SENATE From the Senate Office
The following
statement is published in accordance with the Senate Rules.
Among other purposes, the publication of SEC actions is intended
to stimulate discussion among the constituencies and their representatives.
Please communicate your comments to Senate Chair Lance
Donaldson-Evans, Box 12,
College Hall/6303, (215) 898-6943.
Senate Executive Committee Actions
Wednesday,
January 21, 2004
1.
Chair's Report. Senate Chair Lance Donaldson-Evans announced
the return of Kristine Kelly, Faculty Senate administrator,
from maternity leave effective Monday, January 26. He also
announced a change to the meeting agenda, indicating that
under new business (item 7), SEC would hear a report from
Professor Debra Leonard, chair of the Senate's Ad Hoc Committee
on Faculty Development, about that committee's work. The
chair reminded SEC members of the next meeting of the University
Council--Wednesday, January 28--and encouraged all Council
members to attend.
2.
Past Chair's Report on Academic Planning and Budget and Capital
Council.
As Past Chair Mitchell Marcus was absent for jury duty,
no report was given.
3. Presentation
by Vice Provost for Strategic Initiatives. Leslie
Hudson, Vice Provost for Strategic Initiatives, provided
an overview of the main functions of the new Office of Strategic
Initiatives (OSI): providing a single portal through which
potential institutional collaborators can approach Penn;
initiating and supporting commercial relationships for research
and development; aiding and encouraging technology transfer;
and helping to provide regional economic leadership. He discussed
various corporate partnerships, some already in place (such
as an alliance with Glaxo SmithKline) and others under development
in areas such as imaging technology, genomic research for
drug discovery, and nanotechnology. Vice Provost Hudson described
plans to increase regional capabilities for research that
can translate discoveries from basic science into marketable
products. Major OSI goals include narrowing an existing
gap between funding for basic research and funding for proof-of-concept
and product commercialization, and creating around the campus
translation zones--in the Science Center, Civic Center, and
Post Office lands--to better capture early, middle, and late-stage
commercialization opportunities.
4. Election
of Chair of the 2004 Senate Nominating Committee. Ballots
for election of chair of the 2004 Senate Nominating Committee
were distributed. Professor Michelle Richman was elected
through approval voting.
5. Interim
Report from the Ad Hoc Patent Policy Committee. Professor
Andrew Binns, chair of the Ad Hoc Patent Policy Committee,
provided an overview of the committee's work to date. Jointly
charged by the Provost and SEC to review the University's
patent policy and consider possible changes, the committee
was asked to examine four broad areas: intellectual property
rights (IPR); disclosure of inventions; management of licensing,
and rights to intellectual property arising from faculty
consulting. Possible actions under consideration include
an increase in the percentage of licensing, equity, and royalty
rights allocated for support of the Center for Technology
Transfer (CTT), at least until its operating costs are covered;
increased opportunity for faculty to inform the process by
which organizations are selected for patent negotiations;
possible changes in the nature of processes for appealing
CTT decisions; and ways in which sections of the policy related
to faculty consulting might be rendered less restrictive
while protecting the University's legal rights and legitimate
financial interests.
6. Discussion
of ways to make the campus environment more comfortable to
minority students. Senate Chair Lance Donaldson-Evans,
noting that little time remained and that this agenda item
would require extended discussion, proposed that the committee
turn to new business and postpone discussion of the campus
environment until the next meeting.
7. New
Business. Professor Debra Leonard, chair of the
Ad Hoc Committee on Faculty Development, recounted the committee's
charge and its recent work. Stimulated by concerns about
gender and minority equity on the faculty, the Senate last
year called for the immediate creation of an Ad Hoc committee
to consider the creation of a standing committee on faculty
development and to draft a charge. The Ad Hoc Committee had
met and was now proposing creation of a Senate Committee
on the Diversity and Equity of the Faculty, with a charge
modeled after that given to the Senate Committee on the Economic
Status of the Faculty. Specific components of a draft charge
were then discussed. Issues raised included the breadth and
scope of the charge, and reporting and monitoring functions
of the new committee. Following discussion, Senate Chair
Lance Donaldson-Evans asked the Ad Hoc Committee to consider
these matters in further refining their proposed charge.