Results of a universitywide staff survey, faculty accomplishments and parting thoughts from the outgoing dean of the university faculty were highlights of the open session of the Cornell Board of Trustees meeting, May 25 in Milstein Hall.

Tanya Grove, chair of the Employee Assembly (EA), briefed the board on a number of this year's accomplishments: enlarging the EA membership to 19 to better represent the staff, as well as a "landmark" employee engagement survey conducted in November 2011.

The survey had a 70 percent response rate, Grove reported. Of those, 80 percent of respondents expressed being "satisfied" or "somewhat satisfied" with Cornell.

She detailed four key areas of staff concern identified from the survey results: career choices and opportunities to grow beyond current positions; recognition for good work; safe ways to provide feedback on supervisors; and distribution of work load.

Vice President for Human Resources and Safety Services Mary Opperman has assembled a team that is working on ways to implement best practices, Grove said, and to help all employees achieve positive and fulfilling work-life balance. The EA is appropriately a partner in helping in this process, she said.

"There is much work to be done, and we are confident that with open and honest communication at every level we can accomplish the goals outlined in survey responses," Grove said. "Staff expect to work hard, but deserve acknowledgement, training opportunities, accurate position descriptions and a level playing field across campus, including respect from faculty."

Bill Fry, professor of plant pathology and plant-microbe biology, in his final report to the trustees as dean of the university faculty after four years in the role, officially passed the reins to newly elected dean Joe Burns, the Irving P. Church Professor of Engineering. Working on the many issues concerning the faculty, Fry said, has been a "fascinating" experience, from the CornellNYC Tech campus, to budget adjustments to strategic planning.

He praised notable accomplishments of faculty this past year: more than 9,000 scholarly articles published, 5,900 courses taught and $520 million in research expenditure, for example.

A handful of faculty received prestigious honors this year, Fry continued, including Tom Gilovich, professor of psychology, and Steve Strogatz, the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor of Applied Mathematics, being elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; Christine Shoemaker, the Joseph P. Ripley Professor of Engineering, to the National Academy of Engineering; and Andy Clark, the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor of Population Genetics and a Nancy and Peter Meinig Family Investigator, to the National Academy of Sciences. Three faculty members were recognized with Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellowships for their inspiring and distinguished teaching of undergraduates: Yervant Terzian, Tisch Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Astronomy, Ravi Ramakrishna, professor of mathematics, and George Hudler, professor of plant biology and plant-microbe biology.

Fry also reported on recommended changes to the academic calendar that resulted from a committee's two-year study into ways to help alleviate student stress. Recommendations include recognizing Martin Luther King Day as a university holiday, creating a February break around Presidents Day, shortening senior week and repositioning spring break. The Faculty Senate approved the revised calendar, and President David Skorton and Provost Kent Fuchs will now consider whether to accept it.

In remarks to open the meeting, Skorton acknowledged the 144th Commencement Weekend about to begin. He noted that he had attended Weill Cornell Medical College (WCMC) in Qatar's fifth commencement recently, which was also the first officiated by Laurie Glimcher, recently installed dean of WCMC in New York City.

"This is by far the happiest, most optimistic and hopeful time of the year," Skorton said. He took a moment to "sincerely and genuinely" thank everyone in attendance, particularly faculty and staff who had supported graduating students on their journeys, as well as leaders of the shared governance organizations, the Student Assembly, the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly, the EA and the dean of faculty, who "make this such a special place."

"So welcome to commencement season," Skorton said.

During closed session, the board also passed the budget for the Ithaca campus's 2012-13 fiscal year.