College of Arts and Sciences
Council of Chairs
May 14, 2008
2:30 p.m., AS 122
Meeting Minutes
Present: H. Baran, J. Berkowitz, J. Collins, A. DeBlasi, K. Doolen, R. Dressler, E. Gaffney, S.
Galime, K. Gersowitz (recorder), D. Goodwin, G. Griffith, T. Harrison, D. Hernandez, M. Hill, V.
Idone, J. Kimball, J. Mandle, M. Messitt, A. Millis, J. Monfasani, G. Moore, J. Mower, A. MurrellTaylor (for R. Hamm), C. Olsen, M. Sattinger, L. Schell, C. Scholes, G. Stevens, M. Sutherland, E.
Turner, K. Williams, E. Wulfert, A. Zak.
Introductory Remarks: Dean Wulfert called the meeting to order at 2:30 p.m.
Minutes of the meeting of April 23, 2008: A motion to approve the minutes was moved by J.Mower,
seconded by J. Collins. The meeting minutes for the April 23, 2008 Council of Chairs were
unanimously approved (with amendments).
Announcements:
 Commencement Weekend (May 17 and 18) – Dean Wulfert thanked the Chairs for submitting
the names of the over 90 faculty planning to attend the graduate and undergraduate ceremonies.
With this many faculty participating, CAS will have a good presence at the ceremonies.

Faculty Activity Reports – Faculty activity reports are due to the Departments by June 2nd and
should be sent to Cindy Endres in the Dean’s office no later than June 9th. Faculty can either
use the web-based or paper systems. Please note that CAS policy requires a faculty activity
report be on file in order for an individual to be eligible for a discretionary increase. A.
DeBlasi suggested there should be a survey of faculty to determine appropriate categories of
scholarship for any future versions of the FAR.

Tuition scholarships – No new commitments can be made at this time to support tuition
waivers for graduate assistantships paid from externally funded sources. J. Collins asked when
the “pause” on GA funding might be lifted. Dean Wulfert noted that we had no further
indication at this time and that SUNY was still negotiating with the Governor’s office.

Sabbatical Reports – Sabbatical reports for Fall 2007 are due. Please send via e-mail to S.
Galime with a copy to the Chair.

Council of Chairs End of Year Social – Dean Wulfert will host this event on Wednesday, May
14th at her residence in Delmar.

Ice Cream Social – The College of Arts and Sciences Ice Cream Social will be held on
Tuesday, May 20th from 2:30 – 4:00 in the Patroon Lounge on the first floor of the Campus
Center.

Dean Wulfert thanked the chairs whose terms were ending: Henryk Baran, Kevin Doolen,
Vincent Idone, James Collins, Albert Millis, Michael Sattinger, and Charles Scholes.
Old Business: None
New Business:
Dean Wulfert commented that Fountain Day was a great success. Due to the increasing efforts to
control access to the event by requiring pre-registration and monitoring of unruly behavior, the event
was without incident. She encouraged faculty to consider attending next year’s event. S. Galime
noted that over 9,000 students pre-registered for the day.
The CAS Dean's Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Teaching for 2008 were recently
awarded to: Professor Helene Scheck for Innovation in Teaching, Professor Igor Lednev for
Excellence in Student Mentoring, and Professor Martha Rozett for Excellence in Service in Teaching.
The recipients were each presented with a $500.00 check at a luncheon in their honor held earlier on
5/14.
Dean Wulfert noted that there was a recent call for participation in the upcoming Middle States
Accreditation and stressed the importance of CAS faculty participation on the many committees
currently being formed.
Dean Wulfert announced that the University Senate recently approved a proposal to establish
undergraduate academic programs leading to the B.S. in Nanoscale Science and the B.S. in
Nanoscale Engineering. Dean Wulfert has been assured by W. Locust that students selecting this new
major will be included in current enrollment goals. It is assumed that these will be very strong
students, thereby increasing the University’s undergraduate profile.
The Science departments have agreed that CNSE will teach their own introductory courses, however
the Math department will be impacted by this new cohort of students who will need to take advanced
math courses for this new major. In recognition of this, the CNSE has agreed to fund three tenure
track lines in the Math Department over the next three years, assuming the enrollment targets are met.
The College’s current Strategic Plan expires at the end of the summer and Dean Wulfert announced
that she would like to form a committee to develop a modest, three year plan that emphasizes goals
that can be achieved in the current climate. Please e-mail Dean Wulfert if you are interested in
working with her on this.
A discussion on procedures for removing an underperforming graduate student from a program
took place. J. Collins expressed some difficulties his Department was having in this area. Dean
Wulfert noted that the Psychology Department typically provides annual, written feedback to its
students. If there are any deficiencies in performance, they are noted in this review. Each review
clearly identifies the nature of the problem, how the problems could be remediated, and a reasonable
deadline for doing so.
G. Griffith questioned whether or not copies of this sort of correspondence should be forwarded to the
University Counsel. Dean Wulfert suggested that this is not necessary on a routine basis, however if
you have any questions, you should contact John Reilly. A similar process should be followed in
evaluating the work of graduate assistants.
A. Millis noted that in Biology each student must provide a presentation of their work to a committee
and that TAs receive written evaluation of their work.
Dean Wulfert noted that the process is similar to term renewals in that documentation of any
weaknesses is necessary.
It was noted that in cases of academic dishonesty, faculty should complete a Violation of Academic
Integrity Report, even if they are imposing their own sanction on a student. This is the only way the
Deans of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies can identify repeat offenders.
Indirect Costs Returns (ICR) have been cut back from 10% to 5%, having a significant impact on the
College and Departments. Dean Wulfert has been discussing this issue with V.P. Videka and hopes to
have news of a restoration. V. Idone noted that this could have a long term negative impact as it is a
disincentive for researchers. It was felt that more transparency would help the faculty understand the
issues influencing this change in policy. L. Schell noted that the University Senate policy on ICR
stipulates a 10% return to the schools/college and departments. A proposed increase to ICR passed the
Council on Research, but was never implemented.
It was announced the decisions on the second round of travel grants have been made and award letters
mailed. CAS Research Development and Release time awards are on hold due to resource issues. It
was noted that release time grants made for Fall 2008 are not impacted, but new applications are not
being accepted.
Adjourned: The meeting was adjourned at 3:30 pm.
Handouts:
Agenda
Minutes of 4/23/08 Council of Chairs meeting