FACULTY SENATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Minutes of November 30, 2005
(unapproved)

The Faculty Senate Executive Committee (FSEC) met at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 30, 2005, in 567 Capen Hall to consider the following agenda:

1. Approval of the minutes of November 9, 2005
2. Report of the Chair
3. Report of the President/Provost
4. Interaction with the Vice President for Health Sciences - D. Dunn
5. Report from the Vice Provost for External Affairs - M. Henderson
6. Department name change
7. Old/New business
8. Adjournment

Item 1: Approval of the minutes of November 9, 2005

The minutes were approved as distributed.


Item 2: Report of the Chair

Chair Nickerson reported on the November 28th UB Council meeting that he attended:

• Student member Jonathan Yedin said he is arranging a forum for local residents to discuss crime and other problems in the University Heights neighborhood.
• President Simpson talked about how the UB2020 planning process will help us to prioritize events in UB's future.
• Professors Bruneau and Sternberg discussed their strategic planning for "Extreme Events: Mitigation and Responses."
• Interim Vice President Olmstead reported on the process for developing naming guidelines. The Council endorsed the plan.

Item 3: Report of the President/Provost

Provost Tripathi gave an update on the UB2020 planning process. He said that five presentations on strategic strengths had been done and were moving on to the next phase, identification of resources. Completed white papers are available on the UB2020 Web site.

Questions/comments:

• Will hiring activities that are going on now be affected by the UB2020 planning process? (Baumer)
• Hires that are underway may proceed. Although deans will be involved in strategic planning in accordance with UB's 10 identified strengths, hiring shouldn't wait until the process is complete. Deans should determine their programmatic needs and hire accordingly. (Tripathi)
• UB2020 isn't a rigid process. In the Health Sciences schools, there are carry-forward monies available that provide some hiring flexibility. Lines can be added or filled anytime there's a justifiable need and suitable resources. (Dunn)

Item 4: Interaction with the Vice President for Health Sciences - David Dunn

Vice President David Dunn started his job at UB almost three months ago. He came here after 23 years at the University of Minnesota, and said he sees enormous opportunity at this University. He calls himself an on-site manager and has already visited all of the Health Sciences schools and most of the affiliates.

The School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences will soon begin a brand identity campaign called UBMD. The aim is to get all of the practice plans - everyone taking care of patients and teaching medical/health science students, residents, and fellows - "on the same page." This type of campaign had tremendous positive impact at the University of Minnesota because it got everybody working together.

Questions/comments:

• The goal for practice plans sounds like a good approach. It would be even better if the schools of Nursing and Pharmacy could eventually be included. (Brazeau)
• It was disappointing to learn that those schools are excluded by state law, but there will be discussions about a legislative initiative to get that changed in the coming weeks. (Dunn)
• UB's initiative could serve as a role model for advancing interprofessional education. (Brazeau)
• Training health-care professionals is very important. We also need to train them as health-care teams. (Dunn)
• What's your response to the fact that UB doesn't have a university hospital? (Nickerson)
• It's potentially a good thing as long as we have an affiliate hospital or a group of hospitals that serve the same purpose as a university hospital. The University of Minnesota divested itself of its university hospital in 1995 because it had become a "financial albatross." (Dunn)

Item 5: Report from the Vice President for External Affairs - Marsha Henderson

Vice President Marsha Henderson has been in her new job for two months. Her Office was created after a 2004 task force recommended that it was needed to oversee how UB connects with the external world. Reporting units (when the organization chart is fully implemented) will include:

• Development & Alumni Relations
• Government Affairs
• Marketing & Creative Services
• News Services
• University Community Initiative
• WBFO (NPR affiliate) FM radio station

UB needs to do a better job of communicating our strengths and accomplishments to the external world. Our reputation depends largely on our perceived value to this community and to the other communities we want to influence. It affects recruitment and garners resources, so we want to let people know about all the good things that UB has to offer.

Questions/comments:

• Is there any evidence that we haven't been getting our message out? (Schack)
• The news bureau has been very effective, but we want to further increase public awareness of what UB has to offer. (Henderson)
• "Branding" strategies have been effective at other schools. (Brazeau)
• UB tends to think very locally, but many of our schools and departments are already well known and respected nationally and internationally. (Rittner)
• The university could have a positive impact by having faculty members provide expert analysis on issues that provoke much local attention, such as the recent Erie County budget battle. (Schack)
• Will athletics be pursued as a potential means to gaining wider recognition? (Brazeau)
• Preliminary discussions have been held with Athletic Director Warde Manuel. (Henderson)

Item 6: Department name change

The proposal to change the name of the Department of Industrial Engineering to the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering was unanimously endorsed.


Item 7: Old/New business

Professor Baumer introduced "Resolution in Support of NYS College of Ceramics" on behalf of the SUNY Faculty Senate. The SUNY Senate "is deeply concerned by the treatment of our colleagues at the NYS College of Ceramics (NYSCC) at Alfred University" and supports SUNY system administration's and Trustees's endorsement of the NYSCC faculty's principles of:

1. Support for the NYSCC statutory mission
2. Support for a stand-alone NYSCC unit head in the college that is a joint appointment by SUNY and AU
3. Support for statutory faculty's participation in the search for a NYSCC unit head
4. Support of meaningful shared governance including participation in policy development, strategic planning, budget process, etc.
5. Support for SUNY representation on the Alfred University Board of Trustees.

The statement further resolves "that the University Faculty Senate encourage the campus governance bodies to support their colleagues at Alfred Ceramics by endorsing this resolution."

There was a motion (and a second) to endorse the Resolution.

Professor Schack said he is sympathetic to NYSCC's situation but doesn't think it's appropriate for bodies other than the SUNY Faculty Senate and Alfred faculty governance to interject their points of view. We wouldn't want other campuses telling us how to conduct our affairs.

The motion passed with 6 in favor, 3 against, and 3 abstentions. A debate followed regarding whether our endorsement would be transmitted with or without the vote count. A motion was made, seconded, and passed to transmit the endorsement without the vote.


Item 8: Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 3:40 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Will Hepfer

Secretary of the Faculty Senate


ATTENDANCE (P = present; A = absent; E = excused)

Chair: P. Nickerson (P)
Secretary: W. Hepfer (P)
Architecture & Planning: GS Danford (A)
Arts & Sciences: J. Faran (P), R. Hoeing (E), SD Schack (P), D. Street (P), K. Takeuchi (P)
Dental Medicine: M. Donley (P)
Education: L. Malavé (A)
Engineering & Applied Sciences: C. Basaran (A), R. Wetherhold (A)
Informatics: J. Ellison (A)
Law: T. Miller (E)
Management: W. Lin (P)
Medicine & Biomedical Sciences: D. Amsterdam (A), M. Dayton (A), L. Harris (A), J. Hassett (A)
Nursing: P. Wooldridge (P)
Pharmacy: G. Brazeau (P)
Public Health & Health Professions: vacant
Social Work: Barbara Rittner (P)
SUNY Senators: W. Baumer (P), W. Coles (P), H. Durand (P), P. Nickerson (P)
University Libraries: HA Booth (P)
University officers: Provost Tripathi

Guests: B. Burke (EDAAA), M. Cochrane (Reporter), D. Dunn (VPHS), M. Henderson (VPEA), L. Labinski (Prof. Staff Senate), L. Meister (Undergrad. SA), J. Xu (Grad. SA), J. Yedin (UB Council)

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