Minutes of a Briefing of the Academic Affairs Committee
Of the Board of Trustees
Of the State University of New York
May 9, 2012


The committee meeting was convened by Trustee Cary Staller at 9:30 A.M
Members present were Trustees, John Murad, Ronald Ehrenberg, Marshall Lichtman, Eunice Lewin, Tina Good, Carl Spielvogel, Kaitlyn Beachner and Ken O’Brien 

	Others present:

	David Lavallee, Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost
	William Howard, Senior Vice Chancellor & General Counsel, Secretary of the University
	Johanna Duncan-Poitier, Senior Vice Chancellor for Community Colleges
	Marti Ellermann, Deputy General Counsel
       Elizabeth Bringsjord, Vice Chancellor for Academic Programs and Planning & Vice Provost
	Patrick O’Sullivan, Provost and Vice President – Academic Affairs
	Anthony Barbera, Assistant Vice President – Academic Affairs
	Robert Kraushaar, Associate Vice Chancellor for Faculty and Professional Development
	Deborah Moeckel, Assistant Provost for Community College Education
	Nancy Willie-Schiff, Assistant Provost for Undergraduate Education
       
Trustee Staller greeted the committee members and guests.
		
The Committee agenda was reviewed and approved. 

Meeting minutes were reviewed, and change was suggested and approved.
Agenda Items:
Resolutions:
Degree Authorization for the State University of New York College at Old Westbury: The resolution authorizing the State University College at Old Westbury to confer the degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) was approve.

Awarding of Honorary Degrees: The Honorary Degree Candidates that were suggested and have accepted were approved by the committee.

State University of New York Master Plan:  The resolution authorizes the Chancellor to submit the SUNY Master Plan 2012 to the Board of Regents and the Governor. This resolution was accepted and approved by the committee.

Appointment of Distinguished Service Professors: Discussed in Executive Session

Appointment of Distinguished Teaching Professors: Discussed in Executive Session

Appointment of Distinguished Professors: Discussed in Executive Session






Executive Vice Chancellor Update: David Lavallee, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

SUNY Research Council: The SUNY Research Council has been established and the internal participants have been selected from a list of candidates submitted by their campus presidents.  External participants will be identified once the new Vice Chancellor for Research in on board at the Research Foundation.  The internal participants are:
	
	Dr. Edelgard Wulfert, Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences – University at Albany
	Dr. Bahgat Sammakia, Interim Vice President for Research – Binghamton University
	Dr. Aidong Zhang, Chair of the Computer Science & Engineering Dept. – University at Buffalo
	Dr. Ian Taylor, Senior Vice President for Biomedical Education & Research – SUNY Downstate
	Dr. Neil Ringler, Provost for Research – SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
	Dr. Qasim Zaidi, Professor of Vision Science – SUNY Optometry
	Dr. Samuel Stanley, Professor of Medicine - President of Stony Brook University
	Dr. Jennifer Moffat, Associate Professor Microbiology & Immunology – SUNY Upstate

Student Mobility: We have a new member of the staff, Dan Knox, who started with us as a student intern and has move to the full time student mobility position. Dan has just begun developing a program of E-advising: web-based academic advising.  Additionally we are working on other aspects of student mobility: ensuring that appeals processes are clearly available to students, developing strategies for students to complete requirements using on-line courses from other campuses, etc.

	General Education Study: We have collated all of the general education requirements at the state-operated campuses.  Most campuses still specify completi0on of all ten content areas and several have additional requirements (either twp courses in a content area or additional content areas). We are encouraging campuses to use the SUNY Gen Ed as the transfer template for the first two years to assist the students in fulfilling their general education requirements.

	Course Content Revisions: As previously reported, our institutional research staff  identified the core courses taken in each discipline by students in the first two years of baccalaureate programs and, then,  faculty committees verified the course lists and negotiated generic definitions for each course. Each campus then mapped specific courses within their local programs to the generic Transfer Path courses by discipline. At present, 37 Transfer Paths have been completed in the most popular transfer disciplines, which account for over 95% of all transfer students within the SUNY system.  
	
Presidential Search Staffing:  Robert Kraushaar and Lee Riddell have been assisting with the Presidential searches until a more permanent solution is determined. There has been discussion of a centralized office to work with some campuses (particularly in the comprehensive and technology sectors) for senior level searches.

Open Items: Hazing has been an issue in the news and there is a question as to the SUNY Policy on hazing.  During Chancellor King’s tenure, a policy was developed prohibiting hazing at SUNY campuses. This policy indicates that if a student is found guilty of hazing it could lead to dismissal and/or a permanent record on their transcript.  This item will be referred to the University Life office to make sure students understand the SUNY policy on hazing.


The meeting was adjourned at 10:42 A.M.




Academic Affairs								May 9, 2012
Committee Minutes