Meeting Minutes
ACADEMIC SENATE MINUTES
February 5, 2007
Call to Order:
The regular meeting of the Academic Senate, held on January 8, 2007 was called to order at 3:03 pm by Kirtly Jones, Senate President. The meeting was held in room 115 C. Roland Christensen Center.
Roll: Anisa Abu-Ramaileh, Michael Bastiani, Paul Bernstein, Marc Bodson, Susan Bratton, Paul Bresslof, Arthur Brothman, Richard Brown, Ronald Bruhn, Carrie Byington, Peter Crane, David Derezotes, Gary Ellis, Gene Fitzgerald, Alan Fogel, Luiza Franca, Leslie Francis, Michael Free, Robert Glasgow, Andrea Goldstein, Dan Goodrick, Peter Goss, Jessica Griffith, Gary Grikscheit, Charles Grissom, Gena Guevara, Ray Gunn, Douglas Hacker, LaVar Harline, David Hillyard, Jan Hobson, Brooke Hopkins, Paul Hu, Russ Isabella, Charles Jui, Mike Kirby, Jacob Kirkham, Kacee Kniazeva, Thomas Kontuly, Lynette Land, Howard Lehman, Richard Lemons, Janet Lindsley, Karl Lines, Janis Louie, Zheng-Rong Lu, Mary Lucero, Clifton McIntosh, Sanford Meek, Erin Miedema, Joey Mortensen, Matt Munson, Lex Newman, Gerado Okhuysen, Richard Paine, Karen Paisley, Lester Partlow, Brian Patrick, Kathy Pope, Paul Roberts, Jan Robertson, Edward Rubin, Mayam Safaee, Barry Shultz, Randy Silverman, Mikhail Skliar, Bruce Smith, Sandra Smith, Gerald Spangrude, Nancy Staggers, Shonn Tanner, Michael Timberlake, Raymond Tymas-Jones, David Vergobbi, Sharon Weinstein, Gage Williams, Joanne Yaffe, Mary Youngkin
Excused: Dan Adams, Stephen Alder, Margaret Battin, Ken Jameson, Daniel Medwed, John Opitz, Maged Senbel
Ex-officio: Penny Brooke, Robert Flores, Paul Mogren, Susan Olson, David Pershing
Others: Lorenzo Botto, David Bjorkman, Martha Bradley, Ann Floor, John Francis, Dustin Gardner, Ray Gesteland, Stayner Landward, Ted Liou, Mary Murphy, Anya Plutynski, Chuck Wight
Minutes:
The minutes of the Academic Senate meeting of January 8, 2007 were unanimously approved.
Request for New Business
There was no new business.
Consent Calendar:
The resignations, retirements, faculty appointments, auxiliary and limited term appointments, appearing in Appendices I, II, and III dated January 22, 2007 and February 5, 2007 received unanimous approval to forward to the Board of Trustees.
Robert Flores presented a Resolution of Appreciation honoring Stayner Landward as he is retiring and given Emeritus status. He was thanked for his 35 years of service at the university especially in his role as Dean of Students. The resolution passed unanimously.
Executive Committee Report:
Joanne Yaffe, Executive Committee Secretary, summarized her written report of the January 22, 2007 Executive Committee meeting.
Report from Administration:
Senior Vice President David Pershing reported that the University received accreditation and was commended for fostering a culture of collaboration, congeniality and transparency across units and among its constituencies, including cross-disciplinary research collaborations and collaborations between student affairs and academic affair, and for its process and structure for the educational programs.
Pershing enlightened the members of the Senate of the current Legislative proceedings on the following:
1) the potential repeal of House Bill #144 concerning in-state tuition for any of Utah’s high
school students’ attending three years of high school;
2) request for funds for the Nursing building appears to be going in a positive direction;
3) dollar appropriation is still under consideration.
Pershing reiterated the president’s concerns noted in the email regarding the gun issue which was sent to all faculty and staff. The U has been working with a group of legislatures on the gun issue. A question was asked concerning the State of the Gun Bill in the Utah Senate and Pershing responded that the chances are reasonable for it to pass due to a collaborative effort from all sides. This bill under consideration would allow the University to regulate concealed weapons in dormitories and faculty offices.
Leslie Francis suggested that a discussion take place concerning as soon as possible outlining the procedure to follow should a faculty member be in a situation where a gun has been brought to the classroom.
Responding to a question asked by Brooke Hopkins regarding the lower enrollments, Pershing indicated that is was a concern to the administration and was contributed in part due to the economy and the student transfer process. The administration is working on better transferring procedures. The lower enrollments were not due to higher admission standards for freshmen as freshman enrollment is steady.
Report from ASUU
Jacob Kirkham, ASUU president, was unhappy to report that the Student Life Center did not pass in this legislative session. The good news is a newly established recycling program on campus to be implemented within the year. He also reminded the senate of the upcoming “Rock the U”, March 15th and 16th, a fund raising effort for the Huntsman Cancer Institute. He informed the senate of an effort for a marketing push to engage more university students through posting calendars the library and an “Ask ASUU” section in the Chronicle.
Notice of Intent
- Chuck Wight explained the reason for seeking approval of a sentence in previously approved policy change for PPM 9-8. There was a small correction regarding reporting procedures when exceeding the minimum 122 hours. “It must be reported to the Academic Senate and forwarded to the Board of Trustees for approval.” A motion to accept the correction was unanimously approved.
- Dean David Bjorkman presented the proposed School of Medicine Leave Policy. He explained the need to draft a separate policy was due to its significantly different academic culture in that the Medical School uses a 12 month calendar rather than a 9 month calendar, and the funding for the policy would come from clinical income and research grants. To cover all faculty salaries, have flexibility for the faculty, and clarify the definition of time as it differs from semesters, the revised policy was created. Ted Liou, chair of the Annuities and Salaries Committee, commented that his committee discussed the policy and indicated that there were no significant questions. The policy will be reviewed in two years. Joanne Yaffe made a motion to move this to the debate calendar which was approved with no exceptions or abstentions. A motion to approve the SOM Leave Policy on the debate calendar was also unanimously approved.
Debate Calendar
- Vice President Ray Gesteland discussed the Effort Reporting Policy created to formalize the policy dictated by the Federal policy regarding reporting, expenditure efforts, and proper reporting signatures and to comply with the NSF audit now in process. A motion was made to approve the policy as presented unanimously.
- Mike Timberlake presented the Sociology Diversity Certificate proposal which would increase students’ awareness, understanding and involvement in issues of diversity supported by a broader university-wide initiative to increase the number of students throughout the campus. The motion was unanimously approved without any comments.
Information Calendar
New Business
Barbara Nash, chair of the Teaching Committee, responded to the January Senate meeting request regarding questions and concerns relative to the makeup of the Teaching Committee, its procedures, and issues related to underrepresented minority populations at the University. President Jones complimented Professor Nash on her comprehensive presentation and the University Teaching Committee’s response to issues of diversity in the University’s major teaching awards. The full document is available on the Academic Senate website for the February 5, 2007 Senate agenda.
Adjournment:
The meeting adjourned at 5:24 pm.