University Faculty Senate
154rd Plenary
January 28-30, 2010
SUNY Cobleskill
Report of the University Faculty Senate Committee on Ethics and Institutional Integrity
The Committee has undertaken several projects:
1. Report to the Executive Committee on recent questions regarding Academic Freedom
2. Presentation to 2010 Spring Senate Plenary meeting:
Ethics and Information Technology in Academia –Spring 2010
Topics will include:
Access to technology
Privacy and technology in higher education
Technology and anonymity with blogs and other postings
3. Ethics at SUNY – as identified by the survey administered last year by Ethics Ad Hoc committee. Fall 2011
Proposed Topics
Full-Disclosure – the Importance of Transparency
Ethics and Student/Faculty Interaction
How to apply a code of Ethics
Developing a process for concerns or breaches of ethics
Integrating Professional and Academic Ethics
Developing ethics policies or codes of behavior
Ethics and diversity in the workplace
4. Research a plan for creation of a formalized organizational entity such as an Ethics Institute to implement the goals and purposes of the committee and the University Faculty Senate.
5.Survey to Chief Academic Officers:
Creation of Catalog of Existing Ethics initiatives on SUNY campuses.
The Committee continues to work on construction of a questionnaire to campuses. Responses to the questionnaire will be used to make a catalog of significant initiatives related to ethics in public life at SUNY. We are seeking information on such initiatives as major programs, institutes, departments, faculty training efforts and ethics across the curriculum. Please proved the title of any such initiative on your campus and a link to an existing website as well as the name of the person and persons connected with the initiative. Feel free to also provide a brief description of each initiative.
Committee Charge:
The committee will study and make recommendations to the SUNY University Faculty Senate President regarding issues of professional behavior, ethical conduct and institutional integrity as they relate to faculty, students, administrators and other personnel in SUNY and higher education. The committee will gather information and serve as a resource for the Senate and the University.
The Committee will not serve as a disciplinary body nor will it take part in judicial proceedings.
The Committee’s area of activity and interest will be quite broad and will include but not be limited to the following areas as they pertain to the State University of New York:
· Curriculum
· Academic honesty
· Research, scholarship and creative activity
· Instructional, institutional and operational policies and practices
· Personal integrity
· Electronic communication
· Confidentiality
· Use of university resources
· Conflicts of interest and commitment
· Financial transactions
· Impact on the environment
· Hiring and admissions practices
Committee Members
Janet Nepkie, Chair / SUNY OneontaWilliam Baumer / University at Buffalo
Andrew Fitz-Gibbon / SUNY Cortland
Sara Grethlein / Upstate Medical University
Charles Moran / SUNY Cobleskill
Tom Moran / Plattsburgh State College
Kathleen Powderly / Downstate Medical Center
Pam Schnell / SUNY Optometry
SUNY System Administration
Marti Ellermann / SUNY System Administration (Advisory Capacity)