April 6, 2009


Apr 06 2009
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Meeting Minutes

ACADEMIC SENATE MINUTES
April 6, 2009
Call to Order
The regular meeting of the Academic Senate, held on April 6, 2009 was called to order at 3:03p
by Paul A. Mogren, Senate President. The meeting was held in room 115 C. Roland Christensen
Center.
Roll: David Ailion, Peter Alfeld, Tim Ameel, James Anderson, Jessica Batty, Paul Bernstein,
avid Blair, Jennifer Buhler, Vincent Cheng, Hiram Chodosh, John Conboy, Suzanne Darais,
Larry DeVries, Marianna DiPaolo, Nadja Durbach, Eric Eddings, Marlene Egger, Phil Emi, Pat
Hanna, Michael Hardman, Sandra Hasstedt, Greg Hatch, Vladimir Hlady, Lauren Holland
Harriet Hopf, Garry Hrechkosy, Randy Jensen, Steve Kern, David Kiefer, Thomas Kontuly,
Karol Kumpfer, Stephane LeBohec, Edward Levine, Joelle Lien, Janet Lindsley, Karl Lins,
Laurence Loeb, Janis Louie, Brad Lundahl, Daniel Medwed, James Metherall, William C.
Michel, Kathryn Morton, Maria Newton, Eric O’Connell, David Pendell, Kevin Perry, David
Plumlee, Mollie Poynton, Steve Reynolds, Rita Reusch, Andrea Rorer, Nelson Roy, Brock
Royall, Donn Schaefer, Bill Schulze, Bam Dev Sharda, James Sibthorp, Randy Silverman, Paula
Smith, Josh Solarez, Harris Sondak, Nancy Staggers, Paul Stout, Margaret Toscano, Tevita Uesi,
Nick Wolfinger
Excused: Richard Barton, Bruce Landesman, Sharon Weinstock
Ex-officio: Paul Brinkman, Penny Brooke, Robert Flores, John Francis, Nancy Lines, Paul
Mogren, David W. Pershing, Patrick Reimherr, Brenda Scheer, Michael K. Young
Others: Ann Darling, Beverly Bhehl, Gordon Smith, Chris Nelson, Greg Hughes, Phyllis
Vetter, Alexei Efros, Eugene Mischenko
Approval of Minutes
The minutes of the Academic Senate meeting of March 2, 2009 were unanimously approved.
Request for New Business
This month’s ‘White Paper’ included a poster session in the hallway outside of 115 CRCC. The
posters represented graduate students participating in the Center for Teaching and Learning
Excellence TA Scholars Program. Professor Beverly Brehl from the Center for Teaching &
Learning Excellence (CTLE) Undergraduate Studies’ Center for Teaching & Learning (CTLE),
explained that the posters address a specific teaching and learning need of the student’s
department. There were eleven students representing 10 different departments who participated.
A full description of the project and more information can be obtained from
http://www.ctle.utah.edu/TAScholars.
Consent Calendar
The resignations, retirements, faculty appointments, auxiliary, and limited term appointments,
appearing in Appendices I, II, and III dated March 23 and April 6, 2009, as well as the
2
University Professor for 2009-2010 awarded to Esther Rashkin from the Department of
Languages and Literature; and the recipients of the Early Career Teaching Awards: Assistant
Professor Amalia Cochran – Surgery, Assistant Professor Glen Feighery – Communication,
Assistant Professor Kenneth Foreman – Physical Therapy, and Assistant Professor Jordan Gerton
– Physics received approval to forward to the Board of Trustees. The Undergraduate
Executive Committee Report
James Anderson, Executive Committee Secretary, summarized his written report of the March
23, 2009 Executive Committee meeting.
Report from Administration
President Young commented on the final events of the legislative session and the effect for the
University. The session started with a 4 percent cut to the University’s base budget already in
place. An additional cut of approximately 7.5 percent for the remainder of the current year was
added. This increase was backfilled by legislators by 3.5 percent leaving a total budget cut for
fiscal 2009 at about 7.5 percent. The additional base budget cut for FY 2010 is projected to be
17.5 percent. With the help from the Obama administration’s stimulus package it will be reduced
but that assistance will disappear after next year.
President Young indicated that tuition/fees to attend the U will increase 8.76 percent for the
2009-2010 academic year, keeping the University’s goal to maintain excellence in teaching,
research and student recruiting. A portion of the extra revenue will be used to provide additional
need-based scholarships as will funds raised by a new committee of senior alumni.
The president reported that the University received $23 million to fund a new business school
building and construction will begin soon. Additionally, the first USTAR building officially
breaks ground on Earth Day, April 22, and permission was granted to build an arts and education
complex.
President Young commented that the capital campaign continues to go reasonably well. The
University expected to see a decrease last but to his surprise there was only a 6.5 percent drop.
He said that stocks were down but cash donations had increased substantially and there was an
increase in generosity in the number of donors. So far this year, the campaign has raised $650
million, more than half of their campaign goal. He is hopeful to have over $400 million raised
for research by the end of the year.
Report from ASUU
Patrick Reimherr, ASUU president, introduced the incoming ASUU president, Tayler Clough.
Following the introduction he gave an overview of the upcoming events including the
announcement of a free campus bike-rental program called UBike, the gift from the senior class.
Other activities include April 15 Grand Kerfuffle; and the April 22 screening of The Dark Night;
April 22 Student Choice Teaching Awards. Patrick introduced Dallas Hamilton who is over the
Sustainable Campus Initiative which includes the Revolving Loan Fund and the Student
Initiative Fund. For additional information please visit,
http://www.asuu.utah.edu/docs/sci_packet.pdf.
Notice of Intent
Ann Darling introduced the request for a proposed Student Media Council which will replace the
existing Student Publications Council and the existing Student Broadcast Council and will
incorporate the responsibilities of these councils to oversee the creation and operation of a future
Strategic Communication Agency and supervise the current University Media Sales Group.
Upon approval, the Council will report directly to the Board of Trustees as a protection for
students’ First Amendment rights. For information purposes only, the funding will come from a
$6 student media fee recently passed by the Board of Trustees contingent upon approval of the
Council, as well as support from organizations funded by the Council. Ms. Darling will return
for the May 4th Senate meeting for the proposal to be discussed and approved.
Debate Calendar
Chris Nelson, Presidential Professor and director of Metropolitan Research, presented a short
synopsis for the proposed Ph.D. in Metropolitan Planning, Policy and Design, and the creation of
the Metropolitan Research Center. The proposed Ph.D. program completes the strategic plan of
the College of Architecture + Planning to have an integrated suite of undergraduate, masters, and
doctoral degree opportunities to produce doctoral graduates who will facilitate dissemination of
knowledge through research, teaching, publishing, and engagement. The program will help meet
society’s need for researchers, scholars, teachers, and leaders to make our built environment and
metropolitan areas sustainable and resilient. The program will be financially self-sufficient and
will be available to students on a full-time and part-time basis who will work with a supervisory
committee of five faculty members. On a motion from Jim Anderson, seconded by Randy
Silverman, unanimous approval was given to forward to the Board of Trustees for final
approval.
The Metropolitan Research Center which is proposed simultaneously with this proposal is
intended to conduct basic and applied research on the built environment at the metropolitan scale
and to expand knowledge in city and metropolitan affairs to improve policy and practice and to
educate the general public on important issues facing communities including the projected
doubling of the Wasatch Front population by 2040. By design, the Center will engage faculty
and students from all three degree programs and other interdisciplinary units across the
University that are natural partners to help meet research and outreach needs. All university,
college, and private fund-raising commitments needed to support the Center have been made. A
motion from Randy Silverman, seconded by Larry DeVires was approved unanimously to
forward to the Board of Trustees for final approval.
Gordon Smith, director of the Master’s Program in the School of Business, introduced a proposal
for five joint master’s degrees that combine the M.S. in a field of Engineering with the M.B.A.
awarded by the David Eccles School of Business. The five departments involved from the
College of Engineering include Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Computer Science,
Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering. The purpose of the proposed
joint graduate degrees is a way to capitalize on the commonality between the Engineering and
Business curriculum. The proposal is not meant to establish a new degree rather to seek approval
to coordinate the MBA and MS curricula to synergize content thereby enabling students to earn
both degrees simultaneously in less time. Increased costs will be offset by the increase in SCHs.
A motion was made by Randy Silverman and seconded by Larry DeVries to accept the combined
proposals and forward to the Board of Trustees for final approval.
The Criminal Background Checks proposed policy, Policy 6-301, which was discussed on the
intent calendar in March was brought before the Senate for discussion by Associate Vice
President Susan Olson. In an effort to redesign its content and improve clarity a revised policy
was submitted for discussion which will continue and be put to vote at the May Senate meeting.
Information Items
The annual Faculty Complement, prepared by Paul Brinkman, vice president for budget and
planning, as mandated by University Policy 6-300 Section 5, was accepted by the Executive
Committee on March 23.
New Business
There was not new business
Adjournment:
The meeting adjourned at 5:15p.
Respectfully submitted,
Nancy Lines