Minutes for Faculty Senate Meetings

September 27, 2007

Number 1

1. Immediately following a meeting of the General Faculty-Graduate Faculty, the regular meeting of the Faculty Senate was called to order at 3:07 p.m. in the Cherry Auditorium, Chester Kirk Building, Chairperson Miller presiding.

All members were present except Senators Betensky, Echevarria, Forrester, Grigalunas, Izenstark, Rathemacher, Schwegler, Sodhi, Sun and Taggart; Vice President Beagle; Vice Provost McCray; Deans Bonn, Farmer, Higgins, Jordon and Joseph; Ms. Fry. (Mr. Leston was represented by his designee.)

2. Chairperson Miller asked if there were any additions or corrections to or questions about the Minutes of Faculty Senate Meeting #8, May 10, 2007. There were none.

Chairperson Miller ruled that in the absence of additions or corrections, the Minutes were approved as distributed.

3. REPORTS OF OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

A. Chairperson Miller introduced himself and welcomed everyone to the first Faculty Senate Meeting of the 2007-08 academic year. He then made the following announcements:

Chairperson Miller introduced the following new Senators who were taking their seats at that meeting:

Senator Ellen Flannery-Schroeder, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology, who is replacing Senator Kat Quina for the fall semester;

Senator Roberta King, College of Pharmacy, Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, who is replacing Senator John Babson this fall.
Chairperson Miller said that Professors and Senators Emeritus Barbara Luebke and Glen Ramsay, along with Gregg Burke from the Department of Athletics, have asked him to remind everyone of the Oct. 17th "Walk Around the Quad" in honor of our colleague, Yngve Ramstad. The walk also will raise money for patient services and research as part of the ALS 2007 Walk to D'Feet ALS.

He said that walkers would gather on the roadway between Davis Hall and the Quad at noon. The URI Traditional Jazz band will be playing and other activities are in the works.

Chairperson Miller noted that everyone had received electronic fliers on the walk with instructions on how to join the team - Ramstad's Rams -- as a fund-raiser or to support one of the walkers. We have brochures and envelopes that you can use to contribute with cash or check (ALSA - RI Chapter). These will go to Professor Luebke.
Chairperson Miller said that Representative Eileen Naughton of the Rhode Island General Assembly has asked him to inform the faculty that NIH is going through a major process to restructure their review procedure for grants. She suggests that any researcher with interest in possible NIH work should try to obtain materials from the Faculty Senate office for review and comment."
Chairperson Miller announced that it had been brought to the Executive Committee's attention this week that the Faculty Senate approved a Graduate Council Report last spring that had an error significant enough to require an amendment to the report. He then recognized Vice Provost Pasquerella.

Vice Provost Pasquerella moved approval of the Curricular Report No. 2006-2007-7 from the Graduate Council to the Faculty Senate as corrected.

The motion carried.
Chairperson Miller thanked President Carothers who had agreed to sponsor the reception that afternoon. He invited everyone to join President Carothers at the University Club after the Faculty Senate meeting.
Chairperson Miller announced that it was customary at the beginning of the academic year to remind everyone of the role of the Faculty Senate here at URI and to outline some of the goals that the Executive Committee has for the academic year. He said that he and the Executive Committee agreed that most of this information was in the welcome letter, which was mailed to all faculty at the beginning of the semester and is posted on the Faculty Senate Home Page http://www.uri.edu/facsen/Welcome_Letter_07.html. He said that the Executive Committee preferred to forgo the presentation and get on with the Senate's business at this time.
Chairperson Miller said that before proceeding with business that the Faculty Senate followed The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure by Alice Sturgis. He asked that people who wish to speak wait to be recognized by the chair and also that they identify themselves before speaking. He said that he would try to give everyone the opportunity to address an issue once. He also asked that having spoken, Senators not speak again if the point has already been addressed. He noted that Sturgis' specifically requires that no one person or group monopolize the discussion on a question. He said that he would strictly enforce these rules to keep the business of the Senate moving.

B. Vice Chairperson Martin said that the Minutes 2006-2007 Executive Committee Meetings #29, #30, #31 and #32 and 2007-2008 Executive Committee Meetings #1 and #2 appeared on pages 4-28 of the Agenda and asked if there were any questions.

Discussion ensued during which Chairperson Miller and Vice Chairperson Martin responded to questions about the Executive Committee minutes.

C. Chairperson Miller recognized Vice Chairperson Martin to present the recommendations of the Executive Committee:

1) Vice Chairperson Martin moved approval of the following:

That the Faculty Senate approve the Committee Appointments for the 2007-08 academic year, which appear on pages 28-35 of the Agenda. She noted that typographical errors had been corrected and added the names of Peter Larsen from the University Libraries to the membership of the UCGE Committee and Senator Karen Caines from the College of Nursing to the Joint Classroom Steering Committee.

The motion carried.

Vice Chairperson Martin said that the Executive Committee was still looking for a volunteer for the Academic Standards and Calendar Committee and for a faculty member for the Alumni Association Executive Committee. She suggested that if senators were interested, that they contact Ms. Grubman at 4-2616.

2) Vice Chairperson Martin said that the first report of the Executive Committee for the 2007-08 academic year was found on pages 36-38 of the Agenda. She said that recommendation I required Faculty Senate approval and moved approval of the change to the membership of the Joint Strategic Planning Committee.

Discussion ensued.

Following discussion, the motion carried.

The approved section 5.70.11 of the UNIVERSITY MANUAL reads as follows:

5.70.11 The Joint Strategic Planning Committee shall be comprised of the President, who shall serve as Chair, the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Vice Presidents for Administration, Research and Economic Development, Student Affairs, and University Advancement, the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, a Dean of a degree-granting college appointed by the President, two administrative staff members appointed by the President, the President of the Student Senate, and the President of the Graduate Student Association. It shall be staffed by the Executive Assistants to the President and Directors of Planning Services

Vice Chairperson Martin said that recommendation II contained changes to the By-Laws of the Faculty Senate and noted that that the changes could be discussed but not voted upon at that time. She moved approval of Recommendation II to amend sections 4.56 and 4.60 of the By-Laws to reflect administrative changes:

4.56 The membership of the Council shall be chosen to reflect the diversity of the academic disciplines of the faculty. The Council shall comprise seven faculty members appointed in accordance with the By-Laws of the Faculty Senate (See section 6.1); three faculty members from the research community chosen by the Vice President for Research and Economic Development; one member of the Council of Deans, chosen by that council; one director (or associate or assistant director) of a research center or bureau and one college business manager chosen by the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs; one graduate student chosen by the Graduate Student Association; one undergraduate student appointed by the undergraduate Research Grant Committee; the Dean of the Graduate School or designee; and the Vice President for Research and Economic Development or the Vice President's designee as a voting ex officio member. The two students shall be appointed yearly. The members appointed by the Senate, the Council of Deans, the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Vice President for Research and Economic Development shall be appointed to three-year terms commencing in September. Wherever the same person or body is charged with selecting two or more members, the members' terms shall be staggered. The Council shall elect its chairperson for the year from among the faculty members of the Council at its first meeting in September. The name of the chairperson shall be made known to the University community and reported to the Faculty Senate and the President.

4.60 The Teaching Effectiveness Committee shall promote good teaching at the University by: conducting and reporting to the Faculty Senate an annual audit of programs, activities, policies, etc., which are available at the University to support good teaching; serving as an advisory committee to the Instructional Development Program; undertaking each year, in cooperation with other interested parties, an initiative designed to improve teaching practices at the University. The Director of the Instructional Development Program and the Vice Provost for Information Technology Services or the Vice Provost's designee shall serve as ex officio members of this committee.

Discussion ensued on recommendation II.

Following discussion, Vice Chairperson Martin said that recommendation III was a change to section 4.4 of the By-Laws that would be necessary if the Administrator Evaluation Committee Report was approved. She noted that no vote could be taken at that time and then moved approval of recommendation III (deleted portion has ~~strikethrough~~):

4.4 The Executive Committee with the consent of the Faculty Senate shall appoint an Administrator Evaluation Coordinator from the tenured faculty for a two-year term. The Administrator Evaluation Coordinator shall be responsible for the following: designating which administrators are to be evaluated in a given year; facilitating the election/selection of administrator evaluation committees within each administrator's constituent group as defined in section 5.76.12 of the UNIVERSITY MANUAL; providing guidance and suggestions to these administrator evaluation committees ~~as they design their instruments and outline their procedures~~; and, monitoring the committees' progress in conducting the evaluations. The Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate shall review and evaluate the process as outlined here and as it evolves in the respective Evaluation Committees after the first three-year round and at least every six years after that. The results of the review shall be reported to the Faculty Senate.

Following discussion, Chairperson Miller announced that all of the By-Laws changes would be on the Agenda for the October 25 Faculty Senate Meeting and could be voted upon at that time.

3) Vice Chairperson Martin moved approval of the Policy #80-1 Revised, which appeared on pages 39-41 of the Agenda.

The motion carried.

4) Vice Chairperson Martin moved approval of the following resolution recommended by the Executive Committee:

Whereas laboratory fees are intended to support the extra costs associated with running a laboratory, laboratory fees should thus be levied only for those courses in which scheduled laboratories are a legitimate, integral part of an ongoing course curriculum. The University Course Catalog identifies laboratories, and ought to be the standard, by which laboratory fees are or are not levied,
Be it Resolved: that if a laboratory is not stipulated in the Catalog description, it is inappropriate to charge laboratory fees, and any needed extra funds ought to be sought from other sources.

Discussion ensued.

After discussion, Dean Brownell moved to substitute the following for the resolution on the floor:

Whereas student learning outcomes in certain courses are highly dependent on the use of specialized learning facilities and various teaching materials, such as media, software, scientific and artistic supplies, and state-of-the-art technological equipment, the University should identify all such courses and charge students enrolled in these courses an appropriate "Laboratory/Studio/ Technology" fee to support the extra cost,
Be it Resolved: that the Provost's Office maintain a list of approved "Laboratory/Studio/Technology" courses, ensure that these courses are designated as such in the University Catalog, and charge an appropriate fee to be used solely for the benefit of the students enrolled in these courses.

Discussion ensued.

When the fifteen minutes allowed for discussion expired, Senator Leo moved to extend debate. The motion failed

The Senate voted immediately on the motion to substitute.

The motion to substitute carried.

Discussion ensued on the substitute resolution

Following discussion, Senator Beauvais moved to return the substitute resolution to the Executive Committee.

Discussion ensued during which instructions were given to the Executive Committee.

Following discussion, the motion to refer to committee carried.

D. Professor Emeritus Vincent Rose presented the Annual Report of the University Ombud for 2006-07, which appeared on pages 42-44 of the Agenda. Ombud Rose then introduced his Student Assistant for 2007-08, Ms. Cristin Langworthy.

E. Provost Swan and Professor Kowalski brought the Faculty Senate up-to-date on the Self-Study and reported on the upcoming visit of the NEASC Accreditation Team from October 21 to October 24. Provost Swan and Professor Kowalski responded to questions from the floor.

4. REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT

A. President Carothers said that he had approved all of the legislation that had been forwarded to him by the Senate at the end of the 2006-07 academic year.

B. President Carothers expressed his appreciation to Provost Swan and to Professors Kowalski, Beckman and Barbour who had been responsible for the Self-Study and the completed document.

The President brought the Senate up to date on efforts to improve campus security after the Virginia Tech massacre. He said that he hoped the new alert systems would be a vast improvement over the current way messages are sent to the campus community.

President Carothers announced that the dedication of the new Heidi Kirk Duffy Center for International Engineering would take place the following afternoon. He said that URI's International Education Program was the premier program of its kind in the country. He credited the IEP's success to Professor John Grandin, who had initiated it and continues to be the force behind the program.

President Carothers responded to comments on his announcements as well as on his speech to the General Faculty-Graduate Faculty earlier that afternoon. The text of President Carothers' speech to the General Faculty-Graduate Faculty prior to the Faculty Senate Meeting is available on the web at http://www.uri.edu/facsen/Fall2007speechGenFac.html

5. REPORTS OF STANDING AND SPECIAL COMMITTEES

A. Professor McIntyre presented the Annual Report of the Honors Program and Visiting Scholars Committee for 2006-07, which appeared on pages 45-50 of the Agenda as well as the Appendices, which were not printed but was available on the http://www.uri.edu/FacSen/2006-2007_HPR_rpt.pdf. He also responded to questions from the floor.

B.. Senator Rosen presented the Final Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Administrator Evaluation, which appeared on pages 51-54 of the Agenda. He moved approval of the changes to the UNIVERSITY MANUAL recommended by the Ad Hoc Committee.

The motion carried.

6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Chairperson Miller asked if there was any unfinished business.

Vice President Alfonso asked that the proposed changes to section 4.56 of the Faculty Senate By-Laws the membership of the Council for Research, recommended by the Executive Committee under item 3, c, 2) be discussed further.

3. C. 2) 4.56 The membership of the Council shall be chosen to reflect the diversity of the academic disciplines of the faculty. The Council shall comprise seven faculty members appointed in accordance with the By-Laws of the Faculty Senate (See section 6.1); three faculty members from the research community chosen by the Vice President for Research and Economic Development; one member of the Council of Deans, chosen by that council; one director (or associate or assistant director) of a research center or bureau and one college business manager chosen by the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs; one graduate student chosen by the Graduate Student Association; one undergraduate student appointed by the undergraduate Research Grant Committee; the Dean of the Graduate School or designee; and the Vice President for Research and Economic Development or the Vice President's designee as a voting ex officio member. The two students shall be appointed yearly. The members appointed by the Senate, the Council of Deans, the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Vice President for Research and Economic Development shall be appointed to three-year terms commencing in September. Wherever the same person or body is charged with selecting two or more members, the members' terms shall be staggered. The Council shall elect its chairperson for the year from among the faculty members of the Council at its first meeting in September. The name of the chairperson shall be made known to the University community and reported to the Faculty Senate and the President.

Discussion ensued on the recommendation of the Executive Committee to amend section 4.56 of the Faculty Senate By-Laws.

Following discussion, Senator Kirschenbaum moved to amend 4.56 of the By-Laws by deleting "from the research community" and adding "two faculty members appointed by the Provost."

Chairperson Miller said that neither the recommendation of the Executive Committee nor the proposed amendment could be voted upon at that time. He announced that they would appear as unfinished business on the October 25 Agenda.

7. NEW BUSINESS

Chairperson Miller asked if there was any new business. There was none.

A motion was made to adjourn the meeting. The motion carried.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:59 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Sheila Black Grubman