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The meeting was called to order at 4:05P.M.
I. Approval of Agenda
The agenda was approved unanimously with the change of the UUP report to be
given by
Steve Abraham.
II. Approval of Minutes of
General Faculty Meeting of September 18th, 2006
The minutes were approved unanimously.
III. President's Report – D.
Stanley
President
Stanley gave reports on the enrollment for the Spring and where we were in
terms of enrollment for last year. She mentioned that we are getting the
results that we were looking for. She also mentioned that we are looking to go
more down-state because there is more population there. She reported that the
budget (SUNY Operating Budget) is at $2.3 billion which is a good budget
because it is a $143 million increase. It’s important for weather, gas, et
cetera. There was also no tuition increase. She then also discussed the topic
of weather and how the President’s staff is holding meetings with faculty,
student association representatives, and others across the institution. They
are having these meetings to take in information and suggestions for canceling
classes due to inclement weather. Also they are working on means of
communications like text messaging, a weather related website, campus wide
email alerts, among other things.
She then
mentioned that the Strategic Planning Advisory Board drafted 4 major
goals. She reported on “Sciences” Facilities Progress, Engineering
Programs, Campus approval for Software Computer Engineering Program, and the
Master Plan Amendment sent to SUNY. The Board of Trustees is the next step. She
then discussed our commitment to excellence and mentioned news that Arts and
Sciences will break down into smaller schools in the future and how we are
looking for a new dean for the School of Business. She also talked about how we
are moving towards internationalization and multicultural understanding. Later
she discussed the renovations that are going on throughout the campus (Riggs,
Lakeside, etc). Lastly she mentioned some important dates being: April
2nd (Open House), April 16th – 22nd (Honors
Week), April 18th (Quest), and June 1st (Middle States
Periodic Report). She also mentioned the ORI book for next year is Bomingham.
Lastly she mentioned that it is important for the school and the community to
connect with one another.
IV. UUP
Report – S. Abraham
S. Abraham discussed the contract and that it will be expiring by the end of
July. He mentioned that benefits will carry over until a new contract is
established and that negotiations will be starting in April.
V. FA
Senate - M. Ryniker - (See attached)
VI.
Chair Report - S.
Camp
Sometimes we feel as if we are task forced out, that we have enough to do to
just teach and advise our students. But we continue to raise our hands to
volunteer to make SUNY Oswego a better place. Every time an issue is
identified, it seems as if we call upon each other to deal with the issue and
improve our state at this place we call Oswego.
Thank you for continuing to raise your hand and do the work that makes this
a great place to do what we love.
We have just received reports from two task forces and accepted the
recommendations of the Writing Across the Curriculum Task Force. Today we
began discussing the recommended Conflict of Interest and Professional Ethics
policy. Two new task forces have begun their work. One that will
aid us in enforcing prerequisites to improve quality at Oswego and one to
propose a Professional Development Center for all of us to make use of.
Additionally many of you have been involved during the first half of this
semester in creating Student Graduation Outcomes—we now have an eight-page,
single spaced list of suggested outcomes. A group of mostly faculty will
meet to coalesce the suggestions into 8-10 SUNY Oswego Graduation Outcomes for
your review and recommendation.
College Hour Pilot—We are now 1/6th of the way through the Pilot.
Please be prepared to make recommendations regarding the College Hour over the
next few months.
VII.
Unfinished Business
There
was no unfinished business.
VIII.
New Business
Bylaw amendment Article XXIV passed: 20 – 0.
Bylaw amendment Appendix D Section 2 passed: 20 – 0.
Bylaw amendment Appendix A passed 19 – 0.
--The meeting was adjourned at 5:19 P.M.
Faculty Senate Report
Plenary Session
January 25-27, 2007
Following a warm welcome from Stony Brook Senator Norm Goodman and President
Shirley Strum Kenny, Faculty Senate President Carl Wiezalis reported on
Services Corps for retirees: if this initiative works well it may be
expanded to incorporate other groups, such as students. Research: a
symposium is being organized for those who wish to change the direction of
their research. Alignment Problem: preparing (aligning) P-12
students for college. Teacher Initiative: partnering with
organizations, such as UUP, to develop teacher education and teacher support
and development.
SUNY CFO Kim Cline spoke of increased enrollment, higher standards, and
sponsored research. She recommended that we join CUNY in advocacy
(lobbying) strategies.
New York State Senator Ken LaValle was the morning’s guest speaker. He
was open, entertaining, and supportive of SUNY. Sen. LaValle is
optimistic that Gov. Spitzer will be an education-friendly executive. The
governor has proposed additional millions of dollars for K-12.
Sen. LaValle would like to see money set aside for routine maintenance of
SUNY buildings. He talked of the need for more full-time faculty. He
discussed community colleges, which are the gateways to higher education,
particularly for single parents. Sen. LaValle stated that SAT exams
should be fair to everyone, that they should not be biased for or against any
group. However, he stated that currently the SAT Board is accountable to
no one. He encouraged everyone to contact her/his legislator and Sen.
LaValle and tell her/him what we need on our individual campuses. The
senator closed with a plea that we address the needs of our students so that
living in New York is affordable. Students need affordable loans,
affordable housing, and affordable healthcare.
At the Sector session there were concerns raised about faculty
empowerment. At one school the established mentoring organization was
dismantled without any notice. A new organization was created by the
administration with no input from faculty. Reportedly, CUNY is
administering a standard test across the board. The test was created with
no faculty consultation. The head of the CUNY Board of Trustees sits on
the executive board of the company responsible for the test. Questions of
conflict of interest were raised.
Most of the session was spent on the National Center for Academic
Transformation, a website of Carol Twig. Provost Palm talked of Carol
Twig in her presentation later in the day.
The Student Assembly President told us that Plattsburg and SUNY Buffalo
students might now pay an optional $5 on their semester’s bill. The money
will be spent on renewable energy. As of July 2007 all resident halls
will be smoke-free.
The afternoon’s guest speaker was Samuel Bacharach who spoke on development
of faculty leadership. Leadership requires mobilization (getting people
on your side) and sustaining momentum (keeping people on your side.)
Provost Palm spoke of Spellings Commission Report that calls for
accessibility to strengthen K-12; affordability that includes clear disclosure
of college costs; and accountability that includes accreditation, learning
outcomes, and transparencies.
Provost Palm discussed the National Center for Academic Transformation
(www.centerrpi.edu) that is run by Carol Twig. Twig claims that if large
multi-section courses are reorganized that 39% of the money spent on these
courses could be saved. The Provost offered financial support to
Departments that wish to change the way they deliver their courses. The
means of reorganization may run counter to U.S. News and World
Reports. Dr. Palm noted that eleven General Education courses
account for 32% of SUNY courses taken each year. The Provost stated that
Twig recommends: an initial assessment be made of each student’s skill level
and preferred learning style; an array of high quality interactive learning
materials and activities be available; individualized study plans for each
student be prepared; continuous feedback be built in to each course; varied
kinds of appropriate human interactions be available in each course. If you are
interested in this opportunity, please contact Dr. Palm at
www.risa.palm@suny.edu
The final speaker of the day was Chancellor Ryan. He responded to each
sector’s questions. His opening statement was, “I am a fan of General
Education. I am a fan of assessment as you do it.” The Chancellor
repeated his commitment to increasing the number of full-time faculty. He
referred to full-time faculty as the heart and soul of our
institutions. His goal is to hire 300 new full-time faculty this
year. When asked about the libraries in the SUNY system the Chancellor
stated that he would examine the situation and that the current state of
affairs is not healthy for students or the community.
Saturday morning Kim Reiser, outgoing president of the Faculty Council of
Community Colleges, addressed the group briefly. She recommended an
article that questions the value of standardized tests by Trudy Banta in the
January 26, 2007 edition of Inside Higher Education. She stated that
there is no evidence that Twig’s CLA “helps us to enhance transfers” as it is
advertised.
Manfred Phillip, the head of CUNY faculty senate, spoke warmly of our
University Faculty Senate and the strong relationship we have with UUP.
CUNY is, unfortunately, not as closely aligned with its
union.
The Governance Committee is examining on-going faculty leadership
development. Workshops to address leadership may be organized and they may be
open to interested faculty. UFS approved the by-laws amendment.
The Awards Committee has distributed applications to the campuses for
Conversations in the Disciplines (CID). Everyone is encouraged to
apply. An online review procedure is in development.
Student Life Committee report focused on the astonishing number of students
who go to college with psychotropic medications. In the Midwest a survey
determined that 40% of the students arrive on campus with prescribed
drugs. Discussion suggested that SUNY students were comparable. It
was reported that one-third of SUNY students are uninsured. This figure
is unsettling. The disparity between costs and coverage of campus
insurance plans across the state is remarkable.
Undergraduate Academic Programs and Policies Committee has completed a draft
of an Internship Guide. I have a copy of this guide should anyone wish to
peruse it.
The Operations Committee has compiled a report that establishes that white
males are the most heavily represented group of SUNY professors and that the
numbers of everyone-who-is-not-white-male are inching up very slowly. I
have a copy of the preliminary findings. Questions were raised about the
retention and attrition rates of non-white tenure and non-tenure track
lines.
I will be seeking a vote on the resolution on Enhancing SUNY Access to
Electronic Databases, a resolution that has been passed unanimously on several
campuses already. UFS passed two other resolutions last fall but there
has been no action by the Chancellor or the Provost. The lack of action
raised questions as to the commitment to library resources by these SUNY
administrators. SUNY Energy Task Force continues to organize a 2007-08
conference on a “green energy” policy, in conjunction with the Graduate and
Research Committee. The conference is tentatively scheduled for August 1,
2007.
The Graduate and Research Committee is also planning another conference
aimed at fostering research mentorship.
Campus Governance Leaders have initiated a survey to examine release time,
budgeting and college councils. CGLs often need leadership
training. Our own Dr. Camp worked on a report to the UFS on STEM
(Science, Technology, Engineering, Mechanics).
UFS resoundingly passed a resolution in support of the SUNY Health Care
Facilities:
Be it resolved that the University Faculty Senate reaffirms support for
SUNY’s continued, greater than 50 year, commitment to public health care
education, research and service in New York State and reaffirms its opposition
to privatization of SUNY hospitals.
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