ANNUAL REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

To: The Representative Assembly of the Davis Division of the Academic Senate

The Executive Council met monthly throughout the year to discuss and act on issues within its responsibility “to coordinate actions and affairs of the Davis Division”. Several meetings included consultation with the Chancellor and the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor. Through reports from the College Faculties and Committee Chairs, the Executive Council serves as a vehicle for Senate leadership to be informed on various campus initiatives. As a result, the Council met with the following other administrators and committee chairs: Professor Emeritus Charles Nash, Professor Howard Day, Professor Richard Plant, Vice Provost for Research Lawrence Coleman, Associate Vice Chancellor Dennis Shimek, Assistant Vice Chancellor Janet Gong, Associate Dean Fred Wood, Vice Provost Patricia Turner, Professor Alan Jackman, Professor Lovell (Tu) Jarvis and Vice Provost Patricia Turner participated in those discussions.

The Chair also regularly provided information to the Executive Council on matters of concern to the Academic Council and on other statewide issues. At the January meeting, the Executive Council met with Associate Vice Chancellor Dennis Shimek and Vice Provost Lawrence Coleman for a discussion of the systemwide Report of the Task Force on Faculty/Staff Partnership; and at the April meeting, the Executive Council participated in a discussion with the Co-Chairs of a subcommittee of the University Committee on Research Policy, Professors Alan Jackman and Tu Jarvis concerning UC management of the Department of Energy Laboratories. Statewide. The Council also heard from Vice Provost Patricia Turner concerning the success of the recent WASC accreditation site visits.

The Executive Council regularly reviewed student petitions through a subcommittee appointed for that purpose, and approved degree lists.

Specific agenda items and actions taken by the Executive Council include the following:

• Discussed and approved the request from ASUCD seeking diploma notation for undergraduate majors.
• Discussed at several meetings transfer credit for concurrent courses. Subsequently, a new Davis Division Regulation (554) was proposed and approved by the Representative Assembly.
• Discussed at several meetings the Enrolled No Work Submitted (ENWS) transcript notation. A proposed amendment from the Grade Changes Committee recommends abolishing the ENWS transcript notation in favor of the letter grade F. This proposed amendment will be considered by the Representative Assembly at the June 10, 2003 meeting.
• Discussed the Report of the Special Subcommittee on Procedures for Appealing Recommendations of CAP (PARC). The proposal was subsequently submitted to the Representative Assembly and approved by that body. The Council also discussed the response from the administration and submitted comments.
• Discussed consideration of request from the Division of Biological Sciences for a name change from the Division of Biological Sciences to the College of Biological Sciences. Discussion resulted in the Council agreeing that this request was not simply a name change and that it needed to be returned to the originators for additional information and conformance with the Policy and Procedure Manual regarding the establishment of academic units.
• Discussed the proposal to establish a regular standing Committee on Transportation and Parking to replace the Special Committee. This proposal was approved by the Representative Assembly .
• Considered and approved the proposed Bylaw enabling the School of Education to create a Faculty. This proposal was approved by the Representative Assembly.
• Discussed at several meetings the Administration’s proposal to move to NCAA Division I Athletics. Subsequently, the Executive Council agreed to request an analysis from the Committee on Academic Planning and Budget Review (CAPBR) on the budgetary aspects associated with the proposed change in the athletics program. It also agreed to appoint a Special Committee to view the issues of academic integrity associated with a change from Division II to Division I athletics. Upon receipt of the reports from CAPBR and the Special Committee, additional discussion occurred. A mail ballot of the faculty was also conducted.
• Discussed MyUCDavis with Richard Plant, Chair of the Academic Computer Coordinating Council, and other ACCC issues.
• Discussed the Racial Privacy Initiative – a proposed change to the California Constitution. The responses from Senate faculty from each campus are to be forwarded to the Academic Council in preparation for discussion with the President.
• Discussed and provided comment to Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Hinshaw on two separate drafts of the Strategic Vision document
• Discussed the proposal for a Biosafety level 4 laboratory. A special meeting of the Davis Division was also held that provided a balanced discussion and exchange of ideas. (In addition, a web-site was established.)
• At the request of Vice Chancellor – Student Affairs, Judy Sakaki, the Council met with Assistant Vice Chancellor Janet Gong concerning the planning of a campus response to a potential war with Iraq.
• Discussed the Non-Resident Tuition Remission Policy on several occasions and the resolution passed by the Representative Assembly stating that the Administration should withhold implementation of a NRTR policy until such time as the Academic Senate has the opportunity to review and render an opinion.
• Discussed the proposed amendments to Bylaw 99. Committee on Research. The amendments include separating the Committee on Research into two subcommittees – a research policy subcommittee and a faculty grants subcommittee. In addition, the amendment proposes a modification of the membership that would allow any member of the Davis Division who is appointed to the University Committee on Research Policy, but who is not a member of the Divisional Committee on Research to be an ex officio member of the Divisional Committee. The Council generally supported the proposed amendments and the proposal will be submitted to the Representative Assembly.
• Discussed the proposal to discontinue degree programs in Greek and Latin.
• Discussed Academic Personnel Manual Section 015 – Faculty Code of Conduct and whether faculty had the prerogative to cancel classes in cases such as the University of California American Federation of Teachers and the Coalition of University Employees labor strike.
• Discussed and offered comments to Registrar Jack Farrell concerning the proposed Academic and Administrative calendars for academic years 2005-06 and 2006-07.
• Discussed the Report of the University of California President’s Summit on Faculty Gender Equity.
• The Chair of the Admissions and Enrollment committee made a presentation to the Executive Council regarding admissions criteria (HSGPA, SAT scores) subsequent to implementation of the comprehensive review process that includes a range of academic and non-academic factors.
• Discussed models of effective Senate/Administration shared governance. Discussion of this issue continues.

Issues yet to be considered by the Council this year include:

• Discussion of the use of associate instructors
• Briefing from Associate Vice Chancellor Bob Segar on the Long Range Development Plan
• Discussion of the selection process for the recipient of the Faculty Research Lecture Award
• Nominations for the naming of three new Segundo Area residence halls.
• Discuss the processes by which the Academic Senate and administration can resolve the recommendations from the Senate to the Chancellor on the conduct of NCAA Division I athletics at UCD.

Respectfully submitted,

Linda Bisson, Elizabeth Constable (S), Ted DeJong, Matthew Farrens, Robin Hansen, Alan Hastings, Peter Hays, Kevin Hoover, Bruce Jaffee, Carl Keen, Joseph Kiskis, Leslie Kurtz, Gyongy Laky, Marion Miller, Gabrielle Nevitt (S), Thomas Nyland, John Oakley (F), Kyaw Tha Paw U, Jerry Powell, Michele Praeger (F, W), James Quinn, Margaret Rucker, John Rutledge, Mikal Saltveit, Evelyn Silvia, Judith Stern, Lenora Timm, David Woodruff, Philip Yager, Catherine VandeVoort, Academic Federation representative; Raj Gupta, undergraduate student representative and Bruce R. Madewell, Chair