Meeting Minutes
ACADEMIC SENATE MINUTES
August 29, 2016
Call to Order
The regular meeting of the Academic Senate, held on August 29, 2016, was called to order at 3:03 pm by Xan Johnson, Senate President. The meeting was held in the College of Law Moot Courtroom.
Present: Sarah Hinners, Brenda Scheer, Robert Allen, Brian Cdaman, David Plumlee, Adam Meirowitz, Todd Zenger, Dianne Harris, Alberta Comer, Mark Durham, Yongmei Ni, John Funk, Rajeev Balasubramonian, Chuck Dorval, Mathieu Francoeur, Sudeep Kanungo, Hanseup Kim, Xiaoyue Liu, Ken Monson, Edward Trujillo, Denny Berry, Michael Chikinda, Michael Cottle, Joe Marotta, Melonie Murray, Stacy Manwaring, Jim Martin, Julie Metos, Susan Naidu, Nelson Roy, Les Podlog, James Anderson, Karin Baumgartner, Disa Gambera, Eric Hinderaker, Lex Newman, Adrian Palmer, David Hill, Tom Lund, John Bramble, Alicia Brillon, Luke Leither, Julie Barkmeier-Kraemer, Nadia Cobb, Julio Facelli, Per Gesteland, Mia Hashibe, Katherine Kendall, John Langell, Antoinette Laskey, Nicole Mihalopoulos, Ravi Ranjan, Brad Rockwell, Frederick STrathmann, Thomas Winter, Ravi Chandran, David Dinter, Paul Jewell, Lauren Clark, Mollie Cummins, Andrea Bild, Donald Blumenthal, Randy Dryer, Tommaso de Fernex, David Goldenberg, Dmytro Pesin, Tom Richmond, Pearl Sandick, Michael Shapiro, Jennifer Shumaker-Parry, John Sperry, Andrejs Treibergs, Adrienne Cachelin, Tom Cova, Korkut Erturk, Duncan Metcalfe, Paul White, Zhou Yu, Edmund Fong, Jason Castillo, Mary Beth Vogel-Ferguson, Joanne Yaffe, Lauren Adams, Caroline Li, Madison Day, Ashley Wilcox, Skyler Walker, Rachel Petersen, Carley Herrick, Edwin Lin, Caleb Hoffman, Jake Tschirhart, Anthony Minjarez, Sabrina Hancock, Jake Knight, Kyndle Pardun, Connor Roach, Jack Bender, Franco Jin
Absent: Shundana Yusaf, Elena Asparouhova, Jeff Nielsen, Leticia Alvarez, Ning Lu, Avery Holton, Sean Lawson, Terry Kogan, Maureen Murtaugh, Robert Stephenson, Lynn Hollister, Linda Tyler, Baodong Liu, Aaron Kc Hsu
Ex-Officio: Bill Johnson, Robert Flores, Xan Johnson, Paul Mogren, Ruth Watkins, Amy Wildermuth, Bob Fujinami
Excused with Proxy: Tom Alberts for Yekaterina Epshten, Ming Wen for Wade Cole, J. Steven Ott for Lina Svedin
Excused: Olga Baker, Vivian Lee, Margaret Clayton, David Pershing, Nadja Durbach, Joel Brownstein
Others: Reva Rauk
Approval of Minutes
The minutes for May were approved with a motion by Karin Baumgartner. Motion passed unanimously.
Consent Calendar
The current list of appointments and resignations dated August 25, 2016 were approved with a motion by Randy Dryer and second by Joanne Yaffe. Motion passed unanimously.
Executive Committee Report
Bill Johnson gave a brief update on the Executive Committee’s activities. He noted that everything discussed in the last two Executive Committee meetings is on the Senate agenda.
Request for New Business
No new business
Report from Administration
Ruth Watkins presented on behalf of the U administration. She noted that President Pershing is in South Korea at the University of Utah Asia campus to open a new building, built for the U by the Songdo campus. She also said that the U is happy to welcome a large group of new faculty this year; there have been several cluster-hiring efforts that are coming to fruition. There are approximately 40 new faculty members and 19 are underrepresented in their disciplines. She invited Senators to attend the new faculty welcome event, which will be held September 7 at 5:30 pm in the College of Law. The U is also welcoming several new leaders, including Andy Weyrich in the position of vice president for research and Darryl Butt as the new dean for the College of Mines and Earth Sciences. Dr. Watkins did not have exact numbers regarding this year’s student enrollment, but said that there is a large entering group of graduate students and a large, diverse, and academically prepared freshman class. There are also new programmatic developments on campus- the new Lassonde Studios houses 409 student residents from majors across campus, in the U’s effort to expand its residential footprint. Construction is bringing new things to campus, including the new OSH building, which will open in fall 2018. Randy Dryer asked about the Gardner Policy Institute and the new Thomas S. Monson Center. Dr. Watkins said that the Institute has been designed to be the U’s partnership with the business, economic, and education community of Salt Lake City and the surrounding region. The Gardner Policy Institute provides policy and data analysis around economic development, industry, education, and health. It is also another venue for events, conferences, etc. Dr. Watkins also answered a question regarding the next buildings slated for construction and/or renovations on campus; she said that the medical complex is the highest priority for this legislative session, as well as new buildings for the College of Science. She noted that the need is great, but a lot depends on donors and finding funding. Jim Anderson asked about the U’s new budget paradigm, and asked for future presentation to EC and Senate regarding this new paradigm. Dr. Watkins said that the new budget paradigm has relatively minor impacts at the present, but that it will include a new productivity model that includes majors, degrees, and student credit hours.
Report from ASUU
Jack Bender, the ASUU President, said that ASUU will be busy next month with its legislative cycle, and that there are several issues to be discussed. He also said that there have been many internal changes- four of five advisors have moved to other positions throughout the U, and three of the four positions have now been filled. Jack noted that the ASUU office is open and welcomes students to stop by the office and see the new office redesign.
Notice of Intent
No Items of Intent
Debate Calendar
Membership and leadership of the Senate standing and ad hoc committees for this year were put forth by Xan Johnson. Motion was made by Joanne Yaffe to approve the committees. Motion seconded by Jack Bender. Motion passed unanimously.
Adam Meirowitz, Tom Maloney, and Mark Parker presented their proposals for a new BS degree in Quantitative Analysis of Markets and Organizations with Emphases in (1) business economics and analytics and (2) finance, and a new Emphasis in business economics and analytics for the existing economics BA/BS, respectively. Adam said these proposals will help bring the U up to speed with its peer universities. The proposals emphasize quantitative reasoning, game theory, econometrics, and present a mathematical way to think about strategy. The proposals are also a way for the business school and economics department to collaborate and to work outside of their silos. Motion was made by Joanne Yaffe to approve the BS in Quantitative Analysis of Markets and related emphases and forward to the Board of Trustees. Motion seconded by Paul White. Motion passed unanimously. Motion was made by Joanne Yaffe to pass the emphasis in business economics and analytics for the economics BA/BS. Motion seconded by Randy Dryer. Motion passed unanimously.
Sneha Kasera presented the proposal for the new Master’s degree in Software Engineering. He explained that the degree is for non-computer science majors, which represents a currently-untapped demographic. There is a strong demand for software engineers in the state and the US economy; software is a major part of all industries, so it is important that this program prepare people to meet this demand. It is an 18-month program. Sneha clarified that there is not a bachelor’s degree in software engineering at the U, and that the degree will require 40 credit hours. It is also different from other master’s degrees in that students move as a cohort and it is an immersive program. Motion was made by Jim Anderson to approve the proposal and forward to the Board of Trustees. Motion seconded by Joanne Yaffe. Motion passed unanimously.
Denise Dearing, chair of the biology department, presented the proposal for combined BS/MS degrees in microbiology. The department consulted with industry reps from biotechnology to ensure that the proposal prepares graduates for the workforce. The proposal is a 4+1 program- the first four years are undergraduate study, including research, and the final year is to finish the master’s degree. Denise noted that the industry needs more master’s degree-prepared job candidates, and this proposal will help fill that need. Joanne Yaffe raised questions about whether these degrees are intended to be named as biology generally, or more specifically as molecular biology. The answer given was that the degrees are in molecular biology. There was discussion about revising the proposal to use the name molecular biology, and if there is such a revision then the proposal must go back through Undergraduate Council and Graduate Council with the corrected name prior to going to the Board of Trustees. Motion was made by Joanne Yaffe to approve the proposal on condition that the proposal be revised with the correct name for the degrees (presumably “molecular biology”) that the Undergraduate Council and Graduate Council approve the revised version prior to moving to the Board of Trustees. Motion seconded by Randy Dryer. Motion passed unanimously.
Luke Dorlac presented the proposal for a new Minor in joint military leadership. The proposal is designed to create a graduate- an officer of the Air Force or a civilian student alike- who is more versed with military understanding. The proposal requires two credit hours during the student’s first two years, then four credit hours the next two years. The proposal will give students more experience with the Army and Navy, as well as a better business background. Motion was made by Jim Anderson to approve the proposal and forward to the Board of Trustees. Motion seconded by Adam Meirowitz. Motion passed unanimously.
Zhou Yu presented the proposal for a new undergraduate Certificate in Financial Planning. The new certificate will allow students from other departments to get this certificate and sit for the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) examination. Motion was made by Joanne Yaffe to approve the proposal and forward to the Board of Trustees. Motion seconded by [unclear]. Motion passed unanimously.
Tom Cova presented a proposal for the discontinuation of the existing Geography MA degree. There have been no students for at least 12 years, so the discontinuation is due to lack of student interest. Motion was made by Joanne Yaffe to approve the proposal and forward to the Board of Trustees. Motion seconded by Sarah Hinners. Motion passed unanimously.
Information and Recommendations Calendar
The following items were presented for the information and recommendations of the Academic Senate:
- Liz Winter, interim general counsel, welcomed Sherrie Hayashi as the new director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (OEO/AA). Sherrie previously held the position of Labor Commissioner for the State of Utah. Sherrie said that she is getting up to speed on issues across campus, and that there will be small organizational changes in the OEO/AA and streamlining of processes. Liz discussed that there are more than 200 colleges and universities that are being reviewed by the federal Office of Civil Rights to determine whether campuses are complying with Title IX. The U is one of those universities, due to the fact that a victim of sexual violence at the U complained that the U’s investigative process took too long. The investigation requires that the U provide information related to every allegation of sexual harassment, discrimination, and violence in the past three years. This includes every email between a university representative and complainant and between a university representative and respondent. The Office of Civil Rights may be on campus this semester or next semester- they will have office hours and welcome people to come in and talk about issues on campus. There will be more information to come. Prompted by the investigation, the U will streamline its process for handling reports of sexual misconduct. For example, if a faculty member is the respondent, the process will go directly to the Senate Consolidated Hearing Committee.
- David Hill reported on behalf of the Senate Personnel and Elections Committee. Last year, the committee focused its efforts on recruiting more faculty, stressing the importance of committee service, and targeted communication to various departments; the result was more interest and greater response to the annual survey. This year, David wants to continue similar efforts and focus more on how to refine the committee survey to target areas where there is more specific need for participation, as well as how to disseminate information about committee vacancies earlier in the academic year.
- Hank Liese and Randy Dryer presented updates regarding the Senate ad hoc Career-Line Faculty Task Force Project. Hank gave a history of the task force- it began in 2010 with an ad hoc committee on auxiliary faculty. The first thing the committee achieved was a change in nomenclature from auxiliary/regular faculty to career-line/tenure-line faculty. Later, the task force was formed and, in 2013, achieved representation of career-line faculty on the Academic Senate and all Senate committees. At the end of spring 2016, five working groups were formed on the following topics: history and background; progress at the university level regarding shared governance; unit-level progress toward shared governance; career-line survey analysis and presentation of data; and future issues and recommendations for moving the work forward. A final report will be released this semester, which will include additional recommendations that will come before the Academic Senate. There was a question about the creation of a template for college Statements regarding reappointment and promotion decisions for career-line faculty; the template does exist and parallels the RPT template for tenure-line faculty. Bob Flores may be contacted for access to the template for Career-Line Statements.
- Kate Charipar presented the Office of Athletics Compliance Report. The office is responsible for complying with NCAA rules and regulations; its primary activities include rules education, maintaining policies and procedures, running audits, and investigating all alleged NCAA rule violations. The report shows that the majority of the U’s NCAA rule violations are level 3 and 4. Only one investigation resulted in an NCAA rules infraction this year. Most rule violations occur within football, but football is also the sport with the most student-athletes and staff. Kate also discussed the new NCAA academic misconduct legislation. The NCAA wants to take a tougher stance regarding academic misconduct related to student-athletes, and will thus be holding staff members and student-athletes more accountable for their actions, rather than universities as a whole. The prior rule was confusing and vague, and led to problems with finding cause in investigations, as was seen at universities such as UNC and Syracuse. The new rule broadens the definition of academic misconduct, identifies specific activities that may be considered misconduct, and defines who institutional staff members are and what their responsibilities are regarding athletes and academic misconduct. With respect to the new rule, the U will observe how the NCAA implements it in institutional investigations this year, to see if other changes at the U are necessary. The Office of Athletics Compliance is already looking at whether the U should adjust its policies related to courses such as independent study, directed readings, and online courses.
- Amy Wildermuth presented recently developed guidelines for management of sit-in protests occurring in campus buildings. Many universities are now providing guidance to their communities about the protocol if there is a sit-in on campus. Administration will respond to each instance individually, but the guidelines will be in place for general guidance. Michael Chikinda asked about the protocol if sit-ins affect classes; Amy specified that classes are considered normal business operations of the university, and thus sit-ins interfering with such activities will not be tolerated. There were also questions regarding buildings that conduct healthcare activities, childcare activities, and buildings that are privately owned and partially utilized by the U; Amy responded that further specification about such buildings will be included in the guidelines. Tom Richmond asked how the document can be found, once it is finalized; Bob Flores responded that the document may be found on the U’s regulation website, linked within the University Speech Policy.
- Sarah Projansky presented the College for Fine Arts College Council Charter revisions (which has received the final approval of the Senate Executive Committee, as required by Policy). Staff numbers within the College for Fine Arts have shifted, which led to the need for some of the revisions within the charter. Additionally, due to some academic appeals cases within the college, further detail in the charter was necessary.
- Brian Codding presented the new Emphases in human ecology and archaeological science (which have received the final approvals of the Undergraduate Council, as required by Policy). They have been requested by students and simply require a reorganization of coursework; there is no additional financial burden for the creation of the emphases.
- Revision of Rule 5-200B PTO accrual for part-time UUHC staff
- Revision of Policy 3-300 Environmental Health and Safety, and the accompanying Guideline on Tobacco-Free Campus
- Seven-year program review reports from the Graduate Council, for the College of Law, Educational Psychology, Linguistics, and Political Science
- Senate Advisory Committee on Library Policy annual report
- Senate Advisory Committee on Academic Policy annual report
- University Teaching Committee annual report
New Business
No new business
Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 4:44 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Maddy Oritt