UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND

Kingston, Rhode Island

FACULTY SENATE

MINUTES

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Meeting #31

May 4, 2004

1. The meeting was called to order at 10:31 a.m. on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 in the third floor conference room in Green Hall, Chairperson Beckman presiding. All members were present.

2. Announcements/Correspondence:

a. Ms. Grubman distributed copies of the Joint Admissions Agreement that had been forwarded by Provost Swan. She said that the Provost had asked her to inform the Executive Committee that UCGE Committee Chair Leland Jackson had attended the meeting along with other representatives of the three institutions.

b. Ms. Grubman also reported that Vice Provost Swift and Ms. Grossman-Garber had received a $290,000 grant from the Davis Foundation for their proposal "Improving Student Learning and Institutional Impact Through Assessment of Student Outcomes."

3. The Executive Committee discussed Faculty Senate Meeting #8a, which had been held the previous Thursday, April 29, 2004.

Senator Rosen distributed copies of his analysis of the Senate's disapproval, by a 12-16 vote, of the proposal of the Investigative Ad Hoc Committee on Academic Reorganization. The Executive Committee agreed that they would raise the matter of the vote and its possible implications with President Carothers, who had not been able to attend the recess meeting.

4. The Executive Committee reviewed the draft Agenda for Faculty Senate Meeting #9, May 13, 2004 and approved it in final form.

5. The Executive Committee met with President Carothers from 11:00 to 11: 55 a.m. The following matters were discussed:

a. Budget priorities for FY'05 and FY'06: The Executive Committee shared with the President some of the items that they had identified as priority issues for the budget. They said that they intended to distribute at the May 5 JSPC Meeting a list of items that they considered of high priority for discussion. President Carothers apologized for not being able to attend the meeting. He explained that the legislature had invited URI student athletes to the state house that afternoon and he would have to attend that meeting instead of the scheduled JSPC meeting. He said that Provost Swan would chair the meeting in his place.

b. Continuance of JSPC meetings over the summer months: President Carothers said that he believed that it would be possible to limit the number of JSPC meetings over the summer to two. He proposed that one meeting be held in June and another in August. The President suggested that it might be possible to orient new members of the Executive Committee to the JSPC without holding meetings of the entire committee.

c. Thinking about 2007 through 2010: President Carothers said he was not ready at that point to talk about the next strategic plan.

d. Issues related to access for people with disabilities: The Executive Committee discussed with the President concerns about impediments to access on campus for faculty members, staff, and students who have disabilities. It was noted that some problems were related to enforcement of parking regulations, while others concerned practices that appeared to hamper accessibility such as handicapped access doors always locked and elevators locked after 4:00 p.m.

President Carothers said that some doors were locked by administrators for security reasons. He noted that Mr. Sidio tried to resolve problems, but was limited by the few staff members working in lands and grounds and the very small number of skilled tradesmen employed at the University. He also explained that some contractual provisions made it impossible for individual staff members to perform work, such as shoveling paths and replacing light bulbs, that was not specifically designated to them. The Executive Committee suggested that a website similar to the one designated for classrooms might work better than the current telephone "hotline."

e. Taking Independence Hall off-line: Members of the Executive Committee asked President Carothers about a rumored delay in the plans for taking Independence Hall off-line. The President said that circumstances beyond the University's control had set the deadline back by at least another six months. At the state level there had been delays in releasing bonds that had been approved as long ago as 1998. Further, there were also delays in receiving permission to build a second story on the Surge Building to accommodate offices and classrooms for people who must move from Independence Hall. Both were impediments that had contributed to the postponement of work on the building.

f. Results of Faculty Senate vote on the proposal of the Investigative Ad Hoc Committee on Academic Reorganization: The Executive Committee and President Carothers discussed the vote at the Faculty Senate meeting. The President reiterated his preference for little or no reorganization and indicated that a vote in support of the current organization would have been a more helpful indication of the faculty's sentiment. Senator Rosen provided the President with his analysis of the Senate discussion and vote.

When the President left the meeting, the Executive Committee moved to the next item on the Agenda.

6. Chairperson Beckman reported on the status of efforts to test Mr. Murphy's portfolio model. She noted that she had asked Ms. Orabone to contact those additional faculty members suggested by members of the Executive Committee to review the data on departments.

Chairperson Beckman said that she was becoming convinced, as had former Vice Chairperson Hollinshead, that departments, rather than programs should form the basis for the reviews.

The meeting was adjourned at 12:10 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Sheila Black Grubman