UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND
Kingston, Rhode Island
FACULTY SENATE
MINUTES
Faculty Senate Executive Committee Meeting #18
January 27, 2003
1. The meeting was called to order at 10:235 a.m. on Tuesday,
January 27, 2003 in the third floor conference room in Green Hall,
Chairperson Beckman presiding. All members were present.
2. The minutes of meetings #16, January 13, 2004 and #17, January
20, 2004 were approved pending editorial corrections.
3. Announcements/Correspondence:
a. The Executive Committee discussed a student report
on graduate teaching assistants that had been forwarded to them by
Professor Shamoon. After discussion, it was agreed to forward the
report to the Graduate Council for their consideration. Ms. Grubman
was asked to contact Professor Shamoon and her student to thank them
for bringing this issue forward.
b. Senator Rosen reported on the January 26, 2004 meeting of the
Board of Governors. He noted that there were two items of direct
interest to URI, the approval of the Au.D. Degree and the Board's
confirmation of the appointment of Robert Weygand as URI's Vice
President for Administration.
Senator Rosen also indicated that the Board had voted to
establish a task force to study the feasibility of cost savings of
administrative services in higher education that was somewhat
comparable to the one established by Governor Carcieri.
c. A copy of the Council of Deans Agenda for January 28, 2004 was
circulated for information. It was agreed that if there was time
during their meeting with the Provost and President they would ask
Provost Swan about two items of interest on the Council's Agenda: 1)
Outcomes assessment - Board of Governors and 2) Summer School
Recommendation &endash; Continuation.
4. The Executive Committee reviewed the Agenda for Faculty Senate
Meeting #5, January 29. Ms. Grubman brought the Executive Committee
up to date on the committee appointments for the spring 2004
semester. In addition, they considered issues that might be raised
with Commissioner Warner.
5. The Executive Committee met with President Carothers and
Provost Swan from 11:00 a.m. to noon. They discussed the implications
of the President's January 14 memorandum to Chairperson Beckman in
which he had suggested that the University affirm its current
organization and deal with the outstanding issues of the organization
of the life sciences and the proposal from the Department of Ocean
Engineering to transfer to the Graduate School of Oceanography.
The Executive Committee expressed their reservations about
abandoning the establishment of a faculty group to consider the
reorganization proposals before the faculty had the opportunity to
consider them formally and the Senate had opportunity to make its own
statement or recommendations in this regard. The President said he
was willing to give the Senate whatever time it needed.
The Executive Committee asked about the status of each of the
reorganization proposals mentioned in President Carothers'
memorandum. It was noted that the College of Engineering faculty had
not formally voted on the possible transfer of the Ocean Engineering
Department. With regard to the Life Sciences, Provost Swan indicated
that she hadn't heard officially from the committee that she had
established the previous spring.
6. The Executive Committee discussed the previous meeting of the
JSPC. Of specific concern was the introduction of Mr. Thomas Murphy,
who the President had hired as a consultant. Mr. Murphy proposes a
portfolio decision model for selecting and improving college and
university programs at URI. Chairperson Beckman said that she had a
copy of a power point presentation on the model and would forward to
the members of the Executive Committee for information. She also said
that she knew that Mr. Murphy had received his M.B.A. at URI and
agreed she would try to learn more about his credentials for the
Executive Committee's information.
It was noted that a small task force of the JSPC, which included
Chairperson Beckman, Vice Chairperson Hollinshead and Senator
Boudreaux-Bartels, had agreed to meet the following day with Mr.
Murphy to discus the model.
The meeting was adjourned at 12:05 p.m.
Respectfully
submitted,
Sheila Black Grubman