Monday, January 31, 2011
2:30 PM
UNH 306
Eric Lifshin, Senate Chair
Present: J. Philippe Abraham, Tom Bessette, James Castracane, Susanna Fessler, James Fossett, Pradeep
Haldar, Laurence Kranich, Vincent LaBella, Danielle Leonard, Eric Lifshin, JoAnne Malatesta,
Richard Matyi, John Monfasani, Susan Phillips, Shadi Shahedipour-Sandvik, Daniel White.
The meeting convened at 2:30 pm.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
The minutes of November 29 were approved.
PROVOST’S REPORT (SUSAN PHILLIPS)
Provost Phillip reported that her office is assisting the President with designing the next budget advisory group. She discussed her conversation with GOV in which she presented the challenges that will be confronted such constraints with the unions. The release of Governor Cuomo’s budget is expected to be contentious. The rule of thumb is to think of it in terms of a worst case scenario.
SENATE CHAIR’S REPORT (ERIC LIFSHIN)
Nothing to report.
OTHER REPORTS
SUNY SENATORS’ REPORT (J. PHILIPPE ABRAHAM, SHADI SHAHEDIPOUR-SANDVIK,
DANIEL WHITE)
Senator Daniel White reported on activities from the winter plenary meeting in Binghamton. Chancellor Zimpher addressed the issue of deactivation and deregistration. There is a form that is supposed to be sent by campus administration to the central administrative offices but has never included a check off for faculty councils. That has now been made part of the form. The Chancellor said the resolutions passed by the SUNY Senate last fall made a difference.
Chancellor Zimpher is very much behind the seamless transfer from two to four year colleges as well as between four year colleges. SUNY administration and the University Faculty Senate leadership are very invested in this.
Chair Lifshin asked if deactivation equals suspension of admissions. Senator White said that paperwork has not been sent to SUNY to deactivate any programs. UAC Chair Malatesta said that suspension of admissions is more of an in house practice to admissions for the purpose of evaluating a situation. It was her understanding that the two are not equal. GAC Chair Kranich said that deactivation was for a fixed duration and referred to a memo from 1983 that outlines the procedure (memo is attached at the end of these minutes). Senator White was not aware of that definition.

Senator White was asked by colleagues in French about online consolidation which is being done at Geneseo. The
SUNY Provost has shown interest in consolidations.
GRADUATE STUDENT ORGANIZATION REPORT—HEIDI NICHOLLS, GSO
REPRESENTATIVE
Over the break the GSO added an additional computer, updated the programming systems and revamped the overall space for ease of use and to encourage both a study and community environment. A persistent problem is the carrying capacity of our printer since our volume has increased 150% since last year. We have already held two kick off events, one a meditation and art of living seminar and the other a dinner in the Patroon Room. We have also had to say goodbye to one of our Senators, Paulina Barrios, as she moves onto new exciting endeavors. We hope to fill her position as senator and seat on CPCA by the end of next week. Our first Assembly
Meeting of the semester will be held on February 4 where we will be voting on the amendments proposed by the Executive Board regarding date and wording concerns in our Constitution and By-Laws. As for the rest of the semester there are exciting events such as Family Fun Day at Six Flags, GSO Mixer downtown, 2nd Kickball Tournament, a Graduate Student Forum, Salsa Lessons, and the continuance of the Graduate Student Brown Bag Series.
STUDENT ASSOCIATION REPORT (JUSTIN WAX JACOBS)
N/A
COUNCIL/COMMITTEE CHAIRS’ REPORTS:
CAA (Council on Academic Assessment) – Richard Matyi, Chair
1. The CAA Academic Program Review Committee has completed its draft report on the 2010 self study and external review for the
Africana Studies Department’s undergraduate and graduate degree programs. A final version of the report is in preparation.
2. The CAA PRC has received the response from the Music Department regarding its external review of its self-study. Final review of Music by the PRC is in progress.
3. The CAA participated in the review of the Gen Ed Task Force held by the UAC Gen Ed Committee.
4. The CAA is currently working with Joel Bloom of IRPE on the distribution of the new Math Gen Ed form being distributed to the
Math Department.
CAFFECoR (Committee on Academic Freedom, Freedom of Expression, and Community
Responsibility) – Pradeep Haldar, Chair
Nothing to Report
CERS (Committee on Ethics in Research and Scholarship) – John Monfasani, Chair
After CERS met with University Counsel John Reilly in December and CERS Chair Monfasani met with Counsel Reilly in January,
CERS was able to draft a final text that answered its concerns and those of the University administration. CERS approved this text on January 18th and the explanation of the bill on January 21st.
COR (Council on Research) – James Castracane, Chair
Our January meeting of COR was canceled due to the snowstorm. We will meet again in Feb.
The only thing that can be mentioned is that the FRAP A subcommittee met and reviewed/ranked the submitted proposals. A final email vote will happen early next week and recommendations to the VPR will be made.
Note that frap a committee finished evaluations of proposals; there will be online vote; announcement will be posted on COR page and university page
CPCA (Council on Promotions and Continuing Appointments) – Vincent LaBella, Chair
Several members have left CPCA due to retirements, sabbaticals, or for other reasons. This includes David Wills, Branca Arsic,
Gary Yukl, and graduate student Paulina Berrios. We have added two new members including Glyne Griffith and Lee Bickmore.
In addition Sandra Vergari comes back to the council this spring after being on sabbatical this past fall. We are in the process of evaluating the council membership and deciding if more members need to be added. Our first meeting of the New Year will be on
Feb 10th.
Chair LaBella reported that the Council is soliciting a graduate student representative.

GAC (Graduate Academic Council) – Laurence Kranich, Chair
GAC met on January 24 to continue its consideration of CAA program assessments. In addition, the Council was informed by the
Dean of Graduate Studies that the graduate student support allocations for 2011-12 have been made. All programs have been adversely affected. The average budget cut across departments was 15%. The Chair of GAC’s Committee on Educational Policy and Procedure will serve on an ad hoc joint committee of UAC, GAC, CAFFECoR and Graduate Studies to review the violation of academic integrity policies. The next meeting of the Council is scheduled for February 11 at which time it will consider a proposal from the School of Education for a Certificate of Graduate Studies in Online Learning and Teaching.
GOV (Governance Council) – Susanna Fessler, Chair
GOV met for the first time this semester on January 27th. Our main order of business was reviewing the President's proposed slate of members of Budget Advisory Group 4. GOV approved 34 out of 43 members, and made suggestions for those member positions which it did not approve.
GOV also continues its work to follow up on Senate Resolution 0910-02. We are currently seeking one unit on campus which is willing to be a "pilot" group for the assessment process.
Chair Fessler reported that she is working with Secretary Bessette on Senate seats to make sure they are proportional in the schools and colleges.
LISC (Council on Libraries, Information Systems, and Computing) – Shadi Shahedipour-Sandvik,
Chair
LISC met on Monday Dec. 13th. Amongst topics discussed were the new wiki space for “ITS campus community access” which
includes matters of general interest along with strategic plan, resources in IT planning, teaching with technology and related external resources/articles. Blackboard survey data is available on the extent of use and the result of student attitudes and features they value the most. This survey will be posted on the wiki. It is also noteworthy that UAlbany’s student newspaper, the ASP, is featured in the December 10, 2010 issue of the Scout Report http://library.albany.edu/speccoll/findaids/studentnewspapers.htm
The next meeting of LISC is scheduled for Feb. 14th. One of the topics to be discussed is “cloud computing”.
Chair Lifshin asked Chair Shahedipour-Sandvik about the recent announcement to changes in the campus email system. She reported that the discussions are documented in the minutes of LISC.
UAC (Undergraduate Academic Council) – JoAnne Malatesta, Chair
UAC will convene on February 2 nd . Over the break, UAC voted to approve a bill regarding changes to the Journalism major which has been forwarded to UPPC. The General Education Committee has met and is beginning to evaluate the General Education Task
Force recommendation. While we are working to convert the recommendation into proposed legislation, we are awaiting additional feedback from the Senate, Schools, and Colleges. Two new members have joined UAC – Lana Cable and Ineke Murakami. They will be replacing Steve North and Laura Wilder respectively.
ULC (University Life Council) – Danielle Leonard, Chair
ULC is now organizing its Spring 2011 schedule. Our first meeting will be the week of 2/7.
UPPC (University Planning and Policy Council) – Jim Fossett, Chair
Attention to two non-routine items
Budget consultation process—Conferring with GOV over membership of new BAG; BAG charter from President and nature of consultation process. UPPC membership will be included more or less in entirety on BAG; unclear at this point what precise request from President will look like and how entire process will work. Earlier BAGs have offered macro advice centering around need to avoid further across the board cuts and focus on strategic cuts which protect strong departments. BAG III didn’t address department finances or how to define strong departments or identify those which are mission critical. Unclear how much more detail will be requested from BAG IV—criteria for further retrenchments in more detail or actually identifying departments which should be at risk or how far process will extend—offering advice to President on how should do it and/or reacting to Presidential decisions when those are actually made.
There is also some concern about how to lay out parameters of 11-12 budget choices for Senate and larger university community.
There is a lot of misinformation and confusion about such issues as the status of CNSE, the fungibility of non-state funds in the university’s all-funds budget; potential savings from athletics, and a variety of other issues, and someone needs to take responsibility for providing accurate information about how much free money there really is. The question is whether that someone is us or the administration.
Facilities management plan—An upcoming issue along these same lines is the university’s facilities management plan, which goes into public comment phase on February 9. There doesn’t seem to be any clear precedent for governance to weigh-in on this sort of

process, which happened last in 1997. There is also the potential for complaints from the faculty and the media that the university can’t be very poor if they can contemplate spending lots of money on capital while laying off faculty members. We have asked for an informational briefing from John Giarrusso, who’s the UAlbany point on this process, on the entire process and particularly the financing of new/renovated buildings. My understanding is that most of the capital financing comes from the SUNY system, and we save no money by not doing it, although we do assume financial responsibility for maintenance and the like once the buildings are in place.
NEW BUSINESS
Interim General Education Program:
Chair Lifshin began the discussion. He noted that while the general education task force completed its work and reported to the Senate, it’s unclear where it will go from there. UAC is deliberating the issue. The bill being presented today was submitted by a senator and SUNY Senator White agreed to represent it. By presenting it today, the bill is in accordance with the ten day notification period before the next Senate meeting. The bill has substantial financial considerations and may provide an interim solution while UAC has time to do its work.
SUNY Senator White introduced the bill which he added is a collaboration by a number of people. He is representing the bill since much of the contents come under the purview of the SUNY Senate. Currently, our general education program is under a SUNY mandate but the actions of the Board of Trustees last year released us from the requirement, opening up the possibility to review and change our program. Chancellor
Zimpher has been discussing the educational pipeline and streamlining a seamless transfer between campuses.
Senator White said he was willing to sponsor the bill because it would do just that, providing ease for transfer students and allowing students under a financial burden to graduate in a four year period. He agreed that the work of the general education task force and UAC was valuable but it may take time to figure out what and how to implement the findings.
UAC Chair Malatesta said she did not disagree with the rationale of the bill but did not believe the rationale was achievable and was concerned because UAC was asked to look at a baseline by the Board of Trustees but the Senate voted against the baseline. She said we have students adhering to different general education policies that have been implemented. She expressed the concern about consequences of allowing students to opt into one policy and then change it again in six months. UAC has not reviewed the proposal but wants to make sure things are done correctly.
GAC Chair Kranich asked what the timetable is for moving forward on the general education task force recommendations. Chair Lifshin said the report resides with UAC but there are issues related to its implementation. The Chair said today’s proposal is an attempt to put something in place until the ramifications of the task force findings are cleared. He asked if it would make sense to join the two proposals.
Senator White said his preference was for them to be discrete actions since UAC already has its charge with the task force findings. Chair Lifshin said the commitment of the faculty needs to be clearly defined and did not believe that was accomplished by the task force.
UAC Chair Malatesta said she had concerns about the procedure and proposing bills without going through the proper council. Chair Lifshin said that it is within the framework of the Bylaws and Senator White clarified that it is in Section 7.7.1. Chair Lifshin suggested that Senator White and Chair Malatesta have further discussions on how to proceed.

Suspend Admissions to Major and Honors Program in Judaic Studies (UAC)
UAC Chair Malatesta said the bill was fairly straight forward. Currently, there are six candidates in the majors program but a request was made to include the honors program as well. The department has dwindled due to faculty retirements or leaving for other positions. All parties involved endorse the bill. There was no further discussion. Chair Lifshin requested a vote to advance the bill to the Senate. The vote was approved and the bill will be presented at the next Senate meeting.
Graduate Certificate in Information Security (GAC):
GAC Chair Kranich discussed the bill which is a joint bill between GAC and UPPC. The proposal would create a 15 credit program designed for audiences in the School of Business and Computer Science. Students in our partner program in Moscow will also benefit from the program, as well as NYS employees working in information security. There are four required core courses of three credits each and one elective. Courses will be offered in various modes, partly online and in class. Courses will be offered in Russian and English.
The proposal stems from an external grant from the US Department of education (ED) as well as other external funds and additional grants so the proposal is resource neutral. The ED grant stipulates that some courses will be taught in Russian. If such courses are not accessible to our students, they could be funded through separate means.
UPPC Chair Fossett said the potential market for the proposal is quite extensive. There is interest in various homeland security type agencies, both at the federal and state level, as well as state police agencies. Many other state agencies now have privacy requirements, expanding even further the number of potential students.
There was no further discussion concerning the proposal and Chair Lifshin called for a vote to advance the bill to the Senate. The vote approved doing so.
SUNY-wide Transfer in the Major (Refer to e-mail and attachments sent on 1/10/11):
SUNY Senator White informed SEC that the list was developed to allow students to move seamlessly between schools. It is an attempt by the SUNY Provost to provide information about courses students would want to take that would be seamlessly transferred between different institutions. Provost Phillips said the process began with a mandate from Chancellor Zimpher to develop a more streamlined procedure. The requests came from the SUNY Provost and although it is not a request for comments, comments are welcomed.
Charter Amendment re: Senate Approval of Council Chairs (GOV):
GOV Chair Fessler recapped that the amendment was postponed from last November, but there have not been any changes since then. She reviewed the timeline for populating the Senate as currently outlined in the
Charter.
GAC Chair Kranich said he was concerned about what would happen if the Senate did not approve the vote of the councils for chair. Chair Fessler said one proposal which is not in the bill is to hold elections again if the initial slate is rejected by the Senate. The second election would be final and would provide a chance for council members to consider their satisfaction with the proposed chair.
LISC Chair Shahedipour said if the purpose of the amendment was to avoid representation on the SEC by one unit, there’s no guarantee that anything would change if the Senate does not give approval and the councils have to vote again. Chair Fessler said that the second time councils would have extra information on who has

already been elected to the SEC. A debate ensued on the pros and cons of the amendment. Chair Lifshin said that if the SEC decided this should go to the Senate, that would be the proper place to debate the amendment and suggested that everyone should be prepared to make their position at that time. GAC Chair
Kranich proposed a friendly amendment that specifies the procedure if the Senate does not approve the council chairs as stated above by Chair Fessler. A motion was made to add language that outlines the process for the second round of elections for council chairs. The motion was seconded and approved by a vote. Chair
Fessler said that GOV will meet again before the next Senate meeting and she present the new language at that time.
Misconduct Policy (CERS):
CERS Chair Monfasani provided an overview of the events surrounding the policy over the past four years.
Discussions with University Council John Reilly have brought awareness to both parties what the concerns and legal implications are. CERS has accepted his formulation of the language and does not believe is compromises what CERS had already approved. If the bill is signed by President Philip, Chair Monfasani would like to have the relevant text of the policy posted online to bring awareness of the procedure to those who may bring a complaint in the future. A motion to advance the bill to the Senate was made and seconded, and approved by a vote.
Overview of Discussion re: Budget Advisory Group IV (GOV)
Chair Lifshin said the discussion stems from a specific request made to GOV for constituting BAG 4. The charge to GOV was twofold--to address immediate budget needs and to address needs in the longer term. The role of GOV was to provide 50% of the membership. GOV made specific recommendations, one being to limit the participation of administrative officers. Some questions have surfaced such as the possible redundancy of BAG’s work overlapping the responsibilities that UPPC performs in its normal course of business. Other questions concern issues of colleagues making recommendations that will affect each other and recommendations that could be viewed as advancing certain initiatives. Chair Lifshin referred to the extensive reviews contained in the Middle State report and Strategic Planning, and said these are measures that could guide future recommendations. He said the role of governance is to consider how to assist the administration in making decisions that will not be injurious to faculty and staff, and consistent with
University policies. The failure of governance to participate in the process could be viewed as walking away from critical issues facing the university. He opened the discussion to members of the Executive Committee.
SUNY Senator Abraham abstained from participation due to his union affiliation.
Provost Phillips said the conversation started with GOV and she discussed with them issues that needed consideration. Extending membership to those who participated in the last BAG was one of the issues. BAG
3 members are being given the opportunity to continue or opt out, allowing for replacements to be made.
GOV Chair Fessler said a big concern was the timing surrounding the release of Governor Cuomo’s budget.
Having a plan in place would allow the University to be prepared should the state budget be approved by
April 1. The membership of BAG3 was recommended due to the learning curve and it would take too long to get a newly populated group of people up to speed.
UPPC Chair Fossett said the goal is to design a consultation process that will represent the Senate’s formal involvement. He will be charged to report back to the Senate, to the extent possible, on what transpires with
BAG. Governance needs to be sure that the body advising the President is broadly based and offers responsible advice. Chair Lifshin said he was concerned that once BAG makes a decision, there will be individuals who will question how the group can speak on the behalf of others. Chair Fossett replied that there has to be a mechanism for consultation and this is an effort to assemble experts on campus.
Consultation with the Senate is in place by having UPPC as part of the group. Chair Lifshin expressed further concern about those who may object to the process itself. GAC Chair Kranich said that BAG3 was not asked

to weigh in and eliminate programs but this group may be asked to do so. SUNY Senator White pointed out that GOV has approved a list of more than 50% of the membership for the next advisory group and it is considered formal consultation. Chair Lifshin said it does not mean we can’t decide what it is that governance should or should not do. He said there should be a discussion about the extent to which the Senate should be involved in the process and a clear definition of the charge of Senators involved. He encouraged SEC members to communicate further thoughts by email on the charge of the next BAG and how to respond.
Provost Phillips asked if there would be suggestions for modifications of the membership. She said she was concerned about the timeline and envisioned invitations going out quickly with the first meeting occurring within the next week. Chair Lifshin responded that he hoped the President or the Provost would be willing to consider additional names. Provost Phillips suggested that the issues that were discussed with GOV Chair
Fessler be forwarded to the SEC members. Chair Fessler will forward the e-mail to from the Provost.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 4:04 pm.
Respectfully submitted by
Gail Cameron, Recorder

State University of New York
Date: August 26, 1983 Vol. 83 No. 11
From: Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Programs, Policy and Planning
Subject: Procedures for Deactivation and/or Discontinuance of Academic Programs
To. Presidents, State University of New York
This memorandum combines the policy provisions on program deactivation and discontinuance contained in two previous memoranda to campus Presidents, namely Vol. 75 No. 18 of
September 22, 1975, and Vol. 76 No. 27 of November 26, 1976, and revises and replaces them. It covers the policy approved on June 23, 1976, at which time the Board of
Trustees adopted Resolution 76-169 directing the Chancellor to review, ratify and confirm all actions affecting academic program elimination, and to develop and implement a review procedure for the elimination of academic programs which reserves for Board action all changes affecting campus mission.
When a campus makes a decision not to admit any more students to a program but to maintain the program registration, this action is referred to as deactivation. The deactivation date is the first regular admission date as of which new students will no longer be permitted to enroll in the program. A program is often deactivated to allow time for a campus to determine whether to continue the program offering or to reorganize the program structure and/or resources.
When a campus decides to remove a program from its complement of registered programs so that credentials will no longer be awarded for its completion, this action is known as discontinuance. The discontinuance date is the last graduation date as of which credentials will be awarded for program completion.
There are several situations in which a campus determines that the deactivation or discontinuance of an academic program might be appropriate. The program may no longer be considered a viable offering. Campuses deactivate or discontinue programs in response to budgetary stringencies or internal resource reallocations on the campus. Perhaps a campus has determined to treat the pro-gram as an option or as an integrated part of another major or interdisciplinary program.
The procedure outlined below is not meant to limit the authority of the campus President or of other campus constituencies. Rather, it is intended to ensure the quality and diversity of curricular offerings within the University.

Memorandum to Presidents
August 26, 1983
No. 83-11
Page 9
This procedure for the deactivation or discontinuance of academic programs applies to all State University campuses and to all academic programs which cannot be initiated without authorization external to the individual campus. These programs are listed in the State University of New York Academic Program Information System (APIS)maintained by our Office of Institutional Research & Planning.
Procedure
A request for deactivation or discontinuance of a registered academic program is submitted in the form of a letter from the campus President to the Vice Chancellor for
Academic Programs, Policy and Planning containing the following information:
I. The program name and degree, certificate, or diploma designation;
2. A brief description or explanation of the reason for requesting the deactivation or discontinuance of the program;
When appropriate, a statement of how enrollment of incumbent students and the credentials granted to them in the future will be accommodated and reported;
The proposed effective deactivation or discontinuance date--the date for deactivation of a program should be coordinated with the campus admissions process so that admission to the program will be closed in sufficient time. In setting a discontinuance date, the campus should be sensitive to the interests of students already enrolled in the program and honor the University ' s intention to give enrolled students the opportunity to complete their programs unless unusual circumstances make it impossible or inappropriate to do so.
The information requested will enable the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic
Programs, Policy and Planning to coordinate with other offices of Central
Administration. Appropriate offices in the Central Administration then will review the impact of the proposal on (1) University-wide offerings, (2) campus mission, (3) campus budget, (4) campus staff and students, and (5) desirable State and public services.
Special attention will be given to the proposed discontinuance of a program unique within the University. The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Programs, Policy and Planning will provide a reaction to the campus President as soon as possible after a request has been reviewed. A minimum of 60 days lead time is required for Central
Administration review of the proposal. In the event of a fiscal emergency, a shorter time frame may be accommodated.

Memorandum to Presidents
August 26, 1983
No. 83-11
Page 10
In the case of program discontinuances, the campus recommendation, when reviewed by
Central Staff and approved by the Chancellor, will be presented to the Board of Trustees for formal action. No programs may be discontinued without formal approval by the Board of Trustees. Campus Presidents will be notified promptly of the Board ' s action.
In cases where a campus wishes to reactivate a program which has been deactivated, the proposal to do so should be sent by the campus President to the Vice Chancellor for
Academic Programs, Policy and Planning and will be reviewed by appropriate central offices. In the case of doctoral programs, a proposal to reactivate a program will be reviewed by the Office of Research, Graduate Studies and Professional Programs in consultation with the State University Doctoral Council. Reactivation of a doctoral program that was deactivated by State University does not require Master Plan amendment approval.
Sherry H. Penney
This memorandum addressed to:
Presidents, State-operated Campuses Presidents, Community Colleges Deans, Statutory
Colleges
Copies for information sent to:
President Coll
Vice Provost Spencer