ANNUAL REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

 

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

 

                The Executive Council met 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.  In addition, the Council met with other administrators and chairs of Senate Committees to hear some of their concerns and activities and for the Council, in turn, to have an opportunity to ask questions and share ideas.  Melvin Ramey, Faculty Athletics Representative, Richard Plant, Chair of the Academic Computing Coordinating Council and Dennis Pendleton, Dean, University Extension participated in those discussions.  The Chair also regularly provided information to the Executive Council on matters of concern to the Academic Council and on statewide budgetary issues.  The Executive Council regularly reviewed student petitions through a subcommittee appointed for that purpose, and approved degree lists.  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.

 

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

 

---                Discussed at several meetings the Report of the Special Committee on Academic Personnel Processes (SCAPP).  After reviewing this report, the Executive Council believed that the Senate should give further consideration to implementing the recommendations contained in the report.  A resolution to create a Special Committee on Personnel Process Reform (SCPPR) was presented to the Representative Assembly at its meeting of October 24, 2000, which was continued on November 15, 2000.  The Assembly lacked a quorum at the second meeting and could not act on the proposed resolution.  Subsequently, the Executive Council voted to appoint SCPPR.

 

---                Discussed, at two meetings, the Report of the Special Committee on Personnel Process Reform.  The Executive Council endorsed the proposals contained in this report and will be recommending that the Assembly, at the Special Meeting scheduled for May 24, 2001, adopt a set of new Bylaws that differ slightly from the wording proposed by SCPPR.

 

--                Discussed the Report of the Special Committee on Transportation and Parking Committee.  A key recommendation in the report was that there be continuing attention to this matter; the work is not yet finished.  This report was then transmitted to the Representative Assembly where a motion was made and approved to continue the Special Committee until the first meeting of the Representative Assembly in the Fall, 2001.

 

---                Discussed the Interim Policy on Senate Committee discussions that may involve discussion of a term or condition of employment in Senate committees that include non-Senate representatives.  It was agreed to retain the term “interim” for at least this year and then it could be reopened for discussion.

 

---                Discussed and approved a request for Notation of Minors on Undergraduate Diplomas from ASUCD.

 

---            Listened to an update on UC Merced and asked questions of Robert Flocchini, one of the UC Merced Task Force founding members.

 

---                Considered a request to add another Committee Chair to the membership of the Executive Council.  Based on the desire for continued flexibility in the Bylaw concerning the membership of the Executive Council and consideration of the overall size of the Council, the Council did not support amending the Bylaws at this time. 

 

---            Listened to a report from the Chair of the Faculty Welfare Committee, John Oakley, on the UC Faculty Welfare Health Care Facilitator.  It was reported that a pilot program was begun at UCSB and UCSC a couple of years ago and that apparently funding will be provided from the Office of the President in the near future for every campus to have such a program.

 

---                Considered a request from the Student Judicial Affairs Office regarding the use of a “Y” grade.  The request was to legislate the practice of assigning a “Y” grade to any student whose final course grade cannot be determined at the time grades are due because of a pending disciplinary inquiry.  Discussion of this request elicited little support and it was agreed that CEP should be  asked to revisit this issue. 

 

---                Endorsed the statement distributed annually to Deans and Department Chairs concerning scheduled conflicts between school sponsored events and academic pursuits

 

---                Discussed a document entitled, “Principles for Emerging Systems of Scholarly Publishing”.  It was agreed that this is an important document and that it is important that UC take the lead on this issue.  The Executive Council subsequently suggested that the Senate (Universitywide) ought to be asked to take a leadership role on this issue.

 

---                Discussed the issue of undergraduate instructional assistants and the need to finalize the policy and remove the word, “interim”.  It was agreed that CEP, Courses, and Graduate Council should be asked to review the draft policy, a combination of several iterations of the interim policy, and report back to the Executive Council.  This issue will be placed on the June Executive Council agenda.

 

---                Discussed the Report of the Ad Hoc Panel for Academic Review of University Extension.  The new dean of University Extension, Dennis Pendleton, was invited to a subsequent meeting to discuss his vision for UNEX and how it relates to the interface of the campus academic programs.

 

---                Discussed the Report from the Subcommittee on the proposal concerning incentives to increase faculty outreach/service.  Chair of the subcommittee, Jay Mechling, reported that there is a kind of activity that is an outreach activity that is based on scholarly expertise that is undervalued in our present academic personnel merit and promotion process.  He said the subcommittee’s goal is to have a report issued by the end of the year so that it can be incorporated into the Annual Call.

 

---                Supported the idea of inviting the Chairs of the Staff Assembly and the Academic Federation to make brief presentations at a Representative Assembly meeting each year.  Currently the Chancellor is given an opportunity to present his “State of the Campus Address” and the President of ASUCD and President of the Graduate Student Association are invited to participate.

 

---                Discussed the involvement of lecturers in academic decisions and agreed that Department Chairs should be encouraged to involve lecturers in course/curricula matters in whatever committee structure they have in place.

 

---                Accepted the proposed UCD 2004-05 Academic and Administrative Calendar.

 

---                Discussed UC’s Management of the Department of Energy Laboratories.  It was noted that UC will be hiring a Vice President for Laboratory Management as a result of the contract amendment processes and also that there is a need for continuing involvement of the Senate in the University’s management of the labs.

 

---                Discussed CEP’s Recommendations on Minimum Progress and Time to Degree.  After lengthy discussion, the Council agreed to return the document to CEP for further refining and discussion with Registrar Jack Farrell. 

 

---                Reconsidered and approved the 1998-99 Executive Council proposal to name the Academic Senate Conference Room A to the R. Bryan Miller Conference Room.  The requisite waiting period of two years after retirement or death have ended.  This will be held in abeyance until after the remodeling 3rd floor Mrak projected to take place in the Fall.

 

---                Discussed the Academic Planning Council’s Capstone Report.  Comments will be forwarded to Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Grey.

 

---                Accepted the proposal to designate the University’s Spring Administrative Holiday to honor Mr. Cesar Chavez with the preference that it be on a Monday rather than the proposed Friday to coincide with other administrative holidays that are on Mondays.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                Respectfully submitted,

 

Walter Boyce, Chris Calvert, Lester Ehler, Matthew Farrens, Gail Finney, Robert Flocchini, Charles Hess, Kevin Hoover, Dallas Hyde, Joseph Kiskis, Lawrence Laslett, Jay Mechling, Terence Murphy, Bruno Nachtergaele, John Oakley, Anita Oberbauer, Kyaw Tha Paw U, Jerry Powell, Robert Rucker, Wendy Silk, Victoria Smith, Judith Stern, Jessica Utts, John Voss, Bryan Weare, Linda Hughes, Academic Federation representative; Mona Ebrahimi undergraduate student representative; Remington Stone graduate student representative, and Jeffery C. Gibeling, Chair.