UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND

Kingston, Rhode Island

FACULTY SENATE

MINUTES

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Meeting #27

April 6, 2004

1. The meeting was called to order at 10:35 a.m. on Tuesday, April 6, 2004 in the third floor conference room in Green Hall, Chairperson Beckman presiding. All members were present.

2. The revised minutes from Faculty Senate Executive Committee Meeting #25, March 23, 2004 were reviewed and approved in final form.

3. Announcements/Correspondence

a. A copy of the Agenda for the Board of Governors Meeting of April 12, 2004 was circulated for information. Chairperson Beckman explained that since she taught late on Monday afternoons she had not been able to attend any of the Board's meetings this semester. Senator Rosen said that he planned to attend the meeting and noted that it was to be held on the URI Kingston Campus in the Library's Galanti Lounge. Other members of the Executive Committee indicated that they might be able to attend the meeting.

b. Chairperson Beckman announced that the Executive Committee had been asked to identify sample academic programs and faculty members from each of the programs to participate in pilot testing of Mr. Murphy's portfolio model. Chairperson Beckman explained that it would probably take about an hour of each faculty member's time.

The Executive Committee selected the following departments for the pilot test and agreed to contact either a Senator or another faculty member from each department:

1) Art, Arts and Sciences

2) Chemical Engineering, Engineering

3) Plant Sciences, CELS

4) Psychology, Arts and Sciences

5) College of Nursing

4. The Executive Committee reviewed a draft Agenda for Faculty Senate Meeting #8, April 15, 2004 and approved it in final form. The Committee agreed that in order that there was ample time for consideration of each of the reports, they would recommend at the beginning of the meeting that the meeting be recessed until April 29. Ms. Grubman noted that some items on the Agenda, the CAC Report and the UCGE Reports were time sensitive and should be considered on April 15.

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

a. Draft working documents on the budget and guidelines for budget priorities, which had been distributed previously by Senator Rosen, were discussed at length. It was agreed to continue the discussion at their next meeting.

b. The Executive Committee discussed the capital development plans which ad been presented to the JSPC on April 1 by Mr. DePace. Some concerns were expressed about the number of potential projects that must rely on private funding sources (e.g. privately owned apartments, a retirement community, and a golf course) and the need for a stringent assessment of the likelihood of profitability.

6. Ms. Grubman shared with the committee a request from Ombud Rose that the Executive Committee follow-up on two related issues that had been identified during 2002-03. The first issue related to changing student grades and a recommendation from the AAUP in an editorial in March 2003 that the University establish a procedure recommended by the National AAUP for dealing with student appeals. The second issue concerned section 8.26.10 of the University Manual, which specifies that colleges must promulgate their appeals procedures. Ms. Grubman noted that the FSEC had previously asked Provost Swan to urge that each college develop and publish such procedures and that the Provost had done so.

Vice Chairperson Boudreaux-Bartels agreed to discuss the two issues with Ombud Rose and provide additional information at the next Executive Committee meeting.

The meeting was adjourned at 12:35 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Sheila Black Grubman