Senate: From the Senate Office |
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December 16, 2014, Volume 61, No. 17 |
The following is published in accordance with the Faculty 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 Vicki Hewitt, executive assistant to the Senate Office, either by telephone at (215) 898-6943 or by email at senate@pobox.upenn.edu
Faculty Senate Executive Committee Actions
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Chair’s Report. Faculty Senate Chair Claire Finkelstein reported that a consultative committee to advise the Provost on the selection of the new Vice Provost for Education has formed and the membership was announced in Almanac. Faculty Senate Past Chair Dwight Jaggard will chair the committee. In November, SEC members voted for the chair of the Nominating Committee. The vote resulted in a tie, so Beth Winkelstein (SEAS) and John Wolfe (Vet) will co-chair the committee. The Provost is scheduled to attend the January SEC meeting, as is Vice Provost for Research Dawn Bonnell who will discuss the patent policy and other matters relating to faculty research. The tentative title and date for the SEC Symposium were announced: “Perceptions of Risk: How We Manage Emergencies,” on Wednesday, April 1, 2015. The Chair then gave a brief update on the actions of the Faculty Senate committees and a survey about the University Club was distributed to SEC members.
Past Chair’s Report. Dr. Jaggard noted that the Academic Planning and Budget committee and Capital Council have been meeting. He asked any faculty members with interest in or recommendations for the Vice Provost for Education position to contact him.
Update from the Office of the Executive Vice President. Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli began the discussion by explaining the University’s position on Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOTs) to the School District of Philadelphia, which some student groups have proposed. The Philadelphia school district is funded through two sources: an appropriation from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to the school district and property tax revenue, which is split between the school district and the city’s unrestricted operating fund. School district funding has diminished in recent years due to cutbacks by the Commonwealth. The University supports the local community in ways more consistent with its mission, including support for the Penn Alexander School and the Lea School in West Philadelphia. A robust discussion on this issue followed.
Mr. Carnaroli then discussed current University initiatives under his purview. A recent analysis of potential risks to the institution chose to focus on information security as its top priority. The University is considering policies and investments to address this issue. The University recently launched Climate Action Plan 2.0 to continue efforts to reduce energy consumption and increase engagement on this issue. Century Bonds have provided the University with equity to invest in energy-efficient projects. Interest-free loans are made to the schools to undertake these projects, which are then paid back through the cost savings. Mr. Carnaroli also updated SEC on the Pennovation Center and mission continuity planning. He then described the yearly process for setting faculty salaries and announced a forthcoming new interface for Concur.
SEC members and the EVP then discussed: how potential risks were prioritized, energy-efficient renovations for older buildings, the change to metering energy by usage instead of square footage, transportation to the Pennovation Center, comparison data for faculty salaries and salary increases for grant-funded projects.
Update on Canvas and Penn Libraries. Director of Teaching, Research & Learning Services Kimberly Eke described how the Libraries were supporting Canvas, which now has approximately 25,000 users on campus. There is a distributed support model in place, with support for Canvas in all of the schools in addition to central library resources. Vice Provost and Director of Libraries H. Carton Rogers reported that the level of responsiveness from the vendor has been lacking and they have taken steps to address the issue. He also spoke about overall Penn Library initiatives, saying that the transition from print to mixed environment including digital resources has happened more slowly than anticipated and a full transition to digital is unlikely. He described that Penn Libraries are funded by contributions from the schools, with the largest share coming from the School of Arts & Sciences. Due to the increasing cost of information, the library budget has not been sufficient in recent years to increase and maintain the collection at desired levels. This has resulted in the Library having to fundraise for any new improvements and to close gaps in its collections.
SEC members and the guest speakers then discussed: access to Canvas for non-Penn students, how to request additional features for Canvas, providing Teaching Assistants with training on Canvas, integrating Canvas with other programs, lack of collection space at the library and access to materials kept in storage off-site.
Discussion and Vote on the Proposed Faculty Handbook Change requested by the School of Nursing. The Senate Executive Committee discussed the proposal from the School of Nursing to combine the current caps on Senior Lecturers and Advanced Senior Lecturers, so that the total number of Senior Lecturers and Advanced Senior Lecturers will not exceed 40% with no restriction on the number in either category. The committee voted unanimously to approve the proposal.
Related: Nominations for Offices Requested |