Draft End of Year Report of UPBC to Senate

 

1. Strategic Plan

 

            Four working groups ("Central College", General Education, Arts/Sciences Workload, and Faculty Workload) were set up by UPBC in Spring 2004, approved by Senate in May 2004.  Of these, the following results were obtained:

 

            1. "Central College": A report was circulated by the working group , which also held two open meetings for faculty and staff, as well as focus group meetings with students. UPBC reformulated this report as a resolution, which was presented to Senate, according to plan, at is March 7th meeting for vote at its March 28th meeting. This resolution contained specifics with respect to an organizational structure for a proposed "University College" and a partial costing-out. Following procedural confusion at the March 7th meeting, it was determined that further discussion at Senate on March 28th would be inappropriate. The working group reconvened and rewrote its report, which was approved by UPBC at its April 6th meeting, presented to Senate at its April 18th meeting and adopted by Senate at its meeting of May 2nd. This report does not include specific organizational measures, but focuses on general objectives to be obtained. The UPBC will track implementation by the administration of these recommendations.

 

            2. General Education: A report was circulated by the working at the Dec. 15th meeting, and discussed at the Feb. 2nd meeting, at which time the following resolution was adopted: "The UPBC remands the UPBC Curriculum Subcommittee report to the University Curriculum Committee for further action with the condition that there be complete clarification of the new policies of the Department of Higher Education regarding general education. The UPBC endorses the model of Core and Distribution, with the professional component and the First Year or transition experience or seminar. (passed, one nay and one abstention)" Subsequent evaluation of the report by Curriculum Committee was unfavorable, and the report was rejected, although a number of areas were highlighted as meriting further discussion by Curriculum Committee:

 

            -Consider having PE 244 for everyone.

            -Open skill and study area designations to add business and technology courses.

            -Open up 300 and 400 level classes for Gen Ed status.

            -Have a real college level language requirement much like we have a college level math requirement.

            -Support for the further development of FYE/FYS/TYS to make it a real requirement.

            -Increase technology and information literacy.

            -Develop writing across the curriculum.

            -Increase faculty lines to support Gen Ed in the fashion that it deserves.

 

            3. Arts and Sciences Workload: A preliminary report was presented at the Sept. 15th UPBC meeting comparing administrative staff in the various schools and highlighting the understaffing of Arts and Sciences, given its current workload. Further discussion of the matter was suspended, on the assumption that the establishment of Central (or University) College would largely solve the problem. In the meantime, additional staff have become available for the School of Arts and Sciences, so that further deliberation by the working group is no longer required, and the group will lapse at the end of the term.

 

            4. Faculty Workload: The working group has met regularly during Fall and Spring terms. It has faced the problem of partial work load and credit distribution statistics in varying formats that have made analysis problematic, and will continue to work on this question until the end of May. At that time the working group will submit a final report to UPBC, and will be dissolved. Even if the working group does not make a specific recommendation at that time, this does not prevent UPBC from returning next year return to this topic, in order to formulate recommendations as to the distribution of load credit. For example, one option might be for faculty to receive load credit for instructional related activities such as advising, assessment, mentoring and others. In the meantime, as to general policy, it should be recalled that an ad-hoc committee of Senate, headed at the time by then chair of the English Dept. Loftus Jestin, recommended to Senate a reduction of teaching load to a 9 credit load per term, allowing for use of the other 3 credits for research, mentoring, coordinating and other academic activities. That report, approved by Senate four years ago, remains Senate policy.

 

2. Strategic Plans of Schools and other University Units

 

            Reports were presented to the UPBC by the following units and schools:

 

            Nov. 3, 2004: Student Affairs Accelerated Improvement Plan, ITS Strategic Plan

            Dec. 1, 2004; Strategic Plans for Arts and Sciences, Business

            Dec. 15, 2004: Strategic Plans for Graduate Studies, Education, Technology

 

            The current mandate of the UPBC is to receive and examine these reports, and discussion was held at each of the meetings to clarify issues raised in them. The UPBC, under its current mode of functioning, does not approve or review subsequent modifications to these plans. However, the Charter of the UPBC allows for a more considerable evaluation of strategic plans from schools and other academic/administrative areas, including Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Administrative Affairs and Information Technology, given UPBC's charge (in part) to "recommend to the President criteria and principles which the University should consider in determining its programmatic priorities, and make specific recommendations based on current conditions and the University’s mission and vision statements." (UPBC Charter, at http://www.ccsu.edu/AcadAffairs/strategicplan/Acad/UPBCCharter.htm ). The UPBC expects that next year it will be able to focus on the coordination of school and area strategic plans amongst themselves and with the University Strategic Plan.

 

3. ITS Strategic Plan Objectives:

 

            In discussing the ITS strategic plan, it was agreed that the University Strategic Plan lacked specific IT goals. A working group was set up to develop such goals. The meeting of May 4th of UPBC approved the following Goal (which becomes Goal number 13 in the Strategic Plan) and the following five sub-goals for ITC, and submits them to Senate for its approval:

 

Goal 13:  To strengthen and Develop Information Technology for use by faculty, staff and students:

 

Sub-Goal 1. Enhance academic and instructional technology support including hardware and software used in teaching and research, increasing the number and quality of “Smart Classrooms” and computer lab facilities.

 

Sub-Goal 2. Enhance and coordinate technology skills and instructional design training and consulting services for faculty and staff, to aid them in accomplishing their pedagogic and administrative missions, including the implementation of Web CT Vista.

 

Sub-Goal 3 Enhance and coordinate student technology training to provide students with the technology skills to be successful in the classroom and in the workforce taking into account variations in their background preparation.  This effort will help the University attract students and retain at-risk students.

 

Sub-Goal 4. Create a support mechanism develop external funding sources, including grants to provide additional funding support for technology.  Implement a life-cycle funding model to ensure adequate technology refresh to allow the University to meet its academic and administrative technology needs.

 

Sub-Goal 5. Provide reasoned support for system-wide critical missions and projects, taking into account the necessary allocation of resources and energies for campus specific priorities.

 

            UPBC proposes that Senate approve these goals, and that the working group on ITS continue to meet in the 2005-2006 year to determine subgoals and monitor implementation of the goals.

 

4. Other Matters

 

            The UPBC selects a faculty representative to serve on the Facilities Planning Committee. That person, along with a delegate from the Senate, provides a faculty perspective to decisions on the allocation and improvement of physical space on the CCSU campus.

 

            At the request of UPBC, the interim-CFO presented a budget report of overall university expenditures and revenues to Senate. Once a permanent CFO is designated, regular reports to UPBC and Senate on the on-going financial situation of the university will be reinstated. In the interim, UPBC will require the presence of a representative of Fiscal Affairs/Budget Office to provide information on the University's financial status,

 

Approved by UPBC at its meeting of Weds. May 4 with amendments

Modifications included to account for amendments and changes, Fri., May 6/dsb