At less than 20 minutes, the first University Senate meeting for the semester was short, just as presiding officer Jonathan Massey said it would be as he opened the meeting.

‘We’re going to be lean, mean and quick, judging by the assembly today,’ Massey said, as the monthly meeting began at 4 p.m. in Maxwell Auditorium Wednesday. 

About 30 people were in the auditorium when Massey started, and senate members trickled in throughout the meeting. With little discussion at Wednesday’s meeting, USen began the spring semester similarly to how it ended in the fall. Most USen meetings from the fall semester lasted about 20 minutes, and the December USen meeting was 18 minutes long.

Chancellor Nancy Cantor was not present for the meeting. Vice Chancellor and Provost Eric Spina said Cantor was away in Washington, D.C., on business. 

Barbara Kwasnik, a professor in the School of Information Studies, presented the Committee on Curricula’s 30-page report, which listed new and changed courses, a new minor, and new degree and certificate programs. The report was unanimously approved after a brief discussion on sequencing for the changed courses in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Pat Cihon, a member of the Academic Affairs Committee, presented the committee’s report in lieu of its chairperson Bruce Carter. During the fall semester, the committee met biweekly to discuss the changing relationship between the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. 

Cihon also reported on a meeting in which he was personally involved. He held a meeting in the fall with Spina and Senior Associate Provost Kal Alston to discuss the timing of notice for either reappointing or not reappointing non-tenure faculty members. It was decided timing would be consistent for probationary staff.

The Academic Affairs Committee also recommended approving the proposal for a Forensic and National Security Sciences Institute in the College of Arts and Sciences.

For the spring, the committee plans to undertake the tasks of appointing an ad hoc committee for the five-year review of the vice chancellor and provost. The committee also plans to look further into the concerns about the increasing student enrollment. An ad hoc committee was put in place this fall to look into the issue of the increasing enrollment and will report back to the Academic Affairs Committee some time in the spring, Cihon said.

The formal agenda ended in less than 10 minutes, and Massey announced that the Honorary Degrees Committee would like to bring back a nominee for consideration that was previously discussed in December.

He asked non-senators to leave the room, and Don Saleh, vice president for enrollment management, suggested finishing public business first. Massey asked if there was any old or new business to discuss, but no one spoke up. He then asked non-senators to leave.

Senators exited Maxwell Auditorium at about 4:20 p.m., and the honorary degrees discussion lasted for only a few minutes.

Other items included:

• Minutes from USen’s December meeting were approved.

• The Senate Agenda Committee did not give a report because it had not met since it last gave a report.

dkmcbrid@syr.edu

Published on January 19, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Dara: dkmcbrid@syr.edu | @daramcbride