October 17, 2002

Present: Robert Grainger, Michael Smith, Patricia Werhane, Kathryn Neeley, Robert O'Connell, Rebecca Kneedler, Houston Wood, III, Karen Ryan, George Cohen, Michael Levenson, Julian Connolly, David Brautigan, Robert Davis

Guest: Scott Vandenberg, Reporting for Susan Perry, Chair of the Research and Scholarship Committee

Robert Grainger, Chair of the Faculty Senate, called the meeting to order.

Report of the Research and Scholarship Committee

Scott Vandenberg, a member of the Research and Scholarship Committee, reported on the progress being made in the planning of the Harrison and Faculty Senate Undergraduate Symposium, which is being held on November 6, 2001 from 2:30-5:15 p.m. The Solarium/Reading Room and Front Parlor of the Colonnade Club (Pavilion VII) have been reserved for the event. Students and their faculty advisors have been selected and asked to speak at the event, which is open to the University Community. For additional information on the Symposium and on this year's Harrison and Faculty Senate Undergraduate Research Awards "Call for Proposals," go to the following URL: http://www.virginia.edu/facultysenate/

Posters and email messages have been widely distributed to announce these events. Advertising in the Cavalier Daily and Inside UVA is planned. Members of the Board of Visitors, the press, alumni, and others will be invited to attend the symposium.

Report of the Academic Affairs Committee

Robert E. Davis, Chair of the Academic Affairs Committee, reported on the work of that committee. The main work of the committee will be addressing ways of improving graduate education at the University. Three subcommittees have been formed to work on this issue. The subcommittees are 1) Dissertation-Year Fellowships, 2) Graduate Student Funding, and 3) Non-Funding Graduate Student Issues. The subcommittees will meet in the near future to begin their work. Issues to be considered include a timeline for the subcommittee work and planning for an awards dinner to honor fellowship recipients. Some schools have issued statements stressing the importance of graduate student support and issues associated with tuition differentials. The Council agreed that all such statements should be passed along as they arrive as part of a continuous effort to press forward toward the goal of seeing that all graduate student issues are addressed. The Council decided that Gene Block, Vice President and Provost, and Yoke San Reynolds, Vice President for Finance, should be invited to the next Executive Council meeting. Ms. Reynolds will be asked to inform the Council members about the effect of tuition differential policy on graduate programs and students. George Cohen, Professor of Law, agreed to check into the School of Law's rules governing in-state and out-of-state student funding.

Mr. Davis said Richard Warner's Subcommittee, which is the subcommittee addressing Non-Funding Graduate Student Issues, would look into ways to centralize graduate student recruiting. The council suggested that Joel Hockensmith would be a good source of information, since he has done something similar to this for the Medical School. Mr. Davis agreed to contact Mr. Hockensmith.

Mr. Davis said the Academic Affairs Committee would draft a white paper that would draw on the Mills Report on Graduate Student Support at the University but also include other information and recommendations developed by the three subcommittees. The report will be reviewed and endorsed by the Executive Council and then circulated widely.

In preparation for the upcoming Faculty Senate meeting on Tuesday, October 23, the issues and recommendations related to graduate students that were raised at the at the Senate Retreat will be condensed into 10-to-15 points and distributed to the full Senate.

Uncertainty Regarding Faculty/Staff Salary Increases

The Executive Council considered what might be an appropriate format for addressing both the current freeze on pay increases and the possibility that there will be no pay increases for faculty and staff even after the November 6 election. It was suggested that incentives that do not involve salary might be given to staff. It was also suggested that the Faculty Senate at the University of Virginia join hands with the Faculty Senate of Virginia to address the issue-perhaps in the form of a joint letter. The Executive Council recognized that part of the state's lack of funds for salary increases is due to the car tax relief, and they also realize the economic constraints brought on by the terrorist attacks on September 11. Robert Grainger agreed to write letters to key legislators and the governor to express concern over the potential negative impacts that a salary freeze might have.

Other topics Robert Grainger addressed:

· The Colonnade Club is making plans for renovations of the Newcomb Hall space that will eventually be used for faculty dining. Requests for Senate donations to the Colonnade Club's renovation studies or other organizations/groups were discussed. It was decided that such requests could not be met because of the Senate's limited funds.

· We will discuss the possibilities for interacting with state legislators after the November election.

· The Academic Affairs Committee and the Executive Council approved a name change for the "Master of Science in Information Technology" program in the McIntire School of Commerce. The new name will be "Master of Science in Management of Information Technology." The action will be brought before the full Senate for approval at the October 23rd meeting. Robert Kemp, Associate Dean for Graduate Programs, will be invited to the Senate meeting.

· The Faculty Senate will co-sponsor a symposium on patenting genes for the Science and Society initiative. Mr. Grainger said the University of Virginia Patent Foundation would manage the event.

· The Board of Visitors meets on October 18 and 19. Two Harrison and Faculty Senate Undergraduate Research Award recipients will address the Board and give a brief presentation on their research.

· Mr. Grainger will talk to the Board about the Science and Society initiative.

· The Faculty Senate of Virginia met on Tuesday, October 17. Mr. Grainger attended that meeting. He gave the councilors a brief report on the FSVA meeting. An issue raised at the FSVA meeting was having a faculty member on each institution's board of visitors as a non-voting member. Mr. Grainger agreed to get input from John Casteen regarding this issue.

· Mr. Grainger asked for suggestions of topics the Senate members might like John Casteen to address at the Faculty Senate meeting on October 23. Mr. Grainger will follow up on suggestions made.

· Mr. Grainger said next year's Senate theme will be "Art and Society."

The meeting adjourned at 4:55 p.m.

Submitted by Kathryn A. Neeley, Secretary of the Faculty Senate