College of Arts and Sciences
Council of Chairs
April 7, 2010
2:30 p.m., AS 122
Meeting Minutes
Present: J. Berkowitz, J. Brière, A. DeBlasi, S. Fessler, E. Gaffney, K. Gersowitz (recorder), D. Goodwin, G.
Griffith, T. Harrison, M. Hill, T. Kinal, R. Lachmann, J. Large, A. Lyons, C. MacDonald, J. Mandle, G. Moore, J.
Pipkin, C. Smith, G. Stevens, D. Strait (for Broadwell), M. Sutherland, C. Thorncroft, P. Toscano, K. Williams,
T. Wormwood, E. Wulfert, G. Zahavi (for Hamm), A. Zak, K. Zhu, R. Zitomer. Guests: B. Dudek, S. Mahan, R.
Gibson, E. Millington
Introductory Remarks: Dean Wulfert called the meeting to order at 2:30 p.m.
Minutes of March 10, 2010: A motion to approve the minutes was made by R. Zitomer, seconded by C.
MacDonald. The meeting minutes for March 10 2010 were unanimously approved.
Announcements:
 Distinguished Dissertation & MFA Project Awards nominations (2009-10) are due 4/15/10 (to Greg Stevens, AS217)
 Marching faculty participant names are due to the Dean’s Office: 4/15/10 (tentative date). Send list of participant
names to Debernee Privott (dprivott@albany.edu).
 CAS Ice Cream Social: 5/18/10 from 2:30-4:00 p.m. in the lobby of the Arts and Sciences building. Please RSVP
to Jaime Galusha by 5/10/10 (jgalusha@albany.edu).
Faculty/Staff Participation Requested at these Events:
 Faculty Phone-A-Thon for Group One, Presidential Scholars, Frederick Douglass Scholars (3/15-4/9/10). Thank
you for your participation. Please return call sheets to Undergraduate Admissions (UNH 112) by 4/12/10.
 Open Houses for Accepted Students are 4/17/10 and 4/18/10 (send name of department representative to
Cindy Endres at cendres@albany.edu by 3/26/10)
 Fountain Day is 4/25/10 from 12:00-4:00 p.m. Please volunteer by signing up at:
http://www.albany.edu/fountainday/volunteer.shtml
 Campus Clean-Up Day is 4/27/10. Please volunteer by signing up at: http://www.albany.edu/cleanup/. (Rain
date is 4/29/10.)
 Commencement Weekend is 5/15-5/16/10. Please volunteer by signing up at:
http://apps.albany.edu/volunteer/?ID=31
 Please provide the name of your transfer student advisor for Summer Planning Conferences to Undergraduate
Studies (send name of department representatives to Donna LaHue at dlahue@uamail.albany.edu)
Old Business:
Graduate Syllabus – J. Pipkin reported that he had heard from two faculty members regarding the graduate
syllabus. Neither expressed concerns that would require a revision to the proposed syllabus. The Dean asked for
a motion to approve the graduate syllabus requirement as a new CAS policy. The motion to approve was made
by R. Lachmann, seconded by J. Brière. The vote was 20 in favor, one against. The proposal will now be
brought to the CAS Faculty Council for consideration.
New Business
Presentation by University at Albany Classrooms Advisory Committee (B. Dudek, S. Mahan, R. Gibson, E.
Millington, members of the University Classrooms Advisory Committee)
1
The Classrooms Advisory Committee is comprised of faculty and staff from facilities, academic affairs, and the
registrar’s office.
Current situation:
There are currently 109 classrooms and lectures centers with an additional 28 rooms scheduled to come online in
Fall 2013 with the completion of the new School of Business building. Currently the University exceeds the
recommended hourly usage for most classrooms. This is especially true of the lecture centers. One concern is
that many classes scheduled in the lecture centers could be scheduled in smaller rooms, however these rooms are
not available. Some classrooms have been recently rehabbed and refurbished with improved lighting, acoustics,
furniture and technology while other rooms continue to have outdated technology, too many seats, old furniture,
and poor lighting, acoustics, and HVAC control. The condition of classrooms is monitored by annual
assessments and through faculty surveys.
Scheduling is difficult for a variety of reasons including overuse of classrooms and high demand for TuesdayThursday mid-day times. Funding to rehab classrooms is limited. Long lead times are necessary. There are
architectural obstacles and integrity issues to contend with. Additionally, taking classrooms offline for
renovation puts further pressure on the scheduling of the remaining classrooms.
Progress:
$1 million in capital funds will be available annually for the next five years for classroom and lab renovations.
The Committee is currently providing assistance in prioritizing the rehab sequence and any additional work (e.g.,
new classrooms). A rational sequence for renovating the lecture centers is currently being explored. It was noted
capital funds are separate from operating funds and therefore not impacted by any budget cuts.
Input:
The Committee is asking each Department to evaluate their curricular needs by looking at the types of teaching
spaces currently used, what instructional approaches might be utilized if appropriate spaces were available, and to
consider the mix of traditional lecture style seating vs. flexible furniture arrangements. How much demand
would they have for collaborative learning spaces, small breakout group capability, computer classrooms,
technology in all classrooms? A survey will be distributed by the Committee to the Departments (also available
online).
If a faculty member is experiencing any problems in their current classrooms they should contact the staff person
in their Department with work order access to put in a work order to address any issues. If you find that these
issues are not addressed within a reasonable period of time, please alert E. Gaffney.
It was noted that discussions regarding a new campus master plan will begin this summer and that faculty will
have the opportunity to provide input through public forums and focus groups.
Hiring Update
The Dean provided an update on the faculty searches taking place this semester. Although we had originally
planned to fill one new faculty position in Physics this year and a second line next year, the caliber of the
candidates was excellent. Two candidates were uniquely qualified and therefore the Department was authorized
to extend offers to both candidates and both have accepted and will join the Physics Department in the fall.
Similarly, the Math Department, which will receive three lines over the course of the next three years funded by
CNSE, has also extended two offers for the fall to two excellent candidates and both have accepted. CAS will
provide bridge funding for one year as the second CNSE funded line was not scheduled to begin until fall 2011.
The Communication search is still ongoing. Unfortunately, it is currently unclear whether the two postponed
searches (Sociology, ATM) will be authorized to go forward, given the current budget situation.
2
Budget Update
The Dean reported that at the most recent Provost’s Executive Advisory Committee (PEAC) meeting the Deans
were instructed to develop budget reduction scenarios of 5%, 10% and 15%. For CAS these 3 scenarios amount
to $1.9 million (5%), $3.9 million (10%), and $5.8 million (15%) in permanent resources. The reduction plans
will be realized over a two year period, 2010-11 and 2011-12.
The Dean explained that CAS turnover (resignations and retirements) comes to approximately $1.2 million
annually. She noted that the College has already sustained significant losses over the past few years and that
further reduction targets in the stated amounts cannot be met by attrition alone. Moreover, attempting to meet
budget cuts exclusively by turnover is based largely on random factors and violates the presumption of strategic
cuts that was recommended by the Chairs Council and by the BAG-2 group. Of lines lost to turnover, 70% of
their value will remain in a given College or School while 30% will become part of CAR (Centrally Allocated
Resources) for reinvestment based on the Provost’s priorities. Dean Wulfert noted that it is the Provost’s
prerogative to influence hiring priorities, just as it is her prerogative to determine where resources that become
available within CAS should be allocated. However, she stated that she will make the strongest possible appeal to
the Provost and lay claim to the 30% CAR realized from CAS resources because the College has suffered
tremendous reductions and will have difficulty meeting its instructional obligations with further reductions. She
also pointed out that the turnover money from lines is gradually being eroded because we are responsible for
salary increases due to promotions and for any O’Leary professorships that are being awarded.
Although we do not yet know what this year’s State budget allocation to the University will be, Dean Wulfert
stated that the University is bracing itself for possibly unprecedented budget cuts this and the following year. She
will be asking for the Chairs’ guidance on how to confront cuts to the CAS budget as more information becomes
available. Similar to last semester’s assistance in developing a framework for reinvestment, this year,
unfortunately the Council of Chairs will be asked to assist in developing a framework for reductions. Dean
Wulfert also reported that the President is forming a third Budget Advisory Committee (BAG-3).
The Dean assured the Chairs that her decisions on term renewals will not be based on the current budget situation.
C. MacDonald noted that the “academic-side” of the University budget should be protected.
R. Zitomer commented that this is the 3rd consecutive year we have seen cuts but that no detailed plan has come
from the previous BAG committees. He noted that it is the Chairs’ responsibility to advocate for their department
and that perhaps a separate faculty committee, not the Council of Chairs, should be convened to be advisory to
the Dean in upcoming budget matters.
D. Strait stated that it was necessary to have all Departments represented in these discussions.
R. Lachmann stated that we could look at the reductions in two different ways. The first would defund programs
based on an established set of criteria. The second would be to look at other options (e.g., graduate funding).
G. Griffith noted that a sense of mission would be critically important to these decisions. To what extent should
the SUNY Strategic Plan inform these discussions? The Dean noted that the message remains that we need to
build to strength and that there is general agreement about this principle; however, there is less agreement on how
best to define strength.
The Dean reported that a resolution had been planned to allow Buffalo and Stony Brook the full benefits of the
Public Higher Education Empowerment and Innovation Act, and Albany and Binghamton partial benefits.
However, at this time it seems unlikely that the Act will be passed.
M. Sutherland noted that it is the responsibility of the Trustees to determine strategically how cuts will be made
across the SUNY System.
3
It was noted that layoff authority comes from SUNY Central. The Dean suggested that we still do not know for
sure whether layoffs will actually materialize and she asked Chairs to be prudent and not alarm faculty
unnecessarily. However, others noted that given the memorandum sent earlier in the day via email by the
President, the faculty are already aware of the seriousness of the situation and that a good deal of anxiety
currently exists.
G. Griffith noted that we should assure faculty that tenure decisions are being made based on the standard criteria
and are not being driven by the budget crisis.
M. Hill commented that The Chronicle has been publishing a series on these issues.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:10.
Handouts:
Minutes of March 10, 2010 meeting
Agenda
Draft Requirements for Syllabi of Graduate Courses
Classrooms at the University at Albany PowerPoint presentation slides
Classroom Advisory Committee Departmental Survey
4