Meeting Minutes
ACADEMIC SENATE
April 30, 2018
Call to Order
The regular meeting of the Academic Senate, held on April 30, 2018, was called to order at 3:05 pm by Senate President Margaret Clayton. The meeting was held in the Moot Courtroom of the College of Law.
Present: Robert Allen, Elena Asparouhova, Nitin Bakshi, Shmuel Baruch, Brian Cadman, Annie Fukushima, Olga Baker, James Winkler, John Funk, Chuck Dorval, Sudeep Kanungo, Hanseup Kim, Ken Monson, John Regehr, Frank Sachse, James Sutherland, Denny Berry, Bo Foreman, Stacy Manwaring, Jim Martin, Susan Naidu, Nelson Roy, Alex Terrill, James Anderson, Patricia Hanna, Eric Hinderaker, Anne Lair, Maureen Mathison, Lex Newman, Randy Dryer, John Bramble, Luke Leither, Brandon Patterson, Julie Barkmeier-Kraemer, Per Gesteland, Pinar Bayrak-Toydemir, Nadia Cobb, Julio Facelli, Mia Hashibe, Antoinette Laskey, Nicole L. Mihalopoulos, Debra Simmons, Thomas Winter, Diego Fernandez, Jessica Wempen, Lauren Clark, Susanna Cohen, Sara Simonsen, Ann Engar, Tommaso de Fernex, Yekaterina Epshteyn, Ilya Zharov, David Goldenberg, Dragan Milicic, Dmytro Pesin, Jon Seger, Gunseli Berik, Sheila Crowell, Kim Korinek, Sharon Mastracci, Kathleen Nicoll, Zhou Yu, Jason Castillo, Mary Beth Vogel-Ferguson, Joanne Yaffe, Micah Smith, Melanie Barber, Valerie Guerrero, Elizabeth Pohl, Nathan Ong, Lauren Perry, Michael Stapley, Connor Morgan
Absent: Brenda Scheer, Shundana Yusaf, Jeff Nielsen, Todd Zenger, Mark Durham, Leticia Alvarez, Laurel Caryn, Michael Chikinda, Winston Kyan, Ning Lu, Melonie Murray, Sean Lawson, Terry Kogan, Ken Johnson, Kalani Raphael, Shaji Menon, Andrea Bild, Donald Blumenthal, Linda Tyler, Joel Brownstein, Sarah Bush, Jennifer Shumaker-Parry, Adrienne Cachelin, Baodong Liu, Duncan Metcalfe, Nicholas Gochnor, Chandler Dean, Chase Peterson, Emina Tatarevic, Jacob Lopez, Carley Herrick, Trevor Annis, Summer Mikkelsen, Kaitlin McLean, Abigail Stover, India Kozlowski, Ananya Roy
Ex Officio: Margaret Clayton, Bob Flores, Xan Johnson, Paul Mogren, Tom Richmond, Ruth Watkins, Amy Wildermuth, Harriet Hopf, Bob Fujinami
Excused with proxy: Rajeev Balasubramonian, Katharine Coles, Gema Guevara, Pearl Sandick, Korkut Erturk
Excused: Sarah Hinners, Alberta Comer, Darryl Butt, Lauren Liang, Lorris Betz, Tom Lund, Brand Rockwell, Amnon Schlegel, Ravi Chandran
Others: Suresh Venkatasubramanian, Anne Jamison, Chris Lewis, Doug Bergman, Tom Maloney
Approval of Minutes:
The minutes dated April 2, 2018 were approved with a motion from Xan Johnson and a second from Randy Dryer.
Consent Calendar:
The Consent Calendar items dated April 30, 2018 were approved with a motion from Kathleen Nicoll and a second from Randy Dryer. [Note that information was found to be missing from one of the lists of appointments, and by subsequent email that information was provided to Senators and the corrected list was approved without objection.]
Executive Committee Report
Tom Richmond gave an update on the activities of the Executive Committee. He recognized the hard work of the Executive Committee with a very lengthy agenda at the last meeting.
Request for New Business
There will be two resolutions at the end of the meeting, to honor the service of Athletics Director Chris Hill and Associate Vice President for Faculty Amy Wildermuth to the University.
Report from Administration:
President Ruth Watkins gave an update on the recent activities of the U’s administration. She has been spending the last four weeks meeting with people across campus, especially in Health Sciences, as well as students, about what people want addressed on campus. Students made a request for free parking during finals, and Ruth has already implemented that. She has also been speaking at many events, to give key messages of the university as well as listen to people’s ideas and concerns. She spoke at the dedication of the new Alumni House and the new Crocker Science Center. She also spoke about the commencement coming next week and noted that the U is proud to award honorary doctorates to Raymond Uno and Barbara Tanner, and is excited to graduate its largest class in history. She also thanked the Academic Senate members for their service to the university and faculty governance. Finally, she announced that the new SrVP-Academic Affairs has been named; Dr. Dan Reed from University of Iowa will join the University of Utah on July 1. The search for the new SrVP-Health Sciences is nearing completion.
Report from ASUU
Connor Morgan, as the newly elected ASUU President for 2018-2019, gave an update on the recent activities of ASUU. He announced that Kaitlin McLean is the new ASUU Senate chair, and they are excited to work with the Academic Senate next year. ASUU held its annual RedFest concert, and it was one of the most successful in recent years— 7,000 students attended to watch Migos and Amine perform.
Special Order- Annual Elections
Randy Dryer, on behalf of the Senate Personnel and Elections Committee, which is responsible for Senate elections, explained the processes for the annual Senate committee and president elections, including the elections during this meeting of the Senate President-elect, and of the members of the Senate Executive Committee for 2018-2019. Julio Facelli (Medicine) and Elizabeth Tashjian (Business) introduced themselves as candidates for President-elect. Ballots for today’s two elections were distributed to the eligible voting members (see results below). Elections for all other Senate-elected standing committees were conducted online, and the results were posted ahead of today’s meeting on the Senate Canvas site.
Notice of Intent
No items of intent
Debate Calendar
Monisha Pasupathi and Pascal DeBoeck presented a proposal for a new undergraduate certificate in quantitative research analytics. The goal of the program is to take majors within the college of Social and Behavioral Science and give them a path to acquire more in-depth methodological and statistical expertise, as well as skills in research design, and give them the tools to communicate effectively about data. In the creation of the proposal, the sponsors worked collaboratively to create a path using existing resources and offerings. The new certificate will better prepare students for the job market. A question was posed about the absence of interpretive methods in the certificate program; it was noted that no courses in that topic are currently offered at the undergraduate level. Motion was made by Randy Dryer to approve the proposal and forward to the Board of Trustees. Motion seconded by Kathleen Nicoll. Motion passed unanimously.
Sean Bridegam presented a proposal for a permanent University Rule 3-030D related to international travel safety and insurance. This will update the existing interim rule to a permanent rule, and make various modifications to its content, in a continuation of efforts to ensure that university-affiliated international travel has a registration process, and that the process allows the U to enroll travelers in insurance coverage so they may be supported and assisted while abroad. A question was posed about the financial cost of the insurance, particularly for research that already has high overhead costs; Sean responded that he has worked over the last 16 months to ensure that the plan is comprehensive as well as economical. He said that the expense is reimbursable, and amounts to approximately $10 per week. A question was posed as to whether this coverage will be expanded to leisure travel; Sean said that the rates are currently only available for university-affiliated travel. However, leisure travel that occurs adjacent to university-affiliated travel may be covered by the insurance. A question was posed as to whether coverage would be denied for people traveling to places considered Level III or Level IV by the State Department in terms of risk; he clarified that it would not be denied for that reason. He also clarified that it will be easy for faculty to provide proof of travel insurance, which some nations require as a condition of granting entry visas, and it can be provided by Sean’s office as early as necessary. He explained that there was no prior system for the university to track and support members of the university community traveling abroad. He also noted that the long-term goal is to integrate insurance registration in the existing travel platform through the U. Motion was made by Pat Hanna to approve the proposal and forward to the Board of Trustees. Motion seconded by David Goldenberg. Motion passed.
Ann Darling presented a proposal for revisions to Policy 6-406, related to special course fees. This is the second phase of revisions that were requested by a regular audit of the Special Course Fee Committee. The changes in the policy may be summarized as follows: student representative nominations are being invited from colleges, so that colleges have the opportunity to have student representatives on the Special Course Fee Committee; colleges will review their fees every three years; the committee will report to the senior vice presidents for academic affairs and health sciences; deadlines for assigning course fees will be implemented; and all course fees will be paid to Income Accounting. Motion was made by Joanne Yaffe to approve the proposal and forward to the Board of Trustees. Motion seconded by Kathleen Nicoll. Motion passed unanimously.
Tasha Myers presented revisions for Policy 6-401, including a new Rule 6-401, and a new Policy 6-408, related to student activities and management of student organizations. The revisions change various aspects of student government at the institution, update the role and responsibilities of the Committee on Student Affairs, align the ASUU Constitution with university policy, require student organizations to register with the Office of Student Involvement as opposed to with ASUU, and move into separate Policy 6-408 contents regarding student media due to its role and the nature of its relationship to the Board of Trustees. Motion was made by Pat Hanna to approve the proposals and forward to the Board of Trustees. Motion seconded by Joanne Yaffe. Motion passed unanimously.
Ray Hoobler presented a proposal for a new degree track in the Professional Master’s of Science and Technology degree, in earth resource management, through the Department of Mining Engineering. The new professional degree track will enable students to take coursework in law, business, humanities, and other areas. It will allow students to get the knowledge they desire for their employment in resource industries. There has been interest from industries such as mining, oil and gas, and forestry. It is an interdisciplinary program, and is a good fit with the four other interdisciplinary tracks within the unit. Motion was made by Joanne Yaffe to approve the proposal and forward to the Board of Trustees. Motion seconded by Sudeep Kanungo. Motion passed unanimously.
Kimberley Shoaf presented a proposal for a new graduate certificate in emergency health. With the frequency of emergencies and increasing impact resulting from them, it is an important area in which public health and the U should be engaged. The proposal is targeted to students going into a variety of fields with some connection to disaster preparedness, response, and management. Public health students are the primary audience, but there is a broader array of students who might engage in this area, such as students in healthcare, emergency management, nursing, and healthcare administration. It is an 18-unit interdisciplinary program, including three units of fieldwork, and it is a response to demand within the student population as well as in industry. There are no similar programs in Utah; the closest programs are at University of Colorado-Boulder and University of California-Berkeley. Motion was made by Kathleen Nicoll to approve the proposal and forward to the Board of Trustees. Motion seconded by Joanne Yaffe. Motion passed unanimously.
Jennifer Lynn Robinson and Natalie Gochnour presented a proposal for approval of permanent status for the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. The institute received provisional approval three years ago. When it was established, it merged the preexisting Bureau of Economic and Business Research and the Center for Public Policy and Administration. The existing units were underfunded and overlapping, and, with a donation from Kem Gardner, were combined to form the Gardner Policy Institute. It focuses on the Utah economy and demographics, and prioritizes creating strong student and faculty connections. It works closely with the Governor’s Office, the Utah Legislature, and other elected officials. Motion was made by Joanne Yaffe to approve the proposal and forward to the Board of Trustees. Motion seconded by Xan Johnson. Motion passed unanimously.
Steve Ott presented a proposal for a new graduate certificate in International Affairs and Global Enterprise. There is an existing Master’s degree in International Affairs and Global Enterprise (MIAGE), and is an interdisciplinary program that includes the School of Business, the College of Law, and the College of Social and Behavioral Science. It was developed to prepare students for careers with international organizations, whether government, NGOs, or private industry. After discussions with the Department of World Languages and Cultures regarding the provision of courses related to international management, the proposal for the certificate was developed. It will allow students in a variety of fields to take coursework related to international affairs and enterprise, to make them more marketable. The employment rate for students of the master’s program has been extremely high, and students have moved into an interesting array of jobs at home and abroad. There will be no new direct costs as a result of the certificate program, which includes five existing courses. Motion was made by Joanne Yaffe to approve the proposal and forward to the Board of Trustees. Motion seconded by Xan Johnson. Motion passed unanimously.
Amy Wildermuth, Sherrie Hayashi, Harriet Hopf, and Lori McDonald presented a new professional relationships policy, Policy 1-020. It will replace and eliminate existing Policy 5-107 on consensual relationships. The new version addresses students, faculty, and staff in any type of advisory/supervisory role, and is more consistent with agencies such as NIH and NSF, that are asking institutions to think more carefully about policies related to relationships between those who have power and those who do not. As a result of input from the Executive Committee, the draft proposed today was modified so that restrictions based on past relationships go back only five years. There is a mechanism to report preexisting relationships. A question was posed related to reluctance to report violations of the policy, and how could the culture be changed so that this is taken seriously? Amy noted that there will be an educational process in early fall 2018, so that people know they can report this sort of relationship or violation of the policy to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (OEO). Additionally, there will be a review of the overall Policy after two years. Motion was made by Randy Dryer to approve the proposal and forward to the Board of Trustees. Motion seconded by Joanne Yaffe. Motion passed unanimously.
Bob Flores and Randy Dryer presented revisions to Policy 6-002, related to Senate composition and committee modifications. The revisions include eliminating two standing committees, by consolidating the Senate committees on library policy and on salaries and benefits into the Senate Advisory Committee on Academic Policy. The revisions also include adding a representative of the University Academic Advisors Council and a representative of Staff Council as non-voting, ex officio members of the Academic Senate, and updating the number of faculty and student senator positions to account for recent expansion of the number of academic colleges. Motion was made by Xan Johnson to approve the proposal and forward to the Board of Trustees. Motion seconded by Joanne Yaffe. Motion passed unanimously.
Information and Recommendations Calendar
The following items were presented for the information and recommendations of the Academic Senate:
- Andrea Rorrer presented a report on the activities of the Senate ad hoc committee on Centers, Institutes & Bureaus (“CIB2”). There have been three meetings so far. The purpose of the committee is to propose revisions to policies governing formal centers, institutes, and bureaus, establish clear guidelines and parameters for governance of CIBs, and provide procedural clarity. The committee is working to create a process both inclusive and responsive to the circumstances and needs of faculty and both academic and non-academic units on campus, and to provide opportunities for research and scholarship. So far, the committee has provided a forum to discuss issues and concerns, and review current policies, and is now working to propose revisions, which will be forthcoming; early drafts are anticipated in December 2018. The committee has clarified values for the revisions, and is now moving into drafting, clarifying the difference between CIBs, creating an inventory of other types of centers on campus, and working on issues related to governance and decision-making authority. In response to a request, it was agreed that the roster of the committee will be added to the Senate Canvas site.
- Jeff Bates as committee chair presented the report of the Senate Advisory Committee on Student Course Feedback, which included a draft version of a proposal for revising the standard course feedback instrument. In ensuing discussion there was a question and concern stated that the proposed instrument would lack the comprehensiveness to tease out critical information from the feedback data. It was commented that course evaluations have been widely acknowledged to lack validity, and that students filling out the evaluations have many reasons for evaluating instructors and courses in the manner they do. Thus, the committee decided to recommend changes to the instrument, with the understanding that RPT policies for reviews of teaching performance of course instructors would be changing to incorporate peer reviews and put less weight on student course evaluations. The draft shown today of a new instrument is not meant to be used in faculty evaluation. In response to a question about the status of the project, it was clarified that the Executive Committee decided to place this report on the Information & Recommendations Calendar, not on the Debate Calendar, so there is no proposal presented today for a vote of Senate approval. Rather, the Senate is receiving a report, and the Senate committee is being tasked to continue work on the project. A proposal for a new instrument will ultimately be brought to the Senate for final approval after further research, including refining and testing a revised instrument There was a request that, when the proposal for a new instrument comes to the Senate for approval, that it be accompanied with a literature review that demonstrates the empirical evidence for the changed instrument.
The following items were accepted by the Academic Senate with no objections:
- Rule 5-200B revision- paid leave for UUHC staff
- Policy 3-042 revision- property insurance
- Technology & Venture Commercialization name change
- Guideline 1-015 on safety of minors
- Provisional approval for new NEXUS Center
- Senate Faculty Review Standards Committee report
- Senate Advisory Committee on Diversity report
- Senate Advisory Committee on Library Policy report
- Senate Committee on Academic Freedom and Faculty Rights report
- Graduate Council review- Department of History
- Graduate Council review- Master of Public Policy
- Distinguished Research Award recipients
- Senate committee election results
New Business
Two resolutions were presented to honor the service to the University of (i) Athletics Director Chris Hill (on the occasion of his retirement from the University), and (ii) Associate Vice President for Faculty Amy Wildermuth (leaving to become dean of the University of Pittsburgh school of law) . TheResolutions are appended to these minutes. They were approved by the Academic Senate by acclamation.
Special Order—Annual Elections Results
With ballots counted, the Chair of the Personnel & Elections Committee announced that Julio Facelli will be Senate president-elect, beginning May 15, 2018. The 2018-2019 Executive Committee voting faculty membership will be Bob Allen, Olga Baker, Nadia Cobb, Katherine Coles, Randy Dryer, Leslie Francis, Patricia Hanna, Mia Hashibe, , Kathleen Nicoll, Sara Simonsen, and Joanne Yaffe. [And by subsequent email it was announced that after further clarification of eligibility, the membership will include James Sutherland, rather than Sudeep Kanungo as had initially been announced.]
Open Discussion
The following remarks were made during the Open Discussion portion of the meeting.
- Professor Oleg Staryk, a faculty member from Physics and Astronomy, asked about the proposed revisions under discussion related to RPT policy, and in particular the role of student advisory committees (SACs). He asked what the current role of SACs will be in the next RPT policy, and when the Senate will take the policy revisions under consideration. AVP for Faculty Amy Wildermuth responded, explaining that President Watkins, upon receiving a report from the OEO regarding the appearance of discriminatory impact in the existing system, had instructed AVP Wildermuth and Sr. VP Lorris Betz to devise an exception to the policy for the coming year, in the hope that a new policy will be in place by January 1, 2019. According to the OEO, there appears to be a disparate impact on women and faculty members of color in the past votes of the SACs, so the SAC vote will not be included in the RPT report in the coming year. A survey, which will among other things, allow SAC members to vote, will be conducted for data-gathering purposes after the student input report is complete and has been included in the RPT file of each candidate. Amy and Connor Morgan, ASUU president, will meet with all colleges in order to determine the appropriate student group(s) to designate to provide student input in the coming year. Additionally, an extensive online training, which will include information about implicit bias, will be created and required for all students participating in the student input process next year. The exception to the policy will be posted on the Senate Canvas site.
Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 4:50 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Maddy Oritt
Resolution Honoring Chris Hill on his Retirement
Whereas Chris Hill has served as Athletic Director at the University of Utah for over thirty years, the longest tenure among major Universities; and
Whereas he has always emphasized that University of Utah athletes are students first and has consistently provided resources to all our athletes to excel in the classroom; and
Whereas he has always made decisions he thought were in the best interests of the University; and
Whereas he has fostered a culture of good practice by hiring staff who are committed to the holistic development of student athletes while building a successful athletics program; and
Whereas he has elevated the athletic program through three distinct levels of competition culminating in his signature achievement when the University of Utah joined the Pac-12; and
Whereas he has been an outstanding administrator shown by his trust in the staff to do their work excellently and successfully, and by shepherding budget resources with diligence; and
Whereas he has been a willing contributor to the mission of University shared governance and has been a frequent visitor to the Academic Senate; and
Whereas he has taken Utah Athletics to new heights and memorable experiences like a Final Four, BCS-busting bowl games, national NCAA championships, attendance records, and outstanding game day atmospheres; and
Whereas his generosity has touched the lives of many; and
Whereas his future to become a nationally famous storyteller is assured as soon as he begins to share the endless tales over the many years…and we can hope to be there in person when the heretofore unknown Rick Majerus stories are revealed.
Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Academic Senate wishes Chris Hill the best in his retirement, more time with family, especially those grandchildren; and
Be it further resolved that the entire University of Utah community thanks Chris Hill for over thirty years of dedicated service leaving a legacy of excellence that has made the University of Utah a far better place; and
Be it finally resolved that with Chris, and in his honor, we all join in shouting, “GO UTES!”
Offered this day, April 30, 2018, in Salt Lake City, Utah
Resolution of Appreciation for Amy Wildermuth
Whereas Amy Wildermuth has served as Associate Vice President for faculty at the University of Utah since 2011; and
Whereas she has effectively overseen faculty personnel issues, including faculty appointments, reviews, conduct, and professional development; and
Whereas she has been proactive in assuring robust and fair evaluation in faculty retention, promotion, and tenure issues; and
Whereas she has been an advocate for faculty generally, and in particular has led the way to improve conditions for career-line faculty, including integrating career-line faculty into the Academic Senate; and
Whereas she has been a strong supporter of our goal of shared governance as a frequent contributor to faculty governance discussions and a problem solver on University issues; and
Whereas as Chief Sustainability Officer at the University of Utah she has maintained the University’s commitment to innovative sustainability practices;
Therefore be it resolved that the Academic Senate wishes Amy the best in her new assignment at the University of Pittsburgh; and
Be it further resolved that the entire University community offers thanks and acknowledgment of a job well done to Amy Wildermuth.
Offered this day, April 30, 2018, in Salt Lake City, Utah