University Council
Minutes
March 18, 2005
Poe’s
PRESENT
Zoltan Acs
Dick Bourne
Karen Drake
Cheryl Hain
Lucy Holman
John Kupcinski
Ari Laric
Susan Luchey
Maureen Musselman
Linda Randall
Jeffrey Sawyer
Cindy Schuster
Alec Walen
Byron Warnken
ABSENT
Catherine Albrecht
Bill Fryer
Gil Holmes
Esther Materon-Arun
Jamal Smith
Rao Vemuganti
Wim Wiewel
Byron Warnken called the meeting to order.
Report of the Chair
Warnken announced that there had been a meeting of the leaders of the
various academic, administrative, and student entities throughout the University to
commence the process of deciding what, if any, recommendations to make to the
Provost and the President regarding the governance structure and process within
the University community.
Approval of Minutes
The February minutes were approved.
Human Resources Update
1. University Leadership Program: The University will embark on the next
group participating in the President=s University Leadership Program. By the end
of this year, approximately 40 people will have completed the Leadership Program.
Individuals have been selected for the Leadership Program based on demonstrated
leadership traits and potential, as determined by senior managers. The program is
designed to enhance the participants= leadership skills. Although there is not a
monetary compensation for participation in the program, each participant who
completes the program receives a certificate. Employees who are interested in
participating in the Leadership Program should inform their division heads.
Lucy Holman, who had participated in the Leadership Program, commented
that she found the component on how to manage, supervise, and motivate employees
most helpful. The program also covered communications skills and diversity
training.
Drake stated that, although competing work priorities impact participation,
the available positions in the Leadership Program have been filled. Nonetheless,
H.R. would appreciate any feedback regarding the scheduling of training programs
and improved employee participation.
Drake stated that follow-up sessions would be planned for the first group of
Leadership Program participants. Moreover, these individuals would be asked to
mentor the next training group. The next Leadership Program will include an
orientation for senior management.
2. University Web Timesheets: It appears that the University=s web
timesheet may become a model for other campuses. H.R. is studying further payroll
automation.
3. Health Insurance Open Enrollment: H.R. anticipates open enrollment
this spring for the health insurance, although the time frame is still uncertain. It is
anticipated that health care rates will increase.
4. Skillsoft: The Skillsoft system is now available to all faculty and staff.
There is a link on H.R.=s website to a demo of the system.
5. University Employee Recognition Program: On May 13, a new employee
recognition program will commence.
6. UB Staff Awards: May 31 is the deadline for nominations for the UB
Staff Awards. A committee of staff people review nominations and recommend
recipients to the President. UB Staff Awards are announced at the Convocation in
September. Recipients receive a certificate and have their picture taken with the
President. UB Staff Awards are in addition to the Board of Regents Awards.
7. University Community Service Day: May 6 is Community Service Day,
which is open to all UB students, staff, faculty, and alumni. Because participation is
encouraged, employees will be given release time to participate. Last year, 150-75
participants provided community service at eight sites. Community Service Day
begins at 8:30 a.m. on the plaza, with breakfast and tee shirts provided. The teams
return at 3:00 p.m. for a cook-out.
Technology Update
Judi Wood provided a technology update. Since her arrival, OTS has hired
26 people, with 14 more to go. She introduced Cindy Schuster, the new business
manager. David Bobart has been hired as the interim chief security officer.
In the near future, mandatory password changes will likely be required on
some systems.
UB now has wireless internet access in the Law School and the Academic
Center. Soon, internet access will be available in Langsdale Library, Merrick
School of Business, and the new Student Center, which will include a 21-station
computer lab.
OTS has just completed a survey of student satisfaction, the results of which
will be published soon.
There have been student complaints regarding the level of information
available about OTS services and computer labs. Woods stated that there is a 22station lab in the Business Center, which is underutilized because student are
unaware of the lab. OTS plans to embark on is wireless printing.
OTS has met with the deans and the Provost regarding IT fluency and
literacy.
OTS is conducting surveys regarding desktop support and Ahelp desk@
support.
OTS is working closely with University Relations regarding the
communications plan. Changes are expected in the e-mail list serves.
Aged equipment, particularly if out-of-warranty and broker, is being
replaced. New firewalls and background servers are being installed. These
enhancements and replacements are done usually during the maintenance period of
Fridays between 6:00 and 10:00 p.m.
Woods stated that UB should have, but does not have, an acceptable use
policy. A policy draft has been circulated to IMAC.
Key contacts for the PeopleSoft steering committee are Robert Hradsky,
Karen Drake, and Don Paddy. Feedback on PeopleSoft should be directed to them.
Woods stated that our spam experience has lessened, and there has been a
lack of viral computing infections.
Regarding transition from Prometheus to Web-Tycho, OTS=s goal is to a
more seamless experience for students. OTS is looking into a separate e-mail
account to be used by students in the course management and discussion will take
place over the summer regarding this issue. Developers of Web-Tycho have been
supportive of the features we want for a smooth transition.
A student member suggested that there is tremendous paper waste in the
printer labs. Another student addressed the availability of alumni e-mail accounts.
OTS plans to meet with alumni services to discuss what e-mail services should be
made available to alumni.
Because of Aworms@ and Aviruses,@ it was suggested that we switch to a
Macintosh operating system. It was felt that this would not be cost effective. It was
also suggested that we explore an alternative browser rather than Internet Explorer.
OTS has not had many complaints about the speed of e-mail availability offcampus. The biggest complaint about the e-mail system is how much e-mail is
received.
It was noted that, with PeopleSoft, there is a large amount of staff time and
energy, even in merely changing a name. PeopleSoft is a powerful table-driven
system, and OTS is still learning about all the tools available in PeopleSoft.
In-State Graduate Tuition Report
John Kupcinski addressed the issue of graduate in-state tuition compared to
other USM schools, stating that UB=s graduate in-state tuition is the highest in the
system, having outpaced all other USM schools throughout the last three years.
Kupcinski stated that the statistics are valid, comparing masters programs to
masters programs. Tuition is set by the President, the Provost, and Don Paddy.
Old Business
Proposal to Amend UC By-Law 2.a: The UC addressed a proposal,
previously introduced by Bill Fryer, to amend the by-laws to change the
membership from 16 to 17, by adding the University Faculty Senate President as
someone separate from the two faculty members from that school. A problem exists
in that one UC members is the President of the University Faculty Senate. Under
the by-laws, that person fills one of the two faculty slots from that school. Concern
was addressed by non-faculty, such as staff and students, that this body already
seems to have a faculty dominance. Under the UC by-laws, the ratio of faculty to
non-faculty is 9 faculty to 7 non-faculty (3 students, 1 vice-president, and 3 staff).
By a vote of 9-to-2, the proposal was defeated.
UC Requirements for Academic Proposals: The UC had discussed at a prior
meeting whether to provide the University community with instructions or guidance
regarding academic proposals approved by the Academic Policy Review Committee.
The UC previously voted that it will play no role in the academic content of any
proposals, but does play a role (recommending to the President), regarding (1) the
fiscal impact of the proposal; (2) the logistics (organizational impact) of the
proposal; and (3) whether the proposal fits within the University=s strategic plan
and the school=s strategic plan. Jeffrey Sawyer agreed to chair a subcommittee that
will study the issue and make a proposal.
At 3:10 p.m., the meeting was adjourned.