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150th Plenary Meeting SUNY Potsdam - October 16-18, 2008

150-01-1  Resolution on the Effect of New York State’s Budget on SUNY - October 18, 2008

150-02-1  Resolution on Implementing the Recommendations of the New York State Commission on Higher Education - October 18, 2008

150-03-1  Joint Committee on Transfer and Articulation Resolution (7-30-08)150-06-1  Resolution on the support for the mission and leadership of the Office for Diversity and Educational Equity - October 18, 2008

150-01-1  Resolution on the Effect of New York State’s Budget on SUNY - October 18, 2008

University Faculty Senate
Executive Committee
150th Plenary Meeting
SUNY Potsdam
October 18, 2008

Whereas, SUNY is being treated budgetarily as being similar to other state agencies in the Executive Branch, and

Whereas, contrary to the other state agencies, SUNY is not only a provider of important services but it is also a critical investment in the future of New York State, and

Whereas, the level of budget cuts currently announced will substantially weaken the academic reputation and status of SUNY as an institution of high academic quality by causing a serious loss of current faculty and making the recruitment of new talent (faculty and students) almost impossible, and

Whereas, the current budget cuts are so severe that they will undermine New York State’s investment in its future by making it more difficult for students to have access to the courses and programs they require, which will lengthen the time that they take to graduate and thus delay their entrance as productive members of society and the labor force as well as also incurring greater costs for their education, and

Whereas, the current financial crisis that is gripping New York State and the nation, and which is likely to continue for several years, will lead to increased unemployment that will result in an increase in the numbers of citizens seeking to acquire new or to enhance existing job skills by enrolling in SUNY,

Therefore, be it resolved, that the University Faculty Senate, as the representative body through which the faculty and professional staff engage in the governance of the University, believes that SUNY should not sustain the same percentage budget reductions as other state agencies, and

Be it further resolved, that the state publicly acknowledges SUNY as a significant investment in its future and as an engine of economic productivity that New York State sorely needs, and

Be it further resolved, that the faculty and academic and professional staff, who define the university, must be preserved at all costs even during periods of budget shortfalls, and

Be it further resolved, that the SUNY adopts a “rational tuition policy” that leads to small, predictable, annual tuition increases tied to a relevant inflationary index such as the Higher Education Price Index, which should not be used as an alternative to required state appropriation, and

Be it further resolved, that Governor Paterson and the Legislature should restore to SUNY a substantial portion of the budgets cuts already made and provide sufficient funds in continuing years to maintain SUNY as one of the premier institutions of public higher education in the country.

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150-02-1  Resolution on Implementing the Recommendations of the New York State Commission on Higher Education

University Faculty Senate
Executive Committee
150th Plenary Meeting
SUNY Potsdam
October 18, 2008

Whereas, the final report of the New York State Commission on Higher Education recommended a series of actions that would enhance the value of public higher education to New York State by moving it more firmly into the 21st century.

Therefore, be it resolved, that the University Faculty Senate urges Governor Paterson and the New York State Legislature put into effect the ten major recommendations of the New York State Commission on Higher Education at the earliest possible time.

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150-03-1  Joint Committee on Transfer and Articulation Resolution (7-30-08)

Endorsed by the SUNY University Faculty Senate
SUNY Potsdam
October 18, 2008

Whereas the SUNY Joint Committee on Transfer and Articulation agrees with the Commission on  Higher Education’s recommendation that articulation and transfer policies be strengthened  and enforced throughout the system to eliminate all unnecessary impediments;

Whereas the SUNY Joint Committee on Transfer and Articulation was charged to “explore ways of  facilitating the transfer of students from one institution to another within the SUNY system  and the articulation of programs that will facilitate the transfer process;”

Whereas the SUNY Board of Trustees has asked the Joint Committee to provide recommendations  for strengthening transfer and articulation throughout the system; and

Whereas current Board policy includes the following statements:

 1. New York State residents who are graduates of a State University two-year college, including the community colleges operating within the program of the University, and who possess an A.A.  or A.S. degree, shall be guaranteed an opportunity to continue their education on a full-time basis at a baccalaureate campus of the University; and 

 2. Graduates of two-year colleges within SUNY with an A.A. or A.S. degree, when accepted in parallel programs at baccalaureate campuses of the University, shall be accorded full junior status and be given the opportunity to complete the requirements for a bachelor’s degree within four additional semesters of full-time work; and

 3. Graduates of two-year colleges within SUNY, when accepted with junior status within parallel programs at baccalaureate campuses of the University, shall be granted full credit for general education courses taken and not be required to repeat successfully completed courses with similar curricular content; and

 4. Only those admissions requirements to institutions or to particular programs applicable to continuing and returning students shall be applied to SUNY A.A. and A.S. transfer students; and

 5. These transfer students shall be accorded, as far as possible, opportunities in areas such as housing, advisement and registration comparable to those of returning and continuing students; and

 6. Baccalaureate campuses of SUNY in their enrollment planning shall give priority to A.A. and A.S. graduates of State University and City University of New York over other transfers; and

 7. Academic decisions on admissions for such transfer students shall be based solely on their previous collegiate record; and

 8. Baccalaureate campuses in making these admissions’ decisions shall pay particular attention to applications from A.A. and A.S. transfer students from their region who cannot relocate to another part of the State; now, therefore be it

Resolved that the Joint Committee on Transfer and Articulation recommends that the current SUNY Board of Trustees policy regarding system-wide transfer and articulation be enforced, beginning Fall 2008; and

Be it Further Resolved that

1. current Board policy be strengthened to include students who successfully complete first- and second-year courses generally offered at four-year institutions in a program or major at one SUNY institution be able to seamlessly transfer those courses into a parallel major or program at another SUNY institution; and

2. an accessible website be developed in full consultation with the Joint Committee on Transfer and Articulation that lists all courses at all campuses with their transfer equivalents throughout the system.  The website should include but not be limited to the following:
   a. Course-to-course equivalencies using existing information
   b. Instructions for transferring
   c. Links to lists of formally approved articulation agreements
   d. Links to lists of campus transfer officers
   e. Background and Policy Guidelines, such as SUNY Board of Trustees Resolutions on Transfer; and

3. a standing committee be formed, known as the Transfer Review Committee, which will resolve the transfer status of first- and second-year courses generally offered at four-year institutions and make final recommendations, in consultation with disciplinary groups, to the Provost on the system-wide transferability of a course.  Additionally,

    a. The Transfer Review Committee should consist of four faculty selected by the UFS and four faculty selected by the FCCC.  There should also be one ex-officio (non-voting) member appointed by the Provost’s office, and one ex-officio (non-voting) student member to be selected by the Student Assembly; and

   b. The Joint Committee on Transfer and Articulation should provide the charge for the Transfer Review Committee; and

   c. The Transfer Review Committee should develop guidelines and appropriate forms to standardize a course transfer approval process throughout the system when the transfer
status of a course is unclear or contested; and

   d. The Transfer Review Committee should use course titles, course descriptions, prerequisites, and, if necessary, sample course syllabi when determining the transfer status of a course; and,

Be it Further Resolved that the Joint Committee recommends that SUNY System Administration begin  facilitating workshops, roundtable discussions, and conferences throughout the state so  that faculty from all sectors of the University can have regular conversations with each  other about their courses and programs so they may work together to continually  improve and align courses and programs throughout the system and serve as a resource to  the Joint Committee on Transfer and Articulation and the Transfer Review Committee;  and

Be it Further Resolved that there should be at least two liaisons from the Joint Committee on Transfer and Articulation (one from the four-year schools and one from the two-year schools) on all committees working to facilitate system-wide transfer.

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150-06-1  Resolution on the support for the mission and leadership of the Office for Diversity and Educational Equity - October 18, 2008

University Faculty Senate
Ad Hoc Committee for Diversity and Cultural Competency
150th Plenary Meeting
SUNY Potsdam
October 18, 2008

Whereas, New York State's public higher education system is among the world's largest, educating more than 400,000 degree candidates on 64 campuses in the State University of New York, and

Whereas, New York's colleges and universities must meet the challenges posed by rapidly changing demographic, scientific, technological and economic trends in order to prepare students to be successful in commerce, science, education, government, social sciences, humanities and the arts, and

Whereas, a well educated workforce is a necessity for the success of our state, and

Whereas, the young adults aged 18 to 29 are already the most ethnically and racially diverse segment of the current population, and

Whereas, by 2028, Hispanic, Black and Asian people will be in the majority within that age range, and

Whereas, the State University of New York has an obligation to educate the entirety of the populace of New York state, and

Whereas, a diverse classroom leads to an enhanced learning experience for all students, and

Whereas, the Office of Diversity and Educational Equity (ODEE) led by Dr. Pedro Caban was created with the intention of meeting the needs of our state and our University system, and

Whereas, ODEE has been thus far not been adequately funded to accomplish its mission, and

Whereas, given the current budget crisis, there is a real and present danger of further reductions in funding,

Therefore, be it resolved, that the University Faculty Senate states our unequivocal support for the mission and leadership of the Office for Diversity and Educational Equity, and urgently requests that the Chancellor provide a budget that is appropriate for the importance of its mission.

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