2009 Faculty Senate Resolution Regarding Library Spaces and Funding:
• Whereas the Faculty Senate recognizes and applauds significant advances in library support since 2005;
• Whereas there remains much to be done to bring VCU's library system to a standing commensurate with VCU's stature and ambitions, and similar to the libraries of VCU's closest-matching peer institutions;
• Whereas VCU has not constructed new library space since 1975, while nearly every other doctoral institution in Virginia has created new library buildings and space within the past decade;
• Whereas Cabell Library is uncomfortably crowded with tens of thousands of student users daily, offers the least space per student of any public academic library in Virginia, and houses collections that far exceed its original capacity and absorb space needed by students;
• Therefore, the Faculty Senate resolves that:
- The University assigns highest priority for renovation and capital funding to initiatives that expand and improve those spaces that have the biggest impact on the most people in VCU's academic community, such as space for student academic work in Cabell Library;
- The University make every effort to provide funding to create and operate an off-campus repository for lesser-used library materials, thereby freeing space in Cabell Library for student academic needs;
- The University create and implement a renovations and investment plan that will bridge the University from the present overcrowded Cabell Library to a new library/academic commons building on the Monroe Park Campus that will provide adequate new space for undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty;
- The University maintain as its second priority for new capital funding the proposed new library/academic commons building on the Monroe Park Campus, after the construction of the planned classroom building;
- The University continue its work in strengthening library budget allocations to advance its library system to a standing similar to that of VCU's closest-matching peer institutions
Each new elected officer will begin their term of office on August 16, 2009.
Elected were....
President--Linda Corey, School of Medicine (Human Genetics)
Vice-President- Micah McCreary, Humanities & Sciences (Psychology)
Corresponding Secretary- Cynthia Donnell, School of the Arts (Music)
Recording Secretary - Elizabeth Canfield, University College
MCV Campus Representative- Carolyn Driscoll, Nursing **
Monroe Park Campus Representative- David Fauri, School of Social Work
**Dr. Bonny Bukaveckas was elected in April, 2009, but decided to leave VCU and was replaced by Dr. Driscoll in a May, 2009 election.
I will continue to serve on the Faculty Senate Executive Committee as Past President for the next year or two, also.
I hope you will join the Faculty Senate in congratulating our newly-elected faculty leadership.
--Dan
Dan Ream
VCU Faculty Senate President, 2007-2009
****************************
Dear Colleagues:
On Saturday, February 28, the General Assembly completed its action on the budget for the remainder of the 2008-2010 biennium. A summary of the key provisions affecting Virginia Commonwealth University and the VCU Health System can be found here: http://www.finance.vcu.edu/pdfs/Conference%20Report%20-%20Preliminary%20Analysis.pdf
The adopted budget uses the federal stimulus funding to significantly soften the budget cuts initially proposed for FY 2010. Among other things, the budget:
* Restores $20.5 million in operating funds to VCU in FY 2010 -- an amount equal to the additional cut originally proposed for FY 2010.
* Provides $1.7 million in additional need-based financial aid -- an increase of 8.5 percent above the current year.
* Restores $4 million of the $6 million cut to Eminent Scholars. VCU's share of the restored funding is about $230,000.
* Raises to $10 (from $3) the per credit hour charge to out-of-state students, requiring VCU to pay to the state an additional $1 million from tuition for state debt service.
* Includes language stating that the stimulus money was intended to mitigate tuition increases for in-state students, and that the Governor and General Assembly will review and report to the federal government the actions of the Boards of Visitors.
* Provides an increase of about $618 million in Medicaid funding statewide, essentially offsetting Medicaid-related cuts to the Health System proposed in the budget as introduced.
The budget now goes back to Governor Kaine, who has the authority to propose changes to the General Assembly during a one-day reconvened session which will take place on April 8. Given the fact that details about specific conditions and requirements for use of the federal stimulus funding are still being developed, it is possible that changes in the budget may still be proposed.
Use of the federal stimulus money to restore the $20.5 million budget cut proposed by Governor Kaine, and the substantial additional Medicaid funds provided are both very positive developments for VCU and the Health System. Nevertheless, the federal money is available for only two years. It is therefore crucial that we prepare this year’s operating budget with one eye on FY 2010 and one eye on FY 2012, when the federal funding expires.
Best regards.
Sincerely,
Eugene P. Trani
President, Virginia Commonwealth University
and
President and Chair, VCU Health System
Faculty Senators-
If you have not yet already seen it reported, the VCU Board of Visitors
tonight unanimously voted to name Dr. Michael Rao as the next President
of VCU, beginning July 1, 2009. Dr. Rao is currently the President
of Central Michigan University, the fourth largest university in Michigan with 28,000 students and an operating budget of more than $400 million. You'll see more about his background in the imminent press coverage.
VCU's press release is here at... http://www.news.vcu.edu/news.aspx?v=detail&nid=2801
I first want to say that each of the five faculty members on the VCU
Presidential Search Committee were extremely impressed by Dr.
Rao's interview. His communication skills are superb, he believes
faculty should have a strong role in governance, and he impressed us
with how thoroughly he did his homework about VCU before his interview.
We were delighted to find that the Board of Visitors members on the
search committee liked him for exactly the same reasons. Since our
initial interview with Dr Rao, I have personally called faculty organization
leaders at his current and previous schools and they expressed the
utmost praise for Dr. Rao's collegial attitude, commitment to shared
governance, and respect for the faculty, among other qualities. As he
stated in his interview with the search committee, he believes the
faculty are the key to growing VCU's academic reputation.
His interest in the faculty followed through this week, when he called
me one evening and we talked for over an hour so he could better learn
about faculty concerns and the Faculty Senate at VCU. Today (Friday
the 20th), he again met with the five faculty members on the VCU
Presidential Search Committee (Michael Edmond, School of Medicine;
Catherine Howard, Humanities and Sciences; Rosalyn Hobson, School
of Engineering; Linda Corey, School of Medicine; and myself) and
those members of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee who were
able to attend on short notice (David Fauri, School of Social Work;
Cindy Munro, School of Nursing; and Kathryn Murphy-Judy, Humanities
& Sciences). Dr Rao listened intently for over an hour as he asked us
to tell him what the faculty are hoping the next VCU President will
accomplish. I think each of us who have talked with him are extremely
enthusiastic about his future as VCU's next President.
In this note I want to also address something that was on my mind
through much of this search process. Since being named to the VCU
Presidential Search Committee in the fall, I have been repeatedly
advocating that there be public interviews with our finalist candidates
for the president's position, knowing that our faculty wanted an
opportunity to participate in the process. I should note that our other
faculty members on the search committee expressed this desire also.
Unfortunately, we were advised by the leader of our hired search firm,
Jan Greenwood, and our consultant, Steve Portch, that public
interviews are now extremely rare whenever a sitting presidents are
candidates and that confidentiality is requested by top candidates
in almost all such searches. Florida, with its sunshine laws, is a
notable exception, but otherwise public interviews are rare. While I
still wish that the faculty as a whole could have met and questioned
our top candidates, I am resigned to the reality that this is no longer
the norm. While disappointed in this aspect, I am overall extremely
pleased by the way the search process was conducted and the level
of participation of our five faculty members in our search deliberations.
I think if you talked to each of the five of us, all would agree that the
dynamics of the search committee were excellent and all participants--
faculty, board members, staff, alumni, and others all made valued
contributions. Despite an excellent pool of candidates, Dr. Rao was
a clear favorite and was supported by every member of our 17-member
search committee.
Dr. Rao is eager to meet with the Faculty Senate and I'll work to make
that happen before our last meeting on May 5th. I think you'll enjoy
meeting him.
Dr. Rao's photo and vita are available here.
--Dan
Dan Ream
VCU Faculty Senate President, 2007-2009
The General Assembly will convene on January 14, 2009. To view a list of current legislation please click here for Education and Administration related bills, and here for Health related bills.
Faculty, staff, students, and alumni are encouraged to contact their respective House of Delegates and Senate of Virginia members to inform them how the key legislative priorities will further the academic and health care missions of VCU and the VCU Health System. For your convenience, click here for a link to contact information for your elected representatives. For a reminder of guidelines for taking public policy positions or offering public comments, please click here.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our office by email at govrel@vcu.edu or call us at (804) 828-1235.
]]>The day begins at 9:00AM in the Student Lounge of the Lyons Building on VCU's MCV campus. SCHEV Director Daniel LaVista will address us briefly before we begin office visits at the General Assembly Building. Coffee and breakfast snacks will be provided, as will free box lunches later in the day. A student will be available to attend our belongings while we are at the General Assembly. Links to directions, parking, and other information are below.
Important links:
Driving directions to the MCV Campus:
http://www.vcu.edu/maps/mcvmap/mcvmapd.php
Visitor parking:
http://www.vcu.edu/maps/mcvmap/mcvmapf.php#parking
The location of the Lyons Building:
http://www.vcu.edu/maps/mcvmap/lyons/lyons.htm
The Virginia General Assembly:
http://legis.state.va.us
State Council on Higher Education in Virginia:
http://www.schev.edu
--Dan Ream, VCU Faculty Senate President, 2007-2009
*****************************************************************
Dear University and Health System Communities:
Faculty, staff and students of Virginia Commonwealth University and the VCU
Health System are invited to meet with the Presidential Search Committee
regarding the presidential search in two town hall meetings. The committee
welcomes input from all stakeholders concerning the future direction of VCU
and the desired characteristics of a new President to lead VCU.
The meetings will be held on Friday, October 17, at the following times:
11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Monroe Park Campus
Student Commons Theater
3:30 p.m. - 5 p.m.
MCV Campus
George Ben Johnston Auditorium
305 North 12th Street
The Search Committee encourages members of the university and health system
communities to attend a town hall meeting, and we look forward to meeting
with you. There will be at least one additional opportunity this semester
to attend a town hall meeting with the Search Committee.
Sincerely,
Ed Bersoff, Presidential Search Committee Chair
]]>Whereas the Academic Rights and Responsibilities document approved by the Board of Visitors on November 18, 1976 states:
“Membership in the academic community imposes on students, faculty members, administrators and members of the Board of Visitors an obligation to respect each other’s dignity; to acknowledge each other’s right to express differing opinions…
An academic community, ideally enjoying a high degree of protection from outside interference in the pursuit of its goals, cannot tolerate disruptive interference within. All elements of the University are committed to open and rational discussion as an instrument for the clarification of issues, the settlement of disputes and the solutions of problems.
In the past, academic institutions have achieved eminence to a large extent because they managed to provide their faculties with a climate blended of academic freedom, economic security, adequate resources and most importantly, goodwill, mutually shared and bestowed among all of their members. Virginia Commonwealth University cannot achieve its goal with less….”
Whereas recent events have called into question several of the expectations secured in the Academic Rights and Responsibilities document;
Whereas faculty deserve the right to due process and a fair, accurate investigation.
Therefore, Be It Resolved that VCU’s Board of Visitors and administration should work with representatives from the Faculty Senate to adopt rules and procedures concerning employee rights and protections in any VCU investigation that shall include:
--the right of faculty to have a witness or advisor or both (of their choice) during investigatory interviews;
--the right to have audio/video recordings made of such interviews;
--the right of the interviewed to read and sign a report of their testimony under such questioning;
--any reference to a faculty member’s tenure or future employment should not be permitted in any official VCU investigation;
--employees suspected or accused of misconduct have the right to receive a written statement of the charges made against them.
Passed by Vote of the VCU Faculty Senate, October 7, 2008
Please remind your school's faculty staff and students of these upcoming
opportunities to express their views on what VCU should look for in its
next President
Open forum for faculty, students and staff – Oct. 6 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
in the Kontos Auditorium, MCV Campus
Open forum for faculty, students and staff – Oct. 7 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
in the University Student Commons Theater, Monroe Park Campus
The Task Force Report will be delivered to Dr. Trani on October 1,
2008, as required. The Task Force has completed a draft of the report
that has been sent to external consultants for their review and
comment. These consultants will meet with the Task Force on September
24th and their input will help us refine the report constructively
before we submit it to the President. A roster of the consultants may be
found in Appendix C of the Report.
A copy of the Draft Report (Draft 4, 9-17-08) sent to the
consultants is available for you to read and comment on, if you wish.
You must use your eID to access it at the following address:
https://www.vcu.edu/research/protected/taskforce/taskforce.html
As you will read at the site, if you want to comment on the Draft
Report you may do so anonymously. Comments you type into
the text box are sent to the Office of Research email account with
no name in the Sender's line. Of course, you may elect to indicate
your name at the end of your comments. Please look at the Draft
Report and to provide comments if you wish.
The Draft Report is intended for the use of the VCU community and is
not meant for distribution outside of the institution. The final report
will be publicly posted on our web site shortly after it is submitted to
President Trani.
Here is Vice-President Frank Macrina's August 5th e-mail invitation along with a link to the Task Force's web site, where comments from the July Town Hall meeting at the MCV Campus are provided......
The VCU Task Force on Corporate Sponsored Research will hold its
second Town Meeting on Wednesday, September 3, 2008, from 4:00 until 6:00
p.m. in the Commons Theater of the University Student Commons (907 Floyd
Avenue, on the Monroe Park Campus). Attendees from the MCV Campus
should note that the closest parking is the West Main Street Deck at
801 W. Main Street. Also the shuttle (Campus Connector) runs from several
stops on the MCV campus (including Sanger Hall) to the Cabell Library, just
across the street from the Student Commons.
A reminder will be sent as September 3rd approaches. I hope you
will be able to attend and add your voice to the deliberations of the Task
Force. Should you wish to submit written comments to the Task Force at any
time prior to or after the upcoming Town Meeting, please used the attached
form.
You can follow the activities of the Task Force by visiting:
http://www.research.vcu.edu/vpr/corporate_sponsor.htm .
Best regards,
Francis L. Macrina, Ph.D.
Edward Myers Professor of Dentistry and
Vice President for Research
Virginia Commonwealth University
Resolution to Support Amendment of VCU’s Reaffirmation Statement of the Equal Opportunity Policy to Include Gender Identity and Gender Expression
Whereas, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) already protects its students, faculty, and staff from discrimination based on age, race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, veteran’s status, political affiliation, or disability, but does not include gender identity or gender expression;
Whereas, gender has come to be understood as an element of identity and expression distinct from physical sex;
Whereas, transgender, transsexual, and other gender-variant students, faculty, and staff have faced discrimination on and off campus, through threats and harassment in such activities such as employment, restroom use, housing, and health care;
Whereas, protecting its students, faculty, and staff is the responsibility of the university;
Whereas, the first step that the university should take to protect these students, faculty, and staff is to add gender identity and gender expression to the VCU Reaffirmation Statement of the Equal Opportunity Policy;
Whereas, it is essential that each student be given an equal opportunity to learn and thrive while at VCU;
Whereas, gender-variant students, faculty, and staff must be free from discrimination or harassment if they are to effectively carry out their duties and the university’s mission;
Whereas, since 1992, 147 universities, including nine of our peer institutions (New York University, Syracuse University, The Ohio State University, University of Arizona, University of Illinois–Chicago, University of Iowa, University of Minnesota–Twin Cities, University of New Mexico, and University of Southern California), have implemented a non-discrimination policy including gender identity and gender expression;
Therefore, Be It Resolved that VCU’s Reaffirmation Statement of the Equal Opportunity Policy be amended as follows:
Virginia Commonwealth University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution providing access to education and employment without regard to age, race, color, national origin, sex, religion, sexual orientation, veteran’s status, political affiliation, gender identity or gender expression.