Faculty Meeting Minutes

 

Michael Orr, Dean of the Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs, called the meeting to order at 3:32 p.m.  After welcoming everybody to the final faculty meeting of the semester, he expressed his appreciation for all that has been done to make this semester possible, noting that it has taken remarkable dedication, commitment, and flexibility to bring us to this point.  He acknowledged that everyone has had to work harder than ever before under unique personal circumstances and challenges, and he expressed his gratitude.

DOF/VPAA Orr then briefly reviewed the procedures to be followed during the Zoom meeting and requested that anyone wishing to contribute to the meeting use the raise hand feature so that they could be called upon to speak. He also reminded everyone that, as mentioned at the last faculty meeting, it is difficult for him to run the faculty meeting and simultaneously monitor the chat function. DOF/VPAA Orr then explained the voting procedures, reminding everyone that the vote will remain open over the weekend so that those faculty members not able to attend the faculty meeting can watch the recording and vote on the motions presented.  He will then announce the outcome of the motions on Monday.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

DOF/VPAA Orr asked if there were any corrections to, or comments regarding, the minutes of the Faculty Meeting held November 6, 2020.  Hearing none, he announced the minutes were approved.

CONFERRAL OF DEGREES AND HONORS

1. Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science Degrees. Dave DeConno, Registrar, 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 21 students of the Class of 2021 upon satisfactory completion of the degree requirements by January 31, 2021.

RESOLVED, that the Faculty of Skidmore College recommend to the Trustees the granting of the Bachelor of Science degree to 10 students of the Class of 2021 upon satisfactory completion of the degree requirements by January 31, 2021.

There was no discussion, and the motions were voted on and passed with all in favor  (with voting results being tallied over the weekend).

B.  All-College and Departmental Honors. Michael Arnush, Associate Dean of the Faculty, read the following resolutions into the record (see attached):

RESOLVED, that the Faculty of Skidmore College approve College Honors for the following 15 members of the Class of 2021, as presented at the December 4, 2020, Faculty Meeting: 4 students for cum laude distinction, 7 students for magna cum laude distinction, and 4 students for summa cum laude distinction.

RESOLVED, that the Faculty of Skidmore College approve Departmental and Program Honors for 17 students from the Class of 2021, as presented at the December 4, 2020 Faculty Meeting.

There was no discussion, and the motions were voted on and passed with all in favor  (with voting results being tallied over the weekend). 

OLD BUSINESS

Faculty Development Committee

On behalf of the Faculty Development Committee (FDC), Associate Professor Silvia Carli announced that Professor Mark Hofmann was awarded the Phyllis A. Roth Faculty Distinguished Service Award for 2020.  She then presented a Resolution honoring Professor Hofmann (see attached).

Thereafter, Associate Professor Silvia Carli presented the following Motion that was introduced at the last Faculty Meeting (see attached):

MOTION: The Faculty Development Committee (FDC) moves to revise the Faculty Handbook language describing its membership to enable untenured tenure-track faculty and non-tenure track faculty to serve on this committee. Two members of the committee must be tenured at the time of service. 

Lengthy discussion followed with several non-tenure-track faculty opposing the Motion on the basis that they felt the Motion promoted an expectation for non-tenure-track faculty to participate in college-wide service without commensurate increases in compensation or security of employment. Further, non-tenure-track faculty felt that they would feel pressure to participate in college-wide service to increase their chances of ongoing employment.  Alternatively, some non-tenure-track faculty indicated their desire for the opportunity to participate in college-wide service.  Professor Carli clarified that the intent of the Motion was to provide equitable representation on the FDC and not to create an expectation for governance service by non-tenure-track faculty.  Members of the FDC further clarified that the Motion was initially developed because the FDC was advised that untenured tenure-track faculty and non-tenure-track faculty indicated an interest in serving on the committee.  It was noted by some faculty members that the rationale may not have been worded clearly but that the Motion itself does not seek to change faculty obligations for service; it simply allows untenured and non-tenure-track faculty the opportunity to serve.  Following brief discussion about a potential friendly amendment, the motion was voted on as presented and defeated (after voting results were tallied over the weekend). 

Committee on Academic Standing

On behalf of the Committee on Academic Standing, Associate Dean Arnush presented the following Motion that was introduced at the last Faculty Meeting (see attached):

MOTION: The Committee on Academic Standing (CAS) recommends that Skidmore College extend the current three-tiered grading policy for S/U courses through the Spring 2021 semester.  This policy specifically states that students who choose the S/U option will be governed by the following three-tiered grading structure:

• Students whose coursework merits a grade of C or above will receive an “S”
• Students whose coursework merits a grade of C-, D+ or D will receive “CR” (which designates “Credit”)
• Students whose coursework merits a grade of F will receive a “U”

Brief discussion was held as to whether the S/U option would be exempt from counting towards a major’s restriction.  The Motion was then voted on and passed (after voting results were tallied over the weekend).

NEW BUSINESS

There was no new business.

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

A Committee of the Whole was held to discuss email listservs.  Associate Professor Casey Schofield was appointed as chair of the Committee of the Whole.  A 20-minute time limit was set and extended for an additional 10 minutes.  At the conclusion of the Committee of the Whole, Professor Schofield rose and reported that a discussion on email listservs was held. 

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

President Marc Conner thanked everyone and expressed his gratitude for all that has gone to make this semester successful.  Because of everyone’s hard work, we exceeded our expectations, our curriculum was successfully delivered, and our communities were kept safe.  While there were some challenges and things that we want to do better, President Conner expressed his hope that everyone can find a way to celebrate our accomplishments this semester.   He reminded everyone that, as discussed during the last Faculty Meeting, he had embarked upon a listening mission with our students, primarily our students of color.  Since that time, he has held 18 such meetings, and those meetings will continue throughout the academic year.

President Conner then provided an update on the winter break, noting that there will be approximately 40 students staying on campus over break. They will be staying in the apartments and will continue weekly COVID testing.  Every student has been assigned a staff contact and Student Affairs will keep in touch with the students during the two weeks around the Christmas holiday when campus will be closed.  Dean Cerri Banks will be sending detailed information about plans for the winter break to the full community shortly.

Thereafter, President Conner provided an update on the planning for the spring semester.  The College will assume the same conditions will apply to the spring semester.  All students that will need to pre-quarantine will be brought back early, and it is estimated the number of students needing to quarantine will be double the number we had in August.  All students will be tested upon arrival so we hope to start the semester virus-free. We know how to proceed and keep the virus off our campus, so we will be continuing with those efforts.  We will also try to simplify the rules and regulations for our students in an effort to provide greater clarity.  President Conner stated that the administration continues to monitor Federal and State guidelines, and every decision will continue to be based on health and safety considerations.  He is committed to continuing to provide clear, transparent communications.

With regard to spring enrollments and housing numbers, President Conner reported that the numbers are comparable to the fall semester. Some students who weren’t on campus in the fall are going to be on campus for the spring, and vice versa. Additionally, 30-40 students are planning to study abroad during the spring semester.  As for the financial outlook, we will need to retain some of our contingency funds going into the spring semester.  Pre-quarantine costs are going to be high and there could be other costs as well.  Thus, it appears we will need to look at more savings from the services and supplies budget, much like we have done with travel and entertainment.   However, with those savings in mind, we believe we are on track for a balanced budget for the year.   As far as plans for the upcoming summer, President Conner stated that the administration is looking at this very closely.  Many of the external camps and conferences that typically come to campus have already cancelled their programs.  He is hopeful there will be some in-person programming on campus as well as some of the academic institutes, on-campus student research programs, and in-person summer classes. However, at this point, it is anticipated that there will inevitably be significantly decreased summer revenues and operations on campus. 

President Conner went on to state that the budget for the next academic year remains uncertain at this point. The long-term ramifications of the pandemic on the budget remain to be determined, but President Conner indicated that he continues to be hopeful. Budget parameters for the next fiscal year will be communicated to department chairs and program directors early in the Spring semester.  President Conner stated that there will be limited work on campus for some of our staff in December and January; union staff will be able to choose between using paid time off or electing a partial furlough option under a shared work program. However, it is not anticipated that there will be further furloughs or layoffs for staff for the remainder of the academic year.

President Conner then provided an update on the Health Care Working Group.  He reminded everyone that this working group was formed during the last academic year and was charged by the Institutional Policy and Planning Committee to look at the increasing expenses related to health care and to investigate options to reduce those costs.  During the spring 2020 semester, the working group had made presentations to the community on the work it had completed to date and had planned to share its recommendations with the community and solicit feedback.  However, due to the COVID pandemic, the work of the working group had been paused.  During the past semester, the  Health Care Working Group has continued its work and, during the spring semester, will be gathering community input before providing its recommendations to IPPC.

President Conner then provided an update on the search for a new Vice President for Advancement. The college is working with the firm of Isaacson, Miller, a search firm particularly strong on advancement searches.  The search committee has been formed and the members are Nicole Wong,’21; Sade Moore, Assistant Director of Student Support and Advocacy in the Opportunity Program; Martin Mbugua, Vice President for Communications and Marketing; and Professor Beau Breslin, Department of Political Science. President Conner expressed his appreciation for the collaboration with the Student Government Association as well as FEC and the Appointments and Promotions Committee in helping to populate the search committee.  Isaacson, Miller has already started to identify potential candidates, and it is anticipated that an appointment will be made in the late spring. 

Thereupon, President Conner announced the College will embark upon a new Campus Master Planning project that will determine how future changes to the physical structure of the campus can support the College’s key visions and values, such as diversity, inclusiveness, and sustainability, as well as our emerging strategic priorities.  The last campus master plan Skidmore completed was in 2007.  Upon his arrival to Skidmore, President Conner said that he has heard about a number of capital projects that were in various stages and the different views on those projects as to how they fit into the college’s goals and priorities.  By undertaking this project, the College will be able to think through the present and future needs in a way that leads to a long-term, fully inclusive and collaborative process that will result in a campus plan to which the entire community has had the opportunity to contribute. This project is important as it will help us steward our precious resources and to allow the College to select the projects that are the community’s highest priorities.

As part of this process, President Conner stated that the College will engage a campus master planning firm to help develop the master plan.  This firm will produce visual renderings of the present and future campus and will help guide our efforts in the process, reaching out to key experts and constituencies among us.  This will be an inclusive and involved process, with the hope of presenting the new master plan to the Board of Trustees for approval in the spring of 2022.  Although most major projects will continue to be delayed while we undertake the master planning process, we will continue with the ongoing construction of the Center for Integrated Sciences.

President Conner then shared a PowerPoint presentation on the structure for how the Master Planning would proceed.  The process will be guided by a steering committee consisting of the President’s Cabinet and the Vice Chair of the Institutional Policy and Planning Committee. A campus master planning task force, co-chaired by the Associate Dean of the Faculty for Infrastructure and Faculty Affairs and the Director of Facilities, will coordinate and provide information to the master planner and help facilitate interaction and feedback from the entire community. This task force will include two faculty members, one student and one staff member, as well as representatives in the areas of diversity, sustainability, and student affairs. It will also develop a process for community engagement and establish working groups in many areas across campus. 

In concluding his report, President Conner reminded everyone that the College is in the middle of a 10-year Strategic Plan, which provides four major priorities for the college.  Each year, a Strategic Action Agenda is developed to meet the goals of the Strategic Plan.  President Conner then shared the College’s five overarching priorities for this academic year:

• successful execution of the academic year;
• progress in the Racial Justice Initiative;
• Successful completion of the campaign;
• Implementation of plans to address the structural budget deficits that are projected over the next five years; and
• Progress toward the master planning process.

President Conner stated that he is grateful for the opportunity to share these plans.  He underscored that the underlying keynote to these goals is collaboration and partnership.  He encouraged anyone with any questions concerning the items in his report to reach out to him.

DEAN OF THE FACULTY AND VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS’ REPORT

DOF/VPAA Orr began his report by addressing some confusion occasioned by a report in the Weekly Bulletin concerning employee appreciation activities.  He explained that, in working with Human Resources, it had been decided to delay recognition of faculty until after the conclusion of the semester. He reported that Human Resources is now in the process of reaching out to Department Chairs and Program Directors to determine the best way to proceed with recognizing faculty in a way consistent with what was done for staff members.

DOF/VPAA Orr then described two particular initiatives that the Dean of the Faculty’s office will be supporting to further the college’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and to support the Racial Justice Initiative.  Working in collaboration with the Appointments and Tenure Committee and the Promotions Committee, DOF/VPAA Orr will be supporting an initiative to evaluate the College’s tenure and promotion criteria and to consider how to incorporate recognition of efforts to support and promote equity and inclusion in evaluation criteria. He stated that the goal would be to try to ensure that our evaluation standards are aligned with our hiring priorities.  Initial conversations have begun with the Appointments and Tenure Committee and the Promotions Committee and the work will continue in the spring semester. The second initiative, as previously announced to department chairs and program directors, forms part of this year’s assessment process and involves departments and programs being asked to complete an inventory or summary of work in their areas that supports racial justice and diversity, equity, and inclusion.  Professor Peter von Allmen, Director of Faculty Assessment, will be following up with department chairs and program directors shortly about this initiative but DOF/VPAA Orr wanted to alert the faculty as a whole to this initiative. 

There being no further business, DOF/VPAA Orr adjourned the meeting at 5:20 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Debra L. Peterson
Academic Affairs Coordinator