Arts & Sciences Senate
Minutes
October 24, 2011

I.  Approval of tentative agenda:  approved.

II.  Approval of minutes from September 26, 2011

III.  Amendment/correction to constitution on language concerning “Senior Lecturer” (H. Silverman)

• Second reading and discussion.
• Changing name from “Senior Lecturer Promotion Review Committee” to “Senior Lecturer Selection Committee”.
• Change acronym to SLSC (instead of SLRC) in the text. 
• Mention of promotion will be removed from the description and replaced with title “award”.

IV.  Presentation of GSO resolution on Shared Service Centers (S. Trujillo)

• The A&S Executive Committee has endorsed this document.
• The GSO would like the A&S Senate to endorse this resolution.
• F. Walter saw Barbara Chernow today and she is working on an executive summary.
• S. Marsh spoke about the Art Department and Theatre Arts Department SSC.  Provided responses about the SSC from graduate students and staff.  They had a lot of positive things to say about the SSC. 
• M. Schwartz made a friendly amendment that there should be a written report/plan of specific SSC’s that people can read
• F. Walter made a motion to table discussion until after the Dean Squires report.
• N. Squires had no objections to the resolution.  GSO can go back with friendly amendment.
• All in favor of the resolution with the friendly amendment:  all in favor, none opposed, and no abstentions.

V.  Presentation of Corrected SSC Document (minus the section on CAT) and Q&A with the Dean.

• Thank the A&S EC for all of their hard work over the summer and fall.
• The first document was an analysis of SCC’s.  The document was not properly vetted.  Spoke to units that were affected.  The A&S EC is presented an edited version but as background to a second document which is the Q&A document. It is a series of questions that the Dean will answer to help dispel a lot of misinformation and hopefully give a better sense of what the aims of the SCC’s are, how they are being developed, and what is their ultimate goal.

• Send additional comments or questions to E. Mendieta.

VI.  CAS Deans Report (N. Squires)

• Found the SSC Q&A to be very useful.

• Budget reduced by 2% for FY 11/12.
• There are 18 faculty approved for CAS so far (16 tenure track).
• Voluntary separation:  8 faculty members and 1 staff member.
• Why shared services now that we have money?  There is no guarantee that there will be new cuts.
• Shared services in UG Biology, CAS Dean’s Office and Technical support shops.
• Discusses SSC background personnel data since 1995.
• Bain left in June 2011.  Started with diagnostic (data collection), to design, to potential solutions, then to implementation.
• Metrics to compare levels of service across departments include faculty size, graduate students (MA and Ph.D.), majors, annual enrollment, procurement transactions, personnel transactions and staff (grad coordinator, undergrad coordinator, ATC and support staff).
• Bain left us with a process not a report.
• The process involves repeated conversations with faculty/staff.
• Goals:  to improve student advising and getting staff members into jobs that best utilize their skills and fit their preferences.

VII.  New Business:  no new business.

VIII.  Old Business:  no old business.

Meeting adjourned at 4:54 p.m.

Submitted by:

Laurie Theobalt
Secretary