Oakland University Senate
20 September 2007
Minutes
Members present: Andersen, Berven (D), Berven (K), Bhargava, Brown, Condic, Connery, Debnath, Doane, Dulio, Dvir, Eberly-Lewis, Eis, Goslin, Graetz, Hawley, Ingram, Khattree, Kissock, Larrabee, Lee, LeMarbe, Lombardo, Machmut-Jhashi, Mittelstaedt, Mitton, Moore, Moudgil, Murphy, Nixon, Otto, Pelfrey, Penprase, Preisinger, Rammel, Rigstad, Russell, Sangeorzan, Severson, Shablin, Spagnuolo, Sudol, Townsend, Voelck, Wharton, Wiggins, Williams, Wood, Zou
Members absent: Downing, Frick, Giblin, Hightower, Meehan, Polis, Tanniru, Thompson
Summary of Actions:
1. Appointment of Senate Parliamentarian, Secretary, and Elections Committee
2. Provost's Update -- Mr. Moudgil
3. Approval of Minutes 12 April and 1 May 2007 (Ms. Andersen, Mr. Russell)
4. Election of Senate Steering Committee -- Mr. Goslin
5. Motion to staff Senate standing committees (Ms. Mittelstaedt, Ms. Eberly). Approved.
Calling the meeting to order at 3:15, Mr. Moudgil welcomed Senators to a new two-year session. The first order of business was the appointment of Ms. Wood as senate parliamentarian for 2007-2008, of Ms. Machmut-Jhashi as senate secretary, and of Mr. Goslin (chair), Ms. Eberly, and Mr. Mitton as members of the Elections Committee.
Next, Mr. Moudgil offered several updates on various areas of the university. He began with the current status of state appropriations, noting the permanent 1% reduction in the base budget last year, as well as the delayed payment from the state, resulting in 5.5 million in cuts. Cuts of this magnitude are prohibitive for some other institutions, and at OU this has not been an easy situation. But, as Mr. Moudgil pointed out, the academic mission has thus far been spared. Among some in Lansing, there is talk of another 6.6 million cut for next year if no tax increased is passed. This is a severe scenario, but one for which we must prepare. Mr. Moudgil reported on a meeting held in Lansing on September 18 between university representatives and state officials. OU's presentation was well received, with the news of the medical school garnering the most attention. The legislators recognized the economic impact of the new medical school on the region, and were pleased that this is coming about through private funding.
Despite the gloomy economic forecast, there are still two capital outlay projects possible in the near future. The first is the proposed Engineering Design Center that has been on the books for several years (approved by the House and Senate but vetoed by the governor) and the second is a Human Health building that would encompass the School of Nursing and the School of Health Sciences.
Mr. Moudgil then turned to an update on the OU Writing Center. The rate of growth of users of the center has grown dramatically, with 3745 session log-ins recorded last academic year. The Writing Center has matured into a significant university-wide resource, and will now report to the Office of Academic Affairs with day-to-day operations managed by the College of Arts and Sciences.
The situation with Cooley Law School was then addressed. After giving a brief history of Cooley's presence at OU, Mr. Moudgil noted that escalating enrollments have caused the program to quickly outgrow its space in O'Dowd. Cooley plans to move into a new location after its contract with OU concludes in December 2007. An old UAW building on Featherstone Drive has been purchased and will be renovated to accommodate the operations of the law school beginning in 2008. Despite the move off OU's campus, the relationship between OU and Cooley continues to strengthen in the area of joint programs and preferential admission. The presidents of both institutions continue to work together to develop a mutually beneficial relationship.
Lastly, Mr. Moudgil updated the Senate on the medical school by noting that several teams are working on basic structural and governance issues, and that many discussions are in progress on all key components of the new school. On a related matter prompted by the announcement of the medical school, Mr. Moudgil mentioned that he, along with Ms. Awbrey and Mr. Russi, made a trip to Chicago to discuss the comprehensive NCA review of Oakland that will take place in 2009.
The secretary proceeded with the roll call after which the minutes of April and May were approved (Ms. Andersen, Mr. Russell)
Turning to new business, Mr. Moudgil invited Mr. Goslin to conduct the election of new members of the Senate Steering committee. Mr. Goslin read the charge to the committee and observed that according to the Senate Constitution, six senators must be elected for terms of two years at the first meeting of a new Senate and that no two members may be elected from any one organized faculty. He then coordinated nominations from the floor. The following individuals were nominated: Mary Mittelstaedt (nominated by Lynne Williams); Ambika Bhargava (nominated by Ilene Ingram); Mike Polis (nominated by Debatosh Debnath); Jay Meehan (nominated by Mark Rigstad); Lynne Williams (nominated by Joel Russell); Mark Severson (nominated by Kathleen Moore); Kevin Murphy (nominated by Joel Russell). Ms. Otto's motion to close the nominations was seconded by Ms. Wiggins. Ballots were passed and votes counted. The new members were announced --Ambika Bhargava, Jay Meehan, Kevin Murphy, Mike Polis, Lynne Williams -- and advised of their first meeting, Tuesday, September 25 at 1:00 p.m.
Mr. Moudgil turned to the final item of new business to staff Senate standing committees. Moved by Ms. Mittelstaedt and seconded by Ms. Eberly, the motion was approved.
Without items for good and welfare, a motion to adjourn was met with general approval at 4:05.
Respectfully submitted,
Tamara Machmut-Jhashi
Secretary to the University Senate
original posting 10/15/07
revised posting 11/13/2007