Agenda for Arts and Sciences Senate Meeting, Javits Room, 3:30 pm, September 30th, 2013

1.  Approval of agenda.
2.  Approval of minutes of last meeting (April 15th, 2013).
3.  President's Report. Introduction of new Standing Committee Chairs.
4.  Chuck Taber (Graduate School Dean) Academic Assessment Task Force report.
5.  Report from A&S Dean, Nancy Squires.
6.  Update on Stony Brook Curriculum Progress (Gene Hammond, Peter Stephens)
7.  Other Business.

Attachments
1. Minutes of last meeting
2. President's report

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A&S Senate
Minutes
April 15, 2013

I.  Approval of agenda:  approved.

II.  Approval of minutes from March 11, 2013

III.  President’s Report (T. Sears)

• General Education Curriculum:  the current curriculum proposals are available on the Provost’s web site.  Ad Hoc course certification committee will begin work very soon.
• Dr. Trevor Sears has agreed to stand as President of the A&S Senate for a second term.  A Vice-President is still needed as well as volunteers for committees.
• Vote on the proposed new contract has been delayed.  The ballots are scheduled to be mailed on May 1st.
• MOOCS:  The SUNY system is proposing to enter into a contract with Coursera.

IV.  CAS Dean’s Report (N. Squires)

• Dean Squires report was presented at the Chairs and Directors meeting.  It is a retrospect on all the searches that were done in the last couple of years.

• Job candidates meet with one of three Associate Deans from the College (30 minutes).  Meet with candidates to introduce them to the support structure in the CAS Dean’s Office, to get to know their scholarly/research interests and to answer their questions.
• The College just started using Academic Jobs Online (AJO).
• Searches for 2012-2013:  30 hired, 23 ongoing, 5 diversity.

V.  Faculty Rights, Responsibilities and Policies Committee Issues (A. Mayr)

a.  MOOCS:  The Committee looked into the proposed contract from the faculty perspective and they did not find anything that caused them to worry.  The committee felt that we should raise awareness of the University to look after the interests of the Stony Brook faculty.  Coursera does not look at Stony Brook as an individual.  They want the whole SUNY system.  There are five ways to give on-line courses:  guided courses, open-access courses – non-credit bearing, system-provided open-access courses – credit bearing, licensed course and other open-access courses – credit bearing.

            b.  Non-Salaried Appointments issue:  The A&S Senate approved this document a while ago.  The intention was that the document would be adopted by the Provost’s Office.  T. Sears will point the Provost’s Office in this direction.  This is just information for the Senate body.

            c.  Final reading and vote on proposed change to rules for Library Promotions and Tenure review. 

Vote:  all in favor, no abstentions, no objections:  passed.

VI.  Final Reading and Vote on Proposed Changes to A&S Senate Constitution to Align with University Senate Constitution and By-Laws.

Vote:  All in favor, no abstention, no objections:  passed.

VII.  Arts and Sciences Senate Elections

Dr. Trevor Sears was nominated and the A&S Executive Committee accepted the nomination.  Deferred by acclimation.

VIII.  Old Business:  no old business.

XI.  New Business:  no new business.

Meeting adjourned.

Submitted by:

Laurie Theobalt
Secretary

September 30, 2013 President's Report