California State University Dominguez Hills
Academic Senate Minutes
September 16, 2009 (Amended)
Voting Members Present: Beheshti for Kowalski, Berlin, Carvalho, Chavez, Dales, Fawver, Ferris, Feuer, Fisher, Fitzsimmons, Furtado, Furusa, Galant, Ganezer, García, Gould, Grutzik, Hancock, Herbert, Hwang, Jacobs, Jones, Kalayjian, Kaplan, Keville, Kravchak, Krochalk, Kulikov, Malamud, Monty, Moore, Murrey, Mutchler, Pawar, Salhi, Sneed, Vasquez, Whetmore, and White.
Voting Members Absent: Hinchberger, Miller.
Voting Members Absent Due to Furloughs: Miller
Executive Committee Members 2009/2010: Chair, Munashe Furusa; Vice Chair, Hamoud Salhi; FPC Chair, Carl Sneed; EPC Chair, Sheela Pawar; Parliamentarian, Leena Furtado; Statewide Senators, Pat Kalayjian and Kate Fawver.
Ex-Officio Members Present: Arasimowicz, Bergmann, Bersi, Bluthenthal, Borrego, Bradfield, García, Gordon, M., Maki, Parham, Robles, Rodriguez, M., Strong, and Vogel.
Guests: Gus Martin, Frances Lauerhass, David Lopez (student), and Laura Talamante.
Recorder: Brooks, M.
Call to Order: 2:30 p.m.
Approval of Agenda: MSP
Approval of Minutes from 9/2/0 9: Amended MSP
Furusa addressed the senate and asked them to come together to develop strategies for saving our university. He requested that everyone treat each other with respect and to be civil to one another.
President’s Report-Mildred García
García reported that she had read all of the emails and she has responded in an email that she sent out to the faculty. She said that it was very important not to get into email wars. She said that we never wanted this, but these are the cards we have been dealt. García will ensure that each vice president leads their process in their areas and she thanked the faculty who had sent her emails good or bad. She said that she was listening to everything, and hoping that we all can work together.
Good News-García reported that two faculty have received grants, Ken Ganezer has received a grant from the National Science Foundation. This award from the NSF Physics Division, Particle Astrophysics Program will extend research funding in particle physics at CSUDH which began in July 1992 though the end of August 2012 (a total of more than 20 years with only brief lapses). The level of funding is $330 K over 3 years, which possibly is the largest NSF research award to date at CSUDH. CSUDH undergraduate students will be involved in this project. There are two co-PIs, Jim Hill (of CSUDH) and William E. Keig (of El Camino Compton Learning Center and CSUDH Physics).
Jerry Moore also has received a grant from the Chicago-based Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research for a unique, multi-national workshop on “Divergent Trajectories towards Social Complexity: Formative Transformations in the Equatorial Andes.” The workshop is "un taller móvil" in which Dr. Moore and his co-organizer, Dr. Francisco Valdez, L'Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD), Paris, will bring together a group of Peruvian and Ecuadorian archaeologists who work on the prehistoric transition to settled village life that occurred in northern South America approximately 7,000 - 5,000 years ago. Accompanied by other scholars and graduate students from the United States, the United Kingdom and France, we will hold a series of seminars, archaeological site visits, and inspections of archaeological collections in Peru and Ecuador over three weeks in August 2010.
García reported that we have 14,000 students here at Dominguez Hills, and the university hit over 10,000 FTE’s today. We have an annualized 9520 FTE’s. While getting out and talking to students García learned that for many we were their first choice.
García closed by saying that there is no pre-determined closure of anybody.
Action Items W* Exec 09-07 and Exec 09-08 have been tabled until the next senate meeting.
Resolution from the Floor of the Senate W*
Fac 09-09 Program Planning Process - Richard Kravchak-There was a motion to treat this resolution as a second reading item, it was seconded and there was a vote. All were in favor. Kravchak went over the resolution. He said that we have processes in place for program planning and strategic planning; but, he said that we have not looked at one time savings in budget, and other possibilities have not been explored. Moore said that the plan glosses over the fundamental problem that our university is severely under funded in comparison to other campuses. Our chancellor goes to Super Sunday at AME churches to recruit students from our community and then turns around and makes these kinds of cuts. Moore said that we need to take a serious look at our programs and he supports scrutiny of all programs. Gould said that he believed the trustees will not close a campus in which so much has been invested. The Trustees would send in a new budget and a new president before they would close the campus.
Furusa addressed the provost and requested that in the upcoming retreats we discuss alternative methods say 1 and ? hours for alternatives and 1 and ? hours for the criteria. The provost agreed.
Malamud said that he has not received up to date numbers; he has asked for them, and is told they don’t have them and to go to UBC. We were given a $2.9 million deficit and we’ve eliminated so much. What is the real number?
Fawver said that she supports parts of the resolution but is also confused. Kravchak asked what percent comes from which division. What percent is coming from collapsing colleges and associate deans. We need to look to see if each college could save $1 million before we cut programs and this needs to be explored.
Feuer said that the issue is whether the senate wishes to be on record supporting the program planning process. It has been said that the senate vetted the plan but the senate did not vet the plan.
Grutzik asked what the other processes were. She said this was not clear. She asked if we were proposing to stop the process, and could this be stated in the resolution.
Feuer said that there are three documents: the Statewide Senate Resolution; the Chancellors Policy; and PM 93-04, which are all being ignored by this administration.
Whetmore said that he lauded the intent of the resolution but did not support it because most of it was already being done.
Fawver said that the resolution should say whether or not it supports the program planning process and that’s all.
Gould asked Vogel if he would look over the three policies that Feuer mentioned earlier and Vogel said he would.
Malamud said that he would like to know where the divisions have cut and how much. There is no information flow. Why is it that only UBC gets information and they meet in 3 months, which is late.
Mutchler said that he appreciates the work everyone has put into this and said that we need to forge a new plan that includes elements of the discussion.
Fitzsimmons said that we must maintain a sense of integrity. She said that shared governance had been violated; documents have supposedly been vetted but in actuality have not. If we let principles go because of budget we are making a mistake. She said that she supported the resolution.
Bradfield said that he asks the senate to step forward and support the resolution.
Lauerhass spoke and said that she was concerned about the indecision of whether or not the program planning process will be used to eliminate programs or not. Lauerhass said that the program planning process will be used for elimination.
Pawar asked that a clause be added that the result of these actions be made public.
Dales said that she supported the resolution.
Ganezer said that we should converge on a process. We need to be specific about the amount we need to cut, this is not a periodic review but a process that we have never done. Some of the cuts are silly and don’t really save like when the air-conditioning was cut, or the over cooling of buildings to the point that everyone has to wear jackets. We really need money for travel and conferences.
Kravchak suggested we slow the process down so there won’t be any mistakes and fully explore all other options to get it right.
There was some discussion about the resolution not being clear and Moore asked if we are to vote on a resolution whose contents are not clear. Feuer said that it was clear and White said that it was not clear at all. Kravchak read the resolution with the amendments. There was a vote. 30 voted for the resolution; 5 voted against the resolution; and there were 2 abstentions. MSP
Discussion Item-Release Time-Furusa reported that Vogel had proposed to replace release time with a stipend.
Fawver spoke and said that this is not a reflection of the Executive Committee but her own opinion. She brought up the removal of all release time from the senate executive committee as well as from the senate chair. The executive committee requested that the release time be returned to the senate chair. The provost said that the president’s cabinet had rejected the unanimous request of the executive committee that six units be returned to the chair. As a consequence the chair of the senate, who is much too modest and too overworked to bring this to the attention of the senate himself, currently receives no release time for his duties and responsibilities. She requested the senate charge the executive committee to write President García on behalf of the senate, demanding the immediate restoration of 3 units of release time to the senate chair.
Whetmore said that it is very difficult to recruit faculty to these positions if there is no release time for them to be able to do the work. Malamud wanted to know why the release time was just taken away with out any shared governance.
Pawar demanded that the senate chair’s release time be given back and asked “are we so undervalued?”
Feuer suggested proposing a resolution. Fawver made a formal motion to the president and a charge to the executive committee to write a position demanding units back for senate.
Fawver then charged FPC to compose a resolution which allocates the traditional 6 units of release time to the chair while guaranteeing 3 units to the vice chair and 3 units to the FPC/EPC chairs. The senate decided to vote on this to show their support. There was a vote and all were in favor. The vote was unanimous.
Executive Reports
Chairs Report- Munashe Furusa -Furusa reported that the Political Science department has been moved from College of Business and Public Administration to Natural and Behavioral Sciences. This proposal came to the Exec committee this summer and the Executive committee approved the process.
Parliamentarian Report- Leena Furtado-Furtado announced that she has one faculty nomination for the PPI committee and needs one more. She said that any full professor or senators are eligible for the PPI committee.
Gould requested that the Executive committee put together a nominations committee to assist the parliamentarian.
Statewide Senate Report-Pat Kalayjian-Report at the end of the minutes.
Provost’s Report-Ron Vogel-Vogel passed out a document on the budget reduction process for fiscal year 2009/10, and Academic Affairs budget reduction for fiscal year 2009/10. Malamud wanted to know how much we have saved and wanted a dollar amount. Bersi said that she could get the information for Malamud or anyone if they wanted it, and to please contact her outside of the senate meeting.
Open Forum-Bradfield said that we should go after federal stimulus funds and that we could work with administration to achieve that. Fawver wanted to know the cost of the facilitator for the upcoming program planning meetings and where the funds were coming from. Vogel said that the facilitator will cost $5,000 which will include travel and 2 days of work. The money is coming from the foundation. Vogel said that he will not travel this year and he is using his own personal cell phone.
D. Brooks reported that numerous students cannot purchase their books yet because they have not received their financial aid. She wanted to let faculty know that students really need to have books put on reserve for their use. Kravchak said that he and many other faculty are willing to help students in these situations but the students need to come and talk to them. Borrego said that there is $80,000 allocated for short term loans to help students with books and materials. Please get the word out.
Meet Adjourned at 4:40 p.m.
ASCSU Report, September 16, 2009 Given by Pat Kalayjian
The statewide academic senate met last week on Thursday and Friday both in committees and in plenary session. This was the first full meeting of the AY 2009-2010.
I have a number of items to bring before you; however, I have decided to discuss the relevant resolutions at our next senate meeting in two weeks. This week I will summarize the important points made in two speeches, one by Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer Benjamin Quillian and the second by Dr. Herbert Carter, currently vice-chair of the Board of Trustees and familiar to many on this campus, where he served as Acting President of CSU Dominguez Hills from 1998-99.
One related and serious piece of information I want to share with you is that the Board of Trustees of the CSU is currently absent its Faculty Trustee. The prescribed process for the selection of the faculty representative was followed by the statewide senate, but the governor (who appoints the trustee from the names presented by the ASCSU) was apparently not satisfied with the slate of two candidates forwarded to him from ASCSU. So, for the first time in the memory of any of the senators, some of whom have decades of history on which to draw, there is no faculty representation on the CSU Board of Trustees. This should be of concern to all of us as budget-driven decisions are being made by the BOT.