Minutes of 23 October 2000
Approved 20 November 2000

ATTENDANCE
Present:  Andrews, Antonucci, Atreya, Bhavnani, Brusati, Burdi, Burns, Clark, Drach, Dunkle, Erickson, Faerber, Fisher, Gobetti, Guthrie, Hart,
Juster, Karnopp, Karr, Lawson, Marcelo, Masson, McDonagh, Navvab, Ni, Perfecto, Powell, Riebesell, Robertson, Rosano, Rosenthal, Rush, Sears,
Sheil, Taylor, Uribe, Ward, Winger, Wingrove, Yakel, Yeo
Alternates: None
Absent: Alcock, Anderson, Bonner, Boyd, Brophy, Brown, Deskins, Dick, Foss, Harrington, Hills, Jacobsen, Kalisch, Karni, Linder, Lubeck,
Malkawi, Mateo, Merchant, Moseley, Murphy, Papadopoulos, Peterson, Raisler, Reisch, Rocchini, Savage, Scheiman, Sedman, Taghaboni, Trumpey,
Vicinus, Whitehouse Jr., Wright

MATERIALS DISTRIBUTED
1.  Senate Assembly agenda
2.  Draft minutes of the Senate Assembly meeting of 17 April 2000
3.  Senate Assembly Schedule 2000-2001

Chair Lawson convened the meeting at 3:20 P.M.  She immediately introduced President Lee C. Bollinger and invited him to deliver his
annual address to the faculty.

VISIT OF PRESIDENT BOLLINGER
President Bollinger stated that his address would emphasize a theme of connectivity of the University of Michigan with the outside world.  He
reviewed what he characterized as significant issues facing the university.

1.  Financial matters
The president reported that relations with the State Legislature have improved over the previous four years.  He said that it is important
that we recognize our role as a State University and the responsibilities that result from that situation.  He reviewed state
budget appropriations for the university as well as the status of tuition rates and rate increases.  He pointed out that research awards
to the university had climbed remarkably in the previous year, and he said that private fund raising had been highly successful.  He noted
that the endowment had been increased by 43 percent in the last year, and that the hospital is operating in black ink.

2.  Life Sciences
The president reported that co-directors have been named for the Life Sciences Institute.  He explained that the next year would be devoted to
intellectual planning.  He pointed out that recruiting and program development were already underway in bioinformatics, bioengineering,
neurobiology, and the human values side. 

3.  Life Sciences Corridor
President Bollinger stated that revenue of about $50 million per year that was committed by the State to a cooperative agreement among
Michigan State University, Wayne State University, and the Van Andel Institute should start to be distributed within the next few months.  He
said that the funds would be used to support NIH-style research.  He said that part of the goal in Ann Arbor is to link the central and
medical campuses.

4.  Undergraduate Experience
The president said that he expects to receive a report within the next few months from a committee chaired by the provost about undergraduate
issues.  He said that one issue is construction of new residence halls. He said there is a need to consider how living arrangements affect the
quality of the undergraduate experience.

5.  Information Revolution
President Bollinger reported that a presidential commission is currently assessing the information technology needs of teaching and research.  He
said that one key question was how shall we participate in internet-based education.  He said that university administration was
actively talking to two ventures (fathom.com and Unext.com) about joining them.  He said that he hopes to see the U-M become partners with
the on-line education ventures.

The president said that the commercial ventures raise the issue of Conflict of Commitment for faculty who might otherwise engage in
internet-based educational opportunities.  He said that he is rather certain already about stating that faculty cannot be permitted to engage
in an activity that conflicts with their commitment to the U-M.  He said that present policy allows faculty one day a week consulting activity
and that is permissible.  He added that the administration does not permit faculty to join another university for one day a week.  He
pointed out that in the on-line world commercial operations should not be permitted to get U-M faculty listed on their own faculty lists.

The president explained that the new ventures might otherwise come to the university administration and ask it to join them.  He said that if
faculty formed their own arrangements that would deprive other faculty of opportunity.  He said that we have to make clear what the rules are.
He said that he had a group of people draw up the guidelines and show them to SACUA, and that he believed SACUA discussed them.

6.  Athletics
The president said that the administration is awaiting results of federal investigation of activities involving former athletes.

7.  Affirmative Action Lawsuits
President Bollinger reported that the lawsuits are moving forward to trial.

8.  Theme of Connectivity
The president said that the academic community needs to define the theme of connectivity between the university and the rest of society.  He
remarked that on the science side there is a closer link to the commercial world than exists in the Law School.  He pointed out that MIT
had recently established an example whereby faculty offices were located in close proximity to those of Microsoft employees, and he asked whether
it was an example worth following.  He also pointed out that universities are increasingly becoming patrons of the arts.

The president concluded his remarks at 4:03 P.M.  There were no questions from the audience.

CONSIDERATION OF THE MINUTES OF 17 April 2000
The minutes of 17 April 2000 were approved as submitted.

OLD BUSINESS
There was no old business.

NEW BUSINESS
There was no new business.

The meeting adjourned at 4:06 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,

John T. Lehman
Senate Secretary