UB Faculty Senate

FACULTY SENATE

Minutes of October 9, 2007
(unapproved)

The Faculty Senate met at 2:00 PM on Tuesday, October 9, 2007 at the Center for Tomorrow to discuss the following agenda:

Welcome
Approval of the Minutes of May 1, 2007
Report of the Chair
Report of the President/Provost
Update on the new Center for Teaching and Learning

Professor Lucinda Finley, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs

Professor Jim Jensen, Chair, Faculty Senate Teaching and Learning Committee

Robin Sullivan, Instructional Designer, Educational

Technology

Center

Discussion: What issues should the Senate address this year?
Adjournment

Item 1: Welcome

The chair extended a warm welcome and his sincere thanks for the Senators' willingness to serve on the UB Faculty Senate. He explained that the Faculty Senate forms the chief representative governance body of the UB faculty, and has the authority to review, deliberate, and establish standards for all aspects of faculty matters and academic degree programs as described in the Charter of the Faculty Senate .

He asked that Faculty Senators be aware that they each represent their unit, and that this bears responsibility. As stated in the Standing Orders of the UB Faculty Senate, Faculty Senators have an obligation to attend all the Senate meetings. This involves simply a few hours once a month. Although it is a slight inconvenience to faculty situated on South Campus, the Center for Tomorrow is easily accessible and offers plenty of parking.

The chair also asked the Senators—again following the Standing Orders —to identify a colleague to serve as an Alternate for them in case they are unable to attend due to illness or business. This is an excellent way to introduce other members of their unit to the Faculty Senate and to get them involved in the discussion of important and relevant issues. Once they have found a colleague willing to serve as their Alternate, the chair asked that they please forward the name to the Faculty Senate Assistant Anna Maria Kedzierski, at kedziers@buffalo.edu .

The chair reminded the Senators that if a Senator/Alternate were to be absent from four of the eight scheduled meetings during the 2007/08 academic year, the Senators' membership will be terminated. The affected unit will then be requested to elect a new representative. So the chair urged the membership to make every effort to attend and have their unit represented.

Item 2: Approval of the Meeting of May 1, 2007

The minutes of the Faculty Senate Meeting of May 1, 2007 were unanimously approved.

Item 3: Report of the Chair

1. Faculty Senate Committee meetings and issues:

a. Academic Planning Committee

Met on May 11, Prof. Shibley presented on the physical Master Plan

Will have a joint meeting with the Budget Priorities Committee on 10/18 to ensure coordinated discussion of the Master Plan

Will join the FSEC on 10/24 to offer input into the Master Plan

b. Budget Priorities Committee

Met in May and August to review and set up agenda for coming year

Beginning of the next stage, “Informed Engagement” for active input into the budgetary process

Will have a join meeting with the Academic Planning Committee on 10/18

c. Affirmative Action Committee

Met in May and June to discuss final version of Retentions and Recruitment Handbook

Discussed also the challenge of competing for a comparatively small pool of candidates

Mattie Rhodes, who will be stepping down as Chair, is in the process of scheduling another meeting to discuss AAC's future work

d. Educational Program & Policy Committee

Examined and made recommendations on proposal to change the Honors Program into and Honors College ;

Special FSEC meeting convened to discuss the issues involved

FSEC approved the change-- Honors College officially launched last week

e. Grading Committee

New members added (Jeri Jaeger, Michael Cowen, Patricia Carey)

Began deliberating on issues / Senate-actionable items concerning the upgrading of the Student Information System

f. Teaching and Learning Committee

Here today and will meet shortly to discuss the new Teaching & Learning Center

g. Computer Services Committee

Also present today for informed engagement with TLC operations

Will continue investigation of issues from last year, and will look into possible issues concerning digital libraries

h. Status of other Committees—see attached document

2. UB Council meeting

1. A joint meeting of the Academic Planning and Budget Priorities Committees has been set for October 18. Since the chair will be attending a Graduate School Executive Committee meeting at the same time, Peter Nickerson is to report on the meeting.

2. The UB Council meeting

Ilia Nossov, new student representative on the Council, raised a number of issues of concerns to students, among them:

• Overcapacity in student housing

• Overpricing of Campus Dining , and the absence of a middle meal;

• Why there is only one Health Insurance provider for students, and the need for a Health Center on North Campus

• Overpricing of textbooks

• Insufficient parking

Provost Tripathi delivered a presentation on a (p)review of the opening academic year, highlighting:

• The UG Academies, Honors College , and the Discovery Seminars

• The class of 2011 as the most academically talented in UB history

• Significant rise in applications to the Schools of Dental Medicine, Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and Law

• New faculty hires (63 this year)

President Simpson delivered his report on:

• The NYS Commission on Higher Education

• The new “UB Believers” Initiative

• The Berger Commission—he has been named to Chair some meetings that will direct the future of the Kaleida / ECMC merger

• Karen Arenson's series of interviews at UB for an upcoming New York Times article

3. The Graduate School Executive Committee met on Thurs., Sept 20, and discussed the following issues:

The ongoing Comprehensive Program Reviews. Scheduled for this Fall are the Biotechnology BS and MS programs, Comparative Literature, Communications, and Rehabilitation Science. Slated for the Spring 2008 semester are Biophysics (undergrad only), Engineering (graduate only in conjunction with ABET accreditation), and Communicative Disorders and Sciences.
A shortfall in Graduate enrollment
SUNY-wide Professional Science Masters initiative

Student Systems transformation project (in progress)
Status report on the relatively new OPS [Office of Postdoctoral Scholars] by Marilyn Morris

4. Discussion Board (UB Learns)

Launched in May 2007—every current UB Faculty Senator has access
Purpose—to enable 24/7 discussion of issues and posting of comments, critiques, ideas, and questions

COULD SERVE AS AN IDEAL VEHICLE FOR INPUT INTO THE MASTER PLAN

5. Thanks for all for serving on the Senate and Senate committees, please attend/participate.

6. Senate Meetings/Issues

OCT 9 Teaching and Learning Center

Lucinda Finley, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs

Robin Sullivan

James Jensen, Chair, FS Teaching & Learning Committee

UB Master Plan—Update and Input

Robert Shibley

NOV 6 UB Academic Health Center [Health Sciences)

David Dunn, Vice President

DEC 4 Student Information System transformation update [planned]

Report of the FS Grading Committee [planned]

Report on the Undergraduate Academies [planned]

FEB 5 Academic State of the University

Faculty Senate Standing Committees

Committee Status Chair Needs Members?

Academic Freedom & responsibility dormant none yes

Academic Planning active Diane Christian no

Admissions & Retention on stand-by Judith Adams-Volpe yes

Affirmative Action active Mattie Rhodes yes

Stepping down

Athletics & Recreation active G. Brazeau/R. Crispell no

Budget Priorities active Howard Doueck no

Bylaws dormant none yes

Computer Services active John Ringland yes

Educational Programs & Policy on stand-by Kenneth Takeuchi no

Elections on stand-by Carine Mardorossian no

Facilities Planning on stand-by none ?

Faculty Tenure and Privileges dormant none yes

Grading active William H. Baumer no

Information & Library Resources dormant none yes

Public Service & Urban Affairs dormant none yes

Research & Creative Activity on stand-by John Ho ?

Student Life on stand-by Peter Nickerson yes

Teaching & Learning active James Jenson no

University Governance dissolved none yes

Item 4: Report of the Provost/President

The President updated the faculty on the status of UB2020's Master Plan and the phases of the strategic strength process. He also discussed the UB Believers program, a program that serves as an opportunity to tell people how important this university is, and to inform potential donors of the areas in which the university thrives.

Item 5: Update on the new Center for Teaching and Learning

Professor Lucinda Finley, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs

Professor Jim Jensen, Chair, Faculty Senate Teaching and Learning Committee

Robin Sullivan, Instructional Designer, Educational Technology Center

After a short introduction by Lucinda Finley, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, Robin Sullivan made a presentation concerning the newly formed Center for Teaching and Learning. The mission of the Center is to provide opportunities for faculty to enhance their excellence as teachers by disseminating knowledge, through workshops, speakers, programs, discussion groups, and consultations, about the teaching and learning process, about skills and methods to enhance teaching and learning, and about how to utilize effectively and innovatively the latest developments in information technology and media to enrich course content and presentation and enhance student's educational experience.

TLC programs are free and open to all UB instructors and researchers: full-time and part-time faculty, adjuncts, lecturers, teaching and research assistants, librarians, and campus-wide IT staff.

The hours of operation of the TLC are

Monday - Friday 8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Saturday and Evenings by appoint

The Teaching & Learning Center is located in 212 Capen Hall, on the second floor of the Undergraduate Library. The Center facilities include a TLC classroom, a conference room, an informal meeting area, workstations and wi-fi access. Specialized task stations support multi-format scanning, printing, and audio and video digitization. TLC maintains a full suite of graphic, media, web authoring & productivity applications. The software runs on PC and Macintosh work stations.

TLC work areas are available for faculty and staff use during regular open hours. Reserving specialized task stations in advance is recommended. The TLC classroom and conference room are available by reservation only.

Equipment

The TLC maintains a collection of technology equipment available for loan to faculty, instructors and staff who are engaged in the preparation of classroom content and other academic presentations. TLC equipment is meant to supplement technology resources already available through departments, the Nodes or Instructional Technology Services. TLC equipment available for loan includes digital still cameras, digital video cameras, LCD projector, and laptop computers (both PC and Macintosh).

TLC Collections

The TLC Collection consists of books, videos, and CD-ROMs related to the technologies in use at UB. Collection topics include technical literature and manuals for a variety of programming languages, server and operating systems, multimedia applications and Web-authoring tools. In addition, the TLC Collection includes books and videos on various aspects of the teaching and learning experience. Topic areas include copyright and intellectual property, instructional design, teaching with technology, faculty development, teaching and learning styles, and teaching assistant support. All materials in the TLC Collection are searchable through BISON and can be checked out through the Capen Circulation Desk.

The Center provides Assistance On-Demand : In addition to workshop and seminar series, the TLC offers small group and one-on-one instruction on technology enhanced teaching methods and on specific software applications. Individualized assistance with technology skills such as scanning, media capture and editing, PDF and PowerPoint creation, as well as customized group instruction sessions are available upon request.

Robin Sullivan also noted that collaborations between UB faculty and technology staff have resulted in the creation of innovative technology-enhanced curricular resources and tools. TLC staff assist faculty in developing original uses of educational technologies to achieve their teaching and learning objectives. Projects use a wide range of technologies, including multimedia environments, digital archives, simulations and animations.

The TLC also has a Plagiarism Prevention Software (Now Available!)

Turnitin Plagiarism Prevention Software has been licensed for campus use. It is a tool for faculty to help students learn how to properly cite sources in scholarly writing such as papers and reports.

Teaching Effectiveness Speaker Series:

To help instructors enhance teaching effectiveness and student learning, the Center has organized a Teaching Effectiveness Speaker Series that allows faculty to learn from the insights of their colleagues at the University. These workshops are designed to help UB instructors learn new technology skills and to explore technology enhanced teaching methods. Each workshop models technologies for online or in-class applications, and exemplifies how UB faculty are currently using these tools to meet their instructional goals.

The titles and schedule follow (location: 120 Clemens Hall):

Fri 10/12/2007 • 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Multidimensional instruction strategies to improve your teaching

Ruth Berry, Assistant Professor, Department of Learning & Instruction, GSE,

Randy Borst, Director, Disability Services,

Beth Tauke, Associate Professor,

School of Architecture & Planning

Tue 10/16/2007 • 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

The skills and dynamics of teaching: addressing the hidden group in the classroom

Lawrence Shulman, Professor, UB School of Social Work

Mon 10/22/2007 • 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

The little shop of course design horrors

Carol Tutzauer, Director for Assessment & Assistant Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education

Thu 11/8/2007 • 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM

Developing autonomous learners: helping students succeed in college

Kelly Ahuna, Director, Methods of Inquiry,

Christine Gray Tinnesz, Associate Director, Methods of Inquiry

Mon 11/12/2007 • 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Pulling it together: developing lesson plans for university students

Denise Krause, Clinical Associate Professor,

Susan Green, Clinical Assistant Professor,

Maria Picone, Adjunct Professor, School of Social Work

Mon 11/19/2007 1:00 PM

Endnote basics

Wed 11/28/2007 1:00 PM

Plagiarism 101: Keys to Preventing Academic Misconduct (audio conference)

Fri 12/14/2007 1:00:00 PM

UBlearns Express

Thu 1/3/2008 1:00 PM ; Thu 1/10/2008 9:00 AM ; Wed 1/30/2008 1:00 PM

UBlearns Express

In addition, the Teaching & Learning Center recently hosted a webinar titled, "A guide for faculty on responding to students in distress." An electronic version of the webinar has been acquired for the Teaching & Learning Center resource collection. All electronic resources that are part of the Teaching & Learning Center collection are available through the UB Libraries Multimedia Center, on the second floor of Capen.

UB faculty, staff, and students can also access this guide through the UB Libraries catalog; the item can be found by doing a search in the library catalog for the phrase "Students in Distress"

For information about the previously offered TLC webinar events, see:

http://ubtlc.buffalo.edu/workshops/workshop.asp?EventID=613

There is no charge to view the webinar from within the TLC conference room screening. Abstracts and handouts are also available to faculty who could not attend but are interested in the issues.

Last but not least, TLC convenes a number of faculty and IT staff interest groups . Each group meets regularly to discuss discrete areas of interest, or to advise on campus IT development for the purpose of enhancing teaching and learning. TLC interest groups include:

* DVIAC: digital video instructional applications committee

* ITDG: interactive tools development group

* Oral History Working Group

If you are interested in participating in TLC interest groups please contact:

Robin Sullivan, Instructional Designer(716) 645-7700, rrs@buffalo.edu

Professor Claude Welch asked 1] what evaluation had been done of the former Teaching & Learning Center [and of its ex-head?] and 2] what faculty involvement there was in both this evaluation and in making the decision to combine the TLC with the ETC, which he agreed was a useful move. Professor Welch commented that faculty involvement in the two decisions might appropriately have drawn in not only the FSEC, but also the Faculty Senate Committee on Teaching and Learning.

Maureen Jameson (RLL) thanked Vice Provost Finley for the record of faculty consultation which had preceded the merger, but regretted that the Senate's Computer Services Committee had not been brought into the conversation. Jameson noted that the ETC has provided high quality instruction in a variety of software applications that faculty members then use across the spectrum of their professional activities. She thought it would be unfortunate if the technology training mission of the ETC were to become entirely subsumed under its new pedagogy mission. In particular for humanities faculty, who receive, she asserted, no support from the campus Research office, both ETC training and ETC faculty grants have become indispensable resources for innovation and excellence.

Item 6: Discussion: What issues should the Senate address this year?

A brainstorming session ensued to help Chair Hoeing set the agenda for future Faculty Senate Meetings.

Item 7: Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 3: 30 PM .

Respectfully submitted,

Carine Mardorossian, Secretary of the Faculty Senate

Attendance

School of Architecture and Planning Danford G. Scott yes

Ott, Bonnie yes

College of Arts and Sciences Bagchi-Sen, Sharnistha yes

Blair, Sampson no

Bruckenstein, Stanley no

Campbell , James yes

Churchill, Melvyn no

Csatho, Beata yes

Dryden, Lee exc

Dyson, Stephen yes

Giese, Rossman no

Hennessee, Todd yes

Lo, Marieme no

Ludwig, Jeannette yes

Medler, Kathryn yes

Pierchala, Brian yes

Read, Justin yes

Rothenberg, Stephanie exc

Shiode, Narushige yes

Street, Debra no

Subramanian, Chetan yes

Takeuchi, Kenneth exc

Timler, Geralyn yes

Watrous, Bernard no

Weinstein, Bernard no

Welch, Claude yes

Woelfel, Joseph no

Young, Jason no

School of Dental Medicine Bardford, Peter yes

Bush, Mary yes

Ferry, George yes

Mang, Thomas no

School of Education Ageyev, Vladimir no

Berry , Ruth yes

Liu, Xiufeng yes

Schroeder, Thomas no

School of Engineering Alexandridis, Paschalis yes

Batalama, Stella no

Jensen, James yes

Soom, Andres yes

Srihari, Rohini yes

Srihari, Sargur yes

Wetherhold, Robert no

Wie, Chu-Ryang yes

School of Law Bartholomew, Marh no

Boyer, Barry no

Barverman, Irus no

School of Management Cohen, Ann yes

Isse, Hodan yes

Simpson, Natalie no

Star, Harold exc

School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Brooks , Victoria no

Brown, Jennifer no

Cherr, Gregory no

Crawford, Elpida yes

Dobson, Kim no

Duffey, Michael no

Ellis, David yes

Fiden, William no

Fine, Edward yes

Fudyma, John no

Harris, Linda no

Hassett, James no

Hershey, Charles yes

Krause, Richard no

Lackner, Jeffrey no

Mastrandrea, Lucy yes

LaDuca, John yes

Lockwood, Alan no

Lukan, James no

Mahl, Thomas yes

Ostrow, Peter yes

Sands, Amy no

Springate, James yes

Spurgeon, Stanley no

Sundquist, Janet yes

Yale, Sandra no

Young, Herb no

School of Nursing Curran, Cynthia yes

Pomeroy, Sherry no

School of Pharmacy Brazeau, Gayle yes

School of Public Health & Health Professions Farkas, Gaspar no

Horvath, Peter no

Tomita, Machiko no

School of Social Work Rittner, Barbara no

SUNY Senators Baumer, William yes

Bradford, Peter yes

Durand, Henry no

Kramer, Marilyn yes

University Libraries Adams-Volpe, Judith yes

Bertuca, David no

Taddeo, Laura yes

Tao, Dorothy yes

Guests

GSA Gay lynn Samsonoff yes

Professional Staff Senate Janiece Kiedrowski yes

SEAS M. Helwett yes

Peter Nickerson yes

Tel: 716-645-2003
Fax: 716-645-2717
Email: facultysenate@buffalo.edu
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