Faculty Senate Executive Committee Report on Activities

Prepared by :

Stella N. Batalama, Assoc. Prof.

Department of Electrical Engineering

University at Buffalo

(Oct. 2006 – Apr. 2007)

UB Engineering Faculty MeetingApril 11, 2007

Overview

● Academic Planning Committee

● Committee for Teaching and Learning

● Graduate School Executive Committee

● Workstation Standardization

● Final Exam Scheduling

● University Bookstore

● Center for Academic Development Services

● Office of Disability Services

● Make UB one of Fortune’s 100 Best Companies

● Centralized Advertisement / Centralized Recruitment

● Initiatives for Undergraduate Education

● Mission Review – Memorandum of Understanding

● President’s / Provost’s Report on Governor’s Budget

● Miscellaneous

Academic Planning Committee

● Dissolution of the School of Informatics

Dept. of Communication is relocated to the College of Arts & Sciences.

Dept. of Library and Information Studies is relocated to the Graduate School of Education.

(Prof. Diane Christian, FS APC Chair, English, CAS)

Committee for Teaching and Learning

● Educational Technology Program (ETC - est. 1999).

● Center for Teaching and Learning Resources (CLTR - est. in 2001 in place of Office for Teaching Effectiveness that was est. in 1990 and closed in 1995 due to budgetary concerns).

● Currently no staff in CTLR, no director for ETC.

● FSEC passed a resolution that CTLR services are considered essential component of University excellence and requested on going plans (e.g. merger plans) be shared at the point of creation with the Faculty Senate Teaching and Learning Committee.

(Prof. James Jensen, FS T&L Committee Chair, CSEE, SEAS)

Graduate School Executive Committee

● Speak Test and Scores Evaluates general speaking skills; required for all assistantships.

Scores range : 20-60 (<50 : teaching demonstration, departmental screening, ESL sources recommended – 5 courses available).

● International Education Snapshot

UB ranked #10 in USA for international enrollment.

UB ranked #1 among public universities for international enrollment as percentage of total student body.

Fall 2006 : 13.16% of UB’s enrollment is international; 59% of UB’s intl. population is grad.; 23% of UB’s grad. enrollment is international.

Workstation Standardization

● Team of 14.

● Detailed recommendations (involve non-research supported computers ~18,000)

Institute systematic 4-year refreshment cycle. Leverage university buying power via several large purchases annually. Promote de-facto hardware and software standards.

(Dr. Peter Rittner, Assist. Dean for Education Technology, CAS)

● FSEC comments/suggestions Not everybody will agree to a certain product based on a discount

price. Negotiate with the vendor to purchase certain number of units. Leasing of computers (impractical due to State’s annual budgeting

process).

● Full report

www.buffalo.edu/ub2020/itst/files/WorkstationStandardizationReprot.doc

Final Exam Scheduling

● Current process/SW is 15 years old with default 3-hour exams and double-seating test location different from course location; final exams are scheduled before Drop/Add period ends; student-centric (tries to eliminate conflicts based on the courses a student is enrolled).

● Approval for a new final exam scheduling process: Course-centric (?).

(Dr. Terri Mangione, Senior Assoc. Vice Provost)

● Need for a 3,000-seat testing facility (?!).

● Classroom data:

134 centrally scheduled, 152 departmentally controlled (will be shared for more effective scheduling).

47 rooms seat >50; 26 rooms seat >100 students.

Fall 06 / Spring 07: 2,415 / 2,438 courses were scheduled.

Aesthetic renovations seating capacity reduction by ~10%.

Classroom utilization in North Campus (excl. Ellicott complex) exceeds 67% (national benchmark over a 45-hr week).

University Bookstore

● Faculty can negotiate with publishers to customize textbooks to include only material needed ( money savings for students).

● If faculty indicates to bookstore in writing that a textbook will be used again in subsequent semesters, bookstore pays students for a used book about half the price of a new.

Center for Academic Development Services (CADS)(Dr. Henry Durand, Senior Associate Vice Provost of Undergraduate Ed.)

● Provides services and opportunity programs to talented disadvantaged students (low income, first generation, students with disabilities or minorities).

● Major functions Individualized and targeted admissions. Academic counseling and advising. Academic enhancement and enrichment. Internships. Academic support services.

● CADS provides services to about 3,000 students (works with $5M in operating funds, monitors $25M in financial aid).

Office of Disability Services (Director Mr. Randall Borst)

● Ensures accessibility and usability of all programs, services and activities of the University by people with disabilities.

● Coordinates equal opportunity in education, campus life, and university employment for qualified individuals with disability.

● At UB about 500 students with disabilities (learning, mental, vision, etc.) .

● Advocacy for Universal DesignDesign of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extend possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.

Only federally sponsored research center for universal design is at UB (Dept. Architecture & Planning).

Availability of peer/instructor notes. Assistive devices/sign interpreters. Access to calculators or computers. Extended time (x2) for testing and uncharged breaks. Reduced setting (due to destruction).

● Among services provided (per individual student eligibility) are those related to classroom/testing accommodations:

Make UB one of Fortune’s 100 Best Companies (to work for)

● FSEC questioned: Is it a feasible/achievable/reasonable goal?

● Path for UB to become just eligible for consideration for the Fortune’s list might be beneficial (right/better programs and facilities e.g. wellness program, day-care center, parking, etc.).

● FSEC questioned : How many universities are in this list? Answer : None (Harvard is thinking of trying).

(Scott Nostaja, Interim. Vice President for HR)

Centralized Advertising / Centralized Recruitment

● Collective, e.g. School-wide advertising (electronic and/or conventional) – in addition to discipline based advertising.

E.g. CAS advertised collectively listing Depts. that are currently hiring.

● Development of advertising tool-kit to help academic units (with consistent logos, templates, fonts etc.).

● UB – Jobs: Automatic recruiting process.

Initiatives for Undergraduate Education

● Discovery Seminar Program Targeted to 1st and 2nd-year undergraduates.

1 credit-hour course, meets once a week (50 min), class size ~15, standard letter grading.

Benefits to students: engage with a faculty around a thought-provoking/challenging topic in a small group setting.

Benefits to faculty: sharing the passion for particular scholar interests. Seminars are taught as course overload ($500 award for faculty).

Fall ’06 / Spring ’07 / Fall ’07: 4/18/27 seminars.

More info: http://discoveryseminars.buffalo.edu

(Dr. M. Ryan, Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Ed.)

● Undergraduate Academies

Scholarly communities composed of faculty, students and staff with shared goals and interests :

The Academies are directed by a Steering Committee. Each Academy has certain mission/goals and defined

outcomes; it is designed by a Master Scholar (faculty) and a

Board of Fellows. No requirements for membership but certain requirements

should be fulfilled if a documented recognition for student

participation is established (e.g. on transcripts).

(i) Civic Engagement; (ii) Research Exploration;(iii) Creative Exploration; (iv) Global/International Issues

Mission Review II – Memorandum of Understanding

● Document Objectives – Chancellor’s side

Clarify campus goals (2006-2011).

Build campus and academic program quality – meet demand and avoid duplication across SUNY.

Increase inter-campus collaboration.

Built case for investment from State government.

● Document Objectives – UB’s side

Articulate academic direction, campus goals and strategies to pursue these goals.

Show performance consistent with UB 2020 directions.

Assure funding and flexibility to enable and reward our achievements.

● Two Initiatives Enrollment growth (10,000 students by 2020).

Right sizing (UB student/faculty ratio = 27.65; average ratio of comparably sized public peers = 21.59).

President’s/Provost’s Report on Governor’s Budget

● Budget emphasized preK-12, not higher education.

● Governor appointed task force committee to study how to “make SUNY from a fine to a great system” (committee membership restricted to non-SUNY employees).

Fully funded cost of living on salaries (about 5% increase, on average, including union contracts, and merit increase).

Chancellor proposed $10M for expansion/enrollment growth/full time faculty UB may get about $1.3M (it will cover 400 of about 1,000 students that are not funded currently).

$ 2.3M for education opportunity centers.

$ 6M for ATTAIN Program (economic growth for technologically disadvantaged places).

$ 6M for Empire Innovation Program (UB gets $1.6M).

UB requested funds for planning ($10M); alumni arena renovations; UB gateway for downtown area; translation research building in downtown.

● Until committee’s output is available, budget has been generally good given that this is the 1st for this Governor.

Miscellaneous

● President’s report on University matters

● Provost’s report on 2020, interdisciplinary centers etc.

A critical issue for UB is differentiation among research and non-research-oriented SUNY campuses in terms of mission, policy and budget.

Hiring in strategic strength areas are to be considered above and beyond.

Hiring in traditional areas are decided at the Dean’s/Chair’s level.

FSEC suggested circulation to all faculty, once a year, of an email that lists new faculty hirings and highlights those on strategic strength areas.

● Incorporate the discipline in the awarded degrees (currently only Ph.D., M.S., or B.S. designation is present).

● Something to Feel Good About …

Among several parameters that determine the State budget allocated for UB is sponsored research dollars.

Federal funding produces by far the most NY-State matching funds (matched at 20%); NY-State funding produces the least NY-State matching funds (matched at 5%).

● Looking for UB Pictures or UB-logos/Templates?

Go to http://www.buffalo.edu/creativeservices/

and click -- UB Marketing Toolbox

-- Photo- Database