FACULTY SENATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Minutes of November 14, 2007

(unapproved)

The Faculty Senate Executive Committee met at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, November 14, 2007, in the Jeannette Martin Room of Capen Hall (567) to discuss the following agenda:

1. Proposal for a UB Specific Regalia
William Regan, Director, Office of Special Events, Division of Student Affairs
2. Report of the Provost
3. Report of the International Strategy Task Group
4. Report of the Faculty Senate Athletics and Recreation Committee Co-chair Russell Crispell and Paul Vecchio, Associate Athletic Director
5. Old/New Business
6. Executive Session (if needed)
7. Adjournment

 Item 1: Proposal for a UB Specific Regalia

William Regan, Director, Office of Special Events, Division of Student Affairs

Bill Regan explained that a subcommittee had been developed with representatives from Jostens, Special Events, School of Social Work (whose doctoral students created a prototype of the gown), the office of the President, Follett's and Creative Services to consider the possibility of UB developing a doctoral cap and gown specific to UB. A distinctive cap and gown will

• help brand UB graduates rather than have them be some anonymous faculty in black on black gown
• create opportunities for inquiries about where the gown is from and gives the wearer an opening to discuss UB as the first rate institution it is
• increase the impetus for faculty who graduated from UB to purchase the gown
• distinguish UB graduates from other SUNY graduates

The proposed design is blue with dark blue velvet on the panels and chevrons trimmed in silver to reflect the blue and white colors of UB. A simplified seal of UB with the Buffalo sitting atop the shield will appear on both lapels of the gown. The hood is blue and gold, the SUNY colors as the degree is conferred by SUNY.

Bill Regan circulated sample seals and asked for feed. The finished product will be presented to the full Faculty Senate at the Dec 4 meeting.

Item 2: Report of the President/Provost

The Provost commented on the initiative of a crossborder partnership with Canadian Universities. In recent weeks, UB established a major new exchange partnership with Brock University in St. Catharine's, Ontario , that calls for a variety of cooperative research and educational initiatives, with a particular focus on the shared-border region of Western New York and Southern Ontario . The university is also working with the University of Toronto to establish a formal consortium with some universities in Southern Ontario and New York State to facilitate collaboration between the institutions. Provost Tripathi met with the provosts of 7 Canadian schools and 5 American Universities including Albany , Syracuse , Rochester , RIT and Cornell, in a one-day meeting in Niagara Falls , ON , to discuss the internationalization of education on their respective campuses. The provost explained that while a lot is already going on in terms of exchange between faculty at these institutions, it has been harder to undertake research across the border, and more work needs to be done at the infrastructure level, to provide special training so as to facilitate collaboration, etc. A report will be forthcoming about this in the next couple of weeks.

UB currently has study-abroad programs with institutions in more than 30 countries on six continents. The Provost emphasized that a strong international student presence on our campus is a very important part of UB's history, tradition and future and that UB will continue to build on this tradition by

• encouraging UB students to participate in study abroad and bring their enriching experiences to the campus;
• forging international research and academic partnerships with other prestigious international universities;
• ensuring that our curriculum captures global perspectives.

Item 3: Report of the International Strategy Task Group

 This recent faculty task group convened in late Fall of last year to consider all the aspects that currently involve an international dimension at UB or, alternatively, to infuse work that is done at the university with an international perspective. The Task Group worked on this in Spring 2007 and completed the report at the end of May 2007. The report was then presented to the president and provost and its recommendations were met with approval. The r ecommending strategies for further internationalizing UB included new investments in student experiences, faculty scholarship and institutional mission. The task group also recommended the integration of global perspectives across the university's curriculum and to require student competence in a second language.

Chair Hoeing emphasized the importance of the work done by the Task Group in light of the recent rankings in the Chronicle of Higher Education which placed UB as first among America 's major public research universities in terms of percentage of enrollment represented by international students. Its international enrollment of 4,103 students from more than 110 countries constituted 15.4 percent of its enrollment during the 2006-07 academic year, compared with 14.9 percent the previous year. UB is also 13th among the Institute of International Education (IIE)'s top 25 leading host institutions in terms of total number of students.

The members of the Task Group include:]

Sharmistha Bagchi-Sen (Geography), Austin Booth (University Libraries), Jose Buscaglia (Caribbean Masters Studies), Andreas Daum (History), David Engel (History), Mehrdad Hadighi (Architecture), John Ho (Graduate School), Maureen Jameson (Romance Languages and Literatures), Joseph Mook (Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering), Donald Pollock (Anthropology), Raghav Rao (Management), Natalie Simpson (Management), John Yeh (Medicine and Biomedical Sciences) and Ex-officio members include: Scott Nostaja (Office of the President), Beth Del Genio (Office of the Provost), Stephen Dunnett (International Education), John Wood (International Education)

Members of the International Strategy Task Group took turns presenting the report to the FSEC. They explained that by virtue of being an international university situated at a major international border, the University at Buffalo was poised to take a leadership role in developing, promoting, and supporting international education and scholarship. In today's global economy, it is imperative for an institution of UB's caliber to train students for the challenges and promises of the global community. This includes: fostering student appreciation of cultural, linguistic, and social diversity around the world; facilitating scholarship in globalized research communities; and enhancing understanding among all the world's people.

The report consists of both findings and recommendations that were divided into 3 parts: student experience , the faculty , and the institution .

I/ Students:

The members of the Task Force clarified that the Chronicle of Higher Education ranking is based on the # of international students enrolled here for degrees and that while UB has done a stellar job of attracting international students, it may be lacking in terms of providing international experiences to its own students.

RECOMMENDATIONS (in order to internationalize the UB student experience):

1. integrate global perspectives across the length and breadth of the curriculum

2. replace the current language requirement with a meaningful insistence on competence in a foreign language

3. begin the internationalization of the student experience in the first year

4. require, enable and recognize a range of international student experiences

II/ Faculty : are key to the internationalization of the student experience. The members of the Task Force committee explained that much of the international work done by faculty currently is ad hoc, opportunistic and driven by the imperatives of their discipline; their international activities are not tracked systematically and are not part of a coordinated institutional strategy. They should be inventoried and publicized through annual reports, the web, and other means to foster increased coordination and synergy.

RECOMMENDATIONS (in order to promote, support, reward faculty activity in the international area)

1. integrate the work of the faculty with institutional internationalization efforts

2. in all appropriate disciplines, identify international experience, internationally oriented research and fluency in a foreign language as a plus in faculty hiring and an asset for promotion and advancement

3. create incentives and eliminate barriers for faculty to incorporate international activities in their teaching, scholarship, and service

4. promote faculty participation in study abroad and exchange programs

5. assign appropriate value, in appointment, tenure and promotion dossiers, to internationally-oriented work

III. The Institution: UB has one of the strongest entrepreneurial offices of international education in the country, but the internationalization of the university as a whole—its faculty, students, curricula, and research—will require a commitment from each of the decanal units and the appointment of a senior officer at the associate dean level to coordinate activities in concert with the Office of International Education.

RECOMMENDATIONS (in order to internationalize the institution)

1. make UB's location and international programs a key part of its identity and “brand”: on the website + enhancing opportunities for research and exchanges with Canada

2. integrate the administration of international education with administrative and governance structures: by designating an associate dean for international education in each decanal unit; by creating a standing Faculty Senate Committee on international education

3. recognize the delivery of language instruction

4. develop an institutional infrastructure for area studies: by enabling interdisciplinary concentrations in area studies; by complementing language, lit and culture offerings with offerings in many disciplines

5. prepare a long-range international enrollment plan and recruitment strategy

6. inventory and raise awareness of UB's international activities

7. Enhance campus infrastructure to support expanded international programs and services: housing for international students + promotion of cross-cultural learning opportunities by creating on-campus housing

8. initiate or adapt international partnerships so that, collectively, they serve all 3 missions of the university (research, teaching, service)

9. develop policies and processes for international technology transfer, patents, and licensing in anticipation of expanded international research collaborations

10. resolve to be a positive presence on every continent

11. designate international education and programs as a priority for the Office of University Development

12. expand UB's international knowledge and resource base: by expanding international library collections; hiring faculty whose research focuses on regions inadequately represented on campus

13. identify international experience and fluency in a foreign language as a plus in administrative and staff hiring and advancement: by articulating expectations for international activity in appointment letters

14. focus on selected regions or countries for a full academic year, such as the “year of Japan ”

15. become a more significant international resources for the local community: by making more effective use of local heritage and immigrant communities and bringing international perspectives to the community

The group also emphasized that these recommendations did not exist in isolation but represented a fabric of synergistic opportunities and inter-related needs.

Bill Baumer mentioned that excessive expectations about going abroad or increased requirements may turn students off UB. Chair Hoeing emphasized the prohibitive cost of going overseas for some students and the need for subsidy. E.g. study abroad in London = $12000 + airfare. The Task Force speakers clarified that the intention of the report was not to require students to go abroad but to make it possible for them to do so, to recognize that study abroad can be a life changing experience. Joseph Mook explained that cost was actually not the main impediment because most study abroad programs are less expensive than staying at UB; foreign universities are often subsidized by their governments and the day to day living expenses are less.

A discussion about incoming undergraduates from abroad ensued, especially in relation to their inability to work and make an income. John Mook also addressed the difficulty of teasing out the effect of Study Abroad on students' academic performance. Stronger students are more likely to participate in Study Abroad in the first place, and it is difficulty to determine the extent to which their success can be attributed to their experience abroad.

Item 4: Report of the Faculty Senate Athletics and Recreation Committee

Co-chair Russell Crispell and Paul Vecchio, Associate Athletic Director

 The chair explained that Gayle Brazeau, co-chair of the committee, is out of town for important business. Russell Crispell and Paul Vecchio were there to report on the proceedings of the Athletics and Recreation Committee that met about 6 weeks ago.

Paul Vecchio began with an update on the Academic Progress Report regarding some of the penalities that the Football Team received 6 or 8 months ago in regards to scholarship. He explained that APR has been in place for 4 years through NCAA to make sure universities are recruiting the right kids and retaining their student athletes (point system: 2.9 is bad academic standing; loss of points when kids leave the program or become ineligible). Most of the penalties UB incurred happened under the previous head coach. Now a tutoring service has been put into place & this past year, UB had the highest GPA a football team has had in 9 years. While Paul Vecchio is hopeful that UB will not lose any more scholarships for the next cycle, he explained that it might take two years for UB to be in good standing.

 A discussion ensued about the best way of balancing athletics and academics among UB's 500 student athletes. Football has more ineligible kids in large part because of the size of the student roster (105) compared to much fewer for tennis for instance.

Paul Vecchio: We have had a very successful Football season, more wins than ever before. Also noteworthy is the completion of a 6000 square foot weight room facility thanks to a donation, and that has been very significant in the growth of UB's Football team. Secondly, the development of a field house (100 yard field and 200 meter track) is also in the works. Another exciting development = NY Senators have put together a Statewide Advisory Board on amateur sports (whether that is high school or collegiates) that would be significant for tourism. Paul Vecchio then discussed the recruitment of international students who are typically attracted to the quality of the education UB has to offer.

Russell Crispell mentioned that the Athletics Recreation Committee (ARC) he is co-chairing with Gayle Brazeau has been put in charge of studying wellness on campus. He emphasized the recent hiring of two people through Human Resources to expand wellness opportunities at UB and incorporate wellness on an everyday basis. The committee has been looking at what can be done to address the needs of not just the athletic side but also the recreation side so as to add to the overall well being of faculty and staff. President Simpson has also allocated $250,000 towards wellness. Nevertheless, Russell Crispell explained that while a lot of companies are able to offer incentives to join a fitness club, UB unfortunately does not.

Dr. Hoeing announced that on tues dec 4 th , from 9a-9p, an open house presentation on the physical master plan would take place in Downtown at the former M. Wile Building. This open house will give those interested the chance to learn about its year 2020 growth plans.

Dr. Hoeing concluded by reminding the members of the faculty senate executive committee that the Facilities Planning Committee needed to be chaired again. This is an important committee that communicates with Bob Shibley about the master plan.

 Item 5: Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 3:43 PM .

Respectfully submitted,

Carine Mardorossian, Secretary of the Faculty Senate

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