Minutes for Faculty Senate Meetings

April 29, 2004

Number 9

1. The recess meeting of the Faculty Senate was called to order at 3:13 p.m. in the Cherry Auditorium, Chester Kirk Building, Chairperson Beckman presiding.

All members were present except Senators Adams, Bide, Dicioccio, Ginis, Glasow, Grubman-Black, Kogut, W. Lee, Morin, Narasimhan, Oviatt, Riebe, Rodgers, Rowinski, Varki, Wang and Westin. President Carothers; Vice Presidents Beagle, Dougan and Weygand; Vice Provost McCray; Deans Farmer, Gandel, Letendre, Mazze, Nassersharif, Richmond, Seemann and Taggart; Mr. Lopes and Mr. Sutherland.

Chairperson Beckman thanked all of the members of the Senate who took time out of their schedules to attend the recess meeting. She then announced that this recess meeting was the last meeting of the Faculty Senate for the following Senators whose terms expire at the end of April:

ARTS AND SCIENCES
Stan Cobb
E. Gale Eaton
James Loy
Thomas Martin
Wendy Roworth
Evelyn Sterne
Fritz Wenisch

ENGINEERING
Peter Dewhurst

BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Stuart Westin

HUMAN SCIENCE AND SERVICES
Martin Bide
Deborah Riebe

PHARMACY
Robert Rodgers

UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES
Deborah Mongeau

THE ENVIRONMENT AND LIFE SCIENCES
Marshall Feldman

She then thanked the outgoing Senators for their service to the Faculty Senate and to the entire faculty and ask everyone who was not leaving to join her in expressing appreciation with a round of applause.

Chairperson Beckman then announced that the 2004-05 Faculty Senate would hold its organizational meeting on May 13. She reported that the Deans of the various colleges had notified the Faculty Senate Office that the following Senators take their seats at that meeting:

ARTS AND SCIENCES
Leo Carroll
C. Herbert Carson
Nancy Eaton
Ron Hutt
James Kowalski
Barbara Luebke
Surendra Malik
Glem Ramsey
Wendy Roworth (re-elected)
Sharon Strom
Gilbert Suzawa

THE ENVIRONMENT AND LIFE SCIENCES
Patrick Logal
Michael Rice (re-elected)

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF OCEANOGRAPHY
Thomas Rossby (re-elected)

NURSING
Laurie Lauzon-Clabo

PHARMACY
Marilyn Barbour
Keykavous Parang

BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Mark Lehrer

HUMAN SCIENCE AND SERVICES
Thomas Manfredi

ENGINEERING
Wayne Lee (re-elected)
Leland Jackson (re-elected)

UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES
James Kinnie

6. REPORTS OF STANDING AND SPECIAL COMMITTEES

F. Professor Hickox presented Academic Standards and Calendar Committee Report #03-04--1: Proposed Academic Calendars for 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 which appeared on pages 34-36 of the Agenda for Meeting #8. He then moved approval of the three proposed calendars.

Discussion ensued.

Following discussion, the motion carried. (The approved Academic Calendars, including calendars for 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 are attached to the Minutes of this meeting.)

G. Dean Joseph presented the Report of the Investigatory Ad Hoc Committee on Reorganization, which appears on the web at http://www.uri.edu/facsen/REPORT_ad_hoc_reorga.htm. Power point slides were used in the presentation and Dean Joseph responded to questions and comments from members of the Faculty Senate throughout her presentation.

Following discussion, Chairperson Beckman asked if any member of the Senate wanted to make a motion with regard to the report.

Dean Joseph then moved that the Faculty Senate appoint a group to consider the recommendations from the ad hoc investigative committee to reaffirm Model I or investigate the feasibility of the proposed Model VI incorporating in either case the overlay of Model IV.

Discussion ensued.

Following discussion, the motion failed 16 to 12.

Chairperson Beckman thanked Dean Joseph and the Ad Hoc Investigative Committee for their report.

7. UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Chairperson Beckman announced that the Faculty Senate Executive Committee had asked Senator Jackson and Vice Provost Swift to report to the Senate at the April 15 meeting on progress toward implementation of the General Education Program for fall 2004. She explained that because there were several items on that Agenda that required action on April 15, the informational report had been postponed until April 29.

Senator Jackson provided the Senate with an overview of the general education program, including its historical basis and changes from the current program. He also gave a comparison between the number of courses approved for the current program and those for the revised program, which will become effective for freshmen entering in the fall 0f 2004. He used a series of slides and responded to questions during and after his presentation.

Vice Provost Swift reported on efforts to ensure that there were an adequate number of seats for freshmen in the general education program. She also informed the Senate of the Provost's Office's strategies for assisting instructors who had not proposed courses for the general education program, but would be expected to teach them incorporating the approved integrated skills. She also informed the Senate of plans for assessment of whether the general education program produces the desired outcomes. She responded to questions throughout her presentation.

Chairperson Beckman again thanked everyone who had attended the recessed meeting, especially those Senators whose terms would expire imminently.

She announced that the organizational meeting of the 2004-05 Senate, which would include two-thirds of the members of the current Senate along with the newly elected Senators, was scheduled for May 13.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:40 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Sheila Black Grubman