Grade policy changes, the update of the Student Information System (SIS) and changes to UB's cap and gowns were discussed at last Tuesday's Faculty Senate Executive Committee Meeting.
Michael Ryan, the dean of undergraduate studies, gave a detailed presentation about the importance of the improvement of the Student Information System, a division of Student Academic Records and Financial Services where a student's information such as their check stops, enrollment history and standardized test scores can be accessed.
According to Ryan, there are a lot of problems with the information system that UB is currently using, including a lack of system flexibility and integration, and limited system of functionality. Therefore, a new project was introduced that will attempt improve the efficiency for both UB students and faculty.
Ryan explained that the new software would significantly improve the security of the information transfer at UB, as well as make the SIS capable of communicating with systems from other institutions.
"(It would be) a system that supports academic activities of all students - undergraduate, graduate and professional," Ryan said.
There are three phases of the project, according to Ryan. Phase one includes the review and assessment of UB's current system and the process of its redesign. Phase two evaluates the commercial software, which would include figuring out the software's ability to meet UB's needs and the provider's experience in supporting the software. The third phase implements the new software.
"This project is not only simply software picking...this is a very major undertaking and very expensive one," Ryan said.
Changes in UB's grading policy were also discussed.
William H. Baumer, chair of the Faculty Senate Grading Committee (FSGC), recommended the adoption of amendments to the policies for grade submission dates and incomplete grades, as well as policies for addressing "J" - no-grade-recorded grades, grading components in course syllabi and grade changes. All of the adopted amendments discussed were passed.
The FSEC also discussed the design of UB's graduate cap and gown. The subcommittee responsible for developing a doctoral cap and gown specific to UB has come up with a prototype for the gown, which was created by the representative of the school of social work.
Barbara Rittner, director of the Ph.D. program and associate dean for external affairs, felt that the distinctive cap and gown would help brand UB graduates and distinguish them from other SUNY graduates.
Rittner presented the prototype of the gown, which is blue with dark blue velvet on the panels and chevron trim in silver to reflect the blue and white color of UB. She also mentioned that the simplified seal of UB of a buffalo sitting atop the shield would appear on both lapels of the gown.
