Informal Notes and MInutes of the February 19, 2013 Senate Council Meeting

On Tuesday, February 19, 2013, the Penn State Faculty Senate Council held a regularly scheduled meeting.  This post provides an informal summary of the meeting.  In the event of conflict the formal minutes will be regarded as authoritative.  

(Pix (c) Larry Catá Backer 2012)

I thank to Tram Turner for excellent note taking.

Senate Council (UFS)
2/19/13


[Video link established at 1:40 p.m.]


The Proposal for a name change from a Liberal Arts Program was presented. The motion to approve passed.

The minutes from the January 15th 2013 meeting were approved.

In his announcements, the Chair listed the FAC topics from this morning’s meeting. The Corbett budget proposal and hearings were referred to as “amicable.” Comments on the General Education item included that there would be a Task Force created that would have a focus on the Diversity issues. HR 80 has now been implemented, providing guidelines on faculty expectations after consultation with the faculty. Higher Education mandates were discussed briefly in terms of what changes are expected.

The on-line committee Preference Form will be sent out in mid-March. Caucuses are encouraged to discuss committee assignments in advance. Liberal Arts has forwarded a report on threats from undergraduate students and the Senate has been asked to address the issue through committee. The Chair intends to refer the information to Student Affairs with the charge to include graduate and undergraduate students. A review by Faculty Affairs was also suggested.

The Interim Vice President and Provost provided an update on admissions numbers. Differences in UP and campus numbers were noted. Plans for expanded advertising in the next 6 – 8 weeks were announced. (The Philadelphia area has been responsible for 38% of all enrollments in the past.) New Jersey applications are down 22%. An increase in the yield rate was noted. An update on administrative searches included the Dean of Agriculture Search closing March 15th and a new search for the Dean of the College of Engineering.

The Vice Provost provided an update on scheduling for Middle States preparation through 2015. Dr. Hanes also provided an update on administrative searches. April 10th is the Undergraduate Research Fair.

The Harrisburg Constitution Revision to include a committee on athletics was presented.

The motion to move the Senate meetings to the morning for next Spring did not pass. The slates from CC&R were presented and the election results for next year’s CC&R were announced.

A report from ARSAA then provided an update on Priority Registration for Veterans (active duty and honorably discharged). ARSAA decided it would be limited to the Veteran and not applied to family members. The mechanism for identifying those eligible within ISIS has been a challenge, though the Office of Veterans Affairs will be meeting with the committee to suggest identifier. Working within the framework that we have was suggested. Course controls were suggested. Jim Ruiz suggested that the Registrar’s office accept verification and enter the priority registration. Dr. Hanes asked for a timeline so that she can discuss this with Senate. The suggestion to take the priority item to the Registrar for a stop gap process was accepted.

The Study of Senate and BOT work was presented by John Nichols and placed on the agenda. The IAC motion to adjust the 75 hour rule was presented. There were questions about not counting absences after 2:15 (practice time), which will be clarified in the wording.

The Senate Self-Study Report was then presented to be added to the agenda. Wording changes were suggested.

The Faculty Salary Report was approved for inclusion in the agenda. The Senate Council Nominating Committee Report was then voted onto the agenda. The Elections Committee Roster was also added to the agenda.

The External Matters Subcommittee Report was reviewed and will be posted to the Senate website.

The Faculty Affairs Committee Report on Digital Measures was presented and accepted for the agenda. The Tenure Flow-Through Report was also added to the agenda. A Global Programs Report was also approved.