Minutes
Wednesday, February 13, 2002
President
Rupp convened the meeting at 12:10 p.m.
1.
President
Rupp opened the meeting with an announcement that the Regional Director of the
National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has delivered her decision. She has ruled that graduate students are
employees and are eligible to vote for a union. The Regional Director decided in favor of Columbia University
with respect to the composition of the perspective members of the bargaining
unit. She determined that graduate
students studying at all four sites of the university (Morningside, Washington
Heights, Lamont and Nevis) should be included, as well as all graduate research
assistants and undergraduate teaching assistants. The university believes this is a positive outcome as it
appropriately recognizes the university community as a totality. President Rupp reminded everyone of the
importance of all graduate students’ exercising their right to vote. Provost Jonathan Cole also stressed the
importance of that, adding that it was essential that students take steps to
educate themselves so that they can be informed voters. Vice President David Cohen informed the
faculty that the university will be compelled to provide certain information on
students in the prospective bargaining unit to comply with a subpoena. Students will be notified that this is being
done. Vice President Cohen requested
that faculty assure students that any information provided to the NLRB will be
in accordance with legal requirements.
In response to a question
from the floor, President Rupp provided assurances that students who favored
the union would not be negatively treated.
He reiterated the university’s longstanding position that it does not
engage in threats or other unfair labor practices. He also indicated that this university will ensure that everyone
has the opportunity to express his/her views, whether for or against
unionization, since it is essential that the community makes the most informed
decision. At that point, a faculty
member who is also a departmental chair in the Arts and Sciences observed that
in several meetings the department chairs had been advised about what they
could and could not do. Students who
felt they had experienced unfair labor practices should bring those to the
attention of the university. At the
same time, the threat that a faculty member would be accused of unfair labor
practices must not be used as a tool to silence any views.
2.
It
was moved, seconded and approved that the minutes be adopted as prepared.
3.
Patricia
Grieve, chair of the Executive Committee of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences
(ECFAS), reported that the committee had been meeting regularly. She indicated that the group was discussing
a proposal for renewable appointments for lecturers, undergraduate advising,
and a proposal for renewable term appointments for faculty at the Biosphere 2
Center (B2C). She summarized the
results of the ECFAS’s consideration of Professor Luciano Rebay’s resolution
presented at the previous meeting, indicating that ECFAS had concluded that
this was in the purview of the University Senate and not the Arts and Sciences
faculty. She expressed the hope of
ECFAS that President Rupp would provide a report on this topic before the end
of June. Professor Grieve informed the
faculty that ECFAS was beginning its departmental consultations and encouraged
them to participate in these meetings.
4.
Vice
President Cohen opened his remarks with comments intended to set the general
background for the discussion of renewable term appointments for Biosphere 2
faculty. He also set the general
background for the discussion of the proposal for renewable term appointments
for lecturers which is expected to be on the agenda of the April faculty meeting. He noted that the Arts and Sciences is a
complex entity that includes changing definitions of scholarship (as
exemplified by the pedagogical contributions of lecturers in language) and
innovative ventures (as represented by the creation of B2C). In this evolving and ever more-complex
academic environment, traditional appointment structures are sometimes no
longer adequate for meeting all of the instructional needs of the Arts &
Sciences.
He then summarized the path
that brought the proposal to this point.
A joint committee representing ECFAS and the departmental chairs had met
during 2000-2001 to consider recommendations on renewable term appointments for
lecturers, continuing appointments for selected adjuncts and professorial rank
titles for officers of research. After
some study, the committee declined to support professorial rank titles for
officers of research. A proposal for
continuing appointments for a small number of adjuncts has been endorsed and
forwarded to the Provost. The proposal
for renewable term appointments for lecturers is still under discussion and
will be presented to the faculty at the April meeting.
A question was raised from
the floor, seeking an explanation of the site acquisition fund. Provost Cole noted that space at the
university was highly constrained and that there was only space for two more
buildings on the Morningside campus. He
said that it is necessary for the university to move beyond its current
footprint if the institution is to retain its eminence and advance. The space limitations are particularly
serious in the sciences, but are also serious in the humanities and social
sciences. As a result, the university
has begun to explore the acquisition of property around St. Luke’s, north of
125th Street, and a parcel of property referred to as Riverside
South. He observed that the university
had two options for funding the expansion.
It could use principle from its endowment, with the consequence of
foregoing future income. Alternatively,
it could borrow the monies needed to purchase properties, which would require
setting aside sufficient resources to service that debt. The challenge is to balance the near-term
opportunity costs with the longer-term needs.
The discussion of how to achieve this balance is ongoing.
In response to a question
from the floor regarding plans for adding space for science, Provost Cole
described ongoing planning efforts, assured the faculty that this critical need
will be addressed, and indicated that the faculty could expect a written
document from the administration on this matter at some point in the
future. The report of the Science Space
Committee chaired by Professor Duong Phong need be articulated with the report
of the Academic Review Committee on the Science Planning Review and the
strategic planning efforts of the health sciences. At that point the university would be in a position to develop a
more comprehensive science plan.
5.
Professor
David Helfand presented the report of the Committee on Arts and Sciences
Fundraising. He began by reminding the
group of the highlights of last year’s report, which focused on the results of
the capital campaign. He then discussed
the fundraising achievements for January-December 2001. Overall the results were positive,
increasing from $45.9 million to $53.4 million. In all categories gains exceeded those of the previous year,
including the addition of 10 endowed professorships to bring the total to 39 of
the targeted 50. He called attention to
the results of the calendar 2001 fundraising efforts which was the first full
year of post-campaign activities and could be considered an indicator of where
things will go in the future. He
observed that the conservative budgeting practices of the Arts and Sciences has
lessened the near-term impact of not attaining the campaign target of 50
substitutional chairs. The impact will,
however, be felt in later years. He
reiterated that fundraising for substitutional endowed chairs must be the
highest institutional priority, followed by endowing graduate student financial
aid. Overall, the committee was
encouraged by the results for 2001.
President Rupp
then reminded the faculty that there is a $10 million bequest for endowed
graduate student financial aid which is expected within the next five-ten
years.
Dean Henry
Pinkham provided the annual update on the graduate school. He began by announcing a 10% reduction in
the extended residency rate for grant supported students beginning in FY 03. He reported that the Executive Committee of
the Graduate School has been considering moving dossiers to Interfolio. So far the response from the students and
faculty who have seen the materials is enthusiastic. He invited faculty to offer their views to the Graduate School
Executive Committee on the desirability of this. Dean Pinkham then noted his concerns about the data on time to
degree for Columbia vs. peer institutions.
He indicated that he had been considering incentives that might reduce
the time to degree. He noted that the
fully funded departments which had been in the Mellon plan since the 1980s were
no more successful in reducing time to degree than other departments,
suggesting that level of support was not in itself sufficient. He indicated that he has been considering
two-year faculty appointments for our students immediately post-Ph.D. This would offer teaching experience and
assist in addressing potential instructional needs consequent to downsizing the
Graduate School. He hopes that the
prospect of a transitional teaching position would be an incentive to move more
rapid degree completion.
Dean
Pinkham reminded the faculty that he had circulated his annual report as an
email. He called attention to the key
features of the enhancement plan—multi-year awards, housing, summer support, and
student space in departments—and reiterated that a major fundraising initiative
and downsizing of the Graduate School are critical if the goals of the plan are
to be achieved. When asked what peer
institutions are doing, Dean Pinkham reported that they were aggressively
reducing the number of incoming graduate students to allow more support for
admitted students. He noted that the
Graduate School will be exercising considerable caution in managing offers this
year, since .there is serious potential for over-yielding given the state of
the economy and more competitive stipend levels. Various faculty expressed discomfort with the prospect of
downsizing the Graduate School. They
cited such concerns as the impact on section sizes, the availability of personnel
to teach Core courses, the desire of faculty to have graduate students with
whom to work, the need for a critical mass in small departments and programs,
etc. Dean Pinkham noted our current
inability to mentor, supervise, house, office, etc., students optimally and
cited downsizing as the only way necessary enhancements could be achieved.
A faculty
member spoke to the desirability of providing differential packaging for
minority students. Dean Pinkham
indicated that this was already being done in the humanities and social
sciences and that he has solicited the views of the chairs of the science
departments on the merits of larger packages for underrepresented
minorities. The questioner cited the
importance of having a critical mass of minority students in a single program,
noting that the presence of minority students serves as an important further
recruitment of minority students.
6.
Professor
David Helfand, co-chair of the B2C Faculty Council, presented the proposal for
renewable term appointments for B2C faculty.
The primary question from the floor dealt with the matter of how
teaching and citizenship would be evaluated given the geographic separation
between Arizona and Manhattan.
Professor Helfand indicated that faculty evaluation would be done by
committees comprised of faculty from both Morningside and B2C. By a show of hands the majority of the
faculty voted to forward the proposal to the Senate for its consideration.
7.
Under
new business, Professor Rebay moved that Professor Rupp report at the April
2002 meeting of the faculty on the matter of his recommendation that the Board
of the Italian Academy for Advanced Studies in America be appointed by a
consortium of Italian university presidents and literary and scientific academy
directors under the chairmanship of one its members. A second to the motion was received. A motion was then made and seconded to refer Professor Rebay’s
motion to ECFAS for a determination for action. With the endorsement of the group the rules were set aside to
permit David Freedberg, Director of the Italian Academy, to speak about
operations of the Academy. In his
remarks, Professor Freedberg emphasized the absence of any interference by
outside board members, including the guarantors, in any operations, decisions or
policies of the Italian Academy. He
expressed his deep concern that any piecemeal action at this time would place
current funding requests and other collaborative initiatives in jeopardy. He recommended postponing any consideration
of the matter until the new president has arrived and could consider what might
merit review.
8. Provost Cole provided an update on the School for Children. He indicated that construction was moving
forward and that a decision had been made to provide a 50% tuition discount for
all faculty children. He also announced
that the remote storage facility for the library was now functioning and was
already receiving books.
By consensus,
President Rupp adjourned the meeting at 2:00 p.m.
Prepared by
Roxie R. Smith