Senate Minutes


December 4, 2006

I.  Approval of agenda – approved

II.  Approval of minutes from November 6, 2006 – approved as submitted.

III. President’s Report (S. Kenny)

  • New CEO of Hospital – Dr. Steven Strongwater will take over on January 1, 2007
  • Berger Report –  recommends three SUNY hospitals conduct a feasibility study to determine if they should be separated from their campuses and  become privatized so that they can make alliances with the community hospitals.  To obtain a copy of the Berger Commission report, email Janice Rohlf.
  • We already have contractual agreements with Peconic Bay, Eastern LI and Southampton hospitals.
  • Stony Brook at Southampton is moving along.  We did receive State approval and now are awaiting Middle States approval.  Planning some increases in courses this Spring and should be in business by the fall. 
  • Dick Mann has left.  Karol Kane Gray is interim Vice President for Finance and Barbara Chernow is now Interim Vice President for Facilities.
  • There will be a gala on April 11, 2007 to honor Dr. Richard Leakey.  Last year’s gala raised $3.2 mil with 2.8 going to scholarships

IV.  Provost’s Report (R. McGrath)

  • See written report for the lastest Award and Honors.
  • The second Winter Session is bigger and more thoughtfully put together.  This January we have six study abroad programs.  Last year we had three.
  • Brookhaven Lab:  there was an op-it in the LI section of NY Times in which a writer published wrong information.  One thing asserted was that there are two operating reactors at Brookhaven.  Last three reactors were closed in 2000.  They also stated that there were four reactors, which there never was.  A detailed rebuttal was written in the Brookhaven Bulletin.  Brookhaven has consistently gotten high marks from the DOE on the way in which the restoration of the environment has been done over the years since Brookhaven Science Associates took over.
  • DOE announced over the next 18 months they will re-compete contracts from a number of labs.

V.  Senate President’s Report (B. Lane)

  • The Standing Committees of the University Senate are very important.  They are advisory to the various branches of the Administration.  Some of the committees still have quite a few vacancies.  The Research Committee needs leadership as well as membership since it has not met in two years.  We have a commitment from the VP for Research that she will work with the committee if we can get one together.  The VP of Research in the SOM is willing to interact with that committee into making it not only viable but valuable.
  • The new senate website will have thumbnails with committee actions and outcomes. The Senate minutes will also be put on in a timely manner.
  • The Smoking ban for the whole campus is still being discussed.  The students want us to hold off so that they can think about their position.  This is Bill Detlefs project and he is doing a wonderful job with it.  He managed to pull together a lot of resources across the campus.  We hope to have this one the agenda in the spring without any real resistance to it.
  • Bob Kerber will be serving on the Intercollegiate Athletics Board as the University Senate representative.
  • The Executive committee is drawing up a set of Policies and Procedures.  We need to modernize the by-laws and missions of the Standing committees.

 

Old Business:  none
New Business:  none

Adjourned at 4:32

Minutes Submitted by:  Laurie Theobalt, Secretary