Meeting Minutes
ACADEMIC SENATE MINUTES
April 7, 2014
Call to Order
The regular meeting of the Academic Senate, held on April 7, 2014, was called to order at 3:04 p.m. by Allyson Mower, Senate President. The meeting was held in Eccles Institute of Human Genetics Auditorium.
Present: David Ailion, Peter Alfeld, Chrisoula Andreou, A.K. Balaji, Tim Benvegnu, Lyda Bigelow, Michael Blomgren, Kelly Bricker, Nilufer Cagatay, Kate Canas, Tully Cathey, Thomas Cheatham, Marcus Chen, Robin Craig, Alison Denyer, Justin Diggle, Maria Dobozy, Megan Dolle, Randy Dryer, Florence Fernandez, Ole Fischer, Michael Free, Frances Friedrich, Caren Frost, Disa Gambera, Jennifer Garvin, Franz Goller, Joan Gregory, Gary Grikscheit, Thad Hall, Glen Hanson, Mary Elizabeth Hartnett, Leanne Hawken, Rachel Hayes-Harb, Tom Henderson, David Hill, Lynn Hollister, Thunder Jalili, Anne Jamison, Peter Jensen, Christian Johnson, William Johnson, Bradley Katz, Evert Lawton, John Longino, Gary Lowder, William Lowrance, Erminia Martinez, Duncan Metcalfe, Meredith Metzger, Jill Moriearty, Alfred Mowdood, Patricia Murphy, A. Chris Nelson, Ingrid Nygaard, Sam Ortiz, Patrick Panos, Janiece Pompa, M. Pollie Price, Bruce Quaglia, Mariana Ramiro, Reva Rauk, Lorie Richards, Stephanie Richardson, Steve Roens, Gerald Root, Gary Rose, Paul Shami, Debra Simmons, Gregory Smoak, David Stevenson, David Temme, Rachel Wootton, Joanne Yaffe, Jingyi Zhu,
Absent: McKay Allred, Orly Alter, Mary Ann Christison, John Conboy, William Crowley, Sierra Debenham, Kevin DeLuca, David Dinter, Xiao Fang, Sabine Fuhrmann, Michael Gardner, Luke Garrott, William Gershan, Jordan Gerton, Stephen Goldsmith, Michael Harris, Michael Hawkins,
Robert Hitchcock, Jared Hurdman, Amy Johnas, Lori Kowaleski-Jones, Uri Loewenstein, Raina Mahanes, Ross Marabella, Theresa Martinez, Sandra McIntyre, Ashley McMullin, Heather Melton, Dragan Milicic, Marlene Plumlee, Christina Porucznik, Jody Rosenblatt, John Paul Soares, Taylor Thurman, Li Wang
Ex-officio: Steve Alder, Robert Flores, Robert Fujinami, Harriet Hopf, Vivian Lee, Paul Mogren, Allyson Mower, David Pershing, Ruth Watkins, Amy Wildermuth, Shawnee Worsley
Excused with Proxy: Michelle Hofmann, Krystal Mourman for Brandon Jennings, Bob Nelson for Xan Johnson, Tom Richmond for Joel Miller, Therèse de Raedt for Matthew Potolsky, Michael R. Dean for Clough Shelton
Others: Michael Deans, Tim Ebner, Marilynn Paine, Ted Pysher, Justin Spangler, Donna White
Approval of Minutes
The minutes of the Academic Senate meeting on March 3, 2014 3, 2014, received no objections.
Request for New Business
The following items of New Business will be discussed:
- Resolution for Beverly Brehl
- Proposal for Formation of an Academic Senate Committee on Investment Responsibility
Consent Calendar
No resignations retirements, and faculty and administrator appointments
Executive Committee Report
Steve Alder, Academic Senate President-elect, provided a summary of the Executive Committee meeting held March 17, 2014.
Report from Administration
President David Pershing gave an update to the Senate on campus activities. Three main buildings are currently under construction: School of Dentistry, Student Life Center and S. J. Quinney College of Law. Construction on the Business Loop Parking Terrace and the Northwest Parking Terrace will begin in May 2014. The University did receive the funding approval from the State of Utah to finish the infrastructure project and construction will continue on main campus through the year. For updates on construction projects you can visit the Facilities Management website.
Community Engagement day will be held April 10th. This event helps the University connect with the community through a variety of constructive projects and initiatives. On Saturday, April 12th the U will celebrate 100 years of Piano with a Grand Centennial Celebration Concert featuring current students, distinguished alumni, and faculty. Commencement will be held on May 1 at 6:30 pm in the Huntsman Center. Alex Smith will be the guest speaker. College Convocations will be held on May 2nd with the exception of Social Behavioral Science, College of Law and School of Medicine. For specific times please visit the Commencement Ceremonies website.
Report from ASUU
Sam Ortiz, ASUU President spoke to the Academic Senate regarding ASUU activities. Justin Spangler was introduced to the Senate; he will serve as the ASUU President for the 2014-2015 Academic Year. ASUU will be partnering again with the Marriott Library for Geek Week. The activities begin April 21 and end on April 25. The Senate expressed its appreciation to Sam Ortiz for his service as ASUU President.
Notice of Intent
Robert Flores presented Policy Updates to 6-303, 6-310 and rule 6-310. This proposal is the second phase of a project to revise University Regulations which govern standards and procedures for periodic reviews of individual faculty members. The first phase proposal was approved in January 2014. It involved revision of Policy 6-002, The Academic Senate, to integrate career-line faculty into the set of Senate standing committees. For the committee which the Senate has established to represent the Senate in overseeing the systems by which reviews of faculty members are conducted, that first phase changed the name, membership structure, and functions of the committee. The motion to move the item to debate made by Jill Moriearty and seconded by Bruce Quaglia. Motion did not pass and will go to the Debate calendar in May.
Debate Calendar
Academic Governance Policies, 6-001, 6-300, 6-003, 6-015, 7-100 were presented by Robert Flores. The first phase of this project was approved in spring 2013. This second phase will include reorganized content for 6-001 including descriptions of academic departments, free standing divisions, and colleges currently located in Policy 2-004. The proposal has been discussed in multiple Senate Executive Committee meetings and refined through those discussions. Because certain proposed revisions will affect the Graduate Council, Undergraduate Council, and the two research-related committees mentioned above for Policy 7-100, representatives of each of those areas have been consulted about those relevant portions of these Policies. The project has been repeatedly presented to the Institutional Policy Committee. The motion to approve with recommendation to correct the library reference and forward to the Board of Trustees was made by Joanne Yaffe and seconded by Randy Dryer. Motion passed unanimously.
Dean Li presented the proposal to close out Department of Physiology. The School of Medicine is requesting permission to dissolve the Department of Physiology after the final Physiology graduate student completes his degree requirements in Spring 2015. The College Council unanimously approved the proposal in October 2013. Starting in 2012 faculty were reassigned to the Departments of Internal Medicine/Cardiology, Neurosurgery, and Neurobiology and Anatomy to invigorate and strengthen neuroscience and cardiovascular research initiatives. The Physiology department’s research mission has been subsumed by other departments and programs, and the transition of Physiology faculty has strengthened neurosciences and cardiovascular research initiatives and related departments and programs. The final two graduate students in the Department of Physiology are completing their PhD requirements in 2014 and 2015. The motion to approve the Proposal to close out the Department of Physiology and forward to the Board of Trustees was made by Joanne Yaffe and seconded by Will Lowrance. Motion passed with eight abstentions.
The Proposal to create Population Health Sciences was presented by Dean Li. The Department of Population Health Sciences will provide three distinct but integrated roles. First, it will provide a durable basic science departmental infrastructure for faculty whose research focus is on patient and population oriented health care. Second, it will provide support, expertise and mentorship for physicians and investigators across all departments who wish to pursue research interests and questions from their current academic homes. Third, it will advance the methodological bases for improving the care of patient and patient population-oriented health care delivery. It is recognized that both population health and health systems research expertise and successful scholarly work already exist within the University of Utah, but the urgent need to broaden this knowledge and build on expertise in some specific areas. Cultivating these significant strengths will better equip the University to meet important challenges of evolving health care systems. The motion to approve and forward the Proposal to create Population Health Sciences to the Board of Trustees was made by Joanne Yaffe and seconded by Randy Dryer. Motion passed with three abstentions.
Mary Parker presented the Academic Calendar 2014-2021. The main changes for the calendar are to incorporate reading day back into the academic calendar for the fall and spring semester, a significant break between fall and spring semester, and review of possibility of moving commencement day to a different day. Because commencement has recently been moved it was decided to not move commencement at this time. The motion to approve and forward to the Board of Trustees was made by Joanne Yaffe and seconded by Peter Jensen. Motion passed.
Information Calendar
The Scholarship program was presented by Mary Parker. A new Scholarship office has been set up to help with the scholarship process. The biggest change will be that all scholarships will be disbursed through one office and to help standardize this process. This process will be in place for Fall 2014.
The yearly Senate Committee reports were presented to the Academic Senate with no recommendations or objections.
The following items were accepted by the Academic Senate and will be forwarded to the Board of Trustees:
- Graduate Council Review Department of City and Metropolitan Planning
- Graduate Council Review Department of Health Promotion and Education
- Graduate Council Review Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy
- Graduate Council Review Nursing PhD and Gerontology MS Programs
- 2014 Distinguished Professors
- 2014 Early Career Teaching Awards Recipients
- Calvin S. and JaNeal N. Hatch Prize in Teaching
New Business
Joan Gregory presented the Proposal for Formation of an Academic Senate Committee on Investment Responsibility. This committee would provide a structure for fostering dialogue, and help the University make responsible investment decisions that promote sustainability; make recommendations to fund decision-makers on socially and environmentally responsible investment opportunities and practices across asset classes; be separate from the University’s Investment Advisory Committee; be drawn from multiple sectors of the University community providing educational experiences for involved students, faculty, alumni and staff. The committee would consist of 6 faculty, 4 students, 2 staff, and 2 ex-officio. The committee will submit a report at the first Senate meeting in September 2014 and a quarterly report thereafter. The motion to approve was made by Joanne Yaffe and seconded by Jennifer Garvin. Motion passed with two abstentions.
Stephanie Richardson presented a Resolution for Beverly Brehl. The resolution was approved by acclamation.
Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 5:04 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Shawnee Worsley