University Senate Meeting Minutes

May 5, 2025, 3:30-5:00 PM (Hybrid Meeting Wang Theater & Zoom Meeting)

Meeting called to order by Dr. Brenda Anderson, the University Senate President, at 3:30 PM. A motion to approve the agenda and the minutes from April 7, 2025 carried.

Greetings from Brenda Anderson, University Senate President

- Welcomed everyone to the University Senate meeting.

- Announced the passing of two of the past Senate Presidents.

- Addressed the challenges faced by the university due to federal administration's policies, including the loss of grants and visa issues for international students, and the impact of funding cuts on research.

- Acknowledged the efforts of New York's Attorney General, Letitia James, in defending academic freedom and defending research funding.

- Administrators have utilized all the tools available to them to provide support for our students and postdoctoral fellows who have been directly impacted by cuts and visa revocations.

- Expressed gratitude to Interim President McCormick for his leadership and commitment to academic freedom.

Report from Interim President McCormick

- Full written report can be viewed here.

- Expressed admiration for the University's right-sized athletics.

- Over the past year, political opinions have been expressed within the boundaries of rules and regulations. Only a few exceptions.

- New York State Budget not yet adopted.

- Twenty faculty members have lost grants, which impacts technicians, post-docs and graduate students.

- Developed emergency fund managed within the Graduate School for graduate students

- For eighty years the U.S. government has partnered with research-based universities to invest in all kinds of basic and applied research which created the society, the nation, the economy, and the healthcare we have today.

- Need to improve communication on the impact of research

- At AAU meeting, there was consensus that clearer communication of the impact of research in higher education institutions is needed.

- Eleven international students had their visas cancelled, but their status has now been restored.

- DEI is not illegal. We will obey the law.

- Announced several of his own initiatives

- Established Science Futures Working Group. Report will be available soon.

- Established East-West Campus Collaboration Working Group. Report will be available soon.

- Established Future Scholars Program.

- Starting next year, Stony Brook will offer courses on the campus of Nassau County Community College.

- Next year Stony Brook will be offering courses for the School of Social Welfare in the New York Law School building in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan.

- Expressed appreciation for the university's culture and the commitment of its faculty and students.

Report from Provost, Carl Lejuez

- Full written report can be viewed here.

- Awards given out recently:

- SUNY Chancellor s Awards

- SUNY Horizon Awards

- SUNY Distinguished Faculty Appointments

- SBU Project Edge, faculty enhancing and modernizing curriculum

- SBU Educational Effectiveness Award

- SBU Outstanding Mentor and Lecture Awards

- Provost's office will announce the new AI3 director in the coming weeks.

- New director for Accelerated College Experience Program

- SUNY Chancellor can have his tenure placed within a SUNY school, and he has chosen Stony Brook University.

- Focusing on recruitment. Balancing strong recruitment despite external pressures.

Reports from UUP

- B. Kube - East campus President

- No presentation.

- L. Melious West Campus UUP President

- Expressed gratitude for Interim President McCormick s service to the University, which has left a lasting impact.

- The next Executive Board meeting is on May 19.

- On 5/28, join us for an Ice Cream Social at the Shore Club in SAC from 1:00-3:00 pm.

Old Business:

New Business:

Reports from FRRPC, Kathleen De Riesthal, Chair of the FRRPC

- Presentation can be viewed here.

- FRRPC was asked to review policies related to use of online resources, data and data access, public assembly policy and posters/flyers, information security.

- Invited members to contact them with concerns.

Reports from Director of Athletics, Sean Hilborn

- Landscape of college athletics is rapidly changing. In 2022, NCA passed legislation that students could be compensated for name, image, and likeness.

- In 2024, three class action lawsuits, referred to as the House Settlement, were settled with NCAA.

o Provides $2.8 billion to student athletes for 2016-2024, that will be paid out over ten years. Impacts Stony Brook University.

o Allows institutions to directly compensate student athletes in the form of revenue sharing and compensation for use of name, image and likeness. Stony Brook does not have revenue to share.

o Roster limits for each sport.

- Transfer rates are increasing, and graduation rates are decreasing because of credit loss.

o Emphasis on football and basketball.

- Possibility of federal intervention.

- Stony Brook University Athletes had their highest term GPA in the fall, 3.36

- First year football coach, named National Coach of the Year.

- Three CAA conference championships

o Men s Cross Country won its third straight

o Women s Soccer

o Women s Lacrosse, twelfth straight championship.

▪ Without money.

▪ Eighty nine straight conference wins.

- The path forward includes

o Stony Brook deserves an athletics program managed in both a fiscally and ethically responsible manner.

o CAA Board of Directors voted to join the House Settlement

▪ Stony Brook will opt into the House Settlement.

o Will provide excellence awards for some student athletes from fundraised dollars

o Will operationalize a new business model in response to the needs of Division I athletics.

o Develop a new strategic plan that ladders up to the campus strategic plan.

Report on the Development of a Professional Staff Senate, Michael Boerner, West Campus Co-chair of Professional Employees Governance Board (PEG)

- In Fall 2024, PEG members reviewed current PEG Board bylaws and surveyed other Professional Staff Senate structures.

- Most influence from SUNY Binghamton and SUNY Buffalo Professional Staff senate structures.

- Rationale for change. The current board operates through seats created by other governance bodies, leading to an incomplete representation.

- Starting with blank slate.

- Key issues:

o Definition of Professional Staff.

▪ Changes will expand representation beyond UUP members.

o Identifying strategy of representation that addressed frequent re-organizational of units

o Will develop

▪ Constitution

▪ Bylaws

▪ Standard Operating Procedures, amended at will

Reports from Plenary Session, Pamela Wolfskill

- Report can be viewed here.

- Encouraged members to sign up for a SUNY University Faculty Senate committee to ensure the campus has a voice within the broader SUNY system.

- The University Senate will review and consider supporting resolutions passed at the SUNY University Faculty Senate plenary.

Meeting adjourned at 5:06 PM.

Senate President: Brenda Anderson
Senate Secretary: Richard Stein