Minutes of March 19, 2008
(unapproved)
The Faculty Senate Executive Committee met on Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 2:00 PM in the Jeannette Martin Room of Capen Hall (567) to discuss the following
- Approval of the minutes of February 20 and 27, 2008
- Report of the Chair
- Report of the President/Provost
- Interaction with Carole Petro, Associate Vice President and General Manager of WBFO
- Drop/Add Policy Change – Faculty Senate Grading Committee
- Old/New Business
- Executive Session (if needed)
- Adjournment
Item 1: Approval of the minutes of February 20 and 27, 2008
The minutes of February 20 and 27, 2008 were unanimously approved.
Item 2: Report of the Chair
- The Chair welcomed everyone back from Spring Break, and hoped they all recovered from last week's shock concerning the former governor. He pointed out that President Simpson has responded to the issue on television, on the radio, and in The Buffalo News and Chronicle of Higher Education . He reminded the Committee that, despite the transition, UB 2020 remains unchanged. There may be a silver lining, insofar as Governor Paterson has a better working relation than his predecessor with Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno.
- The Faculty Senate Grading Committee has met twice this month; the results of its deliberations will be discussed during today's meeting and next week as well.
- The Faculty Senate Computer Services Committee met on Friday, March 7:
- Matt Stock (CIT) discussed the results of the research computing survey; the Chair invited him to present these results to the FSEC on April 30;
- Professor Troy Wood delivered an update on the search for the Director for the Teaching & Learning Center ;
- CIO Sandy Peters discussed the results of a survey about outsourcing of student e-mail to Google.
- The FS Academic Planning Committee will meet this Friday, and the FS Budget Priorities Committee this coming Monday.
- Thanks go to Professor Peter Nickerson for organizing yet another faculty/student dinner over in Governors dining hall; we were joined by Professor Rokitka as well as by President and Mrs. Simpson. The food was tolerable, the company excellent.
- Assistant Vice Provost Shelley Frederick (Student Academic Processing Services) will visit next week to address our concerns, gripes, etc. about classroom and final exam scheduling.
- At the Faculty Senate meeting on April 1, we will be viewing a DVD entitled “Shots Fired”; it's about 20 minutes long, and Chief of Police Jerry Schoenle will want your feedback on it.
President John Simpson asked about the objections to the outsourcing of student e-mail to Google. Issues of access to information and lack of confidentiality were addressed in response to his question.
Item 3: Report of the President/Provost
The President discussed the implications of Governor Spitzer's resignation for UB and upstate NY. Although Spitzer was a strong supporter of UB2020, Simpson said, “the resignation does not change anything to what we are doing.” He added that the budget cuts are more of a threat to the institution than who happens to be in the governor's office. The President remains hopeful that David Paterson is going to be as supportive of UB2020 as his predecessor and added that the new governor would more than likely be much more effective in terms of dealing with legislature. UB 2020, Simpson concluded, continues to receive tremendous support from the community, the entire Western New York legislative delegation and from legislative leaders in Albany .
Peter Bradford asked about the status of Lloyd Constantine, Spitzer's senior adviser whose speech to the University Faculty Senate had impressed all present. Professor Simpson mentioned that Constantine had submitted his resignation but offered to stay on until April 4, or slightly longer, to help Lt. Gov. David A. Paterson transition.
Item 4: Interaction with Carole Petro, Associate Vice President and General Manager of WBFO
Carole Petro discussed the broad mission, the goals and achievements of WBFO. She pointed out that as public media, the station is consonant with the purposes of higher education insofar as it serves as an authentic community voice and mirrors the core values of public radio with a level of news and information that does not exist anywhere else and that “makes people think.”
Ms. Petro highlighted what made WBFO so unique in the region, namely that is it the largest public radio station in the SUNY system. It is also one of 3 stations that deliver local news (one is commercial, the other AM) and remains the only FM station to deliver local news. WBFO has a tremendous legacy, she stressed ,a legacy that is only matched by very few other stations in the country: e.g. it is the founding station of NPR. Its links to UB are also well documented. Many UB alumni like Terry Gross, for instance, have made their names in PR. On Jan. 9, 2009, the station will be celebrating its 50 th anniversary of going on the air.
Carole Petro then listed the goals of the station, namely to provide significant and substantive radio programming, foster dialogue on the region's critical issues, build understanding and connections among the city, the region, and the world. Most importantly, the station always seeks to promote and extend UB's mission.
The station's list of achievements, Ms. Petro said, was long. In January 2008, WBFO 88.7M received the Community Leader in Media Award from the National Federation for Just Communities (formerly the NCCJ); in October 2007, it was awarded a $224,000 grant from the US dept of Commerce Public Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP)—largest competitive grant in WFBO history. In July 2007, the WBFO News Department received 3 national public radio directors Inc. Awards (PRNDI) for best newscast, best breaking news, and best commentary; In June 2007, the 2006 Stephen Flanders award; in August 2007, a $160,000 grant from the NY State Music fund. Last but not least, the highly successful “Meet the Author” program (in its 6 th year of production) has been the recipient of 2 grants from the NY State Council on the Humanities.
The Associate Vice President of the station also reported on the plans to build a new tower about 50 feet from the current tower that would enable full service to more than 50,000 new listeners and strengthen the WBF signal to all listeners in the current broadcast reach, especially in the city. “Technology,” she explained, “has been a primary concern and therefore a major cost.” For instance, in March 2007, the station completed its conversion to HD radio with funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (75K) and NYSED ($62K) Cameron Baird Foundation ($20K), Faculty/Staff ($7k).
Underwriting Consultant Joan Wilson, Director of Development and Marketing at WBFO spoke about the need and opportunity in the Buffalo market to provide more variety and a more eclectic music mix on public radio station. She singled out WBFO's Xponential program which strives to air more current music even as it continues to honor the traditions of jazz and blues. The programs offered, she said, have more depth than the current offerings of existing commercial radio stations, and help promote local musicians. She also highlighted Live in Allen Hall, a weekly local concert series in an intimate setting which is free and open to the public and Buffalo avenues a weekly live performance review in which reporters visit venues, record sound and provide a montage of audio for the station.
Dorothy Tao from the University Libraries asked about the long-term vision of the station's programming since it is unusual to have more than one public radio station in any given area. Why, she asked, doesn't WBFO broaden its sphere to take some of the programs that WNED broadcasts? The general manager of WBFO explained that these stations are not competing for the same audiences.
Carole Petro concluded by outlining the sources of funding for WBFO: CPB 36%; membership 39%; earned funds 1%; underwriting 19%; other private giving 5%. She also listed the ways in which patrons and faculty in particular could financially support the station as well as participate in its mission by: telling students about it; using WBFO in lesson plans; submitting a commentary; taking a group on a tour; being an ambassador; bringing a friend to a WBFO event, and providing feedback to mail@wbfo.org
Item 5: Drop/Add Policy Change-Faculty Senate Grading Committee
Bill Baumer, chair of the Faculty Senate Grading Committee, outlined the proposal to reduce the time during which students can change their courses at the beginning of term. The proposal, he explained, would give students 7 class days to add and 6 class days to drop (before these courses are included in the student's record of study); in addition, if a student wants to drop the course in the second week, they may be able to do so through procedures prescribed by the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education or the Vice Provost for Graduate Education, although the student may still have liabilities for tuition and fees.
Peter Bradford expressed support for the proposal all the more so, he said, since there is a provision during the second week to allow people to drop or add. He raised a question about the potential liabilities students may have to incur. Dr. Baumer explained that this would only apply to students who, by dropping a course, may no longer carry the amount of credits needed to be full time.
Barbara Rittner expressed some concern about the impact of the proposal on graduate students who do not have the same access to multiple experiences of a course as undergraduates have during the first week of classes (graduate seminars meet once a week). She suggested that the new policy only apply to courses that carry undergraduate numbers and that 500, 600 and above continue to have a two-week period. “There should not be a penalty at the graduate level,” she stated, “to solve a problem at the undergraduate level.” There were compelling reasons to think differentially, she added, and the added burden on registrars needed to be taken into account. Kara Saunders explained that she has been involved in the process of reviewing the proposal and that the Graduate School Executive committee saw no problems with it. She added that while the current system could not support a differentiated add/drop period for undergraduates and graduate students, the new system could do so. Barbara Rittner also asked how this applied to summer semesters. Bill Baumer pointed to the last line of the revised policy which stipulates that “proportionate instructional days for adding or dropping a course shall be set for terms whose calendar lengths differ from the Fall and Spring semesters.”
Patricia Carey, Program administrator from the College of Arts and Sciences, commented that she force registers about 300 students in the fall. “Students shop,” she said, “with many of them carrying 24 credits until they decide what it is they want to take.” Because of the amount of “shopping,” she is often still registering students sometimes up to the 4 th week.
Bill Baumer then discussed the Latin Honors Policy Revisions that would replace the policy established in the early 1990's. The student would have to have completed at least 60 undergraduate credit hours at UB with at least 54 graded. Currently, he said, it is possible for a student to transfer to UB for a final year of a BA, pursue only 1xx and 2xx UB courses for the 30 required credits and qualify for Latin Honors. That diminishes the recognition for all, he said. The proposed criteria eliminate the inclusion of transfer credits and increase the UB credit hours required for Latin Honors to twice the 30 required for a UB baccalaureate, while continuing the gpa minima for UB courses. According to the revised policy, if the student's UB grade point average is:
• At least 3.20 but less than 3.50, degree = cum laude
• Between 3.50 and 3.75, magna cum laude
• 3.75 and more, summa cum laude .
Kara Saunders commented that the new requirement of 60 UB credit hours parallels those at other AAU and peer universities.
After clarifying the implementation schedule, Dr. Baumer outlined the policy for non-matriculated students, visiting students, and special ad certificate programs policy. The revised policy, he explained, seeks to address the cases when non-matriculated students pursue course after course or repeat the same course without limit even though their academic record includes not a single passing grade. Without the proposed policies, he added, students cannot be denied further enrollment and may degrade the quality of class interaction.
Professor Charles Hershey raised the question of the lack of control faculty have over which non-matriculated students are admitted into their courses. Kara Saunders commented that there is a policy in place which stipulates that if you have been denied admission to UB, you cannot attend as a non-matriculated student. Barbara Rittner stated that non-matriculated students who do not have the grades they need to be admitted for various reasons but who have matured do benefit from the opportunity of being non-matriculated students first.
Dr. Baumer concluded by explaining that the provisions for Visiting or Exchange student programs and Special and certificate Programs include purposeful but limited approvals that retain flexibility. Any program may still admit visiting students, but the policies assure that Visiting or Exchange Student Programs and Special and Certificate Programs offering courses that may subsequently be included in a degree program at UB or elsewhere do so meeting UB standards and criteria.
The chair suggested that the FSEC members revisit the policies and email Bill Baumer with comments by Friday.
Item 6: Old/New Business
Item 7: Executive Session (if needed)
Item 8: Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 3:50pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Carine Mardorossian, Secretary of the Faculty Senate
Attendance
Present: Chair: Robert Hoeing
Secretary: Carine Mardorossian
Architecture and Planning Scott Danford
Arts & Sciences: Joseph Woelfel
Debra Street
Melvyn Churchill
Dental Medicine Peter Bradford
Educational Opportunity Center TBA
Engineering & Applied Sciences: Rohini Srihari
Medicine & Biomedical Sciences: David Ellis
Charles Hershey
Management: Hodan Isse
School of Public Health & Health
Professions Peter Horvath
Pharmacy Gayle Brazeau
LAW TBA
Social Work Barbara Rittner
SUNY Senators: William H. Baumer
Peter Bradford
Marilyn McMann Kramer
Parlamentarian William H. Baumer
University Libraries Dorothy Tao
Ex-officio Peter Nickerson
Guests: President John Simpson
Professional Staff Senate Janiece Kiedrowski
The Reporter Kevin Fryling
Graduate Student Association Gay Lynne Samsonoff
WBFO Carole Petro
Joan Wilson
Absent: Arts & Sciences: Sharmistha Bagchi-Sen
Stanley Bruckenstein
Graduate School of Education Thomas Schroeder
Engineering and Applied Sciences Stella Batalama
Nursing Cynthia Curran
Medicine & Biomedical Sciences: James Hassett
SUNY Senator Henry J. Durand
Undergraduate Student Association Peter Grollitsch
EDAAA Barbara Burke
Excused Medicine & Biomedical Sciences: Peter Ostrow
|
