Guydosh's Report on 
The SUNY University Faculty Senate
Spring 2003 Meeting

The Spring plenary meeting of the University Faculty Senate was held recently in Ithaca, NY. The University Senate was created to represent the voice of SUNY Faculty state-wide. It is composed of faculty representatives from each of the State University campuses and is organized much as our own local Faculty Senate.  I am serving as Plattsburgh's University Faculty Senator. 

My colleague, Dave Carson, from the SUNY College at Buffalo prepared the following report which I will offer to you in lieu of the usual reports which I've provided in the past: 

134th Plenary Meeting of the University Faculty Senate
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, April 3-5, 2003


The 134th Plenary meeting of the University Faculty Senate took place on April 3-5, 2003, at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. Attending from Buffalo State were: Cherry Searle and David Carson, University Senators; Howard Reid, CGL; John DeNisco, Senate Undergraduate Committee, chair; Marvin LaHood, Senate Awards Committee, chair.


Primary Speakers:
Joe Hildreth, UFS President
Brian Stenson, Vice-Chancellor, Finance and Business
Joe DeFillipo, Asst. Provost, Program Review and Planning


President’s Report:

· Eighteen campuses have displayed art work at SUNY Central. This includes art faculty and students.

· Senate Student Transfer Initiative. A task force has been looking at transfer models from other state systems. Further discussion is forthcoming before it will make a recommendation.

· Budget. Hildreth announced that Brian Stenson would make a full budgetary report to the Senate, and the news is all bad. The current deficit is $11.5 billion—the worst in NY history. There will be a $184 million cut to SUNY, with a requested $1200 increase recommended to make up the shortfall. SUNY has no reserves. There is a possibility the increase may be less than $1200.

· The Advisory Council on General Education (ACGE) met in Albany on March 26 and has developed procedures for looking at course proposals which have been called into question. ACGE will also look at the Learning Outcomes for General Education and make recommendations.

· There will be a General Education Conference at Syracuse on April 24 and 25.

· SUNY Assessment of General Education is proceeding. Forty of 57 campuses have had their plans reviewed and approved.

· There will be a General Education Assessment Conference in Albany on November 13 and 14.

· There is a Faculty Development Initiative underway which will yield a report on best practices on research, teaching, service, promotion and tenure, and recognition of excellence.

· New Vision for Teacher Education. Eighteen hours in a major field are now required for certification in El. Ed. and Sec. Ed. An implementation report is due in the Chancellor’s office. The teacher ed. transfer template is an ongoing issue.

· Issue of Concern: The Global Education Network is advertising a course in American History and one in Calculus, both of which are touted as fulfilling the Trustees’ Gen. Ed. requirements. The Global Education Network took out full page ads in every SUNY campus paper. The courses are taught by faculty from Hudson Valley Community College. Provost Peter Salins says he knows nothing about this. The courses are taught with “course cartridges,” or electronic textbooks. The Senate is concerned about this and will communicate with UUP.

· Another Issue of Concern: System Wide Assessment of General Education.

· Still Another Issue of Concern: Rethinking SUNY II. (Also known as “Rethinking Rethinking SUNY.”) Trustees Egan, Daniels and Cox are on a committee to find ways to make SUNY “more efficient.” A survey—the Crane-Taylor Survey—has gone out to campus administrators with questions like: “What are you doing to review faculty efficiency?” and “What is the mileage on your campus cars?”

Joe Hildreth was re-elected President of the University Faculty Senate.


Sector Meeting:

In a meeting of Senators from the four-year colleges we discussed:

1) Restructuring at the SUNY and campus levels. At the SUNY level, there are now officially only three sectors: Doctoral granting institutions, four-year comprehensive colleges, and specialized colleges. Of more concern was restructuring at the campus level. In efforts to cut costs and to improve efficiency, some campuses are restructuring, but without any involvement of faculty governance. The Senators affirmed that faculty governance should be consulted.

2) Brockport had its graduate nursing program closed by its Dean. There was no consultation with faculty.

3) System-wide assessment.

4) Oswego had an Iraqi faculty member fired. Reasons were less than satisfactory to the rest of the faculty.

5) 40% of all courses at Fredonia are taught by adjunct faculty.

6) What is the role of the faculty in evaluating senior administrators?

7) Global Education Network


Presentation on the Budget, Brian Stenson, Vice Chancellor, Finance and Business

Stenson started by saying that all is conjecture. The Governor’s budget is out. It reduces state support for SUNY and increases tuition. The budget gap is about $11.5 billion, resulting from revenue losses from 9-11. Spending is up and revenue is down. Tax refunds are being held back. “Avails” (one-shot revenue sources such as the tobacco settlement money) are at risk. The state is looking to close loop holes in tax structure for corporations. Legislative priorities include school aid, health care, and TAP. Most campuses have used their reserves. Things are looking bleak for the next 2-3 years. The Governor’s budget reduces support for everything, but SUNY “fared well” because the reduction in its budget can be offset by the tuition increase, and Stenson says the message is that we need all $1200. There is no plan to change the BAP funding model. We won’t know about the tuition increase until the budget is passed because the state education law prohibits a change in tuition until a budget is fixed. It can, however, be made conditional until such time as a budget passes. Stenson thinks a budget will be in place by end of June. (In answering a question, Stenson stated that a flat budget, i.e. a budget in which a tuition increase offsets a funding decrease, amounts to about $40 million total decrease for SUNY.

A motion to shoot the messenger failed, and Vice-Chancellor Stenson was thanked for his honest and forthright presentation.


Presentation on Enrollment Planning, Joe DeFillipo, Assistant Provost for Program Review and Planning

Assistant Provost DeFillipo gave a presentation on Enrollment Planning. He took the Senate, step by step, through the process by which a campus and central administration set and reach enrollment goals. He discussed the role of Mission Review in this process and he warned against “over-enrollment.” He pointed out that campuses need to stick to their target goals. SUNY will not automatically fund over growth.


University-Wide Assessment of General Education

A task force of University Faculty Senators and representatives from the Faculty Council of Community Colleges has been set up to meet with Chancellor King to discuss system wide assessment. King is concerned about objections. Hildreth doesn’t think that the Provost’s office will mandate system-wide assessment with a standardized test, but he thinks the Trustees will.

Summary of Objections:

1) There could be inappropriate disclosure of test results.

2) A single test could lead to an unhealthy uniformity among the campuses.

3) We have just begun campus-based assessment. It should be given an opportunity to work.

4) Assessment results will be used for resource allocation.

5) There is no literature that shows that system-wide assessment works. In fact, the literature shows that assessment works only when it is campus based.

Suggestions and Strategy:

1) So far, the campus Presidents and Academic VPs have left the fight up to the Senate. They will be encouraged to help add to the pressure on the Chancellor and Trustees to maintain campus based assessment.

2) Faculty leadership will put together a white paper and supporting documents and make written and oral presentations to Trustees who are not yet committed to system-wide assessment. (That is everyone except Egan and de Russy.) The goal will be to show the Trustees the value of and the strong support among the faculty for campus based assessment of general education. This will be done by May, because mischief always happens in the summer or on the semester break.


Committee Reports:

The Awards Committee announced the creation of the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service. It will focus recognizing faculty for service, especially in the area of faculty governance.

The Governance Committee urged each campus to put together policies on academic dishonesty by faculty. Also, a survey revealed that faculty have little to no input into the evaluation of senior administrators, that faculty rarely see the results of the evaluations, and that results are usually ignored.

The Operations Committee reported that an analysis of changes in faculty and administrative growth has been conducted. It shows that over a 10 year period, the number of administrators has not gone up much and the number of faculty has not gone down much. But the number of individuals designated as “administrative support” has gone up considerably.

The Student Life Committee announced an upcoming conference on issues affecting international students. It will be held in October at Binghamton.

The Undergraduate Committee reported that it will develop a template that will help campuses develop a retention strategy report data on what they are doing in the area of retention. The committee will then put together a best practices guideline. The committee is also looking at the issue of student plagiarism and will make recommendations to the Senate about compiling and making use of information related to student plagiarism. 


The meeting adjourned at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, April 5, 2003.


Respectfully submitted,

Dr. David A. Carson
Professor/University Senator.

From: Ray Guydosh
Sent: Monday, April 7, 2003 5:00 PM
To: David Carson
Subject: UFS Meeting Report

Hi David--   ...
Would you mind if I made a copy of your report available to our Plattsburgh faculty, giving you appropriate credit.
--Ray

From: David Carson
Sent: Tuesday, April 8, 2003 08:08
To: Ray Guydosh
Subject: RE: UFS Meeting Report

Hi Ray,
That would be fine. Just know that the motion to shoot Brian Stenson was made in jest (and it was made by a Vice Chancellor.) You might also report that the food was first rate.  If there is any other way I can help, just let me know.
David