Chair D'Alecy convened the meeting at 3:19 P.M.

MATERIALS DISTRIBUTED
1. Senate Assembly Agenda
2. SACUA/Senate Assembly Skeletal Agenda
3. Draft minutes of the Senate Assembly meeting of 29 September 1997
4. Approved minutes of the Senate Assembly meeting of 19 May 1997
5. Item for Consideration, dated 27 October 1997: tobacco
6. Item for Consideration, dated 27 October 1997: multicultural
7. The Committee on the Economic Status of the Faculty 1996-1997 Annual Report, dated September 1997
8. Committee update to Senate Assembly, dated 27 October 1997

CONSIDERATION OF THE MINUTES OF 27 SEPTEMBER 1997
The minutes 27 September 1997 were corrected and approved.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Chair D'Alecy announced that the Senate Assembly meeting of 17 November 1997 will be held at the Chrysler Auditorium, North Campus, and that Provost Nancy Cantor would make a presentation about VCM, followed by a discussion period. The Chair also noted that Assembly members were provided with item 8, an update of committee activities. He then turned over the chair to Professor Kleinsmith for further explanation of the update item.

Professor Kleinsmith said that two study groups had been erected by SACUA in response to requests from Senate Assembly members. He referred item 8, and said that volunteers were sought for the study group on the professoriate and future of tenure, as well as for the study group on undergraduate admissions. He invited faculty to contact the indicated email groups (professoriate@umich.edu or sacua.admissions@umich.edu) either with comments or with an offer to volunteer. Professor D'Alecy returned to the chair at 3:27 P.M.

TOBACCO STOCK DIVESTMENT
Chair D'Alecy invited Professor Bryant to assume the chair and to read a proposed motion (item 5). Professor Bryant read the motion:

Professor Ensminger seconded the motion. Professor Bryant asked for a voice vote on the active motion. Bryant declared that the motion had been approved with only one dissenting vote and one abstaining vote of record. Professor Bryant returned the chair to Professor D'Alecy.

MULTICULTURAL UNIVERSITY STATEMENT
Chair D'Alecy invited Professor Smith, Chair of the Senate Assembly's Committee for a Multicultural University, to read a proposed motion (item 6). Professor Smith read the text of the proposed motion. Professor Kleinsmith moved the proposed action before the Assembly, and was seconded by Professor Ward.

Professor Steneck asked if the proposed resolution was intended only as a preliminary statement, or if it would be the only statement or resolution proposed by the committee. Professor Smith replied that there might be additional resolutions or motions proposed in the future. Professor Sharp commented that the statement did not seem to address the main point of the legal complaint facing the university. A visiting member of the Multicultural Committee responded that the statement was drafted in main part before the lawsuit was filed. He said that the committee offered it as a resolution to test whether the Senate Assembly wants to go on the record about diversity issues.

Professor Baker said that the resolution under debate seemed to reiterate a prior statement by the Assembly. Professor Ward commented that it was acceptable for the Senate Assembly to endorse a statement by the University President. Professor Deskins remarked that the previous statement on diversity by the Senate Assembly had been relatively weak.

Chair D'Alecy read aloud the Statement on Diversity that was approved by vote of the Senate Assembly on 20 May 1996.

Professor Steneck proposed a change of language, which was accepted as a friendly amendment. The active motion then was:

OLD BUSINESS
There was no old business.

NEW BUSINESS
There was no new business.

PRESIDENT LEE C. BOLLINGER
Chair D'Alecy reminded members of the Senate Assembly that in 1995, members of SACUA and the then Chair of SACUA, George Brewer formed the Faculty Senate Committee on the Future of the University. Ten faculty from across the campus responded to the charge "that they consider the widest possible variety of ideas, concepts and initiatives which you believe will be essential to the vitality of the University of Michigan in the years ahead."

D'Alecy said that this charge invited a series of essays with widely differing faculty perspectives. Professor Dunn, who was the 1996 Chair of SACUA, kept the effort going and brought the unique effort to completion. What has emerged is a thoughtful compilation of essays presenting the varied expectations and hopes of many faculty leaders. It is hoped that this work may contribute some insight into the faculty view of the future for the University of Michigan.

Chair D'Alecy presented a bound collection of the essays to President Bollinger on behalf of SACUA and the faculty of the University. An additional copy of the essays is available at the Faculty Senate Office.

President Bollinger accepted the volume of essays. He then presented a prepared address to the Senate Assembly (Appendix) in which he identified recent accomplishments and future tasks and challenges for his administration. At the conclusion of the prepared remarks at 4:15 P.M., the president accepted questions from the audience.

Professor Ward asked what position the State of Michigan would likely adopt in the affirmative action lawsuit recently filed against the University. President Bollinger replied that did could not know with certainty, but he hoped there would be continued emphasis on the principle of constitutional autonomy for the University.

A member from the gallery audience asked if there would be a resurgence of efforts to impose post-tenure review on the campus. The president responded that he has spoken publicly in favor of tenure. He explained that post-tenure review has always existed in the form of annual merit reviews of teaching and research. He said that the kinds of additional post-tenure review that are being proposed are probably meaningless. He said that our internal processes, our integrity, and values are alive and well.

Professor Kossoudji asked the president to expand his statement expressing qualification about the role of new technology in teaching. President Bollinger said that electronic teaching is a useful supplement but that face to face interaction is a vital part of the educational experience. Professor Kossoudji replied that current 10 year olds perceive their world of interactions in very different terms than we do.

Chair D'Alecy asked the president if there were parallels between the required educational role of the Medical Center and the roles of research institutes and the athletic programs. The president replied that there are parts of the university that do not contribute to teaching and research, and that athletics deserves respect within the university as a part of human achievement. He declared that the Medical Center was unique in that it is so expensive that the university would have to drop it if it did not have educational value.

Professor Feldman said that it would be necessary to articulate why human differences are important to the process of education. President Bollinger replied that we need to explore what diversity means, and also what similarity means, including matters of integration and segregation. He explained that he hoped that debate would be framed on the grand principles argued in Brown v. Board of Education.

Professor Wagaw said that efforts to promote globalization require a galvanizing influence from the central administration. President Bollinger expressed agreement, and said that funds would have to be provided for travel and research, but that whatever is undertaken must be driven by an intellectual agenda.

Professor Rush asked if the president had additional plans to involve faculty in University governance. President Bollinger replied that he believed that having faculty involved in running the university is the only way to proceed. He said that he views the central administration as one center of power, but that the real power at the university is at the level of the faculty. He said that VCM nonetheless weakens the strength of the central administration. He added that he needed to collect more data before he could reach any judgments about feasibility of reducing the numbers and budgets on the administration side.

Chair D'Alecy thanked the president for his remarks and discussion. The meeting adjourned at 5:01 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,

John T. Lehman
Senate Secretary