Faculty Senate

Report of the Executive Committee

February 15, 2002

A. ATHLETICS-ACADEMICS ISSUES

At the January 24, 2002 meeting of the Faculty Senate the Executive Committee was directed to return to the Faculty Senate on February 28, 2002 with a plan to examine recommendations regarding priority registration for athletes and sections 8.51.30-31 of the UNIVERSITY MANUAL.

The Executive Committee has asked two groups of Faculty Senators to explore the issues raised during the discussion of the recommendations of the Athletics Advisory Board and requested that they consider the following issues and return to the Faculty Senate with recommendations by the March 28 meeting.

Priority registration for athletes:

Senator Murn Nippo, Chair

Senator Chet Hickox

Senator Richard McIntyre

Senator Deborah Riebe

Senator Patricia Burbank

Coach Belinda Pearman, Department of Athletics, ex officio

Sections 8.51.30-31 of the University Manual (scheduling athletic competitions during the final exam period or designated reading days):

Senator Yngve Ramstad

Senator Peter Blanpied

Senator Jim Loy

Senator Sherri Wills

Senator Marian Goldsmith

Associate Director Lauren Anderson, Department of Athletics, ex officio

Membership of the Athletics Advisory Board: The Executive Committee recommends that section 5.14.11 of the UNIVERSITY MANUAL be amended by replacing the "Dean of the College of Human Science and Services" with the "Vice Provost for Academic Affairs."

B. ADMISSIONS POLICY

The Executive Committee proposes that the following people comprise the membership of an Ad Hoc Committee on Admissions Policy, charged to review the University's admissions policies including, but not limited to policies outlined in Chapter 8 of the University Manual. This Ad Hoc Committee to report to the Faculty Senate at its April 2002 meeting:

Arts & Sciences: Michael Honhart, HIS

Arts & Sciences: Leonard Kahn, PHY, Chair

Business Administration: Andrew Laviano

Environment and Life Sciences: Anne Veeger, GEO

Nursing: Paula Viau

Pharmacy: Norma Owens

University Libraries: Michael Vocino

Provost's representative: Rick Rhodes,

Dean of University College: Jayne Richmond,

Dean of Admissions: David Taggart

Associate Dean, FCCE: Edmund Ferszt

Interim Director of Enrollment Services: Harry Amaral

Undergraduate Student: Jon Koenig

C. AD HOC COMMITTEE ON GRADUATE EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

The Executive Committee recommends that the Faculty Senate establish an Ad Hoc Committee to take a broad look at graduate education and research to see where URI is now and to make recommendations for the future based on the review. Recommendations would most likely include things such as how to enhance support for graduate students and programs and ways to advocate for graduate education and research.

D. TEACHING EFFECTIVENESS COMMITTEE

The Executive Committee recommends that Wendy Holmes, ART, be appointed chair of the Teaching Effectiveness Committee.

E. IN-STATE TUITION FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS ON EXTERNAL GRANTS

As part of the efforts of the Graduate Council to help departments improve the graduate student stipend situation and increase the competitiveness of URI's graduate programs, a proposal was presented to the Graduate Council and the Council for Research to create an exemption in the residency policy for determining graduate student residency status. The exemption provides in-state residency status for teaching assistants and graduate assistants who are employed on externally funded grants continuously for one year. The decrease in the amount paid by grants for graduate student tuition would free funding to be used to increase student stipends (via summer support and extra hours worked during the academic year) and to make funds available to hire more students. In addition, this change in status will increase the attractiveness of using grants to support graduate students because they will cost significantly less than post-doctoral associates. The proposal was approved by the Graduate Council on October 5, 2001, and as amended, by the Graduate Council on December 7, 2001 and by the Council for Research on December 10, 2001, and is presented to the Faculty Senate for endorsement.

BACKGROUND

Rhode Island Public State Law 8.10.30 states that the determination of the residency status of students attending public institutions of higher education in Rhode Island will come "...under the governance of the Board of Governors." The Board of Governors have a stated policy with respect to residency status. The promulgation of these policies are left to the Presidents of the institutions involved. At URI the President appoints an officer to determine the in-state or out-of-state residency classification of individual students and that officer is housed in the admissions office for undergraduate students. When the residency classification for a graduate student is to be determined, for the purpose of defining the tuition to be charged, an Associate Dean in the Graduate School is consulted.

The Executive Committee recommends that the Faculty Senate endorse the following:

RECOMMENDATION

URI graduate students supported full time on externally funded research grants, after having been employed continuously for one academic year, and having established and maintained a residence in Rhode Island for at least one year, will be classified as residents of the State for tuition purposes.