THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Senate Advisory Committee on university Affairs 4008 ~leming ~uilding Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1340 313-764-0303 MINUTES OF SACUA MEETING OF 5 NOVEMBER 1990 ATTENDANCE: Present: Debler, Diana, ~ollingsworth, Jensen, Ness, Penchansky, Rosenthal, Tentler, Warner; Savory, Schessler, Schwartz MINUTES Guests: President Duderstadt; Constance Cook, Office of the president The minutes of the October 29 meeting were approved as submitted. ANNOUNCEMENTS The University Record of October 29 described the work of two SACUA members, Warner and the University Task Force on Faculty, Staff and Student Housing Issues, and Ness on the Project for the Integrated Study of Global Change. MEETING WITH PRESIDENT DUDERSTADT 1. What is the status of the Reconciliation Gesture Proposal? 2. Status of efforts to internationalize the university: a) What are the various projects and programs now underway to achieve the goals of internationalizing the University? b) What are the major road blocks you now see to implement these projects and programs? c) What strategies are you considering to overcome these blocks? d) What are your ultimate goals and how can we be of help? 3. What is your long range view of the budget for the University from the state?
Page 2 4. Promulgation of Discriminatory Harassment policy for Faculty and Staff; we have some comments to make on this. 5. Anything else you wish to discuss. PROPOSAL FOR A FACULTY RECONCILIATION GESTURE TO MCCARTHY ERA PROFESSORS It was agreed to place this issue on the agenda for the November 19 meeting of the Senate Assembly. The proposal will be distributed to members via E-Mail after the November 16 Regents meeting; the resolution will be given to Assembly members on the day of the meeting. The proposal will describe several alternatives for dealing with the issue. CHARGE TO PRIMARY RESEARCH FACULTY COMMITTEE SACUA discussed the idea of having the Primary Research faculty committee as a subcommittee of the Research Policies Committee (RPC) and agreed that this might be a better arrangement to begin. Ness suggested that this arrangement be in effect for three years after which the decision will be reviewed and a determination be made to have it continue as is, to become a free-standing committee, or to disband it. It was suggested that the group be expanded to 6 members with representatives from the regular instructional faculty, the research faculty and one person whose appointment is split between the two job families. The modification in charge to the RPC will be reviewed with Vice President Kelly and RPC Chair Russell Moll. It was noted that these changes do not represent a significant departure from previous recommendations in the way that the subcommittee will function. REPLACEMENT MEMBER FOR GOVERNMENT RELATIONS COMMITTEE There presently exists one vacant position on the committee; names of three nominees were suggested to fill the vacancy. LETTER TO DONALD E. RIGGS REGARDING LIBRARY COMMITTEE The letter written by Thomas E. Moore (Professor of ~iology) was discussed. ~ollingsworth will respond to Moore indicating that in March SACUA will extend an invitation to Dr. Riggs to meet with SACUA since, it was noted, Dr. Riggs will not arrive in Ann Arbor until January. FACULTY NOMINEE FOR FAMILY CARE RESOURCE GROUP This committee currently has a vacancy due to a recent resignation. The purpose of the committee was described by Hollingsworth and the names of several candidates to fill
Page 3 the vacancy were proposed. candidatesr names will be forwarded to Sally Johnson. MATTERS ARISING The names of several individuals were proposed as lecturers for The University of Michigan Senate's Davis, Markert, Nickerson Lecture on Academic and Intellectual Freedom. Discussion focused on sources to fund an ousside speaker and the likely cost. Further discussion on the wording of the Harassment Policy occurred. Suggested changes will be forwarded to Vice President Swain. Several University personnel have been invited to the November 19 meeting to serve as resource people. Invitees are Elsa Cole: Coleen Dolan-Greene, Zaida Giraldo, Paul Courant, June Howard, Beth Reed, Carol Hollenshead, and Vice President swain. Debler, Tentler, and Savory will prepare a skeletal history of the policy. These will be distributed in advance of the November 19 Senate Assembly meeting. At the meeting a presentation will be made that describes the changes to the document since Senate Assembly approved it on January 23, 1989. The suggestion that SACUA host a retreat for members of the Executive Committees of the schools and colleges was well received by the University administration. NEW BUSINESS Members were asked to review the materials distributed on the Housing and Environmental Protection Task Forces preparatory to a discussion at the next meeting. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 5:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Diane G. Schwartz Senate Secretary, Pro tempore LIAISON REPORTS APPENDIX Warner: The Academic Affairs Advisory Committee met October 22, 1990, to finalize its agenda for the upcoming meeting with Provost Whitaker. At that time it heard a report on the activities of previous aaacrs which the SACUA staff had pulled together. The Committee is
Page 4 working hard to establish a year's agenda which both addresses issues on which it can provide useful and needed advisory input to the Provost and issues on which it can provide SACUA and the University governance system with leadership in regard to academic affairs. In reviewing past annual reports, it seems that aaac's throughout the 1980's had found this to be one of their greatest challenges. The meeting with Provost Whitaker covered a wide range of topics. Among these were the following: (1) the Provost shared with the aaac a draft proposal for reorganizing the affirmative action activities of the University's schools and colleges (this was discussed at the meeting); (2) the Provost seems himself as the key manager charged with carrying out the three broad goals established for the University by President Duderstadteemthese being (a) the Michigan Mandate, (b) globalization of the University, and (c) managing and capitalizing on technological advances e.g. in information technology; (3) the Provost stressed the importance of university people working together on an interdisciplinary basis and the importance of providing a University environment that is open and supportive of innovation; and (4) the need to think about how the University can go on a "revenue dietv1 that is fair and effective (he noted BPC has the charge to think about if money is to be taken out of the system, where and how to do it). The Provost said he was willing to meet with aaac every other month for an hour. He also suggested the Committee might want to invite Harold Jacobson to an upcoming meeting to talk about the International Initiative. Other topics that seemed of potential mutual interest to the Provost and Committee included: potential applications of the President's Undergraduate Education Commission Report (Weisbuch chaired) to other parts of the University besides LS&A; recommendations in the upcoming report to the Provost on Minority Student and Faculty Recruitment and Retention; how to improve processes in education so the institution capitalizes on rather than llabusesu technological possibilities; and how to think about longer term university futures. Warner: The Committee for a Multicultural University met on October 10, 1990, with representatives of the Office of Minority Affairs, including the Director, John Matlock; Jacina Davis, Assistant to Vice-Provost Moody; and Andrea Monroe Fowler, the Diversity Program Coordinator. A wide variety of topics were covered including concerns about: (1) what a more genuine multicultural tenure process might look like (e.g., if tenure produces people of color that look like white males, it defeats the whole multicultural objective); (2) the need for materials and seminars or workshops for faculty who want to incorporate issues of racism in their courses but not teach special courses on the subject; (3) the need for a reliable and sufficient source of funding for innovative,
Page 5 interdisciplinary projects (research and teaching); (4) the paradoxical deprivation of teaching and research opportunities for minority students because of the substantial earmarked financial assistance available to them; and (5) how to institutionalize the substantial gains now occurring in minority representation among students and faculty in terms of changes in the University's climate and culture (points up importance of retention). The Committee next meets at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 6.