The University of Rhode Island Faculty Senate met for the fifth time in the academic year on Feb. 24 to discuss the 2022-2023 faculty senate vice-presidential election, discuss possible changes to academic policies and curriculums and hold a forum on the mask mandate policy.
Executive committee member Bahram Nassersharif was elected the vice president of the council for the 2022-2023 academic year. He will serve alongside the current Vice President Michael Rice, who will be the president of the Faculty Senate starting this Fall of 2022.
Ellen Reynolds, the assistant vice president for Student Health and Wellness, the director of Health Services and the vice president for the Division of Student Affairs, spoke about “finding the in-between” with the current mask mandate.
“There’s a spectrum,” Reynolds said. “Are there places on campus where we can lift the mask mandate and do it well and other places where it will remain?”
All discussions regarding the mask mandate that took place during the meeting were reported back to the Senate’s COVID-19 Advisory Committee, the University’s COVID-19 Task Force and the senior leadership team, who will continue to help make these decisions for the community, according to Reynolds.
The Senate announced the nominations for the Space Allocation Committee, which regulates general access classrooms. The nominations include professors from each department; Ryan Chapman (Assistant Professor in the College of Kinesiology), Clint Chichester III (Professor for the College of Pharmacy), Denise Coppa (Associate Professor and FNP Specialty Track Coordinator for the College of Nursing), Matthew Kiesewetter (Associate Professor for the Department of Chemistry) and Susan Hannel (Associate Professor for the College of Business).
The Shelia Black Grubman Outstanding Faculty Service Award and the Fritz Wenisch Award for Exceptional Contributions to the Faculty Senate were opened for nomination as well. Members of the Faculty Senate will nominate these members on an online forum and will be discussed and voted upon through the next meeting on April 28.
Dean Brenton DeBoef and Chair Chris Kincaid discussed a new curriculum for the graduate, summer session, and accelerated online programs. DeBoef proposed the addition of two tracks to the master’s of dietetics program as well as an accelerated online graduate program in library and information studies as well as in quantum computing. DeBoef also spoke about the update on multiple online master degree programs, including the music and public administration programs.
“There are a few courses that were in their old requirements that were not approved for URI online, so they replaced them with other courses that can be delivered online,” DeBoef said.
Kincaid also proposed amendments to both summer and accelerated online undergraduate programs, including the update of two communications, two business and one health sciences courses.
Kincaid also included a number of course changes in the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, the College of Pharmacy.
“These are classes that are trying to help their students,” Kincaid said. “In COM 108 [Spaceship Earth: An Introduction to Systems], based on feedback from students, they have changed the name to make it clearer and COM 440 [Telecommunications Processes and Audience Behavior] they have worked to modernize. The course was based on material from the 1980s, and they worked to update it.”
University President Marc Parlange also provided a presentation on the updates of the Narragansett Bay Campus and the Providence Campus. He spoke about the community and the new positions that opened up for the Provost and Vice President of Marketing and Communications.
He also gave his farewell and best wishes to Kathy Collins, the former vice president of the Division of Student Affairs, and Linda Acciardo, the interim executive director of external relations and communications.
Parlange also summarized the events that took place this last month including the art exhibit at the Providence Campus for Black History Month, as well as a URI reunion event in Naples, Florida that Parlange attended. Parlange said that the event was a success and was grateful to hear that the alumni are in great shape, “The Class of 58’ does fifty laps in the pool a day.”
Parlange also spoke about the visitation of the Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, K. Joseph Shekarchi, at the Narragansett Bay Campus, where he announced that $250,000 would go to help rebuild the campus’ shoreline.
The Faculty Senate will next reconvene on Mar. 24 from 3-5 p.m.