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 Patrick Walsh, executive assistant to the Senate Office, either by telephone at (215) 898-6943 or by email at senate@pobox.upenn.edu

Chair’s Report. Faculty Senate Chair Laura Perna informed SEC members of two upcoming events. The Center for Teaching and Learning, with co-sponsorship of the Faculty Senate, will host “Inclusive Learning: A Community Conversation” on Friday April 7, 11 a.m. at the Van Pelt Library Kislak Center. The Senate Committee on Faculty and the Academic Mission (SCOF) will host a panel discussion on the future of online learning at Penn, on Tuesday, April 4, at 4 p.m. More information on the latter panel will be made available on the Senate website and Facebook page.

Past-Chair’s Report. A report was not provided.

Inclusion Report. Vice Provost for Faculty Anita Allen reviewed with SEC members the 2017 Inclusion Report (see Supplement), which summarizes the University’s progress on the 2011 Five-Year Action Plan for Faculty Diversity and Excellence. Since 2011, Penn has hired women and minorities more robustly, diversified its academic leadership, elevated its standing among Ivy Plus peers, sustained a high level of faculty satisfaction, generated institutional infrastructure and awareness of the problem and its potential solutions, and exceeded its initial commitment to spend $100 million toward diversity initiatives. She described progress in increasing the representation of underrepresented minorities (URMs), women, and minorities and noted the attention in the report to LGBTQ faculty.  She explained that Penn conceives of “inclusion” broadly, and includes veteran status among the descriptors of inclusion. PSOM established the Office of Inclusion and Diversity and the position of Vice Dean for Inclusion and Diversity, which Dr. Eve Higginbotham occupies. She suggested that schools wishing to establish similar structures may wish to consult with Dr. Higginbotham and PSOM to identify their best practices in doing so. Vice Provost Allen suggested that faculty diversity leads to diversification of teaching and research and is a path to eminence.  She concluded that the challenge for Penn will be to sustain and improve its work toward inclusion by requiring schools to update their school action plans, adding a dual-career expert to the Vice Provost’s staff and addressing implicit bias. Vice Provost Allen then replied to questions and comments from SEC members.

Report on the Economic Status of the Faculty. Co-Chairs of the 2016-2017 Senate Committee on the Economic Status of the Faculty (SCESF), Susan Margulies (SEAS/Bioengineering) and Robert Stine (Wharton), reviewed the 2017 SCESF report (Almanac February 28, 2017) with SEC members. The report includes attention to the process by which schools set salaries, merit raise data for faculty in FY2016, salary comparisons across peer institutions, certain faculty benefits compared to peers and gender inequity in salaries. General merit raises for faculty are set annually by the Budget Steering Committee; in 2016, the targeted average increase was 3%. The report recommends that the dataset provided to SCESF be expanded to include all Standing Faculty; data on faculty in the C-E track or in the Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM) clinical departments, which together comprise more than half of the total Standing Faculty, are not currently included. The report further recommends that peer data be used to benchmark annual faculty salary increases, employer contributions to retirement benefits be increased to match peer competitors, and the persistent gender inequity in faculty be addressed. Gender inequity is especially pronounced at the associate professor rank. The SCESF co-Chairs replied to questions and comments from SEC members.

Discussion on Upcoming Senate Activities. Professor Perna informed SEC members that the Ad Hoc Committee on Government Engagement will hold its first meeting on March 22 and will be chaired by Neill Epperson (PSOM/Psychiatry). Dr. Epperson noted that membership comprised faculty from several different schools and included both SEC members and non-SEC members. She noted that the first meeting of the committee will focus on identifying the committee’s short- and longer-term goals and priorities.