellowships and the Mid-Career Summer Fellowships, resulting in a period during which a faculty member would be ineligible for either fellowship. For example, a faculty member might not be tenured until his or her seventh year of service. Also, a faculty member is normally awarded tenure approximately one year before tenure actually begins.
In addition, the council expressed concern with the lack of a Roemer Fellowship being awarded in some years, and also that there are cases where the applications for the Mid-Career Fellowships were more "outstanding" than the Roemer applications. Another concern is that many professors are not applying for the Roemer because, as it stands now, the Roemer cannot be awarded more than once to the same person, and once someone is the recipient of the Roemer she or he cannot continue to apply for Mid-Career Summer Fellowships.
To address this problem, the council has decided to make the Roemer available to anyone who has obtained tenure. Faculty who receive the Roemer Fellowship will also now be eligible to apply again. The current proposal is to consider all applications for the Mid-Career Fellowships and Roemer Fellowship in one pool. The single Roemer Fellowship ($5,000) will be awarded to the applicant who submits the most highly ranked application. Mid-Career Fellowships ($4,000 each) will be awarded to those applicants that rank immediately below the Roemer recipient. All faculty who receive these summer fellowships will be eligible to apply again after 5 years have elapsed, from application to application.
Currently, the revisions are being made to the guidelines and approval for these changes is being sought from the President and Provost.
The issue of whether a student can apply for summer fellowship money from the Geneseo Foundation to do work at another institution was also discussed. It was decided that the purpose of the Geneseo Foundation Summer Fellowships for students is to promote research between Geneseo students and Geneseo Faculty. Therefore, a student wishing to do work on another campus must have a letter of support from a professor at SUNY Geneseo clearly stating how that work will aide the sponsoring faculty member. The student must also have a letter of support from a professor or advisor at the campus where the student will be conducting the work.
Regarding student research and travel grants, if a freshmen is applying for one of these grants during his or her fall semester, he or she should use his or her midterm GPA.
Minor changes to the faculty Travel grants, Undergraduate Research and Travel Grants, and Graduate Student Research and Travel Grants were proposed and accepted. The revised guidelines and forms will be posted on the Sponsored Research website, http://sponsoredresearch.geneseo.edu.
End of report.
Respectfully submitted
Jani E. Lewis
Chair, Research Council
Results of the Fall 2007 Election
Faculty Personnel Committee
Donald Marozas (School of Education)
Anne Eisenberg (Sociology)
Eugene Stelzig (English)
Constitutional Amendment on Term of Chair and Vice Chair
Passed
Constitutional Amendment on Duties of Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary
Passed
Call for Nominations Spring 2008 Election
Nominations for the following offices and positions should be sent to Bill Gohlman (gohlman@geneseo.edu, 245-5735), Chair, or other members of the Committee on Nominations.
Nominations are now being accepted for Senate Vice Chair. Note that the term of office is one year, with reelection permissible, and no longer leads automatically to the Chair position the following year. For details see the updated Faculty Constitution on the Senate Website (Article V, Section 3 and Article VI, Section 2).
Nominations are now being accepted for the Senate Treasurer. The term of office is one year, with reelection permissible.
Nominations are now being accepted for the Senate Secretary. The term of office is one year, with reelection permissible. Note also that the duties of the Secretary now include review of minutes from Senate and Senate Executive Committee meetings, but not minute-taking itself, moderating Faculty-L, and maintaining the Senate Website. For details see the updated Faculty Constitution on the Senate Website (Article VI, Section 3).
Nominations are now being accepted for Faculty At-Large Senate representatives over 6 years (6 positions) and Faculty At-Large Senate representatives 1-6 years (3 positions). The term of office is two years, with reelection permissible.
Nominations are now being accepted for Senate representatives from the Part-Time Faculty (2 positions). The term of office is two years, with reelection permissible.
Nominations are being accepted for three positions on the Committee on Nominations to replace Sue Ann Brainard (Library), Bill Gohlman (History), and Jani Lewis (Biology). Newly-elected members’ terms will be December 1, 2007 through November 30, 2009. Leah Garland (SOTA), Sharon Peck (Education) and Zhiming Zhao (Anthropology) are the continuing members of the Committee on Nominations.
Nominations are being accepted for two positions on the General Education Committee from Professional Programs (to replace Jane Fowler Morse) and NatSci/Math/CompSci (to replace Olympia Nicodemi). Newly-elected members’ terms will be two years from Fall 2008 to Spring 2010.
Nominations are being accepted for two positions on the Professional Leave Review Committee from the areas of SOB/Library (to replace Paul MacLean) and SOE/CDSci (to Doug MacKenzie). Neither person must have had professional leave in the past. Newly-elected members’ terms will be three years from Fall 2008 to Spring 2011.
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