Faculty Meeting Minutes
December 3, 2021
Michael Orr, Dean of the Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs, called the meeting to order at 3:31 p.m. He welcomed everyone to the last faculty meeting of the semester and expressed the hope that final exams would go well and that everyone would be able to enjoy a welcome break. He then reminded everyone of 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 there were agenda items that would require voting and that everyone should have theSpring open for voting. He noted that some individuals had had difficulty logging on to theSpring at the last meeting due to load balancing issues but that IT has been monitoring the issue this week and no problems with logging on to theSpring were anticipated.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
DOF/VPAA Orr asked if there were any corrections to, or comments regarding, the minutes of the Faculty Meeting held November 5, 2021. Hearing none, he announced the minutes were approved.
REPORT
On behalf of the Campus Master Planning Task Force, Assistant Professor Erica Wojcik introduced Amber Wendland from Ayers Saint Gross (ASG) to share an update on the campus master planning project. In her role as the faculty representative on the Campus Master Planning Task Force, Professor Wojcik encouraged everyone to attend the formal feedback sessions and workshops that are being presented by ASG on December 6 and invited anyone with ideas, thoughts, or feedback to reach out to her via email.
Ms. Wendland’s presentation included a review of the progress made to date and where we are currently in the planning process. She reminded everyone that the first phase of the project had involved hosting numerous focus groups and listening sessions to assess campus needs, identify unique characteristics of the campus, develop broad planning principles, and identify key priorities, options and scenarios. Ms. Wendland stated that ASG has engaged extensively with a wide variety of internal stakeholders, including the Board of Trustees and campus leadership, to help guide the process. ASG has also spoken with external stakeholders in Saratoga Springs to help inform the planning process. Ms. Wendland noted that we are now in the second phase of the project—the envision/test phase—in which the concept plan and initial scenarios developed by ASG are shared with the campus. Ms. Wendland invited everyone to attend the listening sessions and open forums on December 6 to provide feedback on the options and scenarios that are being planned to address institutional needs. Once this feedback has been received, the planning will move into the final phase in which the draft plan will be developed, along with plans for implementation and phasing.
DOF/VPAA Orr thanked Ms. Wendland for her presentation and announced that the open forums scheduled for December 6 would be recorded and posted on the master planning website for anyone unable to attend any of the sessions; any feedback can then be emailed to Pat Fehling or Dan Rodecker.
CONFERRAL OF DEGREES AND HONORS
- 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 23 students of the Class of 2022 upon satisfactory completion of the degree requirements by January 31, 2022.
RESOLVED, that the Faculty of Skidmore College recommend to the Trustees the granting of the Bachelor of Science degree to 9 students of the Class of 2022 upon satisfactory completion of the degree requirements by January 31, 2022.
There was no discussion, and the motions were voted on and passed with all in favor.
- 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 11 members of the Class of 2022: 5 students for cum laude distinction, 4 students for magna cum laude distinction, and 2 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 2022.
There was no discussion, and the motions were voted on and passed with all in favor.
OLD BUSINESS
There was no old business.
NEW BUSINESS
There was no new business.
OTHER
On behalf of the Faculty Development Committee, Associate Professor Flagg Taylor announced that Associate Professor Grace Burton was awarded the Phyllis A. Roth Faculty Distinguished Service Award for 2021. He then presented a Resolution honoring Professor Burton (see attached).
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
A Committee of the Whole was held to discuss governance elections and the transparency of candidate preference rankings of committees on ballots. Associate Professor Jason Ohlberg, chair of the Faculty Executive Committee (FEC), was appointed as chair of the Committee of the Whole. A 15-minute time limit was set and was briefly extended for additional comments. At the conclusion of the Committee of the Whole, Professor Ohlberg rose and reported that a discussion on candidate rankings of committees was held. Professor Ohlberg further announced that FEC would be sending the faculty a brief survey which will enable faculty to vote to continue with the existing policy or amend FEC’s operating code to list candidates with full transparency of committee rankings. The results will then be made available to the community.
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
President Conner welcomed everyone to the final faculty meeting of the semester and expressed his gratitude for everything that has been done to get to this point in the semester. He began his report by providing an update on the endowment, including an overview of progress made in implementing ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) and diversity principles into management of the endowment, and a summary of the endowment’s performance. President Conner shared that when the college reviews investment options, it seeks investment managers who incorporate ESG principles in their investment decision-making processes. Currently, nearly 14 percent of the endowment (up from less than 1 percent in 2016) is invested with investment managers that utilize an ESG framework. This is higher than the industry standard for higher education and the issue continues to be a major focus for the Investment Committee of the Board of Trustees. President Conner also shared that the college seeks investment vehicles that are overseen by diverse investment managers (50 percent or greater equity ownership by women and/or individuals with ethnically diverse backgrounds). He reported that 9.8 percent of the endowment (up from less than 1 percent in 2016) is currently managed by diverse investment managers. As a comparison, President Conner stated that less than 2 percent of industry assets are overseen by diverse investment managers. With regard to the performance of the endowment, President Conner shared that the current value of the endowment stands at approximately $500m, the average annual returns for the past 10 years have been 5-9%, the current per-student endowment value has risen to approximately $200k (placing us 12 out of 15 in our peer group), and the endowment spending for FY21 was approximately $20m. He also noted that our endowment performance has been extraordinary this past year.
Next, Donna Ng, Vice President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer, provided an update on COVID planning. She reported that the CDC has recently set guidelines recommending that all individuals over 18 years should receive the COVID booster when they are eligible. As a result, the COVID Working Group has recommended that the booster vaccine be mandated for all students, faculty and staff. The COVID Working Group is in the process of developing a booster policy, which is anticipated to be similar to the vaccination policy that was established at the start of the fall semester. President Conner stated that this topic was discussed at the Institutional Planning and Policy Committee meeting earlier in the day and had been unanimously endorsed. The policy is anticipated to be finalized and shared with the community shortly. In the meantime, the COVID Working Group encourages those who are eligible to get the booster.
Thereupon, VP Ng announced a new winter flexible work benefit for employees that would be piloted during the winter break, starting the week of finals (December 13) and ending at the start of the spring semester (January 24). This benefit was created in response to employees expressing a desire for more flexibility and the ability to work remotely, and is based upon the existing summer flexible work policy, with the addition of an option to work remotely up to two days per week for those that are able to perform their job duties remotely. VP Ng stressed that this is a pilot program and encouraged employees and supervisors to be creative and collaborative in developing flexible work options that work best for their department or program. Human Resources will be working with supervisors to implement this trial program and will then survey employees on their experiences when the campus returns to full operations, with a view towards further development of a flexible work policy.
President Conner then provided an update on the student engagement and campus climate issues that have been ongoing this fall semester. As indicated at the last Faculty Meeting, we continue to work closely with external consultants to review our current Title IX policies and procedures. President Conner reported that he and Adrian Bautista, Dean of Students and Vice President for Student Affairs, met with the SGA senate and held a 90-minute Q&A session with student senators and other students to discuss their concerns over sexual and gender-based misconduct, Title IX trends, transphobia, and care for students during breaks.
Next, President Conner provided an update on the search for the Vice President for Communications and Marketing. He reported that the search committee has been formed and consists of Mary Lou Bates, as the Cabinet representative; Tim Harper, as the faculty representative; and Patty Heritage, as the staff representative; a student representative will be appointed in the very near future. He then shared that the search firm will be Storbeck and described the timeline for the search with an anticipated appointment by the end of the spring semester. He expressed his appreciation to Diane O’Connor for her excellent work as Interim Vice President and to the entire Communications and Marketing division.
President Conner then announced that “Skidmore Cares” would take place next week and that it would be the program’s 16th consecutive year of operation. This year the drop off location will be set up outside the Williamson Sports Center, and each afternoon there will be hot chocolate, coffee, and cookies available, as well as several raffles throughout the week, including a prize of gourmet sundaes with President and Barbara Conner at Scribner House! He thanked Michelle Hubbs and Megan Buchanan who continue to be the leaders of this effort and noted that the organizations that the college is supporting can be found on the Skidmore Cares website.
President Conner concluded his report by reflecting on how much more challenging and fatiguing the fall semester had been than most of us had envisaged it would be back in July and August. He acknowledged that every decision requires a conscious level of thought which contributes to a sense of exhaustion, to say nothing of the impact of the larger challenges and tragedies attributed to COVID. Nevertheless, he noted that much had been achieved during the semester and that our students were especially appreciative of the support that they had received from faculty and staff. He wanted everyone to keep that in mind and to take pride in what we have accomplished this fall. He hoped that everyone would be able to take advantage of the upcoming break and closed with a few lines from a poem from one of his favorite poets, William Wordsworth.
Following President Conner’s report, a brief discussion occurred regarding the feasibility of extending the flexible work schedule for employees during the academic year.
DEAN OF THE FACULTY AND VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS’ REPORT
DOF/VPAA Orr thanked everyone for all that has been done to bring the semester to a successful close. He noted that the continued prevalence of COVID had meant that the semester ended up much more challenging than originally anticipated in August, and he thanked everyone for continuing to navigate the challenges of both living and working within the constraints imposed by COVID.
DOF/VPAA Orr then provided an update on the faculty compensation study that is underway this year. He reported on the membership of the faculty working group that had been formed to assist with the project; the faculty members include Katie Baustian, Anthropology; Ting Li, Management and Business; Dan Nathan, American Studies, and Jess Sullivan, Psychology. The working group has begun its work by looking at the market comparison group to be used for benchmarking faculty salaries and considering various criteria such as institutional type, size, operating budget, total enrollment, number of faculty and staff per student, and regional cost of living. Once the market comparison group has been determined, the working group will then consider the criteria to be used for examining internal salary equity before Segal completes multiple regression analyses to identify areas where any equity adjustments should be made. DOF/VPAA Orr reported that similar work is underway regarding staff compensation, with the goal of developing a comprehensive compensation plan for the college as a whole and to ensure that the college has a market competitive and internally equitable compensation program. Further updates will be provided as the work progresses.
Thereafter, DOF/VPAA announced that nominations and self-nominations for the position of Director of the First Year Experience are now being solicited. He thanked Amon Emeka for his service as Director of the First Year Experience for the past three years and stated that our first year students have benefitted enormously from Professor Emeka’s leadership throughout the pandemic. DOF/VPAA Orr encouraged anyone with questions or wishing to discuss the aspects of the position to reach out to Michael Arnush, Associate Dean of the Faculty, or Professor Emeka.
DOF/VPAA Orr concluded his report by once again thanking everyone for bringing the semester to a successful conclusion. Our students are deeply appreciative of all of the efforts that have been made to make it possible to teach in person this semester. He stated that his office is also very grateful to everyone for helping to realize our academic mission, despite the challenges which required so much flexibility and adaptability, and thanked those who have taken on extra responsibilities and duties to support our students this semester, including responding to increased demands for advising and mentoring, providing emotional support for our students, and implementing and managing all of the health and safety protocols this semester. DOF/VPAA Orr wished everyone a good final few weeks in the semester and hoped that everyone is able to spend some time with family and friends over the winter break.
DOF/VPAA Orr the provided an opportunity for any questions or comments. Joshua Woodfork, Vice President for Strategic Planning and Institutional Diversity, asked the meeting to recognize Professor Kristie Ford and Mariel Martin, as they depart Skidmore, for all their DEI work and contributions to the College during their time here. These colleagues were then recognized with extensive virtual applause.
There being no further business, DOF/VPAA Orr adjourned the meeting at 4:55 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Academic Affairs Coordinator