Faculty Senate

Pastore Hall Room 224, 51 Lower College Road, Kingston, RI 02881

lbourbonnais@uri.edu-401-874-5176jlawrence@uri.edu - 401-874-2616

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May 5, 2016 Minutes

1. The regular meeting of the Faculty Senate was called to order at 3:05 p.m. in the Cherry Auditorium, Chester Kirk Building, Chairperson Rollo-Koster presiding.

All members were present except Senators Akhlaghi, Boving, Chadha, Derbyshire, DiCioccio, Kirschenbaum, Krieger, Meghani, Ohley, and Wang; ex officio members Vice Presidents Gonzales and Valentino; Vice Provost Katz; Deans Bonn, Boughida, Ebrahimpour, Kirby, Sullivan, Wright, and Zawia.  Associate Dean Seitsinger represented Dean Ciccomascolo and Associate Dean Smith represented Dean Corliss.  Associate Vice President Thompson was also in attendance.

2. Chairperson Rollo-Koster announced that the minutes of Faculty Senate meeting #8, April 21, 2016 had been posted with the agenda. She asked if there were any additions, corrections to or questions about the minutes. There were none. Chairperson Rollo-Koster ruled that, in the absence of any changes or corrections, the minutes were approved.

3. REPORTS OF OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

A. Announcements

1. Chairperson Rollo-Koster said that today’s meeting was the first Faculty Senate meeting for new Senators. She welcomed the following faculty members to the Senate:

Martin Bide, Textiles, Fashion Merchandising, and Design
Thomas Boving, Geosciences
Lynne Derbyshire, Communication Studies
Rachel DiCioccio, Communication Studies
Emilija Djurdjevic, Business
Will Green, Landscape Architecture
Todd Guilfoos, Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
Shanette Harris, Africana Studies
Anne Hume, Pharmacy Practice
Chris Kincaid, Graduate School of Oceanography
Will Krieger, Philosophy
Hillary Leonard, Business
Scott Lloyd, Business
Zahra Meghani, Philosophy
Kathleen Melanson, Nutrition and Food Sciences
Kendall Moore, Journalism
Bahram Nassersharif, Mechanical, Industrial & Systems Engineering
William Ohley, Electrical, Computer & Biomedical Engineering
Anton Post, Graduate School of Oceanography
Sara Rosenbaum, Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Robert Schwegler, Writing and Rhetoric
Mark Stolt, Natural Resources Science
Diane Thulier, Nursing
Furong Xu, Kinesiology

2. Chairperson Rollo-Koster announced that elections would be held at today’s meeting to fill three positions on the Executive Committee. She said that the names of the nominees had been posted on the agenda.

3. Chairperson Rollo-Koster thanked President Dooley and Lynn Baker-Dooley for sponsoring the reception at the President’s House immediately following the meeting and encouraged everyone to attend.

4. Chairperson Rollo-Koster announced that, in 2010, the Faculty Senate and the Provost had instituted a joint award for Faculty Outstanding Service. In 2013, the award was renamed the Sheila Black Grubman Faculty Outstanding Service Award in honor of Sheila Black Grubman’s 40 years of service as the Faculty Senate Coordinator. Chairperson Rollo-Koster asked Ms. Grubman and Provost DeHayes to join her in presenting the 2016 Faculty Outstanding Service Award to Professor Marilyn Barbour, Chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy.  Professor Barbour accepted the award and Chairperson Rollo-Koster said the following:

“This award is made annually to a member of the faculty in recognition of exemplary service.  We would like to express our deep gratitude and true appreciation for all you do for the University, your college, and your department. We thank you for your wide-ranging service on behalf of the community. The nomination letter from your dean listed 40 college and university committee appointments spanning the last 30 years. 12 of these appointments were Chair positions, one was an acting Chair and two were co-Chairs.  We note that you are here today not only to receive this award but also to present a committee report.”

Ms. Grubman continued:

“We applaud and thank you for your recent work on behalf of the Joint Committee on Academic Planning, the Academic Program Review Committee, a committee you Chair; the Accreditation Self-Study for the College of Pharmacy; the Learning Outcomes Oversight Committee, another committee you Chair, and a committee that you have been part of since 2007; and the Self Study Steering Committee for the University of Rhode Island NEASC 5-year Interim Report.  These are just a few.  Since 2011, you have acted as Chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice in the College of Pharmacy. From 2010-2013, you served as member of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee. The list goes on.  This list demonstrates the depth of your commitment to our institution. As one of your nominators stated, ‘[Marilyn] does not merely serve on committees – she leads them.’  Other nominators accentuated your many qualities. One stated, ‘I have always been impressed by how thorough and painstaking Marilyn is in all of her duties. We received full-cycle accreditation for 8 years for our recent [accreditation] visit and this was largely due to the time and effort Marilyn spent in making sure the self-study document was well written and addressed each standard in a thoughtful and evidence-based manner.’ Another emphasized the difficulty of the committees you choose to serve on: ‘Most of the committees on which she has admirably served are those with complicated and often thankless tasks.’ Your nominators praise your ‘diligence, hours of hard work, diplomacy and determination to succeed.’  Another nominator stated, ‘You can always count on attending an organized meeting, getting several agenda items accomplished, and having plenty of time for discussion. Marilyn has a way of convincing you to work on topics that you do not want to do.’ Congratulations and many thanks from all of us.”

The Provost congratulated Professor Barbour and thanked the members of the 2015-16 Senate Executive Committee, especially Chairperson Rollo-Koster and Vice Chairperson Welters.

B. Activities of the Executive Committee

Vice Chairperson Welters announced that the Minutes of 2015-16 Executive Committee meeting #27, #28, #29, and #30 were available on the Faculty Senate website. She asked if there were any questions.  There were none.

C.Report of the Nominating Committee

Vice Chairperson Welters said that elections for the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the 2016-17 Senate had been conducted in February. Senator W. Michael Sullivan and Senator Mark Conley had been elected to those positions, respectively.  The Vice Chairperson summarized the 2016-17 vacancies on the Executive Committee.  Today’s elections were to fill two 2-year terms and one 1-year term.  She placed in nomination the names of the following Senators for the two-year terms on the Executive Committee, in alphabetical order:  Senator Hillary Leonard, Associate Professor, College of Business Administration; Senator Leslie Mahler, Associate Professor, Communicative Disorders, College of Health Sciences; and Senator Michael Rice, Professor, Fisheries, Animal & Veterinary Science, College of the Environment and Life Sciences.  She asked the nominees to stand.  She asked if there were any nominations from the floor.  There were none.  Nominations were closed.  Ballots were distributed; Senators were asked to vote for two candidates.  Chairperson Rollo-Koster said that the Senate would proceed to the next item of business during balloting.

4. REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT

The President noted that this would be the last meeting of the Faculty Senate in Cherry Auditorium.  He reminded those assembled that, next fall, the Senate would be meeting in the new chemistry building, the Richard E. Beaupre Center for Chemical and Forensic Sciences.  The President provided a brief update on relevant activity in the RI legislature.  He noted the appointment of a new Chair of the House Committee on Finance, Representative Marvin Abney, who is an alumnus of URI.  He said that Chairman Abney is thoughtful and active, and he expects that the Chairman will assist in bringing URI initiatives to the Finance Committee.  The President said that he believes that Chairman Abney will be a positive force for the University and the state.  He said that the Finance Committee has a large agenda in the budget process which includes operating funds necessary to allow the proposed tuition freeze at the three institutions of higher education; funding for Phase II of the College of Engineering project, which will be on the 2016 general election ballot; a $3 million initiative to hire high impact faculty; and the performance-based funding bill that was not acted upon in the previous year’s legislative session.  The President said that he would keep the faculty informed as the budget bill was finalized. The President said that he looked forward with great enthusiasm to the 2016 Commencement and encouraged everyone to attend both the graduate and undergraduate ceremonies. He thanked the faculty, wished everyone a productive summer, and said that he was looking forward to the new academic year.  He added that, with the success of the admissions program, there would be plenty of students to teach in the fall.  He invited all assembled to the reception at the President’s house after the meeting.

3.C. Chairperson Rollo-Koster announced the results of the election for the two 2-year terms on the Executive Committee for 2016-17: Senators Leonard and Mahler. Vice Chairperson Welters then placed in nomination the name of the following Senator for the one-year term on the Executive Committee: Senator David Byrd, School of Education, College of Education and Professional Studies.  She asked if there were any nominations from the floor.  Senator Rice was nominated from the floor.  Senator Rice accepted the nomination. Nominations were closed.  Ballots were distributed.  During balloting, the Senate moved to the next item of business.

5. REPORTS OF STANDING AND SPECIAL COMMITTEES

A. Associate Dean Rusnock presented Curricular Report No. 2015-16-5 from the Graduate Council to the Faculty Senate. Eight course changes and three new courses were approved.  Associate Dean Rusnock moved approval of the following name changes from the Department of Human Development and Family Studies:  Master of Science Specializing in Human Development and Family Studies to Master of Science in Developmental Science; and Master of Science Specializing in Marriage and Family Therapy to Master of Science in Couple and Family Therapy.  The motion was approved.  Associate Dean Rusnock moved approval of changes in the admission requirements and program requirements for the MBA program from the College of Business Administration.  The motion was approved.

3.C. Chairperson Rollo-Koster announced the results of the election for the 1-year term on the Executive Committee for 2016-17: Senator David Byrd. Chairperson Rollo-Koster resumed the order of business with Agenda item 5. B., Report of the Curricular Affairs Committee.

B. Professor Owens presented the 533rd Report of the Curricular Affairs Committee. She said that Section I was Informational and asked if there were any questions. There were none. She reported that Section II required Senate approval. Professor Owens moved approval of five new courses. The motion passed.  She moved approval of 11 course change proposals from the College of Arts and Sciences. The motion passed.  Professor Owens moved approval of 9 course change proposals from the College of Engineering and 3 course changes from the College of Human Science and Services. The motion passed.  She moved approval of 6 course proposals from University College for Academic Success (UCAS) to change the course codes of existing courses from ITR or CSV to UCS.  The motion was seconded and discussion followed. A question was raised about the impact of the code changes on courses that list the “ITR” courses as pre-requisites.  It was noted that two courses, ITR 301 and ITR 302, being proposed as UCS 380 and UCS 382, could be repeated for a maximum of 24 credits each.  Senator Williams moved to table the 6 course proposals from UCAS.  The motion was seconded and passed.  Professor Owens presented the following curricular proposals from the College of Arts and Sciences: changes to the BA Music program, the creation of an Interdisciplinary Program in Criminology and Criminal Justice (CCJ), creation of a Criminology and Criminal Justice (CCJ) major, creation of a Criminology and Criminal Justice (CCJ) course code, changes to Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology, changes to course options for Arabic Minor, changes to the Bachelor of Arts in German, creation of Landscape Architecture Minor.  A motion to approve these proposals was passed. Professor Owens presented the following curricular proposals from the College of Engineering: changes to requirements for Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, changes to the BS in Industrial and Systems Engineering Program, changes to the BS in Mechanical Engineering Program, and the creation of a Minor in Robotics Engineering.  A motion to approve these proposals was passed.  From the College of Human Science and Services, changes to the Bachelor of Science Degree in Kinesiology, the Bachelor of Science Degree in Health Studies, the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary Education, and the Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Secondary Education were moved, seconded, and approved.  From the College of Pharmacy, the creation of Academic Health Collaborative (AHC) Course Code, changes to B.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences (BSPS) and Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) programs were moved, seconded, and approved.  From University College for Academic Success, the request to change the course codes of 9 course offerings (including six courses previously tabled under course changes) from ITR or CSV to UCS was tabled.

C. Professor Kinnie presented General Education Committee Report 2015-16-13. He presented a list of 18 existing courses that had been approved for offering in the new general education program including 2 Grand Challenge courses.   He moved approval of 4 new courses for the new program including 4 new Grand Challenge courses. The motion passed.  Professor Kinnie presented and moved approval of 1 course that had been approved for offering in the new general education program with course changes.  The motion passed.

D. Professor Gindy presented Report #2015-16-4 of the Academic Standards and Calendar Committee. She presented a proposal to change Section 8.19.15 of the University Manual relating to non-matriculating students. She moved approval.  The motion was seconded and approved.  Professor Gindy presented an informational report regarding the acquisition of a plagiarism detection and deterrent system such as TurnItIn.com.   She said that, after thorough consideration, the Committee had concluded that adopting TurnItIn.com has not been widely requested by colleges, there were concerns about its use and accuracy if used to influence student grades, and there were other comparable, freely available alternatives.  Discussion followed.   The issue of plagiarism was discussed.  Professor Gindy said that the Committee would continue to work on the problem of plagiarism detection in the following year.

E. Athletic Director Bjorn and Professor Harps-Logan presented the 2016 Report of the Athletics Advisory Board. They presented Power Point slides and enumerated the many accomplishments of URI’s student-athletes and achievements of many of the athletic teams.  Professor Harps-Logan reported that the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics had selected Athletic Director Bjorn as one of 12 Division I Athletic Directors of the Year for 2015-16.  She also reported that Women’s Volleyball Head Coach Bob Schneck had received the Volleyball A-10 Coach of the Year for the second time. Athletic Director Bjorn answered questions about the athletic department budget, scholarships, ticket sales, and the proposal to install artificial turf and lighting at Meade Stadium.  The Director was also asked about the scheduling of games during the semester-end exam periods.  He said that his staff does not schedule games during exams but sometimes conference games take place during these time periods.

F. Professor Romanow presented the Report of the Undergraduate Academic Advising Committee. She described the work of the three   The Advisor Support and Training Subcommittee had worked to establish a Sakai-based training program for faculty advisors.  Four faculty members completed the online advisor training program.  A beta test group is planned for the site.  The Workload Subcommittee and the Models and Practices Subcommittee developed a survey to obtain information on the current status of advising across colleges. She said that the survey would be distributed before the end of the semester. Professor Romanow’s report included a statement from Dean Richmond regarding professional advisors in University College for Academic Success.  Dean Richmond answered questions about a new advising system called “Starfish” that will be implemented in the fall.

G. Professor Barbour presented the Annual Report of the Learning Outcomes Oversight Committee (LOOC). She described the work of the Committee and its collaborative relationship with the Office of Student Learning, Outcomes, Assessment, and Accreditation (SLOAA). In the past year, the Committee and SLOAA revised the reporting requirements for accredited programs to streamline their efforts. The Committee also clarified the language for the Academic Program Review Committee (APRC) Self-Study guidelines. Professor Barbour reported on the programs, both undergraduate and graduate, that had successfully undertaken assessments of their programmatic student learning outcomes: Anthropology, Communication Studies, English, German, Human Development and Family Studies, Kinesiology, Sociology, and Writing and Rhetoric; and Education (PhD), Elementary Education, Reading Specialist (Education), Nutrition and Dietetics, and Political Science.  She acknowledged the faculty members in these departments/programs who had carried out the work.

H. Director Goldsmith presented the Report of the Joint Committee on Online and Distance Learning. She thanked the Committee members for their work.  She reported that in January 2016, SAKAI had been successfully transitioned to an external host, Longsight, for increased stability and less-frequent outages.  She reported that in August 2016, SAKAI would be upgraded to version 10 which would offer new features to facilitate teaching.  Director Goldsmith reported that enrollment in the fully online programs continues to grow.  Approximately 180 students were registered for the summer RN to BS program.  Also this year, URI applied and was accepted into the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement.  This allows URI to accept students from 34 states into its online courses and programs as well as provide internships in those states.  Director Goldsmith said that URI is working with a remote proctoring company to develop video proctoring for some testing in online courses.

6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Chairperson Rollo-Koster asked if there were any Unfinished Business. There was none.

7. NEW BUSINESS

Chairperson Rollo-Koster asked if there were any New Business. There was none.

8. A motion was made to adjourn. The motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 4:57 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Nancy Neff

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