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University Senate
HomeSenate Senate MinutesSeptember 13, 2010

University Senate
Meeting
September 13, 2010

I. Approval of Agenda: approved.

II. Approval of Minutes from May 3, 2010: approved.

III. Election

  • Nominations and seconds from floor. Dr. Fred Walter was nominated and seconded.
  • Dr. Walter gave a brief presentation on why he would like to be Senate President.
  • Collection of ballots

IV. UUP Report (A. Shertzer)

  • We need to ask for money from Albany.
  • We need to make our legislators do what they need to do and support us if they want Stony Brook to be a flagship of excellence.

V. President’s Report (S. Stanley)

  • President Stanley thanked Michael for the tremendous job he has done as the University Senate President.
  • This has been the best class that SB has had in terms of GPA’s and SAT scores.
  • Budget update: Past 2 years we have had close to a 20% state allocation cut. President’s office had an approximate 23.5% decrease in budget and the Provost’s Office around a 14% cut. Final budget outcome for FY beginning July 1, 2010 worse than anticipated. Recently completed distribution of $20 million in cuts to state operating units (on top of $25 million cut executed in early 2009). Reducing state budget of most administrative and service units by between 25 and 30 percent. Outlook for 2011-2012 is not good. Possible mid-year cut in the current fiscal year. Most of our budget is in salaries and we have limited flexibility. We will continue to fight hard to maintain the academic components.
  • The state missed the chance to enact PHEEIA during this most recent budget cycle. We fought hard for PHEEIA. It is unlikely that we will see PHEEIA in its original form. There were a lot of components that created a lot of issues. SUNY received positive media publicity regarding PHEEIA.
  • Touched on Project 50 Forward (presentation by the Bain Group to follow).

Questions: N. Goodman: Can you give us latest news on Southampton given the court ruling?
President Stanley: Not comfortable commenting on specific issues that are involved in pending litigation.

President Stanley introduced Project 50 Forward and J. Benneen and M. Brinstad of the Bain Group. The Bain Group are the advisors to the Stony Brook Campus. They have done similar projects for Cornell, Carolina and Berkeley. They will be on campus 4-5 days a week.

VI. Presentation on Project 50 Forward from Bain Associates (Jeff Benneen, Michael Brinstad)

  • Project 50 Forward’s vision is to enhance the fundamental teaching, research and service mission of Stony Brook university, while building a platform to support the future growth of the University and strengthening SB’s role in the economic renewal of NYS.
  • There are three components: Academic greatness, building for the future and operational excellence.
  • The operational excellence mission is to create more effective and efficient organization to better serve SB’s faculty and students in their pursuit of excellence in research, education and discovery.
  • Stony Brook is one of the nation’s leading centers of teaching and research. Crucial asset to LI community.
  • SBU is currently facing significant financial challenges. Has taken initial steps to reduce expenditures, but not enough to close expected 2010/11 deficit of approximately $30M. Embarked on a strategic program to transform the way the University operates to address projected deficit.
  • Preserving and enhancing the core (teaching, research and outreach) is the ultimate goal of operational excellence. Drive efficiency/savings from the outside in (Procurement, Admin. & Facilities and Academic Support). Drive strategy from and reinvest in the core.
  • Approximately $420M of Stony Brook’s budget is addressable.
  • Operational Excellence will be led by President Stanley and a Steering Committee which will meet monthly to discuss ongoing analyses. Effort requires collaboration across the Stony Brook Community: Steering Committee Role: to drive the emphasis and direction of design and solutions; Key Stakeholder role (faculty, staff, students): to create fact base and contribute to design solutions; Bain and Co. role: to collaborate with stakeholders to create University fact base, bring an external perspective and breadth of experience, support the steering committee with right information, analysis and insights to make informed decisions.
  • There will be four phases: Diagnostic (includes surveys to employees), Design, Delivery and Sustained changes. We are now if the midst of the diagnostic phase.

R. Aller: The Senate President is on the Steering Committee. What about alumni and student reps on the Steering Committee? President Stanley explained that the operations phase is focused on the administration (procurement, goods, services) aspect and not on student services.

D. Rilling: the language and questions on survey are not working. Also the design of the survey is getting into the way of contribution feedback. Bain: Cannot change the language – too much to be able to benchmark among client types. Design phase will have more feedback participation.

H. Silverman: Did Bain look at differences in the role of governance in each institution that they have worked with? Bain: There are differences in governance – makes biggest difference in the design phase.

H. Sirotkin: What about energy usage? Bain: Utility usage and conservation at SBU is already quite good.

VII. Senate President’s report (M. Schwartz)

  • PHEEIA: The budget problem is not going away. There many people talking to legislators about the importance of PHEEIA.
  • Still vacancies on Standing Committees. Please volunteer or suggest a colleague who may be willing to serve.
  • Working on draft policy on email confidentiality. Has generated a lot of interest. On agenda at October meeting.

VII. Election Results (E. Feldman)

  • Would have ran as a candidate but couldn’t put in the time involved.
  • Election results: 7 abstentions, 44 in favor. Dr. Fred Walter new Senate President.

Adjourned.

Submitted by:

Laurie Theobalt (with the help of Aimee deChambeau in my absence)

Senate Research Committee

Executive Synthesis of Recommendations 6/18/10

The Senate Executive Committee, based on the results of a survey of faculty and librarians taken in Fall 2009 by the Senate Research Committee, makes the following recommendations:

(A) That Dr. John Marburger be encouraged to continue to take administrative action to improve the responsiveness and work of the OVPR for personnel on campus involved in the research enterprise.

(B) That the President, Provost, VPR, Deans and Chairs be encouraged to maintain and increase substantive incentives for faculty and professional staff for grant writing and for research (funded or not funded) by grants.

(C) That the university administration should continue and bolster efforts to maintain and improve research infrastructure and facilities on campus.

(D) Given the existing shortfalls in support for research activity in the Fine Arts, Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences, particular emphasis should be made in the three areas listed above for these disciplines.

Senate Constitution and Bylaws revisions

Recommended change:
II.
1.a.i.v. stylistic change: The ex-officio non-voting members shall be the following campus administrators: President, Provost, and all Vice Presidents, Vice Provosts, and Deans.

Original wording:

II.
1.a.i.v. The ex-officio non-voting members shall be the Campus President, Vice Presidents, Provost, Vice Provosts and Deans.

IV.

1. Standing committees

Insert the following as a new paragraph 1:

1. The purpose of the Senate’s committees is to serve as the eyes and ears of the Senate and to make recommendations to the Senate and/or to administrators on the most effective and efficient operation of the University and the achievement of its goals.

[Recommended Change: All Committee Charges will be moved from the Constitution to the By laws. After moving them, the charges and descriptions should be updated.]

The University Senate has the following standing committees:

Academic Planning and Resource Allocation
Administrative Review
Campus Environment
Computing and Communications
Faculty Rights and Responsibilities (but see final paragraph below)
Graduate Council
Library PTC
Library Services
Research
SPD Council
Student Life
Undergraduate Council
University Affairs

Recommended Change (deleting last clause from original):

Committee on Academic Planning and Resource Allocation (CAPRA)

This Committee shall review budgetary procedures and priorities for planning and resource allocation in the Presidential, Provostial, and Vice-Presidential areas. It shall be consulted by the University Administration on these matters and on proposals for new colleges, schools, and inter-collegiate programs.

Original wording:

This Committee shall review budgetary procedures and priorities for planning and resource allocation in the Presidential, Provostial, and Vice-Presidential areas. It shall be consulted by the University Administration on these matters and on proposals for new colleges, schools, and inter-collegiate programs, and it shall seek advice from other University Senate committees whenever appropriate.

**********************
Recommended Change:

Graduate Council

This Council shall advise the Dean of the Graduate School and monitor all aspects of the University's graduate program. It will evaluate all proposed new graduate programs and degrees and will participate in program reviews of existing graduate programs.

Original wording:

Graduate Council
This Council shall advise the Dean of the Graduate School and monitor all aspects of the University's graduate program.

***********************

Recommended Change:

VII.
1. Officers
All officers shall be members of the University Senate. The President and Secretary shall be elected by and from the University Senate. Three Vice-Presidents, one from each major governance unit, and the East Campus PEG Co-Chair and West Campus PEG Co-Chair representing professional employees, shall be chosen by their constituent organizations.

Original Wording:

1. Officers
All officers shall be members of the University Senate. The President and Secretary shall be elected by and from the University Senate. Four Vice-Presidents, one from each major governance unit and one representing professional employees, shall be chosen by their constituent organizations.

Recommended change:

2. Executive Committee (Second Paragraph):

The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, immediate past President, Three Vice-Presidents, PEG Board Co-Chairs, the Secretary of the Senate, the President of the Undergraduate Student Government or designee, and the President of the Graduate Student Organization or designee. The Stony Brook representatives on the SUNY Faculty Senate shall choose one of their number to represent them as a voting member of the Executive Committee.

Original Wording:

2. Executive Committee:

The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, four Vice-Presidents, the Secretary of the Senate, the President of the Undergraduate Student Government or designee, and the President of the Graduate Student Organization or designee. The Stony Brook representatives on the SUNY Faculty Senate shall choose one of their number to represent them as a voting member of the Executive Committee.

(b) The charges of the standing committees should be a new section V of the Bylaws, with the existing sections V-VIII incremented accordingly.
Council on Faculty Rights and Responsibilities:

IV. 1. The revising committee recommended that the Council on Faculty Rights and Responsibilities should not be considered a Senate standing committee. Its infrequency of meeting, its selection procedures, and its charge are unlike those of the other standing committees. We recommend that it be retained as an ad hoc body, but not numbered among the standing committees.

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