UpDate - Vol. 16, No. 10
November 7, 1996
Senate passes resolutions supporting college mergers

     The University Faculty Senate passed two "Sense of the
Senate" resolutions Monday, supporting the reorganization and
mergers of five colleges.
     With a vote of 48 in favor, one opposed and three
abstentions, the first resolution supporting the merger of the
colleges of Nursing and Physical Education, Athletics and
Recreation passed without changes.
     The new college will be known as the College of Health and
Nursing Sciences.
     A friendly amendment was added to the second resolution,
indicating that the new name of that proposed college is still
under discussion. Merging the colleges of Education, Human
Resources and Urban Affairs and Public Policy, the new college
will be called temporarily the College of Human Resources,
Education and Public Policy.
     The vote was 41 in favor, with six opposed and four
abstentions.
     The University's Board of Trustees is expected to act on the
reorganization proposals at its December meeting.
     In response to a question from the floor, Frank Dilley,
secretary, noted that the senate does not have the power of
decision in this kind of reorganization, but it is allowed to
make recommendations to the Board of Trustees.
     During the discussion, some senators expressed concern about
the wording of the mission statement and the organizational
structure of the new college. Questions also were raised about
eligibility to vote on new college bylaws and the reconciliation
of different promotion and tenure procedures. A strategic
planning committee has been created to deal with these
reorganization issues.
     When asked about the advantages of the merger, Provost Mel
Schiavelli said that the teacher education program for grades pre-
K through 8 will be less fragmented when it is housed in one
college and that there will be budget advantages to a larger
college.
     In other business, the name of the biology department was
changed to Department of Biological Sciences.
                                                   -Cornelia Weil