SENATE From the Senate Office


The following statement is published in accordance with the Senate Rules. Among other purposes, the publication of SEC actions is intended to stimulate discussion among the constituencies and their representatives. Please communicate your comments to Senate Chair John Keene or Executive Assistant Carolyn Burdon, Box 12 College Hall/6303, 898-6943 or burdon@pobox.upenn.edu.

Actions Taken by the Senate Executive Committee

Wednesday, November 4, 1998

1. Chair's Report. The Chair informed SEC that the ad hoc committee of Professors Harris, Lesnick, and Rubin had been unable due to prior travel commitments, to meet and draft a preamble to the draft Codification of Consultation Policy. The Committee hopes to have a preamble for discussion at the December SEC meeting.

The Chair explained that the period within which the Committee on the Faculty is to address problems related to clinician educator faculty in the Medical School has been extended to coincide more closely with the work of the Faculty 2000 Committee, a new ad hoc Medical School committee, next semester. Committee 2000 will examine current Medical School faculty categories and future needs. The Senate committee will now consider the clinical faculty issue, together with the other items in its charge. SEC urged that the Committee on the Faculty continue to gather information on clinician educators. Extended discussion ensued that included: the limitation that clinician educator appointments could not exceed 40% of the school's standing faculty in the Medical School was approved by the Senate, the administration and the trustees over a decade ago, yet, starting in 1992, appointments of clinician educators were made in excess of the 40% limit. It was pointed out that last year's recommendation to revise the Handbook to allow physicians at the hospitals acquired by the Health System to use the title clinical assistant, associate, or full professor is pending before the Faculty Senate. SEC asked the Chair to obtain from the interim provost a written statement of the policies being followed by the administration concerning current appointments of CEs; reasons the 40% cap on CEs had been, and continues to be, exceeded; whether there will be a moratorium on CE appointments, and what will occur until the Faculty Senate makes a recommendation. The interim provost's statement should include relevant statistics.

2. Past Chair's Report on activities of the Academic Planning and Budget Committee and on the Capital Council. A new Master of Medical Physics degree in the School of Arts and Sciences was approved, and there were a series of presentations on programs. The Past Chair reminded SEC that although her role was as liaison to the Faculty Senate, the deliberations of the committee are confidential, so that she is sharply limited in what she can report to SEC. There was no report regarding Capital Council.

3. Senate Nominating Committee. SEC elected Gregory Possehl as chair of the committee. (See committee membership and posts to be filled.)

4. Faculty Club draft agreement. The Chair informed SEC about the Faculty Club Board of Governors' negotiations with the University on transfer of the Club from its current location in Skinner Hall to Sansom Common, as well as a University agreement with Doubletree on management of the Faculty Club and a management and operations agreement between the University and the Club. The latter will contain details on, among other things, setting Club prices, Club maintenance, Club personnel hiring, and quality and variety of menu offerings. The Chair had urged the Board not to sign the transfer agreement until they had seen the man-agement and operation agreement. The Board subsequently adopted a motion approving the draft transfer agreement in principle subject to the satisfactory completion of the maintenance and operation agreement.

5. Other new business. The Chair was asked whether the three Senate Chairs were consulted regarding two recently announced trustee actions involving large amounts of funding: proposal to renovate all dormitories, and the plans to purchase land in the Civic Center site. SEC was informed that the three Senate Chairs were informed of the plans to develop part of the Civic Center site, but not of the $300 million plan to renovate res-idential buildings. Discussion continued on the timing and level of consultation with the Faculty Senate and its leadership; funding sources for these projects; and the fact that, in the broad scheme of things, they compete with academic program development for funding support.


Almanac, Vol. 45, No. 11, November 10, 1998

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