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Faculty Senate Minutes, September 13, 2022

Date/Time/Location: Tuesday, September 13, 2022, 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Claude Moore Nursing Education Room 1120 & Zoom Webinar

Senators Present (62): Kim Acquaviva, Anthony (Tony) Baglioni, Alan Beckenstein, Benjamin Bennett, Aaron Bloomfield, Aniko Bodroghkozy, Francesca Calamita, Cathy Campbell, Donna Chen, Ming-Jer Chen, Matthew Chin, John Comazzi, Todd DeLong, Katia Dianina, Jim Fitz-Gerald, Avik Ghosh, Vanessa Gregg, Douglas Grissom, Jack Hamilton, Matthew Hedstrom, Bob Hirosky, Richard Hynes, Tish Jennings, Jamie Jirout, Matthew Jull, Michael Kennedy, Brad Kesser, Susan Kirk, Michelle Kisliuk, James H. Lambert, Adria LaViolette, Kevin Lehmann, Jon (Ted) Lendon, Alicia López-Operé, Stephen Macko, Carol Manning, Alyssa Mixon, Kathryn Neeley, Peter Norton, Amy Ogden, Thomas Pajewski, Andrew Pennock, Lisa Peterson, Brian Pusser, Eric Ramirez-Weaver, Kristina Richardson, Anne Rotich, Susan Saliba, Patrik Sandas, Jim Savage, Jeri Seidman, Maria Luisa Sequeira Lopez, Jaclyn Shepard, Philip Smith, Dan Spitzner, Sarah Stewart Ware, JT Stranix, Christopher Thom, June West, Mark Whittle, Brian Wright, Jeffrey Young

Non-Senators and Guest Presenters: Ian Baucom, Maïté Brandt-Pearce, Ron Christie, Rusty Conner, Joe Garofalo, Brie Gertler, Walt Heinecke, Cliff Iler, Jim Ryan, Nicole Thorne Jenkins

Meeting Called to Order: 12:02pm

Updates from the President & Provost
President Jim Ryan & Provost Ian Baucom

President Ryan briefly shared his priorities for the year.

  1. Protect and Promote Health and Safety of Community

    1. Continue to monitor Covid and Monkeypox

    2. Create recession contingency planning group

    3. Continue to work with UPD/Ambassadors to ensure safety of community

    4. Support on going efforts to address mental health issues

  2. Advance Key Initiatives of 2030 Strategic Plan

    1. Emmet-Ivy Development (landscape, School of Data Science, Hotel/Conference Center, Democracy Institute, Performing Arts Center)

    2. Biotech Institute

    3. NOVA and Online Education

    4. Citizen leader initiatives (including 2nd year housing and public service pathways)

    5. Good Neighbor initiatives (including affordable housing and sustainability)

    6. Success UVA (including student advising, Cavalier Opportunity Fund)

  3. Advance the Honor the Future campaign

    1. Reach $4.6B mark by end of fiscal year

    2. Focus on key priorities:  biotech institute, scholarships, Cavalier Opportunity fund, arts center, university professorships, Olympic Sports Center, entrepreneurship

  4. Identify Next Round of SIF Investments, Focused On:

    1. Matching funds for scholarships and faculty chairs

    2. Grand challenges investments, including Biotech

    3. Teaching innovations

    4. Research infrastructure

  5. Advance Key Initiatives Related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

    1. Continue faculty, staff, and student diversity efforts

    2. Create and/or enhance programming focused on conversations across lines of difference, including political and ideological

  6. Recruit, Retain, and Foster the Best Team in Higher Education

    1. Help onboard new deans for Education, Nursing, Arts & Sciences, and SCPS

    2. Work to retain key talent and take advantage of deep expertise

  7. Assist UVA Health

    1. Foster new partnerships

    2. Support completion and implementation of strategic plan

  8. Assist UVA Wise in Implementing Strategic Plan

  9. Alumni and External Relations

    1. Connect with alumni in Boston, Nashville, Chicago, Greenwich, Nantucket, and London, and at events at Carr’s Hill, JPJ, and Scott Stadium

    2. State and Federal Relations

    3. Board work, including: AGB Council of Presidents; NCAA Division I Presidential Forum; ACC Board of Directors (continue discussions around NIL, transfer portal, and conference realignments); Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center; and Virginia Business Higher Education Council.

    4. Continue to speak and write about key topics, including free speech and democracy-related work at UVA

  10. Engage with UVA Community, Including Students, Faculty, and Staff

    1. Lunches, receptions, dinners at Carr’s Hill

    2. Arts on the Hill

    3. Runs with Jim

    4. Democracy Dialogues

    5. Lunches on the Lawn

    6. Jeffersonian Dinners

    7. Living Honor (events?)

    8. Faculty and Staff Senate meetings

    9. Meetings with student leaders

    10. Launch Student Advisory Council

    11. Inside UVA podcasts

Provost Baucom shared brief updates and some priorities for the year.

  • Welcoming four new deans

    • School of Nursing

    • College of Arts & Sciences

    • School of Education & Human Development

    • School of Continuing and Professional Studies

  • Advancing our research mission

    • Priority areas within Strategic Plan

    • Plan to invest up to $50M in each of the last two areas (have made investments in first three over the past year)

      • Democracy

      • Neuroscience

      • Environmental sustainability

      • Precision medicine/health

      • Digital technology and society

    • Make investments to life research enterprise as a whole

      • Faculty and staff committee to look at what investments we need to make in our infrastructure

      • Will bring recommendations by the end of this year

      • Have also brought in an external consulting firm to do a national landscape survey

  • Northern Virginia and Online Education

    • Ease barrier for schools to participate in launching programs in Norther Virginia

      • Loan incentive and rent abatement programs for schools

    • Appointing a new Vice Provost for Online Education

  • Graduate Education

    • Want to focus efforts on strengthening and enhancing graduate education

    • Have created fund in Provost’s office to support the schools in this effort

  • Inclusive Excellence

    • $20M to work with the schools to provide support from Provost’s office to support IE faculty

  • Working with Leslie Kendrick (Law) to lead project to think about the Statement on Free Expression and Free Inquiry as a living document, infused in every part of our life

Discussion
Q: Will there be a review of the previous year’s Grand Challenges?
A: Yes. Want to ensure that the strategic priorities for the University that Grand Challenges are advancing are tightly aligned with the priorities, resources, goals, and vision for the schools. Clear that we need to involve the Deans (Dean’s leadership within their schools) much earlier on, have started this process. Will continue to consult widely with faculty and outside experts as well.  Any investments from SIF are internally reviewed annually and on an ongoing basis. Investments going forward will primarily focus on investments in faculty and common goods investments.

Review and Approval of Minutes
Tish Jennings shared minutes from the April 2022 Faculty Senate Meeting to review.

Approved by General Consent

Motion to Amend Agenda
Motion to amend the agenda for this meeting to include nomination and vote on Faculty Senate Parliamentarian.

Motion: Susan Kirk       
Second: Carol Manning
Discussion
MOTION PASSES

Nomination and Election of Parliamentarian
Motion to elect Ron Christie as Parliamentarian for Academic Year 2022-2023

Motion: Susan Kirk
Second: Carol Manning
Discussion
For: 46 Against: X Abstain: X
MOTION PASSES

Chair Report
Tish Jennings, Chair
Tish shared updates from her recent meetings with senators from the schools.

  • Impact of new financial model on funded research, class sizes, and course loads (Finance)

  • Well-being of students, staff and faculty as we recover from the pandemic (FRRRWC)

  • General Faculty P & T and representation (Policy, FRRRWC)

  • Protecting academic freedom (all)

  • Salary equity within and across schools (Finance, DEI)

  • Transition to Canvas (RTS)

  • Staff turnover (RTS)

  • Retention of faculty of color (FRRRWC)

  • Graduate student support (Finance, RTS)

  • Faculty Parking (FRRRWC)

Committee Chairs Reports
Finance Committee
Jim Savage & Kim Acquaviva

  • Scheduled to meeting with the Provost and Vice Provost for Planning on October 4.

Academic Affairs Committee
Aaron Bloomfield

  • Approved two credentials at the end of last year, required to announce to full senate:

    • College: Graduate concentration in psychology approved

    • SCPS: Closed pre-medical post baccalaureate program

Introduction-Parliamentarian
Ron Christie briefly introduced himself to the Faculty Senate.

Faculty Representative to the BOV Report
Susan Kirk, Faculty Representative to the BOV, Past-Chair
Presentations and minutes are available of BOV website.

  • First full meeting of the BOV begins tomorrow

  • BOV Retreat was held in August

    • Rector set the tone that this is going to be a collaborative body directed towards the best interest of the University

    • Presentations were given

      • Peter Blake, Director State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV)

      • Carla Williams, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Programs and Jim Phillips, Commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference

      • Todd Gilbert, Speaker of the House of Virginia Delegates

      • Provost Baucom & EVP-COO JJ Davis

Discussion

History of the BOV Faculty Representative
Tish Jennings, Chair
Tish and guest speakers shared information about the creation of the Faculty Representative position to the BOV in relation to the current bylaw amendment. Slides were shared via email and are available in Box.

Tish shared a brief history of the requests that have been made to adjust the current process.
Susan Kirk (current faculty Rep to BOV) answered questions about these requests.

Brief Presentations

  • Rusty Conner, Rector, UVA Board of Visitors 2017-2019

    • Creation of BOV Manual Section 2.22 Faculty Nonvoting Member

    • Goal was to reflect how important faculty input is to BOV meetings

    • Number of conversations to figure out how best to select the person who would serve as representative

      • Concern that we wanted to have greater flexibility in selection

      • Sent letter to Peter Bunches requesting that three names be sent

  • Cliff Iler, University Counsel and Senior Assistant Attorney General

    • Code of VA § 23.1-1300.G.

    • Board interprets that they get to choose from the individuals who are elected, this is a reasonable interpretation

  • Walt Heinecke, President, UVA Chapter American Association of University Professors

Slides shared via email and in Box.

    • AAUP principle “… faculty representatives should be selected by the faculty according to procedures determined by the faculty …”

    • Additional historical background

    • Unclear on rationale for proposed change

    • AAUP strongly encourages the Senate to maintain its 2020 decision (52-4) to continue to elect its one representative to the BOV.

  • Joe Garofalo, Professor Emeritus, First Faculty Representative to BOV

    • Joe shared that the initial request for a Faculty representative to the Board was made to the Rector after the removal of President Sullivan

    • Joe as Faculty Senate Chair work with Rusty Conner when he came onto the Board to continue to push for Faculty Rep

    • Governance committee came up with idea for Joe to take the role after his and George Cohen’s presentation to the Board

    • Joe does not think it is a good idea to give only one name when they have asked for more

      • Would advocate for talking with the Board directly

      • Want the situation between the two groups to be collaborative

Q&A
Tish noted that the October Senate meeting will include discussion on amendments. She opened the floor for questions for the speakers.

Eric Ramirez-Weaver noted that he appreciated the equanimity he heard and the effort that was made to come and speak to the Senate. He noted as DEI Chair, that he is concerned about how the elimination of faculty to nominate their own representative to the Board may parlay over into areas of DEI concern. He asked when the priorities for the Board’s year are determined and assessed.

Mr. Conner noted that during his time on the Board many events caused disruption to their plans. He explained that normally at the end of the year there is often a look back at what has been accomplished and where they are heading. This is usually concurrent with the selection of both the student and faculty representatives. He shared that selecting the representatives at this time would allow them to assess who they want, what background they would want going into the next year.

Peter Norton noted that currently this is a draft amendment, but it has not yet been proposed to add to the agenda for the next meeting. Tish Jennings noted that this is the next order of business.

Introduction to Proposed By-Law Amendments
Aaron Bloomfield shared the proposed bylaw amendments along with brief background on the impetus for and development of each individual amendment.
(Shared via email, Box)

Motions to include proposals on next Faculty Senate meeting agenda (October 25, 2022).

  1. Change in minimum senators per school
  2. Aaron Bloomfield discussed, in detail, his reasoning for drafting this amendment.

    3. Discussion: None
    Tish Jennings noted that the motion does not need a second as it is coming from EXCO where it has already been motioned and seconded.

    Upon request for his evaluation, Mr. Christie noted that if that is the established procedure then it is fine for there not to be a second.

    Peter Norton raised that it is not clear that this is the established or written procedure.

    1. Motion from EXCO

    2. Second: Jeri Seidman

    Alan Beckenstein asked about the requirement that a single senator representing a school would have to serve on the Academic Affairs Committee.

    Aaron Bloomfield noted that currently, for as long as he has been on the committee, AAC must have representation from all schools. He noted that a senator could potentially choose to serve on other committees in addition.

    Tish Jennings notes that it is critical that there be representation from all schools on AAC as that committee has significant impact.

  3. Change in senate chair seat surrendering

    4. Aaron Bloomfield discussed, in detail, his reasoning for drafting this amendment.

    1. Motion from EXCO
    2. Second: Cathy Campbell

    Discussion:
    Alan Beckenstein asked for clarification on the process of adding seats to replace those who move into the Chair position

    Aaron Bloomfield noted that it is the current procedure to add additional seats as chairs terms extend to cover that period. He noted that there is potential for additional seats to be added in the event that chairs choose to continue their terms.

    Mr. Beckenstein asked what would happen in the event that a smaller school had all of its senators in chair/past-chair/chair elect positions and how that would affect representation of that school on the AAC committee specifically.

    Mr. Bloomfield shared that in this case you would likely draft those individuals onto the committee for representation anyway.

    Lisa Colosi Peterson asked if this means that one of the chairs could potentially no longer be an elected representative of their school.

    Mr. Bloomfield shared that yes and that is currently the case and could still be the case under this amendment. He noted that this amendment fixes some but not all of the issues.

  4. Change in proxies

    5. Aaron Bloomfield discussed, in detail, his reasoning for drafting this amendment.

    Discussion: None

    1. Motion from EXCO

    2. Second: Jeri Seidman

  5. Change in date of senate terms

    6. Aaron Bloomfield discussed, in detail, his reasoning for drafting this amendment.

    Discussion: None

    1. Motion from EXCO

    2. Second: Jeri Seidman

  6. Change in selection of BOV representatives

    7. Aaron Bloomfield discussed, in detail, his reasoning for drafting this amendment.

    Point of Order: Brian Pusser requested a point of order to clarify what portion of the meeting was currently underway noting that he believed the current item was to offer a motion but was now unclear as it seems more like debate or analysis.

    Tish Jennings shared that she was asked to provide information and background on the proposed amendments and asked that Mr. Bloomfield be given time to finish.

    1. Motion from EXCO

    2. Second: Jeri Seidman

    Meeting Adjourned
    Meeting adjourned: 2:00pm