Meeting Minutes
ACADEMIC SENATE
October 2, 2017
Call to Order
The regular meeting of the Academic Senate, held on October 2, 2017, was called to order at
3:02 pm by Senate President Margaret Clayton. The meeting was held in the Moot Courtroom of
the College of Law.
Present: Elena Asparouhova, Nitin Bakshi, Shmuel Baruch, Brian Cadman, Todd
Zenger, Annie Fukushima, James Winkler, Lauren Liang, Rajeev
Balasubramonian, Chuck Dorval, Sudeep Kanungo, Hanseup Kim, Ken
Monson, Frank Sachse, James Sutherland, Denny Berry, Laurel Caryn,
Michael Chikinda, Winston Kyan, Ning Lu, Melonie Murray, Bo
Foreman, Stacy Manwaring, Jim Martin, Susan Naidu, Nelson Roy, Alex
Terrill, James Anderson, Gema Guevara, Patricia Hanna, Eric Hinderaker,
Anne Lair, Maureen Mathison, Lex Newman, Randy Dryer, Tom Lund,
John Bramble, Luke Leither, Brandon Patterson, Julie Barkmeier–
Kraemer, Pinar Bayrak–Toydemir, Nadia Cobb, Julio Facelli, Per
Gesteland, Mia Hashibe, Ken Johnson, Antoinette Laskey, Kalani
Raphael, Brad Rockwell, Amnon Schlegel, Nicole L. Mihalopoulos,
Debra Simmons, Thomas Winter, Diego Fernandez, Jessica Wempen,
Lauren Clark, Susanna Cohen, Sara Simonsen, Ann Engar, Joel
Brownstein, Sarah Bush, Tommaso de Fernex, Yekaterina Epshteyn,
Richard Ernst, David Goldenberg, Dragan Milicic, Pearl Sandick, Gunseli
Berik, Adrienne Cachelin, Sheila Crowell, Korkut Erturk, Sharon
Mastracci, Kathleen Nicoll, Zhou Yu, Jason Castillo, Mary Beth Vogel–
Ferguson, Joanne Yaffe, Micah Smith, Chandler Dean, Melanie Barber,
Emina Tatarevic, Carley Herrick, Trevor Annis, Nathan Ong, Ailien Luu,
Michael Stapley, Summer Mikkelsen, Kaitlin McLean, Abigail Stover,
India Kozlowski, Valerie Guerrero
Absent: Brenda Scheer, Shundana Yusaf, Jeff Nielsen, Dianne Harris, Mark
Durham, Leticia Alvarez, John Funk, John Regehr, Sean Lawson, Shaji
Menon, Ravi Chandran, Andrea Bild, Dmytro Pesin, Jennifer Shumaker–
Parry, Kim Korinek, Baodong Liu, Duncan Metcalfe, Chase Peterson,
Alyssa Lamb, Rebecca Walker
Ex Officio: Margaret Clayton, Robert Flores, Xan Johnson, Lorris Betz, Paul Mogren,
Tom Richmond, David Pershing, Ruth Watkins
Excused with proxy: Katharine Coles, Terry Kogan, Donald Blumenthal, Linda Tyler, Jon
Seger
Excused: Alberta Comer, Olga Baker, Zach Berger, Ananya Roy
Others: Dave Kieda, Emily Beard, Vincent Cheng, Paul Cassell, Jackie Winter,
Karen Gunning, David Carrier
Approval of Minutes:
The minutes dated August 28, 2017 were approved with a motion from Jim Anderson and a
second from Joanne Yaffe.
Consent Calendar:
The current list of appointments and resignations dated October 2, 2017 was approved with a motion by
Jim Anderson and second by Joanne Yaffe. Motion passed unanimously.
Executive Committee Report
Tom Richmond gave an update on the activities of the Executive Committee. The Executive
Committee voted to issue a statement that has appeared in the @theU e–newsletter and online
regarding its support of free speech and diverse viewpoints on campus. Additionally, the EC has
discussed at length the ad hoc committee to be created to address issues related to centers,
institutes, and bureaus, and has come to the conclusion that further time is needed to populate the
committee and define its charge.
Request for New Business
No new business
Report from Administration:
President David Pershing gave an update on the activities of the U administration. He opened by
expressing sadness about the recent mass shooting in Las Vegas. Additionally, several members
of the U community passed away recently, including Frank Brown, emeritus dean of the College
of Mines & Earth sciences, who was one of the longest–serving deans in the history of the U and
an outstanding scholar and teacher; Peter Sluglett, the former director of the Middle East Center;
and Robert D. Hales, a U alumnus, former member of the U’s National Advisory Council,
former member of the Utah Board of Regents, and a member of the LDS Church’s Quorum of
the Twelve Apostles. President Pershing expressed that this is the time to be thankful for each
other and build relationships among ourselves, and extended his personal condolences and those
of the university to the family and friends of those who have died. In noting that the Marriner S.
Eccles Institute of Economics and Quantitative Analysis was to be discussed later in the agenda,
President Pershing thanked the Eccles family for their generous donations, in the case of the new
institute and the other projects they have supported across campus. He said that both he and Vice
President Ruth Watkins recognize faculty concerns about the institute, and respect and honor the
rights of individuals to talk about these issues. He ensured that both faculty and university
interests were appropriately safeguarded in the negotiations surrounding the institute, and
encourages everyone to review the actual agreement, which is publicly available. He noted that
the institute is an opportunity to add faculty capacity, and acknowledged that both new and
current faculty will be protected by the strategies undertaken in developing the institute. He
offered assurance that no faculty positions in Economics department are at risk. President
Pershing also gave a brief report on the preparatory activities for the upcoming 2018 legislative
Karen Gunning, David Carrier
Approval of Minutes:
The minutes dated August 28, 2017 were approved with a motion from Jim Anderson and a
second from Joanne Yaffe.
Consent Calendar:
The current list of appointments and resignations dated October 2, 2017 was approved with a motion by
Jim Anderson and second by Joanne Yaffe. Motion passed unanimously.
Executive Committee Report
Tom Richmond gave an update on the activities of the Executive Committee. The Executive
Committee voted to issue a statement that has appeared in the @theU e–newsletter and online
regarding its support of free speech and diverse viewpoints on campus. Additionally, the EC has
discussed at length the ad hoc committee to be created to address issues related to centers,
institutes, and bureaus, and has come to the conclusion that further time is needed to populate the
committee and define its charge.
Request for New Business
No new business
Report from Administration:
President David Pershing gave an update on the activities of the U administration. He opened by
expressing sadness about the recent mass shooting in Las Vegas. Additionally, several members
of the U community passed away recently, including Frank Brown, emeritus dean of the College
of Mines & Earth sciences, who was one of the longest–serving deans in the history of the U and
an outstanding scholar and teacher; Peter Sluglett, the former director of the Middle East Center;
and Robert D. Hales, a U alumnus, former member of the U’s National Advisory Council,
former member of the Utah Board of Regents, and a member of the LDS Church’s Quorum of
the Twelve Apostles. President Pershing expressed that this is the time to be thankful for each
other and build relationships among ourselves, and extended his personal condolences and those
of the university to the family and friends of those who have died. In noting that the Marriner S.
Eccles Institute of Economics and Quantitative Analysis was to be discussed later in the agenda,
President Pershing thanked the Eccles family for their generous donations, in the case of the new
institute and the other projects they have supported across campus. He said that both he and Vice
President Ruth Watkins recognize faculty concerns about the institute, and respect and honor the
rights of individuals to talk about these issues. He ensured that both faculty and university
interests were appropriately safeguarded in the negotiations surrounding the institute, and
encourages everyone to review the actual agreement, which is publicly available. He noted that
the institute is an opportunity to add faculty capacity, and acknowledged that both new and
current faculty will be protected by the strategies undertaken in developing the institute. He
offered assurance that no faculty positions in Economics department are at risk. President
Pershing also gave a brief report on the preparatory activities for the upcoming 2018 legislative
session. Compensation is the first priority, followed by student growth and capacity, completion
initiatives, workforce support for key areas such as nursing, and statewide priorities, such as IT
and libraries. In terms of capital facilities, the U is not requesting funding, but simply support to
build the south campus student housing and dining facility, which will allow more freshmen to
be housed on campus. Finally, President Pershing congratulated Myron Wilson, Amy
Wildermuth, Sarah Lappe, and the entire Sustainability team for reaching ten years of
sustainability achievements. The team is currently working on achieving gold status, as well as a
geothermal project that will help the U significantly reduce its carbon footprint.
Report from ASUU
Chandler Dean, ASUU Senate chair, gave an update on ASUU activities. There are events
throughout the week for Pride Week. With regard to the Ben Shapiro speaker event, he urged
faculty and students to keep an ear out for how students are feeling, what their thoughts are, so
that ASUU can get a better sense of how to support them as much as possible. ASUU is also
working on finalizing bills to complete the previous administration’s platform, and is looking at
developing relationships with Auxiliary Services to effect a paradigm shift related to campus
events.
Notice of Intent
No items of intent
Debate Calendar
Rick Smith, Piikea Godfrey, and Andrea Brown presented proposed changes to policy 5–130 and
its accompanying rules regarding criminal background checks for University employees. The
changes, which will help align the newly–branded University of Utah Health and the main
campus side, requires all new faculty and academic personnel hired by U Health to undergo a
criminal background check. For main campus, requirements for part–time faculty will be
changed: previously, only faculty above 0.75 FTE on main campus had to undergo a background
check during the hiring process, now this will include faculty at .50 FTE and above. Only a small
number of faculty annually will be affected by this change. 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.
Karen Mulitalo and Richard Bennett presented a proposal for a site expansion for the U’s
existing Master of Physician Assistant Studies program, to offer it in southern Utah, at the site of
Dixie State University in St. George, Utah. The department has received legislative funds to
expand its program, and hopes to matriculate its first class of 16 students at the southern Utah
site in May 2018. They plan to expand that southern Utah site class size to 25 in the next three
years. The goal of the expansion is to increase the number of PAs in the local pipeline, especially
in rural areas, which was the initial goal of the PA program when it was established at the U
approximately 40 years ago. The proposal has the full support of both institutions (the U and
Dixie State), as well as strong faculty and community support to ensure the success of the
program. The MPAS degree at the expansion site will still be conferred by the U and all
initiatives, workforce support for key areas such as nursing, and statewide priorities, such as IT
and libraries. In terms of capital facilities, the U is not requesting funding, but simply support to
build the south campus student housing and dining facility, which will allow more freshmen to
be housed on campus. Finally, President Pershing congratulated Myron Wilson, Amy
Wildermuth, Sarah Lappe, and the entire Sustainability team for reaching ten years of
sustainability achievements. The team is currently working on achieving gold status, as well as a
geothermal project that will help the U significantly reduce its carbon footprint.
Report from ASUU
Chandler Dean, ASUU Senate chair, gave an update on ASUU activities. There are events
throughout the week for Pride Week. With regard to the Ben Shapiro speaker event, he urged
faculty and students to keep an ear out for how students are feeling, what their thoughts are, so
that ASUU can get a better sense of how to support them as much as possible. ASUU is also
working on finalizing bills to complete the previous administration’s platform, and is looking at
developing relationships with Auxiliary Services to effect a paradigm shift related to campus
events.
Notice of Intent
No items of intent
Debate Calendar
Rick Smith, Piikea Godfrey, and Andrea Brown presented proposed changes to policy 5–130 and
its accompanying rules regarding criminal background checks for University employees. The
changes, which will help align the newly–branded University of Utah Health and the main
campus side, requires all new faculty and academic personnel hired by U Health to undergo a
criminal background check. For main campus, requirements for part–time faculty will be
changed: previously, only faculty above 0.75 FTE on main campus had to undergo a background
check during the hiring process, now this will include faculty at .50 FTE and above. Only a small
number of faculty annually will be affected by this change. 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.
Karen Mulitalo and Richard Bennett presented a proposal for a site expansion for the U’s
existing Master of Physician Assistant Studies program, to offer it in southern Utah, at the site of
Dixie State University in St. George, Utah. The department has received legislative funds to
expand its program, and hopes to matriculate its first class of 16 students at the southern Utah
site in May 2018. They plan to expand that southern Utah site class size to 25 in the next three
years. The goal of the expansion is to increase the number of PAs in the local pipeline, especially
in rural areas, which was the initial goal of the PA program when it was established at the U
approximately 40 years ago. The proposal has the full support of both institutions (the U and
Dixie State), as well as strong faculty and community support to ensure the success of the
program. The MPAS degree at the expansion site will still be conferred by the U and all
curricular aspects of the program will be governed by the faculty of the U. 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.
Ann Darling presented a proposal to revise Policy 6–406, which governs the Special Student
Course Fee Committee. An audit of the policy last year found that it has not been revised since
its inception. The review will be done in two phases; this current proposal is the first phase. The
proposal recommends that the Special Student Course Fee Committee review and make
recommendations (rather than final decisions) about certain program fees, which
recommendations will then go to the University Budget Committee for a final decision. Under
the current policy, the committee is responsible for making the final decision; however, it is felt
that decisions regarding these fees should be made at the university level, in the context of the
broader university budget and the budget of the home department and college. There is a need to
implement this change quickly for implementation during the current academic year. Once this is
approved, a second phase of the project will focus on a more comprehensive revising of the
overall Policy. 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.
Information and Recommendations Calendar
The following items were presented for the information and recommendations of the Academic
Senate:
Barb Snyder (VP Students) and Kathryn Stockton (Assoc. VP Equity & Diversity) gave a
report on the Ben Shapiro speaker campus event last week. A registered student
organization, Young Americans for Freedom, invited conservative podcaster Ben Shapiro
to speak on campus. There was a strong and mixed reaction from the campus
community–some wanted it cancelled, some wanted it moved to a larger venue. The U
felt strongly about protecting the right of the student organization to have this speaker
speak on campus; however, when he spoke at Berkeley two weeks before it was an
extremely difficult and high–cost situation. The U sent an advance team to Berkeley to
help plan for the event here. On the day of the event at the U, there were protests at the
Park Building that then moved over near the event location. The student organizers were
cooperative and took all U administration suggestions regarding distribution of tickets,
security, etc. Barb praised the U’s Public Safety team and the police chief for their
involvement in planning and managing the event. The result of the event was a spirited
debate, one arrest, and some scuffles that resulted in minor injuries. The event also
created a learning opportunity for the U in how to handle similar events in the future.
Kathryn spoke to the U’s value of free speech and academic freedom, but noted that they
are abstract concepts for many students, and historically questionable. She said that
young students, especially young students of color and young queer students have
experienced many events over the course of their lives that have questioned their
identities; as such, we need to recognize that this event was very painful for those
students, and that the aftermath may be damaging. Academic freedom means allowing
hateful speech, which is a hard concept for students who feel like the university
Jim Anderson to approve the proposal and forward to the Board of Trustees. Motion seconded
by Joanne Yaffe. Motion passed unanimously.
Ann Darling presented a proposal to revise Policy 6–406, which governs the Special Student
Course Fee Committee. An audit of the policy last year found that it has not been revised since
its inception. The review will be done in two phases; this current proposal is the first phase. The
proposal recommends that the Special Student Course Fee Committee review and make
recommendations (rather than final decisions) about certain program fees, which
recommendations will then go to the University Budget Committee for a final decision. Under
the current policy, the committee is responsible for making the final decision; however, it is felt
that decisions regarding these fees should be made at the university level, in the context of the
broader university budget and the budget of the home department and college. There is a need to
implement this change quickly for implementation during the current academic year. Once this is
approved, a second phase of the project will focus on a more comprehensive revising of the
overall Policy. 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.
Information and Recommendations Calendar
The following items were presented for the information and recommendations of the Academic
Senate:
Barb Snyder (VP Students) and Kathryn Stockton (Assoc. VP Equity & Diversity) gave a
report on the Ben Shapiro speaker campus event last week. A registered student
organization, Young Americans for Freedom, invited conservative podcaster Ben Shapiro
to speak on campus. There was a strong and mixed reaction from the campus
community–some wanted it cancelled, some wanted it moved to a larger venue. The U
felt strongly about protecting the right of the student organization to have this speaker
speak on campus; however, when he spoke at Berkeley two weeks before it was an
extremely difficult and high–cost situation. The U sent an advance team to Berkeley to
help plan for the event here. On the day of the event at the U, there were protests at the
Park Building that then moved over near the event location. The student organizers were
cooperative and took all U administration suggestions regarding distribution of tickets,
security, etc. Barb praised the U’s Public Safety team and the police chief for their
involvement in planning and managing the event. The result of the event was a spirited
debate, one arrest, and some scuffles that resulted in minor injuries. The event also
created a learning opportunity for the U in how to handle similar events in the future.
Kathryn spoke to the U’s value of free speech and academic freedom, but noted that they
are abstract concepts for many students, and historically questionable. She said that
young students, especially young students of color and young queer students have
experienced many events over the course of their lives that have questioned their
identities; as such, we need to recognize that this event was very painful for those
students, and that the aftermath may be damaging. Academic freedom means allowing
hateful speech, which is a hard concept for students who feel like the university
welcomes them and values diversity, while at the same time welcoming speech that
seems to be in direct conflict with these values and policies of nondiscrimination. The U
held a two–day, campus–wide forum about racial microaggressions this week, and
Kathryn said we must continue and intensify this conversation. She noted that she is more
than happy to engage with people who don’t understand or want to push back about these
views.
The Senate continued its discussion regarding the Eccles Institute for Economics and
Quantitative Analysis and related topics, carried over from the August 28 meeting. Senate
President Mardie Clayton began by explaining that the Senate officers had scheduled
ample time in today’s agenda to ensure there could be full consideration of the topics and
opportunity for all concerned to speak. A lengthy and broad–ranging discussion ensued.
First up there was consideration of two motions which had been introduced at the August
28 Senate meeting and then postponed to be carried over to today’s meeting. Sara
Simonsen, as the senator who had introduced the motions explained that she and all other
sponsors now wish to postpone indefinitely the two motions. She explained that as the
Senate Executive Committee is conducting fruitful discussions about the new ad hoc
committee on centers, institutes, and bureaus (hereafter CIB2), its role and composition,
the sponsors would like to be mindful of this work underway and bring forward new
resolutions at a later date. Motion to postpone indefinitely the two carry–over motions,
made by Sara Simonsen and seconded by Kathleen Nicoll, Joanne Yaffe, David
Goldenberg, Shundana Yusaf, Jim Martin, and Amnon Schlegel. Motion passed with one
abstention.
The following individuals then commented on the Eccles Institute and related issues:
James Sutherland, Engineering: The language in the original resolutions seemed
motivated by the Eccles Institute and Koch Foundation donation, but there are other
examples of the danger of influence from outside parties, such as the Huntsman Cancer
Institute controversy earlier this spring, which showed a tremendous amount of influence
from outside parties on governance within the U at large. He suggested revisions for the
resolutions that change their scope from focusing just on the Eccles Institute to being
more broadly applicable, and stated he would be more inclined to support such
resolutions. He also noted that some smaller CIBs have slipped from their original stated
purpose, which is often broadly inclusive, to something that serves one particular faculty
member and is not very inclusive or in the spirit of the original mission. Thus, there is a
need for more faculty oversight of CIBs. As such, he applauds the mechanism for faculty
oversight in the Eccles Institute.
Gunseli Berik, Economics: She commended the Executive Committee for starting this
process of defining the charge of the CIB2 ad hoc committee and addressing the
problems raised by the two postponed resolutions. The U is in dire need of closing such
governance gaps that allowed the Eccles Institute to move forward in a stealth manner.
seems to be in direct conflict with these values and policies of nondiscrimination. The U
held a two–day, campus–wide forum about racial microaggressions this week, and
Kathryn said we must continue and intensify this conversation. She noted that she is more
than happy to engage with people who don’t understand or want to push back about these
views.
The Senate continued its discussion regarding the Eccles Institute for Economics and
Quantitative Analysis and related topics, carried over from the August 28 meeting. Senate
President Mardie Clayton began by explaining that the Senate officers had scheduled
ample time in today’s agenda to ensure there could be full consideration of the topics and
opportunity for all concerned to speak. A lengthy and broad–ranging discussion ensued.
First up there was consideration of two motions which had been introduced at the August
28 Senate meeting and then postponed to be carried over to today’s meeting. Sara
Simonsen, as the senator who had introduced the motions explained that she and all other
sponsors now wish to postpone indefinitely the two motions. She explained that as the
Senate Executive Committee is conducting fruitful discussions about the new ad hoc
committee on centers, institutes, and bureaus (hereafter CIB2), its role and composition,
the sponsors would like to be mindful of this work underway and bring forward new
resolutions at a later date. Motion to postpone indefinitely the two carry–over motions,
made by Sara Simonsen and seconded by Kathleen Nicoll, Joanne Yaffe, David
Goldenberg, Shundana Yusaf, Jim Martin, and Amnon Schlegel. Motion passed with one
abstention.
The following individuals then commented on the Eccles Institute and related issues:
James Sutherland, Engineering: The language in the original resolutions seemed
motivated by the Eccles Institute and Koch Foundation donation, but there are other
examples of the danger of influence from outside parties, such as the Huntsman Cancer
Institute controversy earlier this spring, which showed a tremendous amount of influence
from outside parties on governance within the U at large. He suggested revisions for the
resolutions that change their scope from focusing just on the Eccles Institute to being
more broadly applicable, and stated he would be more inclined to support such
resolutions. He also noted that some smaller CIBs have slipped from their original stated
purpose, which is often broadly inclusive, to something that serves one particular faculty
member and is not very inclusive or in the spirit of the original mission. Thus, there is a
need for more faculty oversight of CIBs. As such, he applauds the mechanism for faculty
oversight in the Eccles Institute.
Gunseli Berik, Economics: She commended the Executive Committee for starting this
process of defining the charge of the CIB2 ad hoc committee and addressing the
problems raised by the two postponed resolutions. The U is in dire need of closing such
governance gaps that allowed the Eccles Institute to move forward in a stealth manner.
Closing these gaps would prevent unintended adverse consequences and fulfill the U’s
avowed mission to enrich its curriculum. There are examples around the country of how
other institutions have handled such conflicts; for example, Cornell’s business school has
economics programs, but they synergistically build on existing economics offerings. She
urges the EC to move speedily on forming the ad hoc committee, defining its charge, and
addressing these pressing issues in the form of rules to close these gaps.
David Goldenberg, Biology: The Koch Foundation has a questionable reputation
regarding its impact on academics; it has made donations to many universities that have
established centers or departments with very strong political biases. We need to look at
the potential for donors to influence faculty hiring; this issue should be incorporated into
policy. Additionally, the Kochs have a strong record of promoting views related to
climate change denial. The materials they circulate are clearly anti–science, anti–
academic, and misleading in every respect, which leads to a questioning of their motives.
Further, how does the creation of this institute affect other departments? The department
of Economics and the College of Social and Behavioral Science were not consulted
before it was created. There is a risk to creating an entity on campus with extravagant
funding that could have a real impact on the viability of an existing department,
particularly regarding the security of existing faculty positions.
Bob Allen, Business: The Quantitative Analysis of Markets and Organizations major
(QAMO) was a joint effort between faculty in Finance and Economics in developing the
curriculum, was signed off by both deans, and was a cooperative effort. Three of the
seven upper–division courses in QAMO are taught by the Economics department, and
great effort went into ensuring there was not duplication in terms of courses offered.
There is no curriculum in this institute; its funding is for faculty research, hiring new
faculty, and supporting QAMO. Additionally, the standard university process was
followed in the creation of QAMO last year.
Julio Facelli, Medicine: He supports the creation of the CIB2 ad hoc committee and urges
that committee to proceed in an expeditious matter. There is a crisis of a lack of
transparency, and we need open discussions and transparency. This is an area in which
we don’t have clear rules; as such, the events that have transpired with the Huntsman
Cancer Institute and this Eccles Institute are waiting to happen again and again.
Gunseli Berik, Economics (in response to Bob Allen’s comments): The QAMO degree is
now being advertised as being taught by world–renowned faculty from the Eccles
Institute; it doesn’t acknowledge the cooperative effort with the Economics department or
acknowledge Economics faculty. This is evidence of a lack of good faith effort, which
has been a persistent pattern. If we are to enrich the curriculum at the U without
trampling on other departments, we need articulation and formulation of a cooperative
approach of how we proceed.
avowed mission to enrich its curriculum. There are examples around the country of how
other institutions have handled such conflicts; for example, Cornell’s business school has
economics programs, but they synergistically build on existing economics offerings. She
urges the EC to move speedily on forming the ad hoc committee, defining its charge, and
addressing these pressing issues in the form of rules to close these gaps.
David Goldenberg, Biology: The Koch Foundation has a questionable reputation
regarding its impact on academics; it has made donations to many universities that have
established centers or departments with very strong political biases. We need to look at
the potential for donors to influence faculty hiring; this issue should be incorporated into
policy. Additionally, the Kochs have a strong record of promoting views related to
climate change denial. The materials they circulate are clearly anti–science, anti–
academic, and misleading in every respect, which leads to a questioning of their motives.
Further, how does the creation of this institute affect other departments? The department
of Economics and the College of Social and Behavioral Science were not consulted
before it was created. There is a risk to creating an entity on campus with extravagant
funding that could have a real impact on the viability of an existing department,
particularly regarding the security of existing faculty positions.
Bob Allen, Business: The Quantitative Analysis of Markets and Organizations major
(QAMO) was a joint effort between faculty in Finance and Economics in developing the
curriculum, was signed off by both deans, and was a cooperative effort. Three of the
seven upper–division courses in QAMO are taught by the Economics department, and
great effort went into ensuring there was not duplication in terms of courses offered.
There is no curriculum in this institute; its funding is for faculty research, hiring new
faculty, and supporting QAMO. Additionally, the standard university process was
followed in the creation of QAMO last year.
Julio Facelli, Medicine: He supports the creation of the CIB2 ad hoc committee and urges
that committee to proceed in an expeditious matter. There is a crisis of a lack of
transparency, and we need open discussions and transparency. This is an area in which
we don’t have clear rules; as such, the events that have transpired with the Huntsman
Cancer Institute and this Eccles Institute are waiting to happen again and again.
Gunseli Berik, Economics (in response to Bob Allen’s comments): The QAMO degree is
now being advertised as being taught by world–renowned faculty from the Eccles
Institute; it doesn’t acknowledge the cooperative effort with the Economics department or
acknowledge Economics faculty. This is evidence of a lack of good faith effort, which
has been a persistent pattern. If we are to enrich the curriculum at the U without
trampling on other departments, we need articulation and formulation of a cooperative
approach of how we proceed.
Norm Waitzman, Economics: The original resolutions were focused on the Eccles
Institute issue, but can be easily translated to generic resolutions. The formal review of
provisional CIBs is a generic principle and is easily addressed. Regarding the issues of
duplication and articulation, they will continue to arise with the formulation of new CIBs,
and are generic issues that need to be addressed institutionally.
Susanna Cohen, Nursing: Susanna asked whether there are plans to publish the timeline
and work of the CIB2 ad hoc committee. She is worried about the urgency of this; if we
wait too long, we’ll lose an opportunity to correct these wrongs. She urges committee
members to allow for time to look at the nuances of issue. In reviewing the list of existing
CIBs, they range from small to large; as such, we need to understand this range in terms
of issues like funding sources, and must try not to overburden small CIBs but hold larger
CIBs more accountable.
Mardie Clayton, Senate President: The EC is balancing a need for urgency with a need to
consider these issues carefully, given their importance and weight.
Cindy Berg, dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Science: There are 133 CIBs
listed on the Graduate School’s website. She reiterates Susanna Cohen’s point regarding
the importance of consideration of the wide range of sizes. She urges the committee to
look at what our goals are for CIBs on our campus, how directors are appointed, etc. This
Eccles institute is different than many in that it has a large infusion of funds, supports a
major, and has the potential to create a new department.
When no further speakers arose to comment, Mardie Clayton invited anyone still desirous
of speaking on these topics to do so during a later special open–discussion portion of the
meeting.
Mary Parker (Assoc. VP enrollment) and Ruth Watkins (Senior VP Academic Affairs)
gave an update on fall 2017 enrollment. The U’s 91 percent first–to–second year retention
puts us in the top tier nationally. The six–year graduation rate has moved up nicely, but at
67 percent it is not yet where we want it to be. The enrollment team is working to close
the gap between the six–year graduation rate and the eight–year graduation rate. The total
student headcount increased 2.2 percent this year, over an initial projection of 1 percent.
Graduate enrollment also increased across the board, while undergraduate enrollment
increased by 2.7 percent this year. Because retention has increased, we need to keep
enrollment level or increasing, so recruiting larger freshman classes is important. The
number of applications for this year topped 25,000, whereas the number last year was
around 14,000. The freshman headcount increased 14.6 percent this year, and is the
largest, most diverse, and most academically qualified class in the U’s history. The
enrollment team is continuing work to recruit underrepresented students; domestic
freshmen students of color increased 15.1 percent this year. Mary noted that increased
enrollment usually does not come with an increase in academic quality; however, the
Institute issue, but can be easily translated to generic resolutions. The formal review of
provisional CIBs is a generic principle and is easily addressed. Regarding the issues of
duplication and articulation, they will continue to arise with the formulation of new CIBs,
and are generic issues that need to be addressed institutionally.
Susanna Cohen, Nursing: Susanna asked whether there are plans to publish the timeline
and work of the CIB2 ad hoc committee. She is worried about the urgency of this; if we
wait too long, we’ll lose an opportunity to correct these wrongs. She urges committee
members to allow for time to look at the nuances of issue. In reviewing the list of existing
CIBs, they range from small to large; as such, we need to understand this range in terms
of issues like funding sources, and must try not to overburden small CIBs but hold larger
CIBs more accountable.
Mardie Clayton, Senate President: The EC is balancing a need for urgency with a need to
consider these issues carefully, given their importance and weight.
Cindy Berg, dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Science: There are 133 CIBs
listed on the Graduate School’s website. She reiterates Susanna Cohen’s point regarding
the importance of consideration of the wide range of sizes. She urges the committee to
look at what our goals are for CIBs on our campus, how directors are appointed, etc. This
Eccles institute is different than many in that it has a large infusion of funds, supports a
major, and has the potential to create a new department.
When no further speakers arose to comment, Mardie Clayton invited anyone still desirous
of speaking on these topics to do so during a later special open–discussion portion of the
meeting.
Mary Parker (Assoc. VP enrollment) and Ruth Watkins (Senior VP Academic Affairs)
gave an update on fall 2017 enrollment. The U’s 91 percent first–to–second year retention
puts us in the top tier nationally. The six–year graduation rate has moved up nicely, but at
67 percent it is not yet where we want it to be. The enrollment team is working to close
the gap between the six–year graduation rate and the eight–year graduation rate. The total
student headcount increased 2.2 percent this year, over an initial projection of 1 percent.
Graduate enrollment also increased across the board, while undergraduate enrollment
increased by 2.7 percent this year. Because retention has increased, we need to keep
enrollment level or increasing, so recruiting larger freshman classes is important. The
number of applications for this year topped 25,000, whereas the number last year was
around 14,000. The freshman headcount increased 14.6 percent this year, and is the
largest, most diverse, and most academically qualified class in the U’s history. The
enrollment team is continuing work to recruit underrepresented students; domestic
freshmen students of color increased 15.1 percent this year. Mary noted that increased
enrollment usually does not come with an increase in academic quality; however, the
Norm Waitzman, Economics: The original resolutions were focused on the Eccles
Institute issue, but can be easily translated to generic resolutions. The formal review of
provisional CIBs is a generic principle and is easily addressed. Regarding the issues of
duplication and articulation, they will continue to arise with the formulation of new CIBs,
and are generic issues that need to be addressed institutionally.
Susanna Cohen, Nursing: Susanna asked whether there are plans to publish the timeline
and work of the CIB2 ad hoc committee. She is worried about the urgency of this; if we
wait too long, we’ll lose an opportunity to correct these wrongs. She urges committee
members to allow for time to look at the nuances of issue. In reviewing the list of existing
CIBs, they range from small to large; as such, we need to understand this range in terms
of issues like funding sources, and must try not to overburden small CIBs but hold larger
CIBs more accountable.
Mardie Clayton, Senate President: The EC is balancing a need for urgency with a need to
consider these issues carefully, given their importance and weight.
Cindy Berg, dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Science: There are 133 CIBs
listed on the Graduate School’s website. She reiterates Susanna Cohen’s point regarding
the importance of consideration of the wide range of sizes. She urges the committee to
look at what our goals are for CIBs on our campus, how directors are appointed, etc. This
Eccles institute is different than many in that it has a large infusion of funds, supports a
major, and has the potential to create a new department.
When no further speakers arose to comment, Mardie Clayton invited anyone still desirous
of speaking on these topics to do so during a later special open–discussion portion of the
meeting.
Mary Parker (Assoc. VP enrollment) and Ruth Watkins (Senior VP Academic Affairs)
gave an update on fall 2017 enrollment. The U’s 91 percent first–to–second year retention
puts us in the top tier nationally. The six–year graduation rate has moved up nicely, but at
67 percent it is not yet where we want it to be. The enrollment team is working to close
the gap between the six–year graduation rate and the eight–year graduation rate. The total
student headcount increased 2.2 percent this year, over an initial projection of 1 percent.
Graduate enrollment also increased across the board, while undergraduate enrollment
increased by 2.7 percent this year. Because retention has increased, we need to keep
enrollment level or increasing, so recruiting larger freshman classes is important. The
number of applications for this year topped 25,000, whereas the number last year was
around 14,000. The freshman headcount increased 14.6 percent this year, and is the
largest, most diverse, and most academically qualified class in the U’s history. The
enrollment team is continuing work to recruit underrepresented students; domestic
freshmen students of color increased 15.1 percent this year. Mary noted that increased
enrollment usually does not come with an increase in academic quality; however, the
average ACT score increased this year as well. Additionally, the Honors College had its
largest application pool ever. Ruth also noted that the U graduates students with the
lowest levels of debt in the state, but said that it is important to balance the “right”
amount of student loan debt with accelerating time to completion. Finally, international
enrollment increased approximately 35 percent from last year, and the enrollment team is
moving forward with strategies to recruit additional international students.
Katie Ullman presented the reports of the seven–year Graduate Council reviews for the
School of Computing, Mining Engineering, Neuroscience, and Master of Science in
International Affairs and Global Enterprise (MIAGE) programs. There were no questions
or objections.
Andy Weyrich, Vice President for Research, gave an update on the U’s research activity.
The research activity at the U continues to grow; external research funding is at $459
million for fiscal year 2017, up $21 million from last year. Additionally, there has been a
steady trajectory of growth since 2008. Funding comes from a wide variety of sources,
and shows the U’s ability to attract diverse funding. Andy has met with all college deans
and some department chairs to get a sense of their challenges and opportunities, and is
working on revamping current programs and creating research strategic visions for each
college. He is also making customer service and communication priorities for his office.
The Tech Venture Commercialization unit has been restructured with the aim of
improving customer service; the new TVC director looks forward to meeting with all
college deans this year. The Research Operations unit is looking at website redesign and
the research strategic vision for the university. There is a new Grant Research
Development unit, which is a collaborative effort between nine colleges, to help
individuals with the pre–award process. All new faculty will now receive research
onboarding through the VPR office. The office is also developing a new Comprehensive
Grants Administration Training Toolkit, which will help both grant administrators and
research faculty.
Gretchen Dietrich, director of the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, shared updates about the
renovations. UMFA was closed in January 2016 for the renovations and is now reopened.
UMFA raised over $2 million to rethink the whole museum during this process, including
making the collections look better and make more sense, and bring more people into the
museum. Many pieces that have never been on view before that are now viewable.
UMFA also made a commitment to display more pieces created by women and people of
color. Another focus was to improve the visitor experience, particularly first–time
visitors, by redesigning the website, updating the entry lobby and the Dumke auditorium,
and creating three conversation/learning areas. Three collections have been provided
Spanish labels, and there are more interactive and hands–on exhibits to promote
kinesthetic learning. UMFA also did community work while the museum was closed,
engaging communities, nonprofits, and schoolchildren.
Karen Paisley gave an update on her role as the Faculty Athletics Representative on
campus. The FAR position required by the NCAA is a faculty member outside of
athletics who monitors the academic integrity of the student–athletes’ experience on
campus. Karen meets regularly with President Pershing, Athletics Director Chris Hill, the
largest application pool ever. Ruth also noted that the U graduates students with the
lowest levels of debt in the state, but said that it is important to balance the “right”
amount of student loan debt with accelerating time to completion. Finally, international
enrollment increased approximately 35 percent from last year, and the enrollment team is
moving forward with strategies to recruit additional international students.
Katie Ullman presented the reports of the seven–year Graduate Council reviews for the
School of Computing, Mining Engineering, Neuroscience, and Master of Science in
International Affairs and Global Enterprise (MIAGE) programs. There were no questions
or objections.
Andy Weyrich, Vice President for Research, gave an update on the U’s research activity.
The research activity at the U continues to grow; external research funding is at $459
million for fiscal year 2017, up $21 million from last year. Additionally, there has been a
steady trajectory of growth since 2008. Funding comes from a wide variety of sources,
and shows the U’s ability to attract diverse funding. Andy has met with all college deans
and some department chairs to get a sense of their challenges and opportunities, and is
working on revamping current programs and creating research strategic visions for each
college. He is also making customer service and communication priorities for his office.
The Tech Venture Commercialization unit has been restructured with the aim of
improving customer service; the new TVC director looks forward to meeting with all
college deans this year. The Research Operations unit is looking at website redesign and
the research strategic vision for the university. There is a new Grant Research
Development unit, which is a collaborative effort between nine colleges, to help
individuals with the pre–award process. All new faculty will now receive research
onboarding through the VPR office. The office is also developing a new Comprehensive
Grants Administration Training Toolkit, which will help both grant administrators and
research faculty.
Gretchen Dietrich, director of the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, shared updates about the
renovations. UMFA was closed in January 2016 for the renovations and is now reopened.
UMFA raised over $2 million to rethink the whole museum during this process, including
making the collections look better and make more sense, and bring more people into the
museum. Many pieces that have never been on view before that are now viewable.
UMFA also made a commitment to display more pieces created by women and people of
color. Another focus was to improve the visitor experience, particularly first–time
visitors, by redesigning the website, updating the entry lobby and the Dumke auditorium,
and creating three conversation/learning areas. Three collections have been provided
Spanish labels, and there are more interactive and hands–on exhibits to promote
kinesthetic learning. UMFA also did community work while the museum was closed,
engaging communities, nonprofits, and schoolchildren.
Karen Paisley gave an update on her role as the Faculty Athletics Representative on
campus. The FAR position required by the NCAA is a faculty member outside of
athletics who monitors the academic integrity of the student–athletes’ experience on
campus. Karen meets regularly with President Pershing, Athletics Director Chris Hill, the
athletics academics staff, the deputy athletics director, the senior women administrator,
the compliance team within athletics, and the Office of General Counsel. She ensures that
student–athletes have access to a meaningful experience while they are on campus; they
should be able to pick the major they want and have access to the support they need.
Karen monitors enrollment in courses, especially courses with more than 20% student–
athletes, as well as majors with high concentrations of student–athletes, participation in
non–traditional format courses (i.e. online courses, special topics courses), and travel
courses. Karen also works with the Athletics Advisory Council. Karen invites faculty to
reach out if they notice academic misconduct or have any concerns that relate to student–
athletes on campus. She also noted that student–athlete wellbeing has been a focus of the
NCAA and PAC–12 recently; the bodies have passed legislation to give student–athletes a
true day off, ensure they have the opportunity for eight contiguous hours of sleep, and
have an additional 14 days off during the academic year.
The nominations of two staff members to the Senate Advisory Committee on Diversity
were presented with no objection.
Open Discussion
Senate President Mardie Clayton explained at the beginning of today’s meeting and
then further explained at this point, that the Senate officers had decided it would be beneficial
to schedule a special portion of the meeting for open discussion of any topics of interest to
the Senate members. The following remarks were made in this special part of the meeting.
Kathleen Nicoll (Geography) expressed her thanks to those involved with planning for
and managing the Ben Shapiro campus event. She also felt that the “Chalk Apocalypse,”
wherein offensive messages were written on campus sidewalks with chalk, was handled
well via the U’s Twitter account. There was concern that the washing away of these
messages infringed on freedom of speech; however, the U’s tweets said that writing on
the sidewalks is against policy, which was the reason for their removal.
Lauren Clark (Nursing) asked the Senate to consider the issue of gun violence, in light of
the recent mass shooting in Las Vegas. She hopes that the Senate might facilitate
dialogue and discourse to consider what we can do to make our country safer. Her
suggestions included starting a task force and organizing movie discussions and public
forums.
Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 4:35 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Maddy Oritt
the compliance team within athletics, and the Office of General Counsel. She ensures that
student–athletes have access to a meaningful experience while they are on campus; they
should be able to pick the major they want and have access to the support they need.
Karen monitors enrollment in courses, especially courses with more than 20% student–
athletes, as well as majors with high concentrations of student–athletes, participation in
non–traditional format courses (i.e. online courses, special topics courses), and travel
courses. Karen also works with the Athletics Advisory Council. Karen invites faculty to
reach out if they notice academic misconduct or have any concerns that relate to student–
athletes on campus. She also noted that student–athlete wellbeing has been a focus of the
NCAA and PAC–12 recently; the bodies have passed legislation to give student–athletes a
true day off, ensure they have the opportunity for eight contiguous hours of sleep, and
have an additional 14 days off during the academic year.
The nominations of two staff members to the Senate Advisory Committee on Diversity
were presented with no objection.
Open Discussion
Senate President Mardie Clayton explained at the beginning of today’s meeting and
then further explained at this point, that the Senate officers had decided it would be beneficial
to schedule a special portion of the meeting for open discussion of any topics of interest to
the Senate members. The following remarks were made in this special part of the meeting.
Kathleen Nicoll (Geography) expressed her thanks to those involved with planning for
and managing the Ben Shapiro campus event. She also felt that the “Chalk Apocalypse,”
wherein offensive messages were written on campus sidewalks with chalk, was handled
well via the U’s Twitter account. There was concern that the washing away of these
messages infringed on freedom of speech; however, the U’s tweets said that writing on
the sidewalks is against policy, which was the reason for their removal.
Lauren Clark (Nursing) asked the Senate to consider the issue of gun violence, in light of
the recent mass shooting in Las Vegas. She hopes that the Senate might facilitate
dialogue and discourse to consider what we can do to make our country safer. Her
suggestions included starting a task force and organizing movie discussions and public
forums.
Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 4:35 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Maddy Oritt