Highlights of the College Park Senate meeting on October 18, 2007

1. Report of the Chair (William Montgomery)
   • CIO Huskamp has been visiting student groups to discuss illegal file sharing. He has closed down Aries and Limewire, and is shutting down DC++.
   • Campus email system has been overwhelmed. OIT staff are working to reduce email delays.

2. Report by Provost (Nariman Farvardin)
   • He has been asked by Mote to produce a new 10-year Strategic Plan. The plan currently has four major areas:
     1. Provide a top rank experience for graduate students.
     2. Transform locale / local environment (physical infrastructure, College Park, etc.) into a value-added magnet for university.
     3. Develop a strong international program that attracts international activities and collaboration.
     4. Revisit the CORE program for general education for undergraduates (currently 60% taught by instructors).
   • This list of areas may not be exhaustive.
   • There will be subcommittees in each area.
   • The university is requesting input from the campus community.
   • The Plan will follow principles Mote enunciated in his State of the University speech in September.
   • Goal is to improve the university to Top-10 status among public universities. College Park is current the 18th-ranked public university on the US News and World Report ranking, improved from 37th ten years ago.
   • The Strategic Plan will help guide allocation of (possibly scarce) resources.

Clyde Kruskal and Chau-Wen Tseng