FACULTY MEETING

MAY 19, 2010
GANNETT AUDITORIUM

MINUTES

President Philip A. Glotzbach called the meeting to order at 10:01 a.m.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

President Glotzbach asked if there were any corrections to, or comments regarding, the minutes of the Faculty Meeting held April 30, 2010. Hearing none, he announced the minutes were approved.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

President Glotzbach thanked Professor David Vella and everyone involved with the spectacular Academic Festival this year. In recognizing accomplishments and honors, he announced that the students elected Professor Winston Grady-Willis as the faculty speaker at Commencement this year. President Glotzbach also acknowledged the outstanding season in Athletics: both men’s and women’s tennis made it to the national tournament, golf played in its 24th straight national tournament finishing 9th out of 300 teams, baseball won the Liberty League and is seeded 4th in the nationals, and our equestrian team won its 6th national title (competing against large and small schools alike). He acknowledged Cindy Ford, the coach of the Equestrian Team. President Glotzbach also encouraged everyone to see the senior art show in the Tang.

Admissions Report. Mary Lou Bates, Dean of Admissions, provided an update on the incoming Class of 2014:

• As previously indicated, our target was exceeded with the original offers sent in March; thus, for the first time in four years, it appears that we will not need to go to the wait list.
• If summer melt is identical to last year (which was 69), we will be about 60 over our target of 640 students on campus.
• London enrollments came in 5 short, and we were able to move some students enrolled on campus to London to fill those spots.
• We are over budget in financial aid, but the overage in tuition will cover that. Of the students admitted, 52 fewer received financial aid packages; however, our financial aid yield jumped by 50 percent. We had a 20 percent yield last year on financial aid offers; this year, it is over 30 percent.
• A number of folks have been meeting on campus to deal with the challenges of accommodating the extra students.
• Among the students admitted this year, there has been an increase in academic quality – 3 percent more of the enrolled students are in the top AQR bands, and 3 percent less are in the bottom (the group in the middle is consistent).
• This class is the most diverse class in our history with 26 percent of the students self-identifying as students of color, including the 17 international students (23 percent for domestic students only). Last year, we were at 21 percent.
• Dean Bates thanked those who have been part of the effort to increase diversity, working with her staff and the Opportunity Programs staff. As she previously reported, 147 students came to the Discovery program for students of color in mid-April, and the yield on those is reflected in these numbers.
• This year, we have 11 Porter winners; last year at this time, we had zero and subsequently enrolled three alternates. Last year, only two of the finalists visited campus during April; this year 21 finalists visited, and the faculty created a customized day for them wherein they attended classes and met with students.
• We have enrolled 4 Filene winners and 41 opportunity students (which includes 5 OP students from our Kettering Partner schools in Ohio).

Dean Bates concluded by thanking everyone for their efforts this year to bring in this class. We are on our way to recruiting the next class; after two years of declines in applications, we are being creative in working to build the number of students we contact throughout the year to hopefully bring them into the inquiry pool and reverse the application decline trend.

President Glotzbach commented on this year’s over-enrollment. He noted that while we have more students than we planned, the good news is that in this admission “market,” we were incredibly competitive and our yield went up. While this result will cause some pinches in the fall and the coming years that we will have to address, it really says that the admissions message we have been sending has been getting out there; the efforts everyone has made to help bring in a class are working. Assuming this is a trend, we can again begin to increase our selectivity on the admissions pool in the coming years. President Glotzbach thanked Dean Bates and her staff for bringing in a terrific class.

President Glotzbach reminded everyone that the Board of Trustees are on campus this week and indicated that he would provide an update from those meetings next week. He remarked that this is the time of year when he receives thank-you notes from both students and parents in which they express their appreciation for all the work the faculty is doing in the classrooms, labs, and studios. It is the faculty’s work and care for the students that enable Skidmore to be a place where students want to come. Even though the economy appears to be turning around and we are in a stronger place than last year, we must continue to be as efficient as we can in all our operations.

VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS REPORT

Susan Kress, Vice President for Academic Affairs, announced that she had appointed, earlier in the spring, a group consisting of Justin Sipher (as chair), Beau Breslin, Michael Ennis-McMillan, Pat Fehling, Cori Filson, Paty Rubio, and Sarah Goodwin, to assess the current structure of the Office of the Registrar and Institutional Research in light of the departure of our Registrar/IR Director to see if we have the right model and structure going forward. Their report has now been transmitted to VPAA Kress. VPAA Kress introduced Justin Sipher, Chief Technology Officer, to give a brief report from the group; he noted that while the process took longer than anticipated, the group felt strongly that it should take the necessary time to make a thoughtful and informed recommendation. Justin Sipher thanked everyone who provided input in this process, with special thanks to Ann Henderson and her colleagues in the Registrar/IR office for sharing their perspectives and for their patience. VPAA Kress thanked Justin Sipher and the members of the group for their very important institutional work; she indicated that she hoped to work through the report and move expeditiously forward. VPAA Kress recognized Ann Henderson as she prepared to present her 20th (and last) group of graduating seniors; the faculty rose to give a standing ovation.

VPAA Kress reminded everyone that the Center Study Group’s report was issued a year ago. Given the economic situation at the time, she could not move forward with any new initiatives; however, this year, she is looking at the group’s recommendations and expects to implement some of them in the 2010-2011 academic year. She expressed her gratitude to the Center Study Group, consisting of Terry Diggory (chair), Rik Scarce, Mar Foley, Ann Henderson, Ruth Copans and Beau Breslin, and noted that she looks forward to the implementation of some key recommendations next year.

VPAA Kress announced that she has been working on a proposal to revise aspects of our endowed-chair appointments. The proposal has been sent to CAPT, FDC, all current and former endowed-chair recipients, and academic staff. Once she has received responses to the proposal, she will consult again with CAPT.

VPAA Kress indicated that she intends to send another update on news from Academic Affairs by the end of the following week so that everyone is aware of what is happening in Academic Affairs.

VPAA Kress concluded by introducing Professor Michael Arnush who invited everyone to attend the Periclean Scholar Award ceremony on Friday, May 21, 2010.

CONFERRAL OF DEGREES AND HONORS

Professor Erica Bastress-Dukehart, on behalf of the Committee on Educational Policies and Planning (CEPP), announced changes to language appearing in the graduation resolution endorsed by the faculty at the April 30, 2010 faculty meeting in connection with the faculty’s role in recommending students for degrees. When CEPP drafted the initial document, it failed to take into account the MALS graduates and the MA degree; thus, CEPP has amended the statement as follows:

The names on the list represent those students who have completed or are expected to complete by August 31 all the academic requirements for the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degreesdegree; names of students who are not expected to complete their academic requirements until August 31 are marked with an asterisk. Students who have not met all other requirements (including financial, academic integrity, and social integrity obligations) may have the diploma withheld.

A. Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science Degrees. Ann Henderson, Registrar and Director of Institutional Research, read the following resolutions into the record (see attached):

RESOLVED, that the faculty of Skidmore College recommend to the Trustees the granting of the Bachelor of Arts degree to 415 students of the Class of 2010 to be awarded on May 22, 2010.

RESOLVED, that the Faculty of Skidmore College recommend to the Trustees the granting of the Bachelor of Science degree to 172 students of the Class of 2010 to be awarded on May 22, 2010.

RESOLVED, that the Faculty of Skidmore College recommend to the Trustees the granting of the Bachelor of Arts degree to 21 students of the Class of 2010 upon satisfactory completion of the degree requirements by August 31, 2010.

RESOLVED, that the Faculty of Skidmore College recommend to the Trustees the granting of the Bachelor of Science degree to 16 students of the Class of 2010 upon satisfactory completion of the degree requirements by August 31, 2010.

The total number of graduates is 587 for May completion and 37 for August.

There was no discussion, and the motions were voted on and passed with all in favor.

B. Master of Arts in Liberal Studies Degrees. Professor Michael Mudrovic read the following resolution into the record (see attached):

RESOLVED, that the Faculty of Skidmore College recommend to the Trustees the granting of the Master of Arts degree to 4 students.

There was no discussion, and the motion was voted on and passed with all in favor.

C. University Without Walls Degrees. Professor Sheldon Solomon read the following resolution into the record (see attached):

RESOLVED, that the Faculty of Skidmore College recommend to the Trustees the granting of the Bachelor of Arts degree to 8 students and the Bachelor of Science degree to 11students.

There was no discussion, and the motion was voted on and passed with all in favor.

D. All-College and Departmental Honors. Michael Ennis-McMillan, Associate Dean of the Faculty for Academic Advising, read the following resolution into the record (see attached):

RESOLVED, that the Faculty of Skidmore College approve College Honors for members of the Class of 2010, as presented at the May 19, 2010, Faculty Meeting: 51 students for summa cum laude distinction; 81 students for magna cum laude distinction; and 199 students for cum laude distinction. This year’s presentation of students includes 1 student from the Class of 2009 who was approved for cum laude distinction at the May 13, 2009 Faculty Meeting. (Note: this equals 331 students or 53% of the total 2010 class size of 624 students)

RESOLVED, that the Faculty of Skidmore College approve Departmental and Program Honors for 183 students from the Class of 2010 —as presented at the May 19, 2010, Faculty Meeting.

(Note: 183 students equals 29.3% based on a total 2010 class size of 624 students; 18 students will receive honors in two majors.)

A question was raised regarding the percentage of students who would have received honors had the new criteria been in place. Dean Ennis-McMillan indicated that he believed the percentage would have dropped to about 20 percent. After discussion, the motion was voted on and passed with all in favor. Dean Ennis-McMillan announced that the purple cords are available to be picked up outside Gannett and that department secretaries will receive an email indicating the cords are ready; the red cords for all college honors will be distributed from the Office of Academic Advising, and an email will be sent to the students in the afternoon advising that they are ready to be picked up.

OLD BUSINESS

On behalf of the Committee on Appointments, Promotion & Tenure (CAPT), Professor Gove Effinger read the following motion which was introduced at the April 30, 2010 faculty meeting (see attached). He noted that CAPT had made a few small language adjustments from the initial motion in response to a question raised at the last faculty meeting concerning a birth event or personal hardship in the first year.

4. Regular, full-time and shared position untenured faculty members with one or more years of service may request an extension of the tenure clock for:

· Childbirth or adoption, or
· Personal hardship.

This option is available whether or not any type of leave is involved.

The maximum number of tenure clock extensions permitted per faculty member is two one-year extensions, regardless of the circumstances, during the probationary period.

Childbirth or adoption:

An eligible untenured faculty member may elect to have the tenure clock delayed for one year for a birth or adoption of a child occurring within the probationary period. The request should must be made in writing to the Dean of Faculty near within one calendar year of the time of the birth or adoption event and in any case no later than August 1stMay 15th prior to the semester in which the tenure review is scheduled to occur. Upon receipt of the written request, the Dean of the Faculty will automatically grant the extension.

Personal hardship:

An eligible untenured faculty member may request to have the tenure clock delayed for one year when a personal hardship such as excessive responsibilities for elder or dependent care, personal illness or injury, or some other critical life situation significantly impedes the faculty member’s progress toward achieving tenure. Requests for delay of tenure consideration of this type shall be submitted in writing to the Dean of the Faculty through the department chair and are granted at the discretion of the Dean of Faculty. The request should be made near the time of the critical event and in any case no later than August 1stMay 15th prior to the semester in which the tenure review is scheduled to occur.

Untenured faculty granted a lengthened probationary period for reasons of childbirth, adoption, or personal hardship will not be expected to have attained a higher level of professional accomplishment and/or to have performed more service than faculty with standard probationary periods.

There was no discussion, and the motions were voted on and passed with all in favor.

Curriculum Committee

Professor Timothy Harper, on behalf of the Curriculum Committee, read the following Motions that were introduced at the April 30, 2010, faculty meeting (see attached):

MOTION: That the Government-Philosophy interdepartmental major be eliminated.
MOTION: That the History-Philosophy interdepartmental major be eliminated.
MOTION: That the Business-Mathematics interdepartmental major be eliminated.
MOTION: That the Psychology-Sociology interdepartmental major be eliminated.

There was no discussion, and the motions were voted on and passed with all in favor.

NEW BUSINESS

Professor Erica Bastress-Dukehart, on behalf of CEPP, moved that the assembly form a Committee of the Whole to discuss the Guidelines for Tenure-Track Searches (see attached). Professor Gove Effinger was appointed as chair of the Committee of the Whole; a 20-minute time limit was set with a 10-minute extension at the discretion of Professor Effinger. The Committee of the Whole was extended for 30 minutes.

REPORTS

Professor Dan Hurwitz, Chair of the Faculty Executive Committee, read a report from the meeting of the Committee of Committees held April 29, 2010 (see attached). A faculty member sought clarification about the function of the Committee of Committees meeting and the nature of the report provided to the faculty. At issue was whether concerns about the Anti-Harassment workshops and the deployment of faculty lines belonged in this report or in FEC’s annual report. Two FEC members spoke on behalf of including these concerns as matters of administrative communication; Dean Muriel Poston offered remarks on these matters as well.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

On behalf of the Faculty Development Committee, Professor Roy Ginsberg reported on the Faculty Development Awards for the Spring/Summer, 2010 (see attached).

The meeting was adjourned at 11:20 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Debra L. Peterson
Executive Administrative Assistant