Academic Senate

Meeting of March 24, 2004

Minutes

Present: M. Afifi, P. Conti, R. Garet, J. Gates (alternate for D. O’Leary), J. Glueckert, H. Hansen (alternate for R. Cole), N. Hollyn, W. Mack, E. McCann, J. Moore, J. Nyquist, P. Pattengale, M. Safonov, G. Schierle, K. Shing, P. Shrivastava D. Stram, P. Vorderer, M. Weinstein, D. Wilson, W. Wolf (alternate for D. Ann)

Absent: M. Apostolos, C. Betts, J. Brown, G. Davison, C. Fogu, E. Garrett, E. Heikkila, E. Hollins, P. Levine, S. Montgomery, J. Moore, M. Nichol, R. Nishimoto, M. Omar, G. Painter, P. Starr, J. Walsh, W. Weber, R. Zemke

Guests: S. Gupta, H. Kaslow, B. Kosko, M. Levine

Actions:

1. Resolution 03/04 – 06 was passed.

2. Resolution 03/04 – 07 was passed.

The meeting was called to order at 2:58 p.m.

1. Approval of February Senate Meeting Minutes

The February 18 meeting minutes were approved with 14 in favor, none opposed, and one abstention.

2. Announcements

a) Nominating Committee Report and current status – the report presents a full slate with the exception of the office of Academic Vice President. We need a second candidate. The Senate was asked to approve the slate as is and give them the approval to add the final candidate. It was also asked that if a candidate is not found by March 26, then the voting period would be shortened to two weeks in order to have a full slate. Hearing no objection the slate was accepted. A decision was made to offer all senators the option of having the ballot go to their homes or offices. Connie will email each senator to make the determination.

b) Resignation of Dean Ryan  - He submitted his resignation as of June 30. There will be someone appointed to take over on July 1. Dr. Levine stated that the provost has welcomed input from any faculty member in the Keck School of Medicine via email at provost@usc.edu.

3. Contracts or letters for 2004-05

The health-related schools would like letters carrying forward the conditions of contracts for all faculty. We would like last year’s resolution to be expanded to send letters to all faculty in health-related schools, letters to all tenured faculty in all other schools, and long-form contracts to all non-tenured faculty in non-health schools

Moved by Professor Nyquist, seconded by Professor Wilson.

This would modify resolution number 02/03-09. This resolution would be number 03/04-07.

Be it resolved that:

1. The issuance of annual contracts to faculty with tenure and continuing

appointment be replaced by an annual letter, signed by the University

President, the basic template for which will read as follows:

“I am pleased to inform you that your total salary to the XXX [academic/fiscal] year will be $xxx [This total includes supplemental salary [or an administrative supplement], for this year only, of $xxx.] In all other respects, your last faculty contract remains unchanged and is incorporated by reference

2. The issuance of annual contracts to continuing faculty with without tenure

[or continuing appoint] be replaced by an annual letter, signed by the University President, the basic template for which will read as follows:

“I am pleased to inform you that you have been appointed and that your total salary to the XXX [academic/fiscal] year will be $xxx [This total includes supplemental salary [or an administrative supplement], for this year only, of $xxx.] In all other respects, your last faculty contract remains unchanged and is incorporated by reference.

The vote was 16 in favor, one opposed, one abstention.

4. Resolution re UPC Faculty/Staff Clinic – There has been much discussion about the inconvenience of using the executive clinic in downtown. Professor Kosko noted that the Senate did not receive the resolution in advance, and objected to setting a precedent. Professor Wolf asked if the executive clinic was going to close anyway. No one knew the answer. The resolution was moved by Proffessor Pattengale and President McCann and seconded by Professor Conti.

Resolution 03/04-06

Relocation of Faculty/Staff Clinic

Whereas the University has an interest in promoting the health and

well-being of its faculty and staff, and

Whereas the relocation of the Faculty/Staff Clinic from a site on the

University Park campus to a location in downtown Los Angeles has

Caused significant inconvenience and has caused much valuable faculty

and staff time to be wasted in travel from UPC to the downtown facility, and

Whereas some faculty and staff may find this inconvenience and loss

of time a significant disincentive to seek routine medical and preventive

care, and

Whereas the presence of a small clinic on or very near the University

Park campus would be able to provide routine and minor medical and

preventive care,

Therefore be it resolved that the University administration work

with USCare to perform cost and space feasibility studies exploring the

possibility of a small satellite facility located on or very near the University

Park campus which would be outfitted and staffed so as to enable it to

provide routine and minor medical and preventive care and to refer more

serious or involved medical matters to the downtown clinic as needed.

Vote 18 in favor, none opposed, no abstentions.

5. Faculty Handbook Revision Process update – Professor McCann announced that 3 resolutions will be forthcoming. One resolution will address the re-organization of the handbook proposed by the Handbook Committee of 02/03. The second resolution would include all changes proposed by the Handbook Committee of 02/03. The final resolution would include all changes proposed by the Handbook Committee of 03/04. It is the goal to have these proposals ready for vote in April 2004.

6. Call for Volunteers for Award Committee – Professor asked for three volunteers for the committee. Only Professor Shrivastava volunteered.

7. Vice Provost’s Comments

The new strategic plan – major thrust is the need for a vision not a detailed plan – we need to be respond quickly to worldwide trends – to demonstrate flexibility – interdisciplinary work, focus on real world problems, and connection of basic and applied research (translational research). There is still an opportunity for input. This has guided some schools already and could do so in the future. There was some discussion about this direction including the concern that the plan may leave out the humanities and that the results of pure research are sometimes not able to be used for many years. It was countered that the plan actually does emphasize the importance of a general education and that the problems of society do related to the mind and spirit.

Professor McCann commented that the strategic plan should be published so that it can be reviewed at the May mini-retreat. Provost Armstrong will not be able to attend either the April or May meeting so that he will be unable to present the plan to the Academic Senate. President Sample has been invited to both the April and May meetings – do not know yet if his schedule will allow him to attend.

8. New Business – Professor Hanel is being asked to come to the April meeting to discuss the faculty/staff seating section for the football games. She will also be asked to address the handling of the faculty senate allocation to the Presidents speaker and artist events

9. Dean search – Professor Wolf reminded the group that Provost Armstrong gave a detailed answer to how dean searches are conducted providing two models open search (generally followed) and secret search (used in School of Business).

ADJOURNMENT

The Senate was adjourned at 4: 39 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Julie Nyquist, Ph.D.

Appointed Secretary General for the March Meeting