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Summary 2002 - 2003 Summary of the Work of the University Senate, 2002-2003 In accordance with the Bylaws of the Senate of Syracuse University, Article IV, Section 6, that the Agenda Committee submit to the Senate a summary of its work during the preceding academic year, this report is submitted to the Senate. During the academic year 2002-2003, the University Senate met on the following dates:
I. ANNUAL MATTERS The University Senate recommended to the Board of Trustees the conferring of appropriate degrees on May 11th and 18th, 2003 upon those candidates who qualified for such degrees by Friday, May 9th, 2003 or May 16th, 2003 at 12:00 noon, and upon those students who would complete requirements for degrees at the end of the various summer terms and the fall semester of the 2003-4 academic year The University Senate recommended to the Board of Trustees that the nominees approved by the Senate be honored with an honorary degree. The University Senate recommended to the Board of Trustees of Syracuse University that the following retiring faculty members be honored with the title Emeritus, to be added to the rank at which they retired: Retiring Faculty Members
II. CURRICULUM MATTERS The Senate approved the following programs and program changes during 2002-2003: College of Arts and Sciences
III. MOTIONS Vice Chancellor and Provost, Deborah A. Freund The Vice Chancellor made motion at the October Senate meeting recommending that the University begin immediately to phase out the undergraduate and graduate degree programs in nursing, leading in a timely manner to the discontinuance of all programs of instruction in nursing and the closure of the School of Nursing. The motion was discussed at length, and approved at the November meeting.
Committee on Academic Affairs At the April meeting, the Senate approved an Agenda Committee motion calling for endorsement of a process by which a slate of 7 faculty, 1 staff, 1 graduate student, and 2 undergraduate nominations to the Search Committee for a new chancellor would be developed. The process involved the Agenda Committee soliciting nominations from the two main student organizations (SA and GSO), as well as from faculty and staff, and then meeting to determine the slate of faculty, students, and staff, and submitting it to senators for ratification by e.mail or campus mail. IV. RESOLUTIONS The Senate approved statements in memoriam of the following members of the University community, who had served as members of the University Senate, and who died during 2002-3:
The Committee on Academic Affairs reported on its 2001-2 work, which included revision of the process for selecting SU Scholars, streamlining the process so that Scholars could be chosen and announced earlier in spring semester, and changing the deadline for submission of nominations to the second Wednesday of any spring semester; attempt at resolution of a dispute between VPA and Newhouse about a proposed name change in the Department of Speech Communication; discussion of the Vice Chancellor's proposal for a new faculty rank, Professor of Practice, and review of two proposals from the School of Education, one for establishment of the SU Institute for Advancing Higher Education Scholarship and the other for establishing a Center for Urban education in Literacy and Mathematics, with the result that the School was asked to revise their proposals so that the committee could more adequately review them. The committee planned to review and revise the guidelines for establishing of centers and institutes. The Committee approved a name change in the School of Management, the Department of Management and Decision Sciences. In 2002-3, the committee reported to the Senate in November, recommending that the Vice Chancellor's proposal to close the School of Nursing be endorsed by the Senate, and included extensive description of the committee process and discussions. The committee also approved a name change in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies, and reported that the following students had been selected as SU Scholars for 2003:
The Committee on Academic Freedom, Tenure and Professional Ethics reported that it had seven cases during 2002-3, four cases involving tenure denial, one involving allegations of professional ethics and/or academic freedom violations, and two involving sexual harassment allegations, one of which was a tenure denial. The committee reported that two of the seven were still in process, and one case of tenure denial from spring 2002 was being monitored. The committee also brought a motion to approve revision of a policy on meetings with staff members when their termination from the University was to be discussed [the Senate voted to refer this back to committee for further work]. Committee on Administrative Operations The Committee on Administrative Operations reported with a summary of its 2002-3 work, including a presentation by SU Health Services, the Managing Director of the Dome, Director of Counseling Services, Director of Housing, Meal Plan and ID Card Services, Director of Public Safety, Director of Design and Construction, Director of Business and Facilities Maintenance Services, Director of Recreation Services, Director of Facilities Support Services, and Director of Parking and Transit Services. Committee on Athletic Policy The Committee on Athletic Policy reported with a summary of its activity during 2001-2 as well as 2002-3. the report included a brief description of the committee's rethinking of its role, and listed a set of principles drafted to guide the committee in its role of helping to assure the integrity of the athletic programs by requesting, analyzing, and reporting information to the Senate. These guidelines call for the committee to:
The report included information on graduation rates, GPA, and participation of men and women compared to the undergraduate student body; changes in NCAA eligibility guidelines and calculation of graduation rates; brief description of emergency of the Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics (COIA), summary of work of subcommittees on the role of athletics in undergraduate education, advising, and placement. The report concluded with a list of recommendations for 2003-4. Committee on Budget and Fiscal AffairsThe Committee on Budget and Fiscal Affairs reported the fall budget revision which included a report of a net positive revenue revision associated with larger incoming class in fall 2003, of increase in projected operating costs of planned additions to academic space, and substantial reduction of projection of endowment earnings. The committee also reported operating budget deficits in all but one year of the 5-year forecast after the current year, as well as a list of unmet budget concerns, including a number of budget recommendations from the ad hoc Committee on PTIs, fundraising costs, graduate assistant support, and library collections, and concern that SU's average full-time faculty compensation continued to be below the average pay of peer groups. In January, it reported the pro forma budget for 2003-4, which recommended: a 6% tuition increase for 2003-4; salary budget increases of 3.5% per year; 1.5% increase in operating budgets; increase in health care cost of 10%, 8%, 8%, and 7% each year subsequent to fiscal 2005; creation of a minimum wage for PTIs and adjuncts, and increase in the budget for library books and periodicals by 5% a year. The Budget committee's April report included: a report from the Subcommittee on Administrative Expense; report of expenditure plans for new funding for graduate education; an income subsidy report; and report of the impact of the Governor's proposal on SU and its students; contingency plan preparedness; institutional advancement (return on investment); academic space plan. Committee on Computing ServiceThe Committee on Computing Services began with a tribute to Beth Ruffo, longtime staff member of the Faculty Computing Center, who had died in the winter. The committee report included a reminder to faculty, staff, and students about the policy on illegal online file trading, as well as informing senators how they might get a committee web site updated, or install new programs on teaching station and/or public cluster workstations.
Committee on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns The Committee on Honorary Degrees reported its nominations for the 2003 Commencements. Committee on Instruction The Committee on Instruction reported on a matter carried over from 2001-2, a report of results of a survey by the Undergraduates for a Better Education (UBE), which the committee reviewed and brought to the Senate for discussion. The committee also brought the proposed new 5-year academic calendar to the Senate in order to solicit feedback and commentary for the Registrar's office. Other matters discussed by the committee included plagiarism, student retention, and academic and financial support for in programs such as HEOP. In April, the committee brought a revised version of the proposed new class scheduling paradigm for information and commentary, saying that debate and vote on the new paradigm would be held in the fall 2003 semester, and that over the summer a simulation would be done to see how the proposed new paradigm would work. The report included a web site for members of the SU community to communicate with the committee http://cstl.syr.edu/scheduling/survey.asp. Committee on the Library The Committee on the Library reported on the study conducted by the library and the resultant recommendations, including increased space, more flexibility in use of the library space, provision of a common area for readings, presentations and cultural events, increased availability of and support for technology, facilitated access to services such as reference and circulation, creation of a more welcoming atmosphere at the entrances (e.g., a more visible and attractive book presence), newspaper and periodical reading areas, and reference collection, increased visibility of print collection. Other recommendations included improved layout, signs, exhibits, more electric outlets and network ports, more restroom facilities and shelves for personal items, designated cell phone use area, and a coffee shop on the first floor. Committee on Services to the Faculty and Staff The Committee on Services to the Faculty and Staff reported briefly on its 2001-2 work, listing meetings with Human Resources in conjunction with increased health plan costs and the Chancellor's Health Care Advisory Committee (HCAC); continued input to the subcommittee working on the Staff Grievance Procedure; reviewed the HCAC's report to the Chancellor and the report of the ad hoc committee on Part-time Teaching, with intention to continue monitoring progress of recommendations from both groups. In the spring, the committee reported a description of the voluntary phased retirement program for tenured faculty, which would be effective as of January 1, 2003.
Committee on Women's Concerns
Agenda Committee VI. RESOLUTIONS In February, the Senate endorsed a resolution supporting the University of Michigan's efforts to get the U.S. Supreme Court to reaffirm the legal principle of continued consideration of race and ethnicity in affirmative action policies in college and university admissions.
During 2002-3, the Senate heard reports from Senior Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs Barry Wells and University Librarian Peter Graham. (Full reports are on file in the Senate office.)
IX. THE CHANCELLOR'S RESPONSE TO SENATE ACTION In addition to the annual update on his efforts to change the U.S. Department of Defense policy on gays in the ROTC program, the Chancellor concurred in a motion to endorse the Academic Affairs committee's recommendation that SU begin to phase out the undergraduate and graduate programs in the School of Nursing, leading to a closing of the School, as well as a motion to change the name of the Speech Communications department to Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies. 
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