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Tentative Agenda
University Senate Meeting
August 31, 2015

I. Approval of Agenda
II. Approval April 6, 2015 minutes
III. Report of the President of the Senate (E. Feldman)
IV. Discussion the University President (S. Stanley)
V. Discussion the Provost (D. Assanis)
VI. Discussion with the Sr. Vice President for HSC and Dean, SOM (K. Kaushansky)
VII. HeForShe Program; Update on Transfer pathways (C. Robbins)
VIII. Graduate Council Report (M. Simon
IX. Report from UUP (A. Shertzer/C. Gizzi)
X. New Business
XI. Old Business


University Senate
May 4, 2015
Minutes

I. Approval of tentative agenda: approved

II. Approval of minutes from April, 6, 2015: approved.

III. Senate President’s Report (E. Feldman)

  • The EC met with Senator LaValle on issues such as the Governors intrusion in the academics by mandating in his proposed Executive budget an unfunded proposal that experiential learning for undergraduates be required which has been changed in the enacted budget. The EC also discussed budgetary improvements at Stony Brook.
  • Dr. Feldman gave out the Senate awards to Senate Standing Committee members for their outstanding contributions.

2015 Committee Award Recipients:

Dale Duetsch –Capra
Stephen Walker – Administrative Review
Patricia Aceves – Information Technology
Joseph Balsamo – Educational Services
Jackie Collier and Ellen Broselow – Graduate Council
Bill Godfrey – Library Services and Resources
Thomas Robertazzi – Research
Teresa Tiso – SPD Council
Norman Goodman – Student Life
Sarah Fuller – Undergraduate Council
Charles McAteer – University Affairs

IV. Report from the President (M. Whelan)

  • Dr. Sanders remarked that this is the second month that the President missed a Senate meeting and that it is important that the Senate hear directly from the President. M. Whelan stated that he would give this message to the President.
  • The Stony Brook Foundation raised $2.3 million at the 16th annual Stars of Stony Brook Gala to support student financial aid. Thirty-three percent of the students are Pell eligible.
  • Dr. Feldman received the SUNY Faculty Senate Outstanding Achievement award for his being an active senator for seven years serving in many leadership roles including chairing the Graduate and Research and Student Life Committees, being elected Vice-President/Secretary and serving on the Executive Committee for the State-wide Faculty Senate.
  • Billy Joel (Doctor of Music), Ben Schneiderman (Doctor of Science) and Charles B. Wang (Doctor of Humane Letters) will receive honorary degrees at the May 22nd Commencement.
  • The Sidney Gelber Auditorium was dedicated on April 9th.
  • The Women’s Lacrosse team had a record setting season.
  • Tobacco free campus: over 1,000 colleges and universities across the country are tobacco free. In the process of putting together a representative Ad Hoc committee to implement tobacco free at Stony Brook
  • J. Sanders: What changes are going to be made as a result of the town hall meeting with members of the senate based on their input into the branding strategy of the university? M. Whelan stated that the University is not changing the brand.

V. Report from the Provost (D. Assanis)

  • Pleased to announce the 2014-15 Online Learning Development Initiatives Awards (S-BOLD). This will be funded initially for four years at $250,000 per year.
  • The School of Journalism was awarded full accreditation on May 1st by the Accrediting Council in Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. This was a nearly two-year process that began in the spring of 2013. This will make the SOJ one out of 150 of 500 Communications and Journalism programs in the nation to be accredited.
  • Search committees for the Dean of CEAS, the Sr. VP for Administration and Finance and the Dean of International Academic Programs and Services have been established.

VI. Report from the Sr. Vice President of HSC and Dean, SOM (K. Kaushansky)

  • Two large construction projects have been delayed because of the weather. Board of Trustees approved the School of Pharmacy. The goal was to recruit the first class into the school of pharmacy for the fall of 2016. This start date was dependent on classroom space that was to be made available by the MART Building. Since construction has slowed, the first pharmacy student will be delayed until the Fall of 2017.
  • School of Social Welfare Dean Search: Successful airport interviews.
  • School of Pharmacy search slowed because of the construction delay.
  • The Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment Program (DSRIPP): This is New York State’s version of medicaid redesign. This is affecting our schools academics because a lot of students and faculty are going to participate in the DSRIPP implementation. Later this week they will announce the number of dollars that are available to speed medicaid redesign in Suffolk County. The Department of Health is helping along the way.
  • SUNY Board of Trustees is meeting tomorrow. There is a proposal to change the governance of the hospitals in the SUNY System. Proposing new oversight board. Push to change governance in SUNY hospitals after the financial problems in the sale of LICH.
  • N. Goodman: Are there implications in Randy Sussman being appointed the new Chair of Anatomical Sciences? K. Kaushansky: do no read into this. There are no implications. There were two retirements this year. N. Goodman: Did funding go through for the School of Pharmacy? Will it be financially viable on its own? K. Kaushansky: There was no allocation of money. It will be financially viable on its own because of tuition revenues. N. Goodman: What about money for the new Dean of School of Pharmacy? K. Kaushansky: It will cost about $3 Mil. in salaries for a new Dean, Associate Deans and basic science faculty. Will take 3-4 years to be cost neutral. In the meantime, he is borrowing money from the President for start-up costs.

VII. Combining of the Departments of Family & Preventive Medicine (E. Feldman)

  • This proposal by K. Kaushansky was approved by the standing committees with clarifications and approved by the Executive Committee.

Vote to approve: All in favor, none opposed. Passes.

VIII. Resolution from the Library Services and Resources Committee (R. Shrock)

  • The Library Committee drafted a resolution on Open Access Publication. The EC endorsed the resolution.
  • Things are progressing in Albany as well with a resolution by the SUNY State-wide senate.
  • Faculty members create scholarly research and publish it with commercial publishers which sell to libraries. Publishers keep increasing their subscription prices.
  • The University Faculty Senate encourages SUNY, Libraries, and faculty to explore and support alternatives to publishing scholarship with commercial publishers

Vote was taken to endorse the resolution: Resolution was supported unanimously.

IX. Approval of Two New Departments in CEAS (E. Feldman)

  • The proposal by Y. Shamash to establish a Department of Civil Engineering was sent to Senators two weeks ago. The EC and Standing Committees have reviewed and endorsed this proposal. There was no discussion from the floor. The Senate vote on this proposal was all in favor, none opposed. Proposal passes.
  • The proposal for the creating of a Department of Chemical and Molecular Engineering was also sent to Senators two weeks ago. During that time there have been significant debate around the acceptance of the creating of this new department. The EC met with the chairs of Mechanical Engineering, Geosciences and Chemistry and as a result of this discussion and various emails, the EC proposes that a vote be postponed until this fall.
  • There was significant debate on the creation of the Department of Chemical and Molecular Engineering from the floor.
  • The Deans and the Provost will be involved in discussions over the summer.

X. Talent Management System (L. Johnson, S. Riccobono, J. Rossler)

  • The Talen Management System went live three months ago. It is a system that will assist in the search for new employees which will make it more efficient and effective.
  • There are three modules: Recruitment, Onboarding and Performance Management. Went live with the recruitment module on February 5th for non-faculty positions on Main Campus, the hospital and the LI Vets Home. Recruitment includes requisition, posting, candidate management, background checks, internal and external candidate portals, and coming soon will be faculty recruitment. Onboarding (going live in the summer) includes electronic offer for new hires, automated new hire paperwork on-line, TMS upload to peoplesoft and oracle (RF), and I-9/E-verify automation for west campus. Performance Management is in development.
  • C. MacAteer: Will you be including all bargaining units? Yes, all bargaining units.
  • R. Aller: What about security? It will use the Cloud secured link.
  • Benefits: Improve process and forms. Robust reporting capabilities. EEO waiver in the process. Compliance with OFCCP directives and decreases time to hire an applicant.
  • Current open requisition stats: 184 are open, 37 requisitions per recruiter, 4,000 active applicants, 32 requisitions that are filled had average approval time of 7 days. Average time to hire is 30 days.
  • Holding workshops for TMS. Beginning in June training sessions will be held every other week. So far 249 people have been trained.
  • To see “how to” videos for the system go to: https://it.stonybrook.edu/services/taleo.

XI. Report from UUP (C. Gizzi)

  • UUP assembly in Buffalo: Tom DiNapoli, the NYS Comptroller, reported on the financial state of the NY Retirement System, the third largest retirement system in the nation. It is robust and very well-maintained.
  • Auto-testing Teacher Education Program.
  • June 9th is the bus trip to Albany – advocacy day for SUNY.
  • June 3rd is the LI Regional Professional Conference.

X. SUNY Faculty Senate Plenary: E. Feldman reported that Peter Knuepfer was re-elected as President for a second term. A number of resolutions were passed and are available on the UFS website.

Meeting adjourned at 5pm.

Submitted by:
Laurie Cullen
Secretary