FACULTY SENATE AND OTHER COMMITTEE ANNUAL REPORTS
2007-2008
Faculty Senate
Budget Review Committee
Annual Report,
2007-2008
The Committee’s purview includes the review of past
all-funds budget expenditures and the discussion of future budget priorities
for the University. The nature of the
accounting and budget reconciliation process is such that the review of
all-funds expenditures for a given fiscal year (which runs July 1-June 30) can
begin only during the following fall. In
general, final budget reconciliation does not occur until the end of October,
and the committee reviews the expenditures at the end of the fall
semester. The committee usually reports
to the Faculty Senate on the prior year’s budgetary expenditures during a
Faculty Senate meeting in the Spring Semester.
However, that was not done in Spring 2008. Thus, this report includes a summary of the
2006-07 budget year as well as the remainder of the committee’s activities
during academic year 2007-08.
The committee met five times during
the 2007-08 academic year. Our principal
activities were:
Reviewed incremental
increases to campus budget implemented for 2007-08 and planned for
2008-09. The committee also had an
initial discussion of budget requests and incremental increases for 2009-10. Vice Presidents had identified some $36
million in incremental (additional) budget needs for 2009-10, of which the
University hopes to fund up to $5 million, depending on the budget
situation. Plans for increases in
funding for ’08-’09 include an additional increase of $800,000 to base for
hiring new faculty, funds for library digital and print resources, additional
expenses related to the Downtown Center, and expenses related to web-site and
Banner upgrades.
Examined the budgetary
implications of the proposal for a
Discussed the re-allocation
of budgetary funds within Academic Affairs to support
Reviewed the 2006-07 budget
expenditures. The all-funds budget
expenditures for 2006-07 were nearly $238 million, an increase of 28% since
2002-03. 57% of this is from “State
Purpose” funds, including $61.5 million in General Operating (State tax) funds
and ~$75 million campus-generated (tuition).
Academic Affairs expenditures totaled some $119 million, including $2.7
million increase in mandated (contractual) salary increases and about $2
million in new money.
Discussed the proposed and
enacted SUNY-wide budgets for 2008-09 and the implications of budget cuts for
the campus. While initial budget
proposals looked promising, the changes in the political situation in
Respectively
Submitted,
Committee
members: Serdar Atav, Howard Brown,
Shelly Dionne, Robert Emerson, Nancy Henry, Peter Knuepfer, Sean Massey, Ed
Shephard, Gary Truce; Student members Chris Powell (undergraduate) and Monazir
Khan (graduate); Ex-officio members James Van Voorst (Vice President for
Administration),
Faculty Senate Bylaws Review Committee
2007 – 2008 Annual Report
The Faculty Senate Bylaws
Review Committee met once to consider proposed changes to the Faculty Bylaws as
charged by the Faculty Senate Executive Committee:
1. Membership of AUPC (deletion in red)
2. Conditions of Service.
Only voting faculty on continuing appointment and holding the rank of
associate or full professor, including Bartle Professors in those titles who
agree to serve within the five-year limit stipulated in Article I.e. above
(Voting Faculty), (Approved
by faculty in mail ballot in April 1997) shall be eligible to serve on the AUPC. No Chairperson, , or
Director shall be eligible to serve on the AUPC. No member of the AUPC shall participate in
the review, nor read files, on a case emanating from his/her academic sub-unit
(or unit when no sub-unit exists) (Approved by faculty in mail ballot in February 1989) or which he/she has previously heard as a
member of an IPC. Members will be elected
for two-year terms, and no member shall serve two consecutive terms. Approximately one-half of the members shall
be elected in each academic year. No
member of the AUPC shall be required to serve on any standing committee of the
Faculty Senate. When any member of the
AUPC resigns or can no longer serve, his/her unexpired term shall be filled by
the person who receives the next highest number of votes in the previous
election.
2. Membership of Senior Personnel Committee (addition
in red)
3. Types and Composition of
Initiating Personnel Committees.
a. Personnel Committees of Academic Subdivisions. All departments, non- departmentalized
Schools, Health, Physical Education and Athletics, and the Library shall have a
Junior and Senior Personnel Committee.
b. Minimum Size. The
minimum size of an IPC shall be five voting members.
c. Membership of Senior Personnel Committees. All full professors on continuing appointment
shall serve on the Senior Personnel Committee to consider cases of professors
and associate professors, except when their own case is being considered. Bartle Professors holding the title of full
professor who agree to serve on this committee during a given academic year,
and within a five-year limit from the date of appointment as Bartle Professor,
shall do so. (Approved by
faculty in mail ballot in April 1997) In instances where at least three but less than five voting
members of the Senior Personnel Committee cannot be drawn from within the
academic subdivision, the remaining seats will be filled by full professors
from other academic subdivisions at this University appointed by the Provost
after consultation with the faculty of the academic subdivision in which the
case is being heard and the appropriate UPC (see Title D). In instances where three members of
the Senior Personnel Committee cannot be drawn from within the academic
subdivision, the committee shall be constituted to provide a minimum of three
from a combination of full and associate professors from within that academic
subdivision who are on continuing appointment with at least two semesters of
academic service at this University; the associate professors to be elected by
the faculty of the academic subdivision; the remaining seats to be filled by
full professors from other academic subdivisions at this University appointed
by the Provost after consultation with the faculty of the academic subdivision
in which the case is being heard and the appropriate UPC (see Title D). The Committee shall be formed by the Provost
after consultation with the faculty of the academic subdivision in which the
case is being heard when the inclusion of the sum of full and associate
professors eligible to serve is less than three.
3.
Faculty Senate Representation (correction in red)
3. Representation.
Representation shall be by academic unit and by academic sub-unit.
b. Election
of senators shall be by academic unit in non-departmentalized units, and by
academic sub-unit in departmentalized units.
Administrative officers with concurrent academic rank shall be counted
as members of the respective academic units or sub-units to which they have
been assigned, and are eligible for election as senators. Units
or sub-units having at least 5 and fewer than 11 members shall elect one
senator. Units or sub-units having at
least 11 12 but no more than 19 members
shall elect 2 senators. Units or
sub-units having more than 19 but no more than 27 members shall elect 3
senators. Units or sub-units having more than 27 but no more than 35 members
shall elect 4 senators. Units or sub-units having more than 35 members shall
elect 5 senators. (Approved by faculty in
mail ballot in November 2007) Units or sub-units having fewer
than 5 members may elect one senator or may, by mutual agreement, combine with
another sub-unit for the purpose of representation on the Faculty Senate. If either option is chosen, the sub-unit must
notify the Secretary of the Faculty Senate, in writing, of its decision to
exercise this option; this notification must be given prior to the next
scheduled election. (See Article III.B.6.b.
below.) Such sub-units that do not
choose one of these options will not be represented on the Faculty Senate. (See Article I.h. above.) (Approved by faculty in mail ballot in
December 2004)
The Bylaws Committee was
also asked to examine the language in
Committee members:
memorandum
to:
from:
subject: convocations committee aNNUAL REPORT
date: 12/3/2008
The committee used
its charge as the major guide for funding decisions: “bringing programs to
campus that enhance and support the intellectual, cultural, and artistic
aspects of the academic curriculum, and to focus our efforts toward as diverse
a university community as possible”. The
committee traditionally has not funded events that did not fit the criteria
above or requests for food, receptions, or parties. Publicity, speakers’ fees, or transportation
are items that were specifically funded.
In addition, events that cater to a variety of groups on campus in
general, and undergraduate students in particular, were looked upon favorably
by the committee.
The funding came from the Presidents’ Office ($3,881) and the Student Association ($5,375) for a
total of $9,548. Our available funds for the year, including the carryover from
2006-2007 ($4,283) and new allocations, totaled $13,831. It has been the practice of the
committee over the years to try to maintain and grow a surplus for occasional
more costly events. Allocations this year totaled $9,950 leaving a remaining balance of $3,881.00 forward into the
2008-2009 academic year.
The convocations committee is comprised of 3 faculty
members, 3 administrative members (President’s office, Campus Life, and
Provost’s office designees), 3 Student Association representatives, and a Graduate
Student Organization representative.
Each new funding request is discussed during monthly committee
meetings. Final decisions are made
through voting by the committee members. In a great majority of cases, decisions are
unanimous. Student members' contributions are invaluable during discussions. As
SA representatives, they are closely familiar with most events that request
funding and provide unique perspective and insight that contribute to funding
decisions.
The Convocations
Committee awarded funds to support 18 separate events, 17 of which took place
during the 2007-2008 academic year and 1 of which will take place during the
coming year. Allocations ranged from a
minimum of $100 to maximum of $1,500. Only one application was denied by the
committee, because the committee unanimously felt that this particular activity
did not meet the committee’s criteria for funding. In addition, there were 3 inquiries without
formal applications.
Traditionally, the
charge of the committee is not advertised.
Word of mouth as well as student, faculty, and staff representation on
the committee together provide advertising.
A detailed documentation of funding sources and allocations is
presented below.
Convocations Committee
Funding and Allocations
Fall 2007 – Spring 2008
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance forward into 2007-2008 |
|
$4,283
|
|
|
New Allocations |
|
|
|
|
President’s
Office |
$4,173
|
|
|
|
SA |
$5,375
|
|
|
|
TOTAL07-08
ALLOCATIONS |
|
$9,548
|
|
|
TOTAL
AVAILABLE FUNDS |
|
$13,831
|
|
Fall 2007 |
Department of Romance Languages & Literatures |
|
500 |
|
|
CCPA/HD Mothering Class |
|
100 |
|
|
African Student Organization - Crossing Boundaries |
|
500 |
|
|
Habitat for Humanity - |
|
1500 |
|
|
Art History Graduate Student Union - Trading
Places - |
|
500 |
|
|
Law Conference
- |
|
800 |
|
|
GSO - Parenti Lecture |
M. Aly |
600 |
|
Spring 2008 |
|
|
|
|
February |
GSO – Understanding Crises in |
M Aly |
300 |
|
|
CEMERS – |
|
800 |
|
|
BSU – Malveaux Lecture |
|
500 |
|
|
International Student & Sch. Services – |
|
1000 |
|
|
Chabad - Purim Carnival |
D. Zenilman |
250 |
|
March |
|
|
|
|
|
College Republicans ( |
|
500 |
|
|
Multicultural |
|
250 |
|
|
Intercultural Awareness Comm (Multicultural
Banquets) |
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
500 |
|
|
|
March Total |
$1,250
|
|
|
Biomedical Computing |
|
$500 |
|
|
|
|
$500 |
|
|
|
D. Zenilman |
$350 |
|
|
|
May Total |
$1,350
|
|
|
|
Total spending for the year |
$9,950
|
|
|
|
Balance forward |
$3,881.00
|
SUBJECT: Annual Report of EPPC
DATE: June 10, 2008
The members of the EPPC for 2007-2008 were Al Vos (English) as chair; Herbert Bix (History); Susan Hanes (Economics), replacing Bix in Fall 2007; Benjamin Fordham (Political Science); Wayne Jones (Chemistry); Patrick Madden (Computer Science); George Catalano (Mechanical Engineering); Elizabeth Brown (Library); Jen Mora (undergraduate representative); Matt Landau (undergraduate representative); Vice-Provost Stephen Straight; Provost Mary Ann Swain.
The Committee met twice in Fall 2007 and twice in Spring 2008.
The agenda items for the year were the following:
1) Letters of Intent (as sent to
2) Assessment of General Education. The Committee asked for a presentation by Sean McKitrick, Asst. Provost for Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. With respect to Gen Ed, Sean is actively supporting efforts by the Assessment Category Teams as part of the faculty-review process put in place by Senate legislation for General Education, and the Committee encouraged him in his support of those efforts.
3) Analysis of the results of the campus’ administration in
Spring 2007 of NSSE (National Survey of Student Engagement). On this topic the Committee again had the
active support and input of Asst. Provost McKitrick. In response to NSSE
data as an agenda item, the EPPC had communications, proposals, and (sometimes
passionate) calls for action from the Faculty Masters, Larry Greenfield as
Director of Harpur Advising, a special committee of the Student Association
under the leadership of its academic vice-president, Dean Don Blake of Harpur
College, and Wayne Jones from the Center for Learning and Teaching.
Another campus leader who has studied the data spoke of the institution being
at a “tipping point,” and called for strong and creative leadership to address
the issues. After discussion the
Committee wrote to the Chair of the Senate and the Chair of the FSEC, with
copies to the Provost, the Vice-Provost for Undergraduate Education, and the
Asst Provost for Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, to advocate for the
creation of a joint Faculty Senate/Administration committee (“taskforce”) to
address the challenges arising from an analysis of the NSSE data. The
idea had the strong support of the Provost and of the EPPC as a whole.
4) Proposal for a new Master of Science degree program in
Student Affairs Administration, to be housed within the
5) Proposal for a Mechanical Engineering Combined BS and MS
program. The standard procedure, worked out some years ago, is
that the
6) Proposal for the creation of a Department of Asian and Asian American Studies This proposal had been unanimously approved by Harpur College Council. The committee heard from the Chair of the German, Russian, and East Asian Department (GREAL) and from Professor John Chaffee, Chair of the Asian and Asian American Studies Program. The proposal was exemplary, and quickly received unanimous approval of the Committee. It was forwarded to the FSEC for Senate action.
7) Proposal for a new
Respectfully submitted,
Al Vos, Chair, EPPC
M E M O R A N D U M
TO:
FROM:
RE: Report
of Committee Activities, AY 2007-2008
DATE: 5/2/2008
The Committee met three
times, instead of the customary four, because of staff changes in the EOP
office. The Committee continues to be impressed by the progress and
growth of this program and wishes to commit to the record its appreciation of
Respectfully submitted,
Chair
Members:
Masha Britten - Decker School of Nursing
Marilyn Gaddis Rose - Comparative Literature
Kelvin Santiago - Sociology
Nancy Um - Art History
Leo Wilton - Human Development
Dina Maramba - Human Development
Andre Mathis (undergraduate student)
Yohansa Fernandez (undergraduate student)
Soranun Krisnajinda (undergraduate student)
Hanna Reyes (undergraduate student)
1 graduate student vacancy
Don Blake - Fall 2007
Jennifer Jensen - Spring 2008
Cheryl Brown
James Pogue - Fall 2007
Vanessa Young - Spring 2008
Francine Montemurro
H. Stephen Straight
Intercollegiate Athletics
Committee
2007- 2008 Report to the
Faculty Senate.
The Activities of the IAC
- 2007-08.
This past year, the
committee met three times, once in the fall semester and twice in the
spring. At the fall meeting, we spoke in general terms in regards to the
charge of the committee, and established an agenda for the two meetings that
were to follow. And at this meeting, a member made note that they had
responded with a concerned Interim Progress Report for an athlete in one of
their courses, and suggested that further feedback would be useful. This
was quickly attended to by the Center for Excellence, a program, facility and
staff dedicated to academic support of student athletes. And in the
spring, we met first with a group of student athletes, then with a selection of
coaches. For both groups, "revenue" team members and coaches
were requested and were present at the meetings: six students and then three
coaches. The inquiries, responses and conversation were open and
productive, as a collective opinion by the members and quests of the committee
related and recognized a dedication to maintaining and improving balanced standards
of quality and achievement in academics and athletics. It was also
reported that there is concern and structured support for the personal
adjustments required of student athletes as they strive for balanced
achievement as both students and Division 1 athletes. Also, the attention
of vigilant coaches and the effective academic support of the Center for
Excellence were repeatedly mentioned by the students and then their
coaches. It was demonstrated that there has been a positive culture
established which requires this balanced "best effort" performance
when and wherever possible. The staff, coaches, and students related a
dedication to this position, and an ambition for continued improvement.
This report has been
reviewed by the committee, and the conclusion is that Intercollegiate Athletics
here is consistent with the qualities and expectations of the University as a
whole. We see no need for making any specific recommendations, other then
to continue this connection between the Faculty Senate and BU Athletics.
Members:
Annual Report 2007-08
Faculty Senate Library Committee
A listing of significant events can be found in the Binghamton University Libraries’ newsletter, “LibraryLinks”, available at http://library.lib.binghamton.edu/librarylinks/LibraryLinks_Fall2007-Spring2008_final.pdf. As can be seen in the summary of activities, demand for library services has increased substantially over the past academic year, with demand causing increased operating hours at the new downtown library and many other changes intended to accommodate the increased needs of campus library users.
The Libraries Committee spent time this year reviewing an ongoing issue, the question of allocation of resources between periodicals and permanent collection items. It was not expected that conclusive recommendations would be made, and indeed these proved elusive. The goal of a student-and faculty-oriented response to the various issues outlined in the report of the Binghamton University Libraries Collections Budget Allocation Review Committee (May, 2007) was pursed in 2007-08, will be again in 2008-09.
It should be noted, however, that current global fiscal situation (including, importantly, the impact of the falling dollar on purchasing power for publications from European companies) has arisen as a significant issue over the summer of 2008. This will likely necessitate re-visiting the primary issue, untenable increases in prices for scholarly journals, that initially promoted the discussions and report on collections budget allocations.
Members of Faculty Senate Library Committee, Fall 2007-Spring 2008:
Carrol Coates, French and Comparative Literature, Romance Languages
To:
From:
Chair, Professional Standards Committee
Subject: 07-08 Annual Report
Date: September 10, 2008
A total of five inquiries came before the Professional Standards Committee. In four cases, after conferring with the chair, three individuals were referred to other more appropriate committees. One person upon further reflection decided not to submit a formal request.
One case came before the full committee for review. After much discussion with all parties involved, recommendations were made in an effort to prevent a similar situation from arising in the future.
I wish to thank all of the committee members for their
valuable support and work. I also wish to thank
Committee Members:
Marilyn Gaddis Rose (Comparative Literature),
Sandra D. Michael (Biology),
Arieh Ullmann (Management)
John Vestal (Theatre)
Report of the University
Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, 2007-2008
During the 2007-08 academic year the UUCC continued its normal work of
certifying courses that meet the Binghamton University General Education
requirements and deciding on student petitions related to General Education.
Additional activities of the committee included:
1. The Committee met with Sean McKitrick regarding assessment of General Education. He informed us about plans to conduct an assessment of writing as required by SUNY central. The committee asked if writing samples collected for this exercise could also be assessed for critical thinking.
2, The Committee co-sponsored a workshop with the Assistant Provost for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment in October 2007 entitled “Facilitating Meaningful Revision: A Workshop for Teachers of “C” Courses.” Kelly Kinney designed and presented the workshop.
3. The
Committee spent considerable time discussing the implications of HPEA’s
decision to stop offering one credit activity courses and replace them with two
credit courses carrying the B general education designation for both activity
and wellness. In addition to examining
the new courses submitted for B designation, the Committee also surveyed past
and proposed course offerings to be sure that this change would not affect
students’ ability to fulfill general education requirements in a timely manner. We also note that many of the former activity
courses will continue to be available to students (with general education
designation) through the office of Continuing Education.
The Committee would like to express its gratitude to Liz Abate, the University's Coordinator of General Education and Assistant for Undergraduate Education, for the essential assistance and coordination she constantly provided to the committee over the course of the entire year.
The 2007-08 Report on University-Wide (UNIV) Course Offerings, required by the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, is attached to this report.
2007-08 UUCC Committee
Members:
Liz Abate
Don Blake/ Jennifer Jensen
Kate Bouman
Masha Britten
Lisa Hrehor / JJ Van Hoff
Matthew Johnson
Les Lander
Andrew Leavey (student)
Rosmarie Morewedge
Sara Reiter, Chair
Jim Stark
H. Stephen Straight
Anna Tan-Wilson
Report on
University-Wide (UNIV) Course Offerings
2007-08 Academic
Year
Attached please find a complete listing of all courses offered during the 2007-2008 academic year.
Courses offered under the
UNIV rubric
One
course was offered under the University-wide (UNIV) rubric during the 2007-2008
academic year – UNIV 150, Writing for Results: Thought into Action. It was offered on a one-time experimental
basis and enrolled 16 students.
Courses offered under the
SCHL rubric
The
Binghamton Scholars Program offered numerous courses under its own SCHL rubric
during the 2007-08 academic year, under the following procedures for the use of
the SCHL rubric:
Courses offered under the
GLST rubric
In
February, 2003, the Faculty Senate approved an amendment to the guidelines for
University-wide policies to allow the use of additional rubrics for
University-wide courses. Under this
policy, the Global Studies Integrated
Curriculum (GSIC) was allowed to use the rubric "GLST" to identify
its cross-listed courses that have a home in an existing school or
department. The Global Studies
Integrated Curriculum was recently redesigned as the Global Studies Minor,
administered through the Office of International Programs. Courses offered
under the GLST rubric will be offered only as cross-listings of courses in
other departments and are subject to similar procedures as those listed above
for SCHL courses:
For the 2007-08 academic
year, GLST courses were offered in Winter Session and Summer Session, with the
parent department for all courses being Anthropology.
|
Semester |
Course |
Cross-listing |
Title |
Instructor
Last Name |
Instructor
First Name |
Enrollment |
|
20079 |
SCHL127 |
|
DISCOVERING
THE SCHOLAR WITHIN |
STAFF |
|
47 |
|
20079 |
SCHL127 |
|
DISCOVERING
THE SCHOLAR WITHIN |
STAFF |
|
19 |
|
20079 |
SCHL227 |
|
LEADERSHIP
AND ACHIEVING GOALS |
|
|
16 |
|
20079 |
SCHL227 |
|
LEADERSHIP
AND ACHIEVING GOALS |
McCaneSaunders |
|
11 |
|
20079 |
SCHL227 |
|
LEADERSHIP
AND ACHIEVING GOALS |
|
|
18 |
|
20079 |
SCHL227 |
|
LEADERSHIP
AND ACHIEVING GOALS |
|
|
10 |
|
20079 |
SCHL227 |
|
LEADERSHIP
AND ACHIEVING GOALS |
Montemurro |
|
5 |
|
20079 |
SCHL280A |
|
WOLVES
AND MYTHS |
Catalano |
|
22 |
|
20079 |
SCHL280C |
|
ENERGY
AND...YOU! |
Fillo |
|
7 |
|
20079 |
SCHL280D |
|
GREAT
IDEA OF PHYSICS |
Pompi |
|
14 |
|
20079 |
SCHL280F |
|
|
Preus |
|
3 |
|
20079 |
SCHL280G |
SCHL280G |
TRUE
STORIES |
|
|
12 |
|
20079 |
SCHL395 |
|
|
STAFF |
|
11 |
|
20081 |
GLST390 |
ANTH390 |
STUDY-ABROAD
PRE-DEPARTURE SEM |
Straight |
H |
13 |
|
20082 |
GLST392 |
ANTH392 |
IN-COUNTRY
STUDY-ABROAD SEM |
Straight |
H |
0 |
|
20082 |
SCHL227 |
|
LEADERSHIP
AND ACHIEVING GOALS |
|
|
15 |
|
20082 |
SCHL227 |
|
LEADERSHIP
AND ACHIEVING GOALS |
|
|
18 |
|
20082 |
SCHL227 |
|
LEADERSHIP
AND ACHIEVING GOALS |
|
|
17 |
|
20082 |
SCHL227 |
|
LEADERSHIP
AND ACHIEVING GOALS |
Johansen |
|
12 |
|
20082 |
SCHL227 |
|
LEADERSHIP
AND ACHIEVING GOALS |
Catalano |
|
8 |
|
20082 |
SCHL227 |
|
LEADERSHIP
AND ACHIEVING GOALS |
Montemurro |
|
14 |
|
20082 |
SCHL280A |
|
THE OTHER
|
Catalano |
|
24 |
|
20082 |
SCHL280B |
|
A
COMMUNION OF SUBJECTS |
Catalano |
|
7 |
|
20082 |
SCHL280D |
|
GREAT
IDEAS IN PHYSICS |
Pompi |
|
15 |
|
20082 |
SCHL280E |
SCHL280E |
MODERN
SATIRE |
Conlon |
|
15 |
|
20082 |
SCHL395 |
|
|
STAFF |
|
7 |
|
20082 |
UNIV150 |
|
WRIT FR
RESULTS:THGHT INTO ACT |
Stclair |
Ute |
16 |
|
20086 |
GLST390 |
ANTH390 |
STUDY-ABROAD
PRE-DEPARTURE SEM |
Straight |
H |
13 |
|
20086 |
GLST394 |
ANTH394 |
STUDY-ABROAD
EXPERIENCE |
Straight |
H |
0 |
|
20086 |
GLST394 |
ANTH394 |
STUDY-ABROAD
EXPERIENCE |
Straight |
H |
0 |
|
20086 |
GLST394 |
ANTH394 |
STUDY-ABROAD
EXPERIENCE |
Straight |
H |
14 |
|
20086 |
SCHL280E |
|
CLASHING
VIEWS/ENVRMNTL ISSUES |
Catalano |
|
9 |
Academic Computing &
Educational Technology (ACET) Committee Annual Report: AY 2007-8
The following issues were considered
during the 2007-8 academic year.
ACET considered the major recommendations of the CTG Consultants
Report on Information Technology Services (ITS): The ACET reviewed the major
recommendations and findings of the consultants report, and the security and
academic computing sections of the recommendations. The ACET commended ITS for
its work on trying to improve communications about the services available for
faculty and students (which has been a long-term initiative of the ACET and
ITS), and supported the recommendation of working to improve campus technology
support for research (next item) which has also been a long-term initiative of
ACET.
How should technology support for
campus research be improved? A subcommittee of
ITS distributed the results of its
Fall semester satisfaction survey, issued to faculty, students and staff. The results are quite positive, and are
available at http://bingweb.binghamton.edu/%7Ejwolf/ITSSatisfactionSurvey.ppt
“Horizon Report” Distributed: The “Horizon Report”, issued annually as
a joint venture by the New Media Consortium and the EDUCAUSE Learning
Initiative was distributed to the ACET by
The Provost requested a recommendation on classroom feedback
systems and “clickers” from the ACET. This issue was taken up by the Learning Environment
Committee (LEC), which deals directly with design and equipping of classrooms
and learning spaces. The LEC noted the difficulty of recommending a single
system, as the publishers of textbooks selected by faculty often deliver
materials specifically compatible with only the publisher’s preferred system.
So far, faculty have preferred to use the publishers’ systems as they require
no further adaptation “out of the box”. The problem, of course, is that it
follows that many faculty want different systems set up in the classrooms they
use; classrooms then cannot be set up with “standard” equipment, and students
cannot plan to acquire just the “standard” clicker. The LEC plans to continue
consideration of this issue in the Fall, 2008.
Recommendation from the GSO to provide laptops to teaching
assistants. The GSO President
and an adjunct faculty member attended an ACET meeting and made the plea that
there are not adequate laptops for teaching assistants or adjunct faculty members,
which makes use of the “laptop ready” classrooms impossible. After discussion,
the ACET noted that departments are responsible for supplying the resources
needed for instructors and faculty for teaching. Requests for equipment or
resources for teaching have to begin at the department level, and make their
way to
ACET considered and rejected a
request from Information Technology Services (ITS) to discontinue modem service
(as being expensive
to support for the few remaining users, and obsolete in terms of speed that can
be supported). Based upon usage numbers that show that modem usage rarely
reaches 20 simultaneous users, the ACET agreed to let ITS reduce the numbers of
modems to one bank of 22 modem lines, but asked ITS to maintain that number for
at least another year.
ACET considered a proposal from
ITS to add wording to the “Acceptable Use Policy” to prohibit users or
departments from extending the campus network with routers or wireless access
points without the consultation and agreement of ITS. This is both a security measure (to
prevent users from setting up access points to the network that allow
non-authenticated users from accessing the network) and a performance issue
(involving ITS on decisions to provide services that may add significant
network traffic or provide paths into the network for malicious code). The ACET
wanted to consider this issue with more involvement from the departments, and
so the wording will be reconsidered next year. In the meantime, ITS has added
draft language to the AUP so that incoming students will be warned that adding
routers or wireless access points is prohibited.
Members: Mary Ann Swain, Chair; Nael Abu-Ghazaleh, David Belsky, Sandra Card, Kenneth Chiu, Stephen Gilje, Srinivasan Krishnamurthy, Kenneth Kurtz, Mark Reed, Karen Salvage, Rumiko Sode, James VanVoorst, John Vestal
COMMITTEE FOR THE UNIVERSITY ENVIRONMENT
ANNUAL REPORT 2007-2008
The Committee held 5 meetings this year. Active members included Don Brister, Joseph Graney, Holly Horn, Sarah Lam, Ralph Miller, Julian Shepherd (Chair), (faculty members), James VanVoorst (VP Administration and Vice Chair), Juliet Berling (Environmental Ombudsperson), Rene Coderre (Residential Life), Grace Hoefner (Professional Staff ), Dylan Horvath (Natural Areas Steward), Wayne Schneider (Physical Facilities), Theresa Florindi, John Roby, Eric Katz, and Mary Leonardo (students). Invited guests were: Kelly Donovan (Envi Health & Safety), Katie Ellis (Univ Communications), and Sandy DeJohn (Utilities Manager).
Our major business this year included:
1. Parking Options/Automobile Use. The Committee reviewed a proposal presented by John Schwartz and Dan Chambers (University Police) for encouraging commuters to use high-occupancy vehicles. The plan included the issuing of special permits for parking in areas reserved for high-occupancy vehicles. The Committee also discussed and encouraged response to DeJohn’s on-line survey of automobile use on Campus.
2.
Review of
Energy Usage on Campus. Sandy
DeJohn, Utilities Manager for the University, gave a presentation and periodic
updates on energy usage, conservation strategies, and energy aspects of
construction by the University. The
Committee will revisit this in subsequent years to track progress.
3. Review of Recycling/Sustainability Efforts on Campus. Juliet Berling, Environmental Resources Manager for the University, kept the committee up to date on recycling matters, the University garden, the Earth Day Event, Spring Campus Cleanup and other matters concerning sustainability.
4. Review of the East Campus Housing Plan/Construction Projects. The Committee reviewed plans for the construction of the new dorm complex on the east side of campus. Several other small projects were brought by Wayne Schneider, Assistant Director of Operations.
5.
Presentation
by Visiting Professor James Hamlett on Sustainability Efforts at Penn State. This included strategies for storm-water
management, use of green roofs, and measurements of the effectiveness of these
methods.
Submitted by Julian Shepherd, Chair
Report for the Committee on Committees 2007-08
The committee members met twice, once near the beginning of
each semester. The chair was selected at the first meeting. All other committee
business was conducted via email.
The members of the committee for 2007-08 were:
Date: June 12,
2008
To:
From:
Subject: 2007-2008 Annual Report
The Faculty Senate Evaluation
Coordinating Committee (FSECC) met four times during the year (with numerous
additional meetings conducted electronically via e-mail). Its initial meeting was held on November 16,
2007. At this meeting, the FSECC elected
Applying the above approach,
the FSECC identified four administrators to be reviewed during the 2007-2008
academic year. These included:
The FSECC elected to use the
on-line survey web site SurveyMonkey to conduct all surveys. From each of the above administrators,
documents summarizing their accomplishments as an administrator were
collected. From these documents, the
FSECC constructed a survey that was administered electronically by
Faculty Senate Evaluation
Coordinating Committee Members (2007-2008):
A.
Cassandra Bransford
H.
INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC BOARD
2007 –2008 Annual Report
The Intercollegiate Athletic Board met twice during the 2006-2007 academic year. As is customary the athletic director and his staff kept the board abreast on the progress of the athletic teams, recruiting of athletes and coaches, on facilities management and improvements, the operating budget and team performances. Enclosed are the minutes from the November 2007 meeting. The spring 2008 meeting was short with nothing of particular significance discussed. Brief reports were made by academics and budget committees.
James Norris, Associate Director of Athletics (ex officio without vote)
Kim King, Senior Woman’s Administrator (ex officio without vote)
Kris Yelverton, Student (2007-2008)
President Student Association (ex officio) (2005-06)
Gayathri Balasundar, student male athlete (2006-2007)
Dennis Lasser, SOM, Faculty rep to the NCAA (Chair)
Steve Dickman, Geology (2004-06)
Dick Pastore, Socialogy (2006-08)
Mike Lewis, Faculty (2005-2007)
Financial Vice President, Student Association (ex officio)
Norman Spear, Psychology (2006-08)
Terry Webb, Vice President of Administration (ex officio)
Joel Thirer, Director, PERA (ex officio without vote)
Sandra Michael, Biology (2006-2008)
Intercollegiate Athletics Board Meeting
November 6, 2007 –
Present: Terry Webb, Kim King, Dennis Lasser, David Bass, Sandra Michael, Steve Dickman, Kris Yelverton, Skip Spear, Gayathn Balasundar, Chris Powell, Joel Thirer
Dennis Lasser gave the group a report on academics within Athletics.
- The Academic Review Committee did not meet yet this semester, but Dennis spent time with assistant Athletic Director, David Egan, to discuss the academic progress of student-athletes.
-
- Firstly, the APR report showed that there was only one team that had a single year APR below 925 and that are no team was currently in danger of falling below the 925 minimum level for a multi-year average. (A 925 multi-year average is needed in order to prevent a possible loss of scholarships) All totaled there were 28 lost APR points for the 2006-07 academic year, of which 16 were from lost retention and 12 were from ineligable This compared to 20 lost points in the 2005- 2006 academic year from which there were 11 and 9 lost points from retention and inelligabality respectively.
In response to a criticism from the NCAA certification report from the previous year, Dennis also reported that he surveyed the SAT/ACT scores of all 92 scholarship freshmen entering the University in the fall of 2007. He found that 24 students has scores that were over 1200 which indicated that the program was doing a good job at finding a significant number of athletes that were representative of the student body as a whole.
Finally,
Kim King then described several student welfare initiatives
that are currently taking place. They
included several community outreach programs, an APR Improvement plan, a new
method for a smoother analysis of transfer credit, as well as a Scholar Athlete
Leadership meeting in the spring.
Finally, subcommittees were formed to meet in the spring in the spring semester
- Committee membership:
o Academic Review: Dennis Lasser, Skip Spear, Sandra Michael, Steve Dickman, David Bass
o Gender Equity: Dennis Lasser, Terry Webb, Dick Pastore
o Budget Review: Dennis Lasser, Joel Thirer, Sandra Michael, Chris Powell