Winter Plenary at SUNY Oneonta on January 25-26, 2013.

• The Senators welcomed Provost Lavallee, Vice Chancellor Huxley, Vice Chancellor Killeen, and Chancellor Zimpher who shared reports with the University Faculty Senate (UFS).
• The Provost focused his report on issues of seamless transfer within the SUNY system. In December 2012, the SUNY Board of Trustees passed a seamless transfer resolution (http://www.suny.edu/provost/academic_affairs/SeamlessTransfer.cfm) that sets out criteria for SUNY two and four year institutions to follow concerning general education, AA and AS level training, and ease of transfer. Seamless transfer has been a priority at the system level for a number of years. Interestingly, data about transferring within the system indicate a rather complicated pattern of 2 to 2 year, 4 to 4 year, 2 to 4 year, and 4 to 2 year institution transfers. SUNY has contracted with DegreeWorks to make a system wide platform to enable students to better plan transfers within the system.
• The Provost and Chancellor also spent time answering questions about Open SUNY and what this new initiative will mean for curriculum development, enrollment, and higher education. Online learning is here and SUNY is making efforts to position itself to understand and benefit from new models of educational engagement. Faculty representatives from all sectors have concerns about how Open SUNY will impact and change how we approach our work.
• Vice Chancellor Huxley spoke about the executive budget and the new Resource Allocation Model for funding campuses. University centers, in general, benefit from this new model and programs that can grow enrollments will also benefit. The Shared services plan was also discussed. The goal of this plan is to redirect saved resources to academic program investments.
• Vice Chancellor Killeen who is also the President of the Research Foundation spoke about his vision for the RF. The RF has already become more transparent and open and we look for this trend to continue. Commercialization, tech transfer, and entrepreneurism will also be major components of the RF strategy to make SUNY more competitive.
• RESOLUTIONS
• The UFS passed a resolution to recommend that a Chancellor’s award for Adjunct instructors be created.
• A Resolution to increase the non-voting membership of the Executive Board was defeated.
• A resolution passed to include electronic meetings in the By-Laws.

The full power point presentations for each speaker is available on line at the SUNY faculty senate website. (www.suny.edu/faculty senate)