Senate Council Meeting Minutes 2700 Posvar Hall June 13, 2012

Transcription

1 Senate Cuncil Meeting Minutes 2700 Psvar Hall June 13, 2012 Tpic/Discussin Call t Order. President Michael R. Pinsky called the meeting t rder at 3:00 PM Apprval f the Minutes f the May 9, 2012 Senate Cuncil Meeting. President Pinsky asked fr apprval f the minutes. Intrductin f Items f New Business. Reprt f the Chancellr f the University, Mark A. Nrdenberg Thank yu Mr. President. I want t devte the first prtin f my remarks tday t the presentatin f a well-deserved hnr The Chancellr s Affirmative Actin Award which was created 23 years ag thru a generus and well-targeted gift made by Dr. Mimi Bishp Cffey, at that time directr f the Office f Affirmative Actin here at Pitt and her late husband Dr. Jseph Cffey, wh was a member f the faculty f the Graduate Schl f Public and Internatinal Affairs. I d need t say tday that Dr. Jseph Cffey, ne f the creatrs f this fund, passed away just 2 mnths ag in April and it seems apprpriate fr us t take a mment f silence in his memry and in gratitude fr his cntributins t University befre mving frward with the award. The Chancellr s Affirmative Actin Award is presented annually t an utstanding University prgram r individual that has made a significant cntributin t affirmative actin. Fr purpses f this award, affirmative actin is defined as the increase f access t and full participatin in all aspects f University functins by minrities and wmen and thers wh have been declared members f prtected classes by executive rders, legislatin r curt decisins. The selectin cmmittee was chaired by Carl Mhamed, Directr f the Office f Affirmative Actin, Diversity & Inclusin. Other members include Vijay Singh, Assciate Chancellr, and Jhn Wilds, Assistant Vice Chancellr f Cmmunity Relatins. The cmmittee als included tw members f the faculty appinted by President Pinsky. They were Jane Feuer and Mark Lynn Andersn, bth members f the faculty in the Department f English. It gives me great pleasure t annunce that the 2012 Affirmative Actin Award will g t the President s Advisry Cmmittee n Diversity at the University f Pittsburgh at Greensburg in recgnitin f its impact n the Greensburg Campus and the cmmunity that it serves. The selectin cmmittee was deeply impressed by the structure, perating prcedures, and results achieved by the Advisry Cmmittee. a rle mdel fr ther schls, departments, campuses, r prgrams. Dr. Sharn Smith, member f the Senate Cuncil and President f the University f Pittsburgh at Greensburg, nminated the Advisry Cmmittee and credited it fr its cmmitment t breaking dwn barriers f prejudice thrugh a wide range f activities. The Advisry Cmmittee begins the academic year with Diversity Week and uses Allies Netwrk training t prmte and imprve Actin The meeting cmmenced at. The minutes were apprved as written. N new business. 1

2 understandings f and t advance respectability fr individuals with alternative sexual rientatins; hsts events that cmbine pprtunities fr learning with scial activities The Advisry Cmmittee wrks t insure that it is able t address emerging issues. It has been said that diversity is the ne true thing we all have in cmmn and that it shuld be celebrated every day. It is with great pleasure then that I d recgnize the Advisry Cmmittee: Brandi Darr, Directr f Financial Greensburg Campus; Jyce Bucchi, Directr f Greensburg Campus and ne f the VERP participants; Pilar Herr, Assistant Prfessr f Greensburg Campus; Sharn Smith, Greensburg Campus; Jackie Hrrall, Assciate Prfessr f Pitt Greensburg, Chair f Behaviral Sciences Divisin, and Chair f President s Advisry Cmmittee n Diversity At the time f ur last meeting I used cmmencement as a marker fr the end f the academic year and discussed sme f the ways in which we had clsed the academic year with real strength, bth in terms f an nging recrd f achievement and in terms f the effectiveness with which we had respnded t a range f challenges. Let me begin with sme gd news frm recent weeks. Benjamin Jealus, the President f the NAACP came t this campus and was the Keynte speaker at the 10 th Anniversary celebratin f the creatin f the Center fr Race and Scial Prblems. This is the first center f its type t be created in a schl f scial wrk in America. Larry Davis, the Dean f the Schl f Scial Wrk and the Dnald Hendersn, Prfessr, als leads the center The Institute f Plitics hsted a celebratin f a different srt; it marked the release f a case study f Elsie Hillman s life as an engaged citizen, bth as a plitical leader and as a supprter f a wide range f wrthwhile causes. The release f the study was marked during a special prgram held at the Carnegie Music Hall because when we were sending ut the invitatins we were in the midst f bmb threats. Dick Thrnburgh, Tm Ridge, and Tm Crbett all were there. Pitt was ne f just 11 universities t be designated a Center f Excellence in Pain Educatin by the Natinal Institutes f Health. The schls f the Health Sciences have created a new Center fr Military Medicine Research which will be led by Prfessr Rcky Tuan wh hlds the Rney Chair in Sprts Medicine and is the executive vice chair fr research f the department f rthpedic surgery. The schl f medicine als has launched a new prgram in research n media and health which will be led by Prfessr Brian Primack frm the department f pediatrics. Seven faculty members have been selected by the Prvst s Advisry Cuncil n Instructinal Excellence (ACIE) 2012 Innvatin in Educatin Awards. This year s award winners are Peter Brusilvsky, Schl f Infrmatin Sciences; Fina Craig, Department f Pathlgy, 2

3 Schl f Medicine; Paul Leu, Department f Industrial Engineering, Swansn Schl f Engineering; Jnathan Pearlman, Schl f Health and Rehabilitatin Sciences; Andrew Rse, prfessr f engineering technlgy, Pitt-Jhnstwn; Tnya Rutherfrd-Hemming, Schl f Nursing; William R. Schumann, prfessr f anthrplgy, Pitt- Bradfrd. Peyman Givi, James MacLed Prfessr, Swansn Schl leads a team that has been awarded a 3.7 millin dllar grant frm the Air Frce t develp quantum cmputing algrithms t better mdel turbulent cmbustin in aerspace applicatins. When it cmes t the area f quantum cmputing Pitt really is emerging as a leader with Pitt faculty being selected t lead multi-university teams in big prjects. This is als a seasn f cntinuing challenges; chief amng them bviusly is the challenge that is presented by declining and in sme instances dramatically declining and disprprtinately declining supprt fr public higher educatin here in the Cmmnwealth f Pennsylvania. The Senate has passed a bill that wuld eliminate the cuts prpsed by the gvernr in February and restre the University f Pittsburgh fr the next fiscal year t this fiscal year s funding levels. That bill wuld cmpletely restre the funding that had been cmpletely eliminated frm the tbacc settlement prceeds. Cmpetitively awarded in tw ways: 1. Awards tied t an institutin s recrd in attracting NIH funding; 2. awards that are made n the basis f prpsals each year. Pitt has attracted mre than 13 millin dllars each year and thse are dllars that have been leveraged and cnverted int successful applicatins fr even larger federal grants. As things stand nw, leaders f the majrity caucus in the senate, the leaders f the majrity caucus in the huse and the gvernr s team are negtiating the shape f what will be the final apprpriatin bill. As things stand nw we re slated under the gvernr s prpsal t lse 40 millin in ur base apprpriatin and anther 13 millin dllars thrugh the eliminatin f this tbacc funded research prgram. Even if we get that, we lst 67 millin dllars this year. We lst 40 millin frm ur general apprpriatin and anther 7 millin dllars in a mid-year freeze. Then we lst half f ur capital prject supprt, that s anther 20 millin dllars. When yu hear smene talk abut funding pressures r when yu read articles abut funding pressures, these are very real pressures. If the gvernr s prpsal were t advance that wuld mean that we wuld have lst mre than half ur supprt frm the state in 2 fiscal years. We really are advcating as aggressively as we can befre the senate bill. We d hpe that that is the bill that largely sets the shape f the state budget fr the next fiscal year. On the lnger term there als is the gvernr s cmmissin n pstsecndary educatin f which I am a member. That grup is ging t hld 2 public hearings tmrrw; ne in Pittsburgh, ne in Sharn. I ll be present 3

4 fr bth and ther friends f the University f Pittsburgh will be present at these hearings. Changes in administrative psitins f 3 peple wh have made a real difference in the prgress f the University and als have dealt with a range f issues. Betsy Prter: wh has served s capably as the directr f admissins and financial aid during a perid in which ur trajectry in term f the number f applicatins that we have attracted, the quality f the students wh have been enrlled has been amazing. Vice Prvst fr Research Gerge Klinzing and Vice Prvst fr Faculty Andy Blair als have annunced their intentins t step dwn. Bth f them plan t return t the faculties f the Schl f Engineering and the Katz Schl/CBA respectively. Pat Weiss has made an impact thrugh leadership rles within the University Senate wh is leaving the ffice f Vice President. Jhn Baker wh is leaving psitin as Immediate Past President f Senate Cuncil and als serves as the Chair f the senate budget plicies cmmittee wh has fr an extended perid f time real investments f his time and talent thrugh his senate wrk. Michael Pinsky will nw serve in the rle f Immediate past president and with Tm Smitherman as the new president f the senate. Michael is distinguished in his wn discipline and has further distinguished himself thrugh his wrk as the president f the University Senate. When I mved int the psitin f Interim Chancellr, relatins between the senate fficers and the fficers f the University serving in the administratin were smething less than ideal Keith McDuffy, wh was the incming president, and I sat dwn that summer and we said, Life isn t gnna be that way with the tw f us and prmised that we were ging t be unfailingly civil and pen but respectful abut ur areas f disagreement, that we were ging t wrk hard t reslve any differences that might arise, and that we were always ging t put the University f Pittsburgh first. Michael has nt nly lived up t each f thse principles f fair and cnstructive dealing but he really has becme an exemplar f them I want t present him with the ceremnial gavel and this hand-frged depictin f the Cathedral f Learning, a physical symbl f the University that has been the fundatin fr ur prfessinal partnership and ur persnal friendship. This has been a tugh year. They are years that have invlved sme challenges that maybe were predictable in terms f the financial prblems attendant t the general ecnmic dwnturn, nt experienced just in Pennsylvania but thrughut the cuntry and arund the wrld. But almst every year has brught unanticipated challenges as well. What did we d t deserve G20 rits? Wh wuld have expected sme f the things that came after Super Bwl wins? 4

5 Certainly what we endured during the weeks frm last February t the third week r s f April this year weren t anything any f us had signed up fr in terms f ur jb descriptins r what we were hping t d with ur lives during that perid f time, but we kept everything mving frward. In the end we re strnger in ways that can be measured and we re strnger in ways that can t be measured but I think that we all appreciate because we all are a part f this cmmunity. I lk arund this table and I see s many peple wh have cntributed in s many ways t making this an even better University. S as we bring nt just the academic year but the fiscal year and the fundraising year and everything else t an end I really d want t say thanks t everyne because we ve traveled this path tgether. Questins/Cmments Dr. Pinsky: I think that the thing that really strikes me as being psitive was the way that the University as a whle came tgether during the bmb threat crisis; frm the administratin, the staff, the faculty, and the students. I was really pleased t see the cllegiality, the cperatin, the cmpassin that was held. Questin (Richard Mulcahy): Three things that I wuld like t say; 1) we at Pitt Titusville need t establish what cnstitutes ecnmic viability and hw that will be assessed, 2) What is the gal and what can r shuld be dne n the lcal level t achieve that gal, 3) we need a seat at the table where that discussin is ging t take place. Answer (Dr. Beesn): Thank yu fr bringing thse up. I m actually in cnversatin right nw with President Alexander abut setting up a meeting up n yur campus s that we can talk with the faculty abut where we are and what we re ding and what the expectatins are as we mve frward. Right nw we ve been wrking ver the last three weeks just trying t get the initiative mving s that we can start the term ff crrectly and will be meeting later in the summer. Questin (Richard Mulcahy): D yu have a target date when that meeting might take place? Answer (Dr. Beesn): If we can d it befre mid-july that wuld be perfect. If nt it wn t be until the beginning f September. Reprt f the President f the Senate, Michael Pinsky. This will be the last reprt that I will give yu as the senate president. I have been elected Vice President f the University Senate twice and President nw fr three times. It s been my hnr and privilege t serve as president and I thank yu and the faculty in general fr allwing me t serve in this rle fr the past three years. This has nt been quiet three years, t say the least. Frm attacks frm withut first by the mayr n trying t tax student tuitin, city bus rute cuts limiting access t the University fr students and staff, the G20 summit meeting and its assciated campus disruptins fllwed by tw runds f budget cuts by the gvernr n state supprt fr higher educatin and recently the bmb threats, we have endured and cntinued t grw strnger as a public/private research institutin f higher educatin. We als had the faculty handbk revised t specifically list that cmmunity service if it resulted in durable knwledge wuld cunt 5

6 tward academic advancement. This change was central t the University-wide develpment f cmmunity service related prgrams and the creatin f CERTS. The threats frm utside the University have created a greater sense f camaraderie acrss schl lines. Still the frces f change and the wrld s ecnmic realities demand that we remain vigilant and practive as we strive t sustain cllegial shared gvernance. We als need t fcus n making sure due prcess is fllwed and cllegial discurse remains standard fr all discussins. Last week we discussed the impact that these changes are having n the Dietrich Schl f Arts and Sciences, the impact that cnslidatin will have n three departments. The cnversatins at the Faculty Assembly meeting were cllegial and instructive. It is my sincere hpe that we cntinue t wrk directly and practively with the administratin and thers t sustain the gains we have realized. I maintain that the faculty f the University f Pittsburgh is the University s mst prized resurce. We have an internal bligatin t supprt academic freedm, academic cnduct and academic respnsibility. Faculty Assembly and Senate Cuncil will nt meet again in July r August. Meeting again in September we will have a new president, President Tm Smitherman, and a new Vice President, Jim Becker. Als returning fr a secnd term will be Linda Frank as ur secretary. I want t thank my Vice President, Pat Weiss, fr the last tw years f service and very capable service at that, and her wise cuncil. I als want t thank and acknwledge the wrk and dedicatin f the past president Jhn Baker wh was president fr 3 years and then past president fr the last 3 years, a ttal f 6 years n the executive cmmittee. I wish t thank Linda Frank ur secretary fr ne year tgether with us and wish her gd frtune the new administratin that s cming up when I take n the rle f immediate past president. Questins/Cmments Nne Reprts f the Cmmittees President f Student Bdy Gvernment Bard: James Landreneau First want t say thanks t bard member Rthenberger wh sat in fr me last mnth. I was remembering, while the Chancellr was speaking, when I was here 2 mnths ag we exited during a bmb threat. Time has changed fr the better. I aplgize fr nt being here a mnth ag, I actually had a dctr s appintment then but as Natalie knws I am als studying fr the MCATs s I aplgize fr the haircut as well. By next week I shuld be back in rder. I just have a few updates fr what is ging n ver the summer with SGB. Right nw I m wrking with Summer Rthrck with CCLD t prepare fr the Panther Gld Leadership Summit. Panther Gld Leadership Summit is an pprtunity fr Exec bards f Student Clubs n campus t meet each ther prir t the schl year. Over 30 grups were 6

7 invited this year. Thse grups include: SGB, Pitt Prgram Cuncil, Blue and Gld, Pathfinders. Over 40 peple have registered thus far. Registratin will end at the end f the mnth. As far as the Panther Readership Prgram is cncerned right nw; t remind everyne the readership prgram was resigned this last February t permit US Tday and New Yrk Times prints arund campus. Bard member Hallinan and GPSA President Givens met with the Hillman Library last week t find alternative ways t curb csts fr the prgram. We are als lking fr additinal funds t supprt the prgram fr the upcming years. Alngside f being invlved with being a member f Panther Leadership, we are invlved with creating events fr the fall. SGB is excited abut that given that the presidential electin is cming up this Nvember. SGB traditins cmmittee is wrking n a hmecming game fr the fall that wuld feature thrwback jerseys and ther apparel fr the fans. They als have branded the student sectin as the Panther Pit and have finalized a mre unified t-shirt design fr students at ftball games. Bard member Rthenberger is wrking n creating an SGB cnnect system, this is a way fr peple wh are members f the SGB cnnect texting service t get alerts n SGB events such as Pitt Day in Harrisburg, upcming meetings. I am ging t be meeting with the electins chair next week t prf the recmmendatins fr the electins cde fr fall. S I m lking frward t that as well. SGB fcus fr fall is Pitt Make a Difference Day, the largest service day. It will be in Octber again this year. Cmmunity Outreach Chair Mallampalli will be cming back frm her Study Abrad trip t Brazil in tw weeks and I ll be meeting with her cmmittee t discuss getting peple invlved. Lastly I am wrking n getting SGB twn halls n the mve. This spring we did smething new t SGB where we had in infrmal Twn Hall every mnth where students culd cme up t the Bard and discuss their cncerns n campus. After talking with Dean Humphrey abut 2 mnths ag she suggested t think abut making it a little bit mre infrmal by shifting the psitin f the meetings acrss campus such as visiting a drm, etcetera. I ll be wrking n that. Yu guys have dne a great jb. I ve been a bard member prir t my presidency and heard nthing but gd things frm everyne else abut yur wrk. N Cmments Cllege f General Studies Student Representative: Christina Hrnack I m sitting in fr Brian Cleman wh is studying abrad in France. A lt f changes have happened at the Cllege f General Studies Student Gvernment recently. We had ur electins s we met briefly in May t appint new 7

8 divisinal directrs. At that meeting we als rganized ur upcming presence at the Pitt Starts and Transfer Days which are an pprtunity t fr us t speak with incming students and prspective students. We are planning sme events fr the fall and the spring, mst ntably cmmunity service events with Prject Bundle Up and Keep It Clean Oakland. Our main fcus during the summer will be rganizing ur peer mentring grup which is designed t supprt the effrts f ur students here and help them take advantage f all the resurces they have available n campus. Thank yu. N Cmments Graduate and Prfessinal Student Assembly: David Givens There are 3 ther things that we have ging n that can sum up the multitude f activity that we have ging n at GPSA. Chancellr Nrdenberg mentined multi-university teams as being a kind f theme that we seem t be seeing here at Pitt. One f these teams that GPSA has been with has been the Pittsburgh Student Gvernment Cuncil n which I serve as a representative and have been representing that cuncil t the City f Pittsburgh in their Sciable City Initiative. I met with the mayr, many members f the city cuncil, the CEO f that study as well as cmmunity leaders frm Lawrenceville, Suthside, Oakland, and Dwntwn. Alng with the Pittsburgh Cuncil f Higher Educatin CEO, Ken Service, I have been tasked with starting a task frce fr Sciable City lking at ways in which the universities as part f the city can cntribute t the safety and vibrancy f ur night life and the infrastructure here f the city. We have a number f initiatives n ur dcket f ways that we can cntinue supprting the University whether that s thru lbbing, Pitt Make a Difference Day, Pitt Day in Harrisburg, Harrisburg Day at Pitt, etcetera. We are very excited abut that. We are cntinuing t advance ur initiatives fr imprving student life, student prgramming fr graduate and prfessinal students here at the University. Staff Assciatin Cuncil: President Debrah Walker SAC will participate in the University s 225 Acts f Kindness n Saturday, June 30 th. Our selected prject will be Keeping it Clean Oakland. SAC members and their families will weed, mulch, plant flwers, we may pass ut in Suth Oakland n Parkview Avenue and the Blvd. f the Allies. The SAC Safety and Security Cmmittee will spnsr a bike safety wrkshp smetime in September. Due t the University budget challenges; SAC has decided t suspend the Staff Appreciatin Day Picnic until a later time. Cmments: 8

9 Chancellr: I d like t publically cngratulate Debrah Walker wh, I think it was just last week, was swrn in as a member f the Gvernr s Cmmissin f African American Affairs and is the chair f their educatin cmmittee. Bylaws and Prcedures Cmmittee: Chair Nichlas Bircher As yu read in the preamble the University Senate has adpted as a strategy electrnic cmmunicatin t supplant paper cmmunicatin and has dne this in several different ways ver the past decade r s. In the prcess f ding that we ve develped a website n which the minute f the Faculty Assembly, the Senate Cuncil, and the Standing Cmmittees are all available t ur cnstituents. It is very imprtant that we cmmunicate t ur cnstituents and ur cnstituents have the pprtunity t fllw what ges n and the University Senate website des prvide that pprtunity. The Bylaws and Prcedures Cmmittee unanimusly apprved this amendment as did Faculty Assembly: Be it therefre reslved the Senate Cuncil apprved the fllwing prpsed amendment t the University Senate Bylaws which replaces Article 6 sectin 4 in its entirety. Sectin 4: The executive cmmittee shall reprt the activities t all members by psting n the Senate website meeting ntices, meeting minutes, reprts, newsletters, and senate matters clumns generated by the executive cmmittee, faculty assembly, Senate Cuncil and/r Senate Standing r Special Cmmittees. N Questins/Cmments President Pinsky: I ask that this mtin be put t a vte. (Secnded) All thse in favr? All thse ppsed? Abstained? It has been passed. Annuncements: The Chancellr is hsting a receptin and yu are all welcme t g, Meeting is adjurned. Adjurnment. Meeting adjurned 4:00 PM Respectfully Submitted, Linda Rse Frank, PhD, MSN, ACRN, FAAN Senate Secretary Assciate Prfessr f Public Health, Medicine, & Nursing Graduate Schl f Public Health, Department f Infectius Diseases September 7, 2012 Members attending: Baker, Balaban, Beesn, Buchanich, Chaiklin, Cchran, Cstantin, Frank, Gallway, Givens, Hravnak, Humphrey, Juhl, Kear, Landreneau, Levine, Lin, Miller, Mlinar, Mulcahy, Nrdenberg, Pinsky, Ramicne, Rthenberger, C. Singh, V. Singh, Smith, Smitherman, Spring, Walker, Weiss, Wendell Members nt attending: 9

10 Arnld-Blais, Bauer, Bnneau, Caldwell, Culley, Daley, Ellitt, Gallagher, Greenberg, Hartman, Kearns, Kry, Luderback, Mriarty, Muenzer, Murdch, Neufeld, Pan, Rsbrugh, Savinv, Slimick, Smlinski, Sukits, Twers, Wilsn *Excused attendance: Barthlmae, Burkff, Gaddy, Harbert, Kvacs, Rickman, Savia Others attending: Barlw, Bircher, Blair, Blake, Bnner, Clark, Frisch, Glden, Hart, Harvith, Hgendrn, Hrnack, Mhamed, Supwitz, Wilds *Ntified Senate Office 10