NUMBER 6
University of Rhode
Island
Faculty Senate
MINUTES
Faculty Senate Meeting
February 20,
2003
1. The regular meeting of the Faculty Senate
was called to order at 3:08 p.m. in the Cherry Auditorium, Chester
Kirk Building, Chairperson Arakelian presiding.
All members were present except Senators
Dewhurst, Dholakia, Felner, Finizio, Havener, Hollinshead, Kester,
Lehrer, Loy, Mitra, Paton, Ramstad, Rowinski, Sullivan and Wills;
Vice Presidents Beagle and Dougan; Vice Provost Rhodes; Deans Farmer,
Mazze, McKinney, Shukla and Taggart (Vice Provost McCray and Dean
Seemann were represented by their designees); Ms. DiBiasio and Mr.
Murgo.
2. Chairperson Arakelian asked if there were
any additions or corrections to or questions about the Minutes of
Faculty Senate Meeting #5, January 30, 2003. There were none.*
Chairperson Arakelian ruled that in the
absence of additions or corrections, the Minutes were approved as
distributed.
_______________
*Subsequent to the meeting, the spelling of
Senator Teliha's name was corrected under item 3, A, 1.
_______________
3.
REPORTS OF OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
A. Announcements:
1) Chairperson Arakelian reported
that as part of the Senate and Administration's ongoing effort to
improve shared governance at the University, the Faculty Senate
Office will move from the basement of Eleanor Roosevelt Hall to the
third floor of Green Hall later this spring.
2) Chairperson Arakelian invited members of
the Senate to attend a reception at the University Club after the
Faculty Senate meeting. He announced that the reception would be
sponsored jointly by Dean Richmond and Vice Provost Gandel and
thanked them both for their generous support.
3) Chairperson Arakelian announced that
Senator Beckman would present the report of the Executive
Committee.
B. Senator Beckman said that the minutes of
Executive Committee Meetings #15 and #16 appeared on pages 3-6 of the
Agenda. She asked if there were any questions.
Senator Beckman, Chairperson Arakelian and
President Carothers responded to questions about the Executive
Committee's meetings.
C. Senator Beckman turned over the floor to
Senator Rodgers, who presented the recommendations of the URI Task
Force on Purchasing Policy some of which appeared on pages
7-8 of the Agenda. Senator Rodgers responded to questions
from the Senate.
On behalf of the Executive Committee, Senator
Rodgers moved that the Faculty Senate endorse the recommendation of
the report of the URI Task Force on Purchasing Policy as it appeared
on the Agenda.
Discussion ensued.
Following discussion, a motion was made to
amend the motion by replacing the current $2,500 Federal Acquisition
Regulations guideline with $5,000.
After discussion, the amendment
carried.
Following discussion, the motion as amended
carried.
The approved resolution: reads as
follows:
Immediately increase the Limited
Value Purchase Order limit applying to ledger 3 and 5 grant and
contract funds at URI to $5,000
4. REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT
A. President Carothers said that
he didn't have anything to report at that time with regard to Senate
legislation.
B. President Carothers shared with the Senate
his plans with regard to strategic planning for the University. He
explained that, with the concurrence of the Faculty Senate, he
intended to create a University-wide senior planning group, made up
of the University's Provost and Vice Presidents and the Executive
Committee of the Faculty Senate, as well as the President of the
Student Senate and two representatives of the University's
non-faculty employees.
He explained that he was combining the
remaining staff of SPIR with the staff of PDLOT to establish an
Office of Planning Services, which in conjunction with selected
administrators, faculty and staff called into service on an ad hoc
basis, would serve as the staff of the University-wide senior
planning group.
President Carothers responded to questions
from members of the Senate about his proposal.
When the fifteen-minute time for discussion
expired, a motion was made to extend discussion for an additional
five minutes. The motion carried.
President Carothers continued to respond to
questions from members of the Senate.
5.
REPORTS OF STANDING AND SPECIAL COMMITTEES
A. Senator Kaufman presented the
Four Hundred Tenth Report of the Curricular Affairs Committee, which
appeared on page 9 of
the Agenda. He said that the entire report required confirmation by
the Faculty Senate and moved approval of recommendation from the
College of Arts and Sciences, Department of English and College
Writing Program:
CHANGE: The administrative
location of the College Writing Program from a program within the
Department of English to a program within the College of Arts and
Sciences.
Discussion ensued.
When the fifteen-minute limit on discussion
expired, the Senate moved to an immediate vote. The motion
carried.
Senator Kaufman moved approval of
recommendations II and III:
II. College of the Environment and
Life Sciences
Department of Plant
Sciences
DISCONTINUE OFFICIALLY: The B.S.
degree in Plant Science.
III. College of Human Science and
Services
DISCONTINUE
OFFICIALLY: The B.S. degree in Home Economics.
The motion carried.
B. Senator Kaufman presented the Four Hundred
Eleventh Report of the Curricular Affairs Committee, which appeared
on pages 10-15 of the Agenda. He said that the title of Section I has
been inadvertently omitted from the beginning of the report. He
explained that Section I included everything on page 10 and the top
of page 11 as matters of information. He asked if there were any
questions. There were none.
Senator Kaufman said that Section II required
confirmation by the Faculty Senate. He moved approval of part A from
the College of Arts and Sciences, College Writing program, noting
that recommendations a and b would be effective for the fall
2004.
Following discussion, the motion
carried.
Senator Kaufman moved approval of part B from
the College of Business Administration. The motion carried. Senator
Kaufman moved approval of part C from the College of Human Science
and Services. The motion carried.
Senator Kaufman announced that Section III was
a joint report of the Curricular Affairs Committee and Graduate
Council on 400-level courses and courses for the Pharm.D.
He said that part A was informational and
asked if there were any questions. There were none
Senator Kaufman corrected part B item 3, a, 4)
to read "PHC 494 Advanced Experiential Tracking Experience." He said
that part B required confirmation by the Faculty Senate and moved
approval. The motion carried.
C. Vice Provost Trubatch presented the
Curricular Report No. 2002-03-6 from the Graduate Council to the
Faculty Senate, which appeared on page 16-17 of the Agenda.
She said that Section I was informational and
asked if there were any questions. There were none.
Vice Provost Trubatch said that Section II
required confirmation by the Faculty Senate and moved approval of
Section II. The motion carried.
D. Professor Jackson presented the University
College and General Education Committee Report #2002-03-2 which
appeared on pages 18-20 of the Agenda.
Professor Jackson said that Section I
concerned the current General Education Program. He said that item A
was informational and asked if there were any questions. There were
none.
Professor Jackson said that item B required
confirmation by the Faculty Senate and moved approval. The motion
carried
Professor Jackson announced that Section II
concerned the Revised General Education Program. He said that item A
was on the English Communication core area and that A, 1 was
informational. He asked if there were any questions.
After responding to questions about item A, 1,
Professor Jackson said that item A, 2 required confirmation. He moved
that the Faculty Senate approve LIB 120 Introduction to Information
Literacy (speaking effectively, use of
information technology, writing effectively) for the (EC) area of the revised General Education
Program (2001).
The motion carried.
Professor Jackson announced that item B on the
Foreign Language and Cross-cultural Communication core area was
informational and asked if there were any questions.
Following discussion, Professor Jackson said
that item C on the Social Sciences core area required confirmation.
He moved approval of the following courses for the (S) area of the
revised General Education Program (2001), including the assignment of
the Diversity designation:
APG 203 Cultural Anthropology
(examining human differences, use of
qualitative data, writing effectively)
[D]
BGS 390 Social Science Seminar
(examining human differences and 2 of
the following: reading complex texts, use of information technology,
writing effectively) [D]
Following discussion, the motion
carried.
Professor Jackson announced that items D and E
on the Letters, Fine Arts and Literature, Natural Sciences, and
Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning core areas were informational
and asked if there were any questions. There were none.
7. NEW BUSINESS
Chairperson Arakelian announced
that the floor was open for a discussion of the concept of shared
governance at the University and what might be done to enable it to
work more effectively.
A brief discussion ensued.
After discussion, Chairperson Arakelian stated
that the Executive Committee would bring a recommendation to the
Senate on March 20 about the President's proposal for a joint
committee.
Chairperson Arakelian asked if there was any
additional new business.
Senator Teliha, representing the University
Libraries, urged that there should be more effective snow removal
from paths and lots in the future.
Discussion ensued.
Following discussion, a motion was made to
adjourn. The motion carried.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:50 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Sheila Black Grubman