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147th Plenary Meeting SUNY Cortland - October 25-27, 2007

147th Plenary Meeting SUNY Cortland - October 25-27, 2007

147-01-1 Resolution on the State University and the "Voluntary" System of Accountability - October 27, 2007
147-02-1 Resolution in Support of Proposal for a Comprehensive SUNY Digital Library - October 27. 2007
147-03-1 Resolution on Endorsement of the University Faculty Senate Consult and Visitation Procedure - October 27, 2007

147-01-1 Resolution on the State University and the "Voluntary" System of Accountability - October 27, 2007

University Faculty Senate
Executive Committee
147th Plenary Meeting
SUNY Cortland
October 27, 2007

RATIONALE

WHEREAS the University Faculty Senate has indicated through a number of different resolutions that it opposes the collection and public distribution of standardized measures assessing student learning outcomes that would allow for invidious and inappropriate comparisons among SUNY units; and

WHEREAS each campus of the State University has an assessment process that is the result of agreements between that campus and the System Administration, the singular purpose of which is the improvement of undergraduate education; and

WHEREAS the Voluntary System of Accountability recently fostered by AASCU and other educational organizations inappropriately uses such data as marketing tools rather than for the improvement of undergraduate education; and

WHEREAS eight State University campuses have "volunteered" to pilot the Voluntary System of Accountability with little or no consultation with local faculty governance bodies:

RESOLUTION:

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the University Faculty Senate strongly opposes any move to implement the Voluntary System of Accountability as a state requirement; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVE that the University Faculty Senate urges a prohibition on any additional campus involvement in the pilot process without explicit and meaningful consultation with local governance bodies.

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147-02-1 Resolution in Support of Proposal for a Comprehensive SUNY Digital Library - October 27. 2007

University Faculty Senate
Operations Committee
147th Plenary Meeting
October 27, 2007

Preamble:

At its 2006 Fall Plenary Meeting, the University Faculty Senate adopted the following resolution [on Enhancing SUNY Access to Electronic databases]:

"Therefore Be it resolved, that in order to more adequately support the teaching and research needs of SUNY students and faculty, the University Faculty Senate recommends that SUNY institutions and the SUNY Provost, working together, give priority to developing both a strategy and funding mechanism to provide greater SUNY-wide access to a broader range of scholarly databases and other electronic resources than those currently available."

In August 2007, the SUNY Council of Library Directors and the SUNYConnect Advisory Council submitted to SUNY administration a document entitled Proposal for a Comprehensive SUNY Digital Library (see attached). The University Faculty Senate Operations Committee has reviewed the Proposal and believes that it provides a good strategy for increasing access within SUNY to electronic scholarly resources. The Operations Committee accepts that the suggested funding mechanism is reasonable while noting with regret that library expenditures within SUNY remain inadequate to move SUNY libraries to the front ranks of their national peers.

Resolution:

Whereas, at its 2006 Fall Plenary Meeting, the University Faculty Senate adopted a resolution recommending that "SUNY institutions and the SUNY Provost, working together, give priority to developing both a strategy and funding mechanism to provide greater SUNY-wide access to a broader range of scholarly databases and other electronic resources than those currently available."; and

Whereas, the SUNY Council of Library Directors and the SUNYConnect Advisory Council have submitted their Proposal for a Comprehensive SUNY Digital Library to the SUNY Chancellor and the SUNY Provost; and

Whereas, the University Faculty Senate finds that the Proposal for a Comprehensive SUNY Digital Library sets out an effective strategy for increasing System-wide access to scholarly electronic resources;

Therefore Be it resolved that, the University Faculty Senate recommends the implementation of and provision of funding for the SUNY Digital Library as outlined in the Proposal for a Comprehensive SUNY Digital Library.

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147-03-1 Resolution on Endorsement of the University Faculty Senate Consult and Visitation Procedure - October 27, 2007

University Faculty Senate
Governance Committee
147th Plenary Meeting
SUNY Cortland
October 27, 2007

WHEREAS the University Faculty Senate has, for many years, provided a detailed written protocol providing for the establishment of a visitation team to be dispatched to a campus following the joint invitation by the campus president and the local governance leader for the purpose of providing guidance and assistance in resolving protracted governance disputes between administration and faculty, and

WHEREAS the Senate has played an important and effective role in resolving contentious governance situations by lending its expertise and experience, and

WHEREAS the establishment and utilization of such a protocol clearly lies within the charge to the University Faculty Senate as the governance body of the University, and

WHEREAS the members of such visitation teams make important contributions to the University within the service component of their job responsibilities, and Whereas the Governance Committee herewith recommends revisions and enhancements to the protocol as a result of the most recent visitation to Alfred State College, and

Now, therefore be it resolved that the University Faculty Senate hereby adopts this revision to the protocol as the policy of the body to take effect immediately.

** Resolution 146-02-4 tabled on 4-27-07 (in Brockport) and referred back to the Governance Committee to be re-introduced at the Fall Plenary in Cortland with clearly indicated differentiation between the original version and the proposed version.

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