UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND

Kingston, Rhode Island

FACULTY SENATE

MINUTES

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Meeting #19

February 2, 2004

1. The meeting was called to order at 10: 35 a.m. on Tuesday, February 2, 2004 in the third floor conference room in Green Hall, Chairperson Beckman presiding. All members were present.

2. The minutes of meeting #18, January 27, 2004 were approved as revised.

3. Announcements/Correspondence:

a. Chairperson Beckman welcomed Senator Martin who joined the Executive Committee for the first time since her election on January 29.

b. Chairperson Beckman reported that she had received a memorandum from Professor Grilli in which he had raised questions about the election procedures recently followed by the College of Engineering. Chairperson Beckman was asked to explain to Professor Grilli that, although the Executive Committee was sympathetic to his concerns, it appeared that the college election procedures met the technical requirements for election of Engineering Senators to the Faculty Senate.

4. The Executive Committee discussed Faculty Senate Meeting #5, which had been held the previous week. They agreed that the Senate's interest in Commissioner Warner's remarks had been clearly demonstrated by the length of the question and answer period. They decided that it might be appropriate to ask the Commissioner to address the Faculty Senate once a year and to meet with the Executive Committee yearly as well.

Senator Martin said that the Senate might be interested in asking Commissioner McWalters to join Commissioner Warner for a more extensive discussion of K-16 goals.

Chairperson Beckman said that she would mention both suggestions in her note of appreciation to Commissioner Warner.

5. The Executive Committee considered the following matters of continuing concern:

a. Academic Organization: Senator Rice shared with the Executive Committee copies of a progress report on organizing the life sciences dated January 22 that Deans Brownell and Seemann had forwarded to the Provost.

The Executive Committee discussed President Carothers memorandum of January 14 in which he had suggested that the university might be ready to reaffirm the existing structure and suggested that the partnerships model was the way to pursue interdisciplinary connections. The Executive Committee agreed that it was still appropriate to ask an ad hoc committee to consider whether the current organization of the colleges remained viable and to think about alternative ways to promote interdisciplinary activities outside the existing college structure.

Senator Rosen and Ms. Grubman were asked to draft a charge to the ad hoc committee. They were also asked to contact the faculty members who had been identified earlier as potential committee members to learn if they would be interested in serving on the ad hoc committee.

b. Admissions to the Providence Campus: Chairperson Beckman reported that the ad hoc committee, which the Senate had authorized on January 29, was scheduled to meet with her and Provost Swan on Friday, February 6.

c. JSPC Meeting on February 5: The Executive Committee reviewed the agenda for the upcoming meeting. It was noted that the budget issues raised by Senator Rosen had been inadvertently omitted and Chairperson Beckman said that she would ask that the item be added to the Agenda.

It was also noted that the spring schedule of JSPC meetings had included the dates of three Senate meeting Thursdays. Chairperson Beckman agreed to ask that the schedule be revised to accommodate the Executive Committee.

Chairperson Beckman reported that the meeting of the small task force of the JSPC with Mr. Murphy to discuss his model had been cancelled because of the previous week's snow and was scheduled for next day. Senator Martin agreed to join Chairperson Beckman and Vice Chair Boudreaux-Bartels at the meeting as a replacement for former Vice Chairperson Hollinshead.

d. Library Committee: Ms. Grubman reported that Professor Ronald Onorato from the Art Department had agreed to chair the Library Committee and that the membership was almost complete. She said that Professor Onorato had agreed to meet with the Executive Committee on February 10.

Ms Grubman suggested that, given the delay in appointments, the Executive Committee recommend to the Senate that appointments to the Library Committee be extended by an additional year.

e. Teaching Effectiveness Committee: Ms. Grubman said that Professor Holmes had indicated that various obligations had kept her from scheduling a meeting of the committee and that she expected to know by the following week whether she could continue as chair of the committee. It was agreed that if Professor Holmes was unable to continue as chair, they would ask one of the other members to accept the appointment.

The meeting was adjourned at 12:00 noon.

Respectfully submitted,

Sheila Black Grubman