Faculty Senate

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February 18, 2016 Minutes

1. The regular meeting of the Faculty Senate was called to order at 3:05 p.m. in Cherry Auditorium, Chester Kirk Building, Chairperson Rollo-Koster presiding.

All members were present except Senators Betensky, Chadha, Dunn, Licht, Lloyd, Martin, Mead, Meagher, Menden-Deuer, Pearson-Merkowitz, Rynearson, Sullivan, and Uchida; ex officio members President Dooley, Vice President Gonzales; Vice Provosts Beauvais and Katz; Chief Information Officer Bozylinsky; Deans Bonn, Brownell, Ciccomascolo, Corliss, Ebrahimpour, Larrat, Richmond, Sullivan, and Wright.  Associate Dean Veeger represented Dean Kirby and Associate Dean Rusnock represented Dean Zawia.

2. Chairperson Rollo-Koster announced that the minutes of Faculty Senate Meeting #5, January 28, 2016 had been posted with the agenda. She asked if there were any additions, corrections to or questions about these minutes. There were none. Chairperson Rollo-Koster ruled that, in the absence of any changes or corrections, the minutes were approved.

3. REPORTS OF OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

A. Announcements

1. Chairperson Rollo-Koster announced that, at today’s meeting, the General Education Committee would present another report of courses approved for the new general education program. She reminded faculty that they could track the progress of course proposals through the Faculty Senate website.

2. Chairperson Rollo-Koster announced that, at today’s meeting, the Senate would be asked elect the Chair and Vice Chair/Chair-Elect for the 2016-17 academic year. Because of the new two-year leadership position, Vice Chair/Chair-Elect, she noted that this was the last year that the Senate would elect a Chair for a one-year term.

3. Chairperson Rollo-Koster announced that the Constitution, By-Laws, and University Manual (CBUM) Committee would present proposed changes to the Constitution of the Faculty Senate to clarify membership of the Senate. The changes, she said, were not intended to change Senate membership but to clarify terms used to describe tenure track faculty.  Implementing the recommendations would require a referendum of the General Faculty.  If the General Faculty approved the changes to Article III of the Constitution of the Faculty Senate, additional changes to By-Laws Section 2.2 would be necessary.  The Chairperson explained that, at today’s meeting, the Committee would also move approval of By-Laws Section 2.2.  If the motion to change the By-Laws were seconded and if the referendum were passed, a vote on the changes would take place at a subsequent Faculty Senate meeting.

4. Chairperson Rollo-Koster announced that a plan for the revision of overhead distribution was distributed to faculty on February 9 and that comments would be accepted until February 23.

5. Chairperson Rollo-Koster noted that she continued to participate in discussions with the Commissioner’s Office about performance-based funding.

6. Chairperson Rollo-Koster thanked Provost DeHayes for graciously agreeing to sponsor a reception after today’s meeting at the Alumni Center.

7. Chairperson Rollo-Koster reminded non-Senators to sign the Permission to Speak form and asked everyone to remember to wait to be recognized and to identify themselves before speaking.

B. Activities of the Executive Committee

Vice Chairperson Welters announced that the Minutes of 2015-16 Executive Committee Meetings #19, #20, and #21 were available on the Faculty Senate website. She asked if there were any questions.  There were none.

C. Report of the Nominating Committee

Vice Chairperson Welters presented the Nominating Report for Senate Officers (Chair and Vice Chair) for the 2016-2017 academic year.  She placed in nomination for Chair of the Faculty Senate the name Senator W. Michael Sullivan and she placed in nomination for Vice Chair/Chair-Elect of the Faculty Senate the name Senator Mark Conley.  She asked if there were additional nominations from the floor. Senator Harlow nominated Senator Brady for the office of Chair.  Senator Brady declined the nomination.  Vice Chairperson Welters asked if there were further nominations.  There were none.  She moved that the nominations be closed.  The motion passed; nominations were closed.  Vice Chairperson Welters moved approval of the slate of officers.  The motion passed.  Senators Sullivan and Conley were congratulated.

4. REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT

The Provost said that the President was unable to attend the meeting and that he would make some brief remarks.  He noted that the President had approved the legislation that had been forwarded to him after the January 28 Senate meeting.  The Provost reported that the University had completed another successful Winter J-term.  Approximately 860 students had participated.  160-170 students had taken part in travel courses.  There had been a notable increase in the number of seniors registered for J-term courses.  The Provost reported that the undergraduate admission deadline had passed (February 1) and that the University had, again, received a record number of applicants.  He said that URI continues to attract a larger share of a shrinking pool of applicants.  The Provost reported that the General Assembly was back in session and that he had assembled a team of faculty and staff, including the Chair of the Faculty Senate and other faculty from the Strategic Budget and Planning Council, to work with the Commissioner’s office on the issue of performance-based funding.  The team was working to ensure that URI’s interests were clearly articulated and that URI would not be penalized for recent progress in raising its student success rates.  He also reported that the Governor’s FY 2017 budget was largely positive toward URI.  Some of the funds allocated for the University are in RI Capital funds; the details of making those funds available is a work in progress and has yet to be finalized.  The budget also included $3 million to support faculty work or positions that relate to economic development and a $20 million bond to create one or more innovation centers.

5. REPORTS OF STANDING AND SPECIAL COMMITTEES

A. Associate Dean Rusnock presented Curricular Report No. 2015-16-3 from the Graduate Council to the Faculty Senate. She summarized the Informational section of the report (400 level courses for graduate credit and course changes) and described 5 new courses.  She moved approval of the new courses and the motion passed.  The Associate Dean summarized a course change in the M.S. in Human Development and Family Studies, changes in program and certification codes in the School of Education, and program changes to the Combined Master of Science Dietetic Internship Program.  She moved approval of these curricular proposals.  They were approved.

B. Professor Owens presented the Five Hundred and Thirtieth Report of the Curricular Affairs Committee. She said that Section I was Informational (one course deletion) and asked if there were any questions. There were none.  She reported that Section II required Senate approval.  Changes to biology and pharmaceutical tracks in the B.S. in Chemical Engineering were summarized and approved.  Changes to the requirements of the B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics were approved.  A proposal from the faculty of the Water Cluster for a minor in Global Water Resources (GWR) was presented.  Professor Owens moved approval.  The motion passed.  A listing of the degrees to be certified and granted by the College of Health Sciences was approved.  Changes to the titles of the sub plans in the B.S. and B.A. in Education were presented and approved.

C. Professor Kinnie presented General Education Committee Report 2015-16-9. He presented a list of 17 existing courses that had been approved for offering in the new general education program.   He moved approval of 1 new course for the new program. The motion passed. Professor Kinnie reported that the rubric for the Integrative outcome, Integrate and Apply, had been finalized at the February 4 meeting of the General Education Committee and was available on the General Education Implementation website.  He also reported that the Committee had discussed the issue of amending the description of the Diversity and Inclusion outcome (formerly, Cultural Competency) by striking the phrases U.S. and America.   He said that the Committee had expressed a strong sentiment to retain the language unchanged and had reiterated that faculty should submit their proposals and engage the submission, feedback, and appeals process.  Senator Dunsworth made a motion from the floor to strike the phrases U.S. and America from the description of the Diversity and Inclusion outcome.  The motion was seconded and discussion followed.  Faculty expressed concerns that some courses in some disciplines that teach about diversity and prejudice were excluded from consideration in the Diversity and Inclusion outcome because of the language restricting content to the U.S. and that issues of privilege were not restricted to the United States.  The applicability of the Global outcome for these courses was suggested.  Debate was ended.  The vote was called.  The motion failed, 14 in favor, 22 opposed.

D. Professor Barbour presented the Annual Report of the Academic Program Review Committee to the Faculty Senate. She summarized the committee activities: distribution of the Central Data Report (derived from the Office of Institutional Research), ongoing support of self-study at the department level, and distribution of the biennial Chairs’ survey (the 3rd biennial survey is scheduled for spring of 2016).  She presented a listing of departments that had completed their self-studies and those that were ongoing.

E. Professor Wenisch presented Report 2015-16 #2 of the Constitution, By-laws, and University Manual Committee. He summarized the recent history of proposed changes to the language describing Faculty Senate membership in Article III of the Constitution of the Faculty Senate and reminded faculty that changing the language of the Constitution required a vote of the General Faculty (all tenure-track faculty).  A referendum to add full-time non-tenure track faculty to Senate membership had failed in the fall semester (2015).  He explained that the Committee now proposed a clarification of the membership of the Faculty Senate, as stated in Article III, and recommended that the terms “teaching, library, research and extension” be replaced simply with “tenure-track” faculty.  In this context, “teaching, library, research and extension” did not refer to non tenure-track faculty (formerly known as Appendix F faculty) as some had thought.   Professor Wenisch described a second proposed change: eliminate use of the term “part-time” in reference to tenure-track appointments to avoid confusion with non tenure-track faculty who hold the job title, Part-Time Faculty.  He moved that the Faculty Senate approve the changes to Article III of the Constitution of the Faculty Senate as proposed and direct the Faculty Senate Executive Committee to conduct a referendum of the General Faculty concerning these changes. The motion was seconded and discussed.  The vote was called and the motion passed.  Professor Wenisch said that if the General Faculty approved the changes to Article III of the Constitution, changes in the By-Laws of the Faculty Senate would be required for additional clarification.   He moved that the Faculty Senate approve the changes to By-Laws section 2.2. The motion was seconded and discussed.  He said that, per By-Laws 12.1, a vote on the matter would take place at a subsequent Faculty Senate meeting, contingent upon passage of the referendum.

6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Chairperson Rollo-Koster asked if there were any Unfinished Business. There was none.

7. NEW BUSINESS

Chairperson Rollo-Koster asked if there were any New Business.  Senator Brady asked about the listing of courses in the new general education program and the designations for the outcomes that they assess.  Mr. Humphrey, Senior Associate Director of Enrollment Services, answered that, if courses assess two full outcomes, codes that reflect both outcomes will be indicated in eCampus and the catalog.  Senator Brady expressed concern that some faculty are not confident to debate issues freely and vote openly in the Senate in the presence of university administrators.  Discussion followed.  Chairperson Rollo-Koster said that the Executive Committee would explore options of voting by means of a secret ballot.  Senator Gordon said that, due to a recent injury which impaired his mobility, he had had difficulty navigating the campus and asked if the Senate could assist in re-establishing temporary parking passes for faculty use of handicapped (or other) parking spaces.  Senator Cooper responded that the President’s Commission on People with Disabilities might be able to help.  She said she would follow up with Senator Gordon.

8. A motion was made to adjourn. The motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 4:50 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Nancy Neff

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