Faculty Senate discusses colloquium following audience member outburst

09/26/08 - The University of Rhode Island Honors Program discussed security at colloquium lectures after an audience member yelled at Tuesday's speaker, said Director Ric McIntyre at yesterday's Faculty Senate meeting."We had some ad hominem attacks on the speaker," McIntyre said, referring to meteorologist Herb Stevens yelling at Michael Mann to leave the university.

McIntyre also mentioned the need for a larger auditorium on campus with the technology to present the colloquium lectures.

In other technology news, Help Desk and Network and Telecommunication Services Manager Mary Fetherston presented information about the changes that Classroom Media Assistance experienced over the summer.

The CMA office has moved from Chafee Social Science Center 217 to the Lower Level of the Library. The new location allows CMA to have longer hours. Fetherston also solicited advice and problems from faculty members, saying that the problems cannot be solved if she is not aware of them.

English professor and senator John Leo commended Fetherston for her assistance with managing new equipment for the film studies program, which CMA is in charge of.

Women's Studies Professor Barbara Silver presented the first two Faculty mentor awards at yesterday's meeting. These awards recognized Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Winnie Brownell as the recipient of the Faculty Mentor Award for an administrator.

"We wanted to make sure our mentors came from outside the college," she said.

Brownell started her college's mentoring program in 1991. During that year, many new faculty members in the college of arts and sciences arrived in Kingston in August. Many newcomers were renting homes by the water. These houses were damaged during the category 2 Hurricane Bob, which devastated the New England coastline.

"Our mentors provided shelter, hot meals, and hot showers," she said.

The mentoring program allows new faculty to confidentially discuss issues that they might not feel comfortable talking to someone in their department or college.

Brownell's program offers incentives for mentors, such as free tickets to music and theater events, so faculty mentors can get to know their mentees better.

"It takes a village to ensure that we can support our faculty," she said. "It's well worth it."

Plant Sciences professor Roger LeBrun won the Faculty Mentor Award for a faculty member. As a mentor to undergraduates, graduate students and faculty, he said he tries to provide them with the things that he never had at those stages of his life.

"Let's all guide each other along during this difficult time at the University of Rhode Island," LeBrun said, referring to the current financial situation.

Budget concerns have halted the search for an associate director for national scholarships for the second year in a row. German professor Walter von Reinhart has been serving in this role, but the Honors Program needs a full-time worker in the position, McIntyre said.

He also encouraged departments to create scholarships for their honors students.

URI Provost Donald DeHayes also expressed concern about the university's financials.

"Since the day I've accepted the position, I think the budget has been cut four times," DeHayes said, referring specifically to a six-week period in the spring where the university had to cut $17 million from its budget.

Since the budget continues to be reduced, URI needs to focus on its strengths and what sets it apart from other universities. He presented a draft plan of a vision for the university to the Faculty Senate.

With the world becoming globalized, URI graduates must have a worldview to be competitive in the workforce. DeHayes said that URI needs to focus on interdisciplinary programs, which it already does well. URI has "learning-centered research," he added.

"Let's lead to transition our institution, to get ahead of the curve in higher education," DeHayes said. This will eventually involve becoming financially independent from the state of Rhode Island, Faculty Senate President Celest Martin said.

"We need to being to shape our own destiny," DeHayes said. "It feels like we've been pulled by a string down a road we might not want to go down.