Meeting Minutes
ACADEMIC SENATE MINUTES
April 2, 2012
Call to Order
The regular meeting of the Academic Senate held on April 2, 2012, was called to order at 3:04 p.m. by Patricia Hanna, Senate President. The meeting was held in room CRCC 115.
Roll:
Senators: Stephen Alder, Bob Allen, Lisa Aspinwall, Alexander M. Balk, Tully Cathey, Reaz Chaudhuri, Kuan Chen, Margaret (Mardie) Clayton, Kevin DeLuca, Lee Dibble, Marianna Di Paolo, Richard Dorsky, Richard Ernst, Sabine Fuhrmann, Bruce Gale, Michael Gardner, Franz Goller, Joan Gregory, Charles “Chuck” Grissom, Thad Hall, Rachel Hayes-Harb, Howard Horwitz, Eric Hutton, Thunder Jalili, William (Bill) Johnson, Bradley J. Katz, Todd Kramer, Sharee Lane, Stephen Lessnick, Anthea Letsou, Karl Lins, Kim Martinez, Theresa Martinez, Teri J. Mauch, Duncan Metcalf, Heather Melton, Joseph Metz, Patricia Murphy, Rachel Nardo, Arthur C. (Chris) Nelson, Chris Pantelides, Chris Peterson, Lester Partlow, Andrea Rorrer, Gary Rose, Sonia Salari, Janet Shaw, Gregory Smoak, Jeff Stratman, Orest Symko, Margaret Wan, Li Wang
Student Senators: Elle Barker (University), Andrew Black (Mines & Earth Science), Ryan Brinn (Health), Jackson Chambers (Fine Arts), Jillian Jensen (Humanities), Grace Ku (Business), Heather McElroy (Engineering), Sara Nassof (Social Work), Cory J. Nelson (Academic Affairs), Neela Pack (ASUU President), Eleni Schenk (Pharmacy), Taylor Thompson (Science), Jeffery Van Hulten (Law)
Molly Wheeler (Social & Behavioral Sci)
Ex-officio: Robert Flores, Robert Fujinami, Patricia Hanna, Michael Hardman, Vivian Lee, James Metherall, Paul Mogren, Dave Pershing, Shawnee Worsley
Others: Ann Floor, Donna White, Chuck Wight
Excused: Amy Wildermuth
Absent sent Proxy: Leslie Francis, Allyson Mower, Chris Myer, Joanna Schaefer, Clough Shelton, David Viskochil, Angela Yetman
Absent without Proxy: Amanda Barusch, George Cassiday, Kathy Chapman, Ronald Coleman, Tina Diekmann, Richard Forster, Timothy Garrett, William M. Gershan, Michael Goodman, Gary Grikscheit, Martin Horvath, Maureen Keefe, Evert Lawton, Anne Mooney, Dragan Milicic, , Martin Rechsteiner, Sean Redmond, Alison Regan, David Rudd, Brenda Vanderwiel, Norm Waitzman
Approval of Minutes
The minutes of the Academic Senate meeting on March 5, 2012, were approved following a motion from Kim Martinez, and were seconded by Joanne Yaffe (proxy for Joanna Schaefer).
Request for New Business
No New Business
Consent Calendar
No resignation or appointments
Executive Committee Report
Robert Fujinami provided a summary of the Executive Committee meeting held on February 27, 2012.
Report from Administration
President David Pershing reported on the Board of Regents meeting, during which the Board passed the BA/BS degree request for Peace and Conflict Studies, as well as the Ph.D. in Occupational and Environmental Health. The Board of Regents also passed a Tier 1 tuition increase of 4.5 percent and a Tier 2 increase of 1.5 percent, for a total increase of 6 percent for the University. Pershing noted that, with the increase, tuition next year for 30 credits (15 credits per semester) would equal about $6,200 a year, which still ranks the U as the most cost-effective school in the Pac-12, despite the increase. President Pershing addressed the recent passage of legislation that would permit bonding in order to construct two new parking terraces on campus. He noted that the location of these terraces is still to be determined, and Campus Design and Construction is looking into the issue. When options for locations are drawn up, these plans will be brought to the faculty for examination and discussion. Interim Senior Vice President Michael Hardman was introduced to the Senate and President Pershing stated that a national search for a permanent Senior VP is underway. President Pershing encouraged all to attend the ribbon cutting for the new USTAR building on April 19, and also noted that construction would soon begin on the new Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts and Education building.
Report from ASUU
ASUU President Neela Pack reported that ASUU recently held its student body elections, and also noted that author Maya Angelou had to cancel her scheduled appearance at the U due to health issues. Pack also mentioned “Geek Week” coming up in late April, which includes extended library hours for the week prior to finals. For the senior class gift, Jamba Juice will be creating a special University of Utah flavor to be sold at all Salt Lake valley locations, with a portion of proceeds going to a scholarship fund. There is currently an ongoing contest to determine a name for the flavor.
Notice of Intent
The School of Dentistry Proposals were presented by Dr. Vivian Lee. These dual proposals will create a new academic college–the School of Dentistry at the U, and authorize the School to grant the new Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree. Launched in 1980 and housed in the School of Medicine’s Department of Pathology, the current Regional Dental Education Program (RDEP) provides 20 Utah students per year (10 at Creighton and 10 at-large) who previously had only out-of-state access to dental education a means to attend a partner school. From its inception 32 years ago, the intent has been to move from the regional education program to a full, self-supporting School of Dentistry, allowing our most highly qualified Utah students to receive their dental education in Utah. It is hoped the first class pursuing the new DDS degree will be admitted September 2013. A generous philanthropic gift will allow the construction of a building to house the school. Representatives from the American Dental Association recently visited the U, and were encouraged by the facilities, faculty, and plans for a new dental school. This represents an unparalleled opportunity to create a top-notch dental school from the ground up, and would be the first new college at the U in 60 years. The proposal for the new college includes certain specific conditions requiring ongoing work with the Senate Executive Committee for approval of various shared-governance components of the college (including establishing a college council, and committees for faculty appointments and faculty RPT processes). A motion was made by Stephen Alder to move the dual proposals from the Intent Calendar to the Debate Calendar. This was seconded by Joan Gregory and passed unanimously. Motion to approve creation of the new college as specified in the proposal was made by Neela Pack and seconded by Joanne Yaffe, and passed unanimously. Motion to approve establishment of the new DDS degree was made by Stephen Alder, seconded by Thad Hall, and passed unanimously.
The proposed Revision 3 of Policy: 6-402 Fraternal Social Organizations was presented by Lori McDonald (Associate Dean of Students). Policy 6-402 establishes the standards expected of fraternities and sororities in order for them to gain and maintain recognition to operate. Revisions to the policy include: clarifications in zoning, the addition of non-discrimination policies, clarification of language allowing administration to suspend an organization, and other minor changes which will not affect the day-to-day functioning of these organizations. Discussion was had on amending the proposal so that the non-discrimination section (III-B-2-c) would include “sexual orientation” as well as gender-identity/expression. The motion to make that amendment was made by Neela Pack, seconded by Joanne Yaffe, and passed unanimously. A motion to move the proposal from the Intent Calendar to the Debate Calendar was made by Neela Pack and seconded by Joanne Yaffe, and passed unanimously. A motion to approve the proposed Policy revision, as amended to include sexual orientation, was made by Neela Pack and seconded by Rachel Nardo. The motion passed.
Debate Calendar
The proposal for an Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Sustainability Certificate was presented by Steve Burian and Dan McCool. The purpose of the integrated interdisciplinary undergraduate Sustainability Certificate Program is to enable students to gain and use knowledge and skills in the scientific, technological and human dimensions of sustainability needed to aim their future actions as individuals and professionals toward developing a responsible global worldview and creating a more sustainable world. Motion to approve was made by Thad Hall and seconded by Chris Nelson. The motion passed unanimously.
Heath Canary & Mark Bergstrom presented the proposal for an Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Certificate in Health Communications and the related proposal for Graduate Certificate in Health Communications. The Department of Communication seeks to create a new interdisciplinary certificate program in the growing area of Health Communication. The University of Utah is the primary institution for educating health providers and ancillary professionals in the state of Utah. Health communication is a crucial concern and currently a top priority for medical and health institutions and agencies, as the nature, forms, and functions of health care and health information shift dramatically in contemporary society. These two proposed certificates respond to that increasing interest and demand for greater awareness and understanding of health communication. Specifically, the proposed program involves the study of how communication about health is co-created, transmitted, received, constructed, and circulated in various contexts. The motion to approve both proposals and forward the proposals to the Board of Trustees was made by Thad Hall and seconded by Theresa Martinez. The motion passed unanimously.
George Hepner presented the proposal for a Master of Science Degree in Geographic Information Science. The program is designed to provide students with the expertise to be successful in the GIS job market at the advance technical and managerial levels. The MGIS is to develop skills in acquiring, analyzing and managing large volumes of geospatial information to address problems across a broad range of interdisciplinary application areas. Chris Nelson made the motion to approve and forward the proposal to the Board of Trustees, which was seconded by Rachel Nardo. The motion passed unanimously.
The proposal for a Center for Mining Safety and Health Excellence was presented by Tom Hethmon. The University’s reputation as a tier one engineering and mining school provides an unparalleled opportunity to establish a Center for Safety and Health Excellence in the mining industry. The establishment of a high-profile, well-funded Center will allow the University of Utah to take the lead in developing, communicating and implementing modern safety and health management systems in the U.S. mining industry, and abroad. The motion to approve and forward the proposal to the Board of Trustees was made by Marianna DiPaolo and seconded by Joanne Yaffe. The motion passed unanimously.
The proposal to create Interdisciplinary BA in Religious Studies was presented by Muriel Schmid. The motion to approve the new degree was made by Thad Hall and seconded by Theresa Martinez, and passed unanimously.
The proposal for the National Science Foundation Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at the University of Utah was presented by Dr. Ajay Nahata. The motion to approve the Center was made by Rachel Nardo and seconded by Joanne Yaffe, and passed unanimously.
Information Calendar
The information calendar items, including (i) 2012 Early Career Teaching awards, (ii) Proposal for New Emphases for Languages and Literature, and (iii) Proposal for the Ph.D. emphasis in Astronomy & Astrophysics, were accepted without opposition. The Graduate Council revised report of the review of the Department of Ballet was accepted and will be forwarded to the Board of Trustees information calendar. The Senate by unanimous consent adopted a resolution of appreciation for Linda F. Smith (Professor of Law) in recognition of her extraordinary service acting as receiver/interim chair of the Ballet department during its period of receivership,
Respectfully submitted,
Shawnee Worsley