May 10, 2018
Plenary Meeting of the Rice University Faculty
McMurtry Auditorium, Duncan Hall
May 10, 2018
I. Presentation and Approval of Undergraduate Degree Candidates
Ed Nikonowicz, Speaker of the Faculty Senate, called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m. He welcomed faculty members and administrators to the annual plenary meeting. Nikonowicz explained that the main purpose of the meeting was to approve the undergraduate and graduate degree candidates. He welcomed Dean of Undergraduates John Hutchinson to the podium.
Dean Hutchinson stated that as part of the official degree conferral process, he met with Registrar Tenney, who prepared the official list of May 2018 undergraduate-level degree candidates. Hutchinson said that the candidates on the official list have met the university’s graduation requirements for their declared degree and major, and where applicable, their additionally declared minor or university certificate. Hutchinson also said that there were “no exceptions” being put forward. Finally, he said that as Dean of Undergraduates, his endorsement comes to the faculty as a motion to accept this list of undergraduate degree candidates for May 2018 conferral. The motion was seconded, and the faculty voted unanimously for approval.
Please see the undergraduate degree totals below.
| RECOMMENDED UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES | MAY 2018 |
|---|---|
| Bachelor of Arts (BA) | 533 |
| Bachelor of Science (BS) | 64 |
| BS in Bioengineering (BSBE) | 34 |
| BS in Chemical Engineering (BSCHE) | 62 |
| BS in Civil Engineering (BSCE) | 14 |
| BS in Computer Science (BSCS) | 38 |
| BS in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) | 29 |
| BS in Materials Science & Nano Eng. (BSMSNE) | 17 |
| BS in Mechanical Engineering (BSME) | 58 |
| Bachelor of Music (BMUS) | 22 |
| Total (undergraduate degrees) | 871 |
| Bachelor of Architecture (UP) | 20 |
| Grand Total (undergraduate degrees) | 891 |
II. Presentation and Approval of Undergraduate Honors
Dean Hutchinson said that in his meeting with Registrar Tenney, they discussed and reviewed the calculation of Latin Honors for the academic year 2017-2018. He said that his endorsement and presentation of this year's Latin Honors data comes as a motion to accept these grade point average (GPA) ranges for the academic year 2017-2018. The motion was seconded, and the assembled faculty voted unanimously for approval. Faculty were reminded that the information regarding Latin Honors is confidential until commencement.
III. Presentation and Approval of Advanced Degrees
Speaker Nikonowicz welcomed Seiichi Matsuda, Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, to the podium. Dean Matsuda stated that as part of the official degree conferral process, he met with Registrar Tenney, who prepared the official list of May 2018 graduate-level degree candidates. Matsuda said that the candidates on the May 2018 official list have met the university’s graduation requirements for their admitted graduate degree program, and where applicable, an accompanying graduate-level university certificate. Matsuda also said that he was pleased that there are “no exceptions” being put forward. Finally, he said that as Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, his endorsement comes as a motion to accept this list of graduate degree candidates for May 2018 conferral. The motion was seconded, and the faculty voted unanimously for approval.
Please see the graduate degree totals below.
| RECOMMENDED ADVANCED DEGREES (MASTER’S LEVEL) | MAY 2018 |
|---|---|
| Master of Arts (MA) | 43 |
| Master of Science (MS) | 53 |
| Master of Arts in Global Affairs (MAGA) | 13 |
| Master of Bioengineering (MBE) | 16 |
| Master of Chemical Engineering (MCHE) | 5 |
| Master of Civil and Environmental Engineering (MCEE) | 2 |
| Master of Computational Science and Engineering (MCSE) | 3 |
| Master of Computer Science (MCS) | 7 |
| Master of Electrical Engineering (MEE) | 6 |
| Master of Materials Science and NanoEngineering (MMSNE) | 9 |
| Master of Mechanical Engineering (MME) | 1 |
| Master of Statistics (MSTAT) | 16 |
| Master of Science in Bioscience and Health Policy (MSBHP) | 2 |
| Master of Science in Environmental Analysis & Decision Making (MSEADM) | 5 |
| Master of Science in Nanoscale Physics (MSNP) | 1 |
| Master of Science in Space Studies (MSSpS) | 3 |
| Master of Science in Subsurface Geoscience (MSSG) | 4 |
| RECOMMENDED ADVANCED DEGREES (MASTER’S LEVEL) | MAY 2018 | |
|---|---|---|
|
Master of Architecture(MARCH) |
15 | |
|
Master of Music(MMUS) |
65 | |
|
Master of Accounting(MACC) |
22 | |
|
Master of Business Administration (MBA) |
303 | |
|
Master of Arts in Teaching(MAT) |
3 | |
|
Master of Liberal Studies(MLS) |
4 | |
|
Grand Total (Advanced (Graduate) Degrees – Master’s Level) |
601 | |
|
Recommended Advanced Degrees – Artist Diploma |
May 2018 | |
|
Artist Diploma in Music |
2 | |
|
Recommended Advanced Degrees – Doctoral Degrees |
May 2018 | |
|
Doctor of Musical Arts(DMA) |
2 | |
|
Doctor of Philosophy(PHD) |
112 | |
|
Grand Total (Doctoral Degrees) |
114 | |
IV. Actions of the Faculty Senate, 2017-2018
Outgoing Speaker Jeff Fleisher summarized the actions of the Faculty Senate during the past academic year.
Approved Undergraduate Academic Programs
- Bachelor of Arts Degree with a Major in Neuroscience
- Bachelor of Arts Degree with a Major in European Studies
Approved Graduate Academic Programs
- Online MBA Program from the Jones Graduate School of Business
- Non-thesis Master's Degree in Industrial Engineering
- Master of Human-Computer Interaction and Human Factors, Department of Psychology
- Graduate Major Concentrations and CIP Codes, Department of Psychology
Approved Policies
- Revision of “Guidelines for Creating, Administering, and Eliminating Majors and Minors”
- Creation of “Guidelines for Undergraduate Major Concentrations”
- Revision to the GA regarding Non-Traditional Coursework
- Addition to the GA regarding the existing Drop-Back Provision
- University Policy 201, “Faculty Appointments, Promotion, and Tenure” (approved by Senate, September 20, 2017, effective April 6, 2018)
- University Policy 214, “Faculty Performance Reviews” (approved by Senate, November 15, 2017)
- University Policy 202, "Honorary Faculty Titles" (approved by Senate, February 21, 2018)
- Addition of 4-term Academic Calendar (approved by Senate, March 21, 2018)
Ongoing Senate Working Groups
Nikonowicz then announced the senators for 2018-2019:
Natural Sciences: Patrick Hartigan, Christopher Johns-Krull, Angel Marti-Arbona,
Edward Nikonowicz, Michael Wolf, Colin Zelt
Engineering:Dennis Cox, Michael Diehl, Marek Kimmel, Rob Raphael, Laura Segatori
Humanities: Graham Bader, Martin Blumenthal-Barby, Gwen Bradford, Nathan Citino,
Daniel Domingues, Julie Fette
Social Sciences: Sergio Chavez, Mahmoud El-Gamal, Christopher Fagundes, Jeff Fleisher
Architecture: Jesus Vassallo
Jones Graduate School of Business: Erik Dane, Doug Schuler
Shepherd School of Music: Charles Geyer, Kurt Stallmann
Non-Tenure-Track Faculty: David Messmer, Ray Simar, Scott Solomon, Pablo Yepes
Presidential Appointees: Lisa Balabanlilar, Emilia Morosan
Ex officio: President Leebron, Provost Miranda
Nikonowicz thanked the senators whose terms have expired, and he noted the length of time served by each of them:
Keith Cooper (six years)
Scott Cutler (six years)
Christopher Hight (six years)
Balaji Koka (one year)
Susan McIntosh (eight years)
Nancy Niedzielski (four years)
Stephen Klineberg (two years)
Kerry Ward (three years)
Nikonowicz then thanked the chairs of each of the University Committees:
Rudy Guerra, Admissions
Leo Costello, Athletics
Paul Engel, Examinations & Standing
Richard Grandy, Faculty & Staff Benefits
Matthew Baring, Fellowships & Awards
April DeConick, Graduate Council
Duane Windsor, Graduate Honor Council
Fred Oswald, Library
Marcia O’Malley, Marshals
Kathleen Matthews, Faculty Advisory Committee to the Office of Faculty Development
Will Cannady, Parking and Transportation
Carl Caldwell, Faculty Advisory Board for the Program in Writing and Communication
James McNew, Research
Frank Geurts, Teaching
Susan McIntosh, Undergraduate Curriculum
V. Announcements
Speaker Nikonowicz asked Head Marshall Marcia O’Malley if she had any instructions for the faculty regarding the commencement ceremonies. O’Malley noted that the commencement speaker would be Michael Bloomberg, and she said that the ceremonies would be conducted outdoors, per the latest weather report.
VI. Remarks from President Leebron
President Leebron thanked Speaker Jeff Fleisher and Deputy Speaker Julie Fette for their service. He told the assembled faculty members that he had recently praised Rice University’s Faculty Senate to the president of another university. Leebron said that he trusts the leaders of the Faculty Senate and that he was not only willing, but eager, to consult with them throughout the year. Leebron stated that the dedication of the Faculty Senate is critical to the success of Rice University. He noted that the list of faculty members who served on the Faculty Senate was populated with quality people.
Leebron then read the names of the faculty members who died during the past year, listed by the number of years of service to Rice, as shown below.
| NAME | DEPARTMENT | YEARS |
|---|---|---|
| Ben Bailer | Jones School of Business | 11 years at retirement |
| David Minter | English | 11 years at retirement |
| John Freeman | Physics and Astronomy | 35 years at retirement |
| Tom Haskell | History | 38 years at retirement |
| Niels Nielsen | Religion | 39 years at retirement |
| Fred von der Mehden | Political Science | 39 years at retirement |
| Spencer Parsons | Architecture | 44 years at retirement |
| William Akers | Chemical and Biomolecular | 46 years at retirement |
| James Thompson | Statistics | 47 years at retirement |
| John Clark | Electrical and Computer Engineering | 49 years |
| George Trammell | Physics & Astronomy | 55 years at retirement |
President Leebron then recognized the retiring members of the faculty, listed by their number of years of service, as shown below. John Olson received a hearty round of applause.
| RETIRING FACULTY | YEARS OF SERVICE | YEAR |
|---|---|---|
| Vivek Sarkar | 10 | 2017 |
| Richard Bado | 11 | 2017 |
| Shirine Hamadeh | 14 | 2017 |
| Jose Narbona | 17 | 2017 |
| Raquel Gaytan | 19 | 2017 |
| C. Dean Shank | 32 | 2017 |
| Dagobert Brito | 32 | 2017 |
| H. Albert Napier | 33 | 2017 |
| Richard Brown | 34 | 2018 |
| Richard Grandy | 38 | 2018 |
| Nicholas Iammarino | 40 | 2018 |
| Bernard Aresu | 41 | 2018 |
| Baruch Brody | 43 | 2018 |
| John B Anderson | 43 | 2018 |
| John Olson | 44 | 2017 |
| Stephen Klineberg | 46 | 2018 |
| Terrence Doody | 48 | 2017 |
| Phillip Brooks | 53 | 2018 |
The meeting was adjourned at 3:20 p.m.