Faculty Meeting Minutes
March 4, 2022
Michael Orr, Dean of the Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs, called the meeting to order at 3:32 p.m. He welcomed everyone to the second faculty meeting of the semester and then briefly acknowledged the humanitarian disaster and terrible events that have been unfolding in Ukraine. DOF/VPAA Orr noted that there are members of the Skidmore community that have family, friends, and colleagues that have been directly impacted by the violence and upheaval. He then expressed his appreciation to the members of the History and Political Science departments for arranging the recent panel discussion on Ukraine, which provided a much-needed perspective for considering what has been taking place.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
DOF/VPAA Orr asked if there were any corrections to, or comments regarding, the minutes of the Faculty Meeting held February 4, 2022. Hearing none, he announced the minutes were approved.
OLD BUSINESS
There was no old business.
NEW BUSINESS
There was no new business.
REPORT
On behalf of the Promotions Committee (PC), Professor Mark Huibregtse offered a report on PC’s “White Paper” issued in May, 2021 and summarized the responses received (see attached for details). He reminded everyone that the White Paper had been an attempt to clarify the time frame and expectations for coming up for early promotion. Professor Huibregtse reported that the feedback received indicated that a lack of clarity regarding timing is only one of many issues regarding promotion at Skidmore. In seeking greater clarity around the question of timing, PC had come to believe that stating an expected timeline might inhibit candidates from submitting files at the time of their choosing, which was not the outcome PC had intended. Thus, PC welcomes promotion candidacies whenever faculty members and their chairs/PDs/PPC chairs believe the candidates’ records meet the criteria for promotion. On behalf of PC, Professor Huibregtse reaffirmed that “faculty may stand for promotion to Professor at their discretion.” PC will continue to work on the long-term project of improving the climate for promotion at Skidmore and welcomes any thoughts and suggestions.
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
A Committee of the Whole was held to discuss the recent practice of providing faculty with the option to teach remotely when the campus is closed or there is a delayed start due to inclement weather. 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. At the conclusion of the Committee of the Whole, Professor Ohlberg rose and reported that a discussion on the faculty’s option to teach remotely during campus closures or a delayed start was held. Professor Ohlberg further announced that FEC would be sending the faculty a brief survey in an effort to capture the collective will of the Faculty in this matter and that the results of the survey would help inform implementation of the inclement weather policy in the future.
OTHER
On behalf of the Faculty Development Committee, Associate Professor Flagg Taylor announced that Professor Paul Arciero has been awarded the Edwin M. Moseley Faculty Lectureship for 2022-23. Professor Taylor then read a citation honoring Professor Arciero (see attached). A virtual congratulatory round of applause was given to Professor Arciero.
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
President Conner began by congratulating Professor Arciero on his award and indicating that he looks forward to attending his first in-person Moseley lecture next month, to be given by Susannah Mintz. He then acknowledged the superb faculty forum on Ukraine that was held in the Center, noting that this type of event in the Center is precisely the purpose of this space.
President Conner then provided an update on the Board of Trustee meetings held in February. The Board was in-person on campus for two days of highly engaging meetings. The Board participated in their third major DEI training of the past four years and spent much of their time on the campus master plan, focusing on (1) residential life, (2) academic needs, and (3) the combined area of health and wellness/fitness/athletics. The campus master planning process will continue to move forward with the final campus plan being brought before the Board in May for final consideration and approval. President Conner reminded everyone that the campus master plan is a collaborative array of future options but does not set forth any priority for these projects; strategic planning and the next capital campaign will help guide us as we move forward with any projects identified in the master plan. President Conner stated that once the Campus Master Plan is approved and we begin to move forward with projects, the collaboration will continue with continued transparent communications.
President Conner then reported on key issues discussed in the various Board committee meetings. In Student Affairs, the Board heard from a student panel focused on the impact of COVID on their learning experience. In Advancement, we reported that we are essentially two-thirds towards our goals this year for total gifts and the Skidmore Fund, which covers a large percentage of our annual operations. In addition, we have been invited to apply for the Schuler Foundation Access Initiative, which is a very prestigious, competitive opportunity focused on increasing PELL-eligible and undocumented students through a one-to-one match. Further, the Board considered and unanimously endorsed this year’s Strategic Action Agenda (SAA), which IPPC had unanimously endorsed as well. The SAA is an annual statement of our key goals this year, which are (1) successful execution of the academic year; (2) continuing to fulfill the racial justice initiative; (3) continuing to address the projected structural budget deficit; (4) concluding the campus master planning process; and (5) reviewing, assessing, and revising our Sexual and Gender-Based Misconduct and Title IX policies and procedures.
Thereupon, President Conner turned to Joshua Woodfork, Vice President for Strategic Planning and Institutional Diversity, who provided an update on campus DEI efforts. VP Woodfork thanked President Conner for alluding to the great work being done in The Center and applauded the Director for the work that she and others, including student assistants, have been doing on campus to collaborate in bringing The Center to life with various academic lectures and events.
VP Woodfork then referenced recent campus climate surveys, including the NSSE student survey and the HEDS survey. He then noted that Skidmore has joined as a founding member the Liberal Arts College Racial Equity Leadership Alliance (LACRELA), which will also provide three years of surveys – one for students (the results of which will be presented soon), one for faculty (to be conducted next year) and one for staff (to be conducted this year). He asked for everyone’s help in encouraging our staff colleagues to participate in this survey.
Thereupon, VP Woodfork announced that In It 6 will take place April 4-8 and that planning for In It 7 is underway for the fall of 2022. He encouraged anyone who is holding a class during that week or hosting an event that wishes to partner with In It to reach out to either him or Dr. Jack-Davies. The website for In It 6 will be available shortly.
VP Woodfork concluded by providing an update on the student demands with regard to transphobia. He noted that the College plans to bring transphobia-expert presenters to campus to conduct various workshops during In It 6. He then thanked Professor Peter von Allmen and Amy Tweedy for helping to conduct an inventory of the DEI and RJ work that departments are doing regarding these issues. It is clear that many departments are looking to do more and to collaborate on these issues. He encouraged anyone interested in partnering on any of these issues to reach out to him.
Thereupon, Mary Lou Bates, Vice President and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, provided an update on this year’s Admissions. VP Bates reported that Skidmore has experienced another strong admissions year, with a record number of over 13,000 applications being received, breaking last year’s record of 11,000. While we have seen an increase in applications for much of the last decade, most of the new growth has previously been in international applications, and during the past two years we have experienced a decline in domestic applications. This year, Admissions has worked closely with Communications and Marketing to expand its outreach and increase inquiries from domestic students. As a result we have experienced a 13 percent increase in domestic applications. With regard to the percentage of applicants seeking financial aid, after steadily increasing since 2008 from 58 percent to 79 percent, VP Bates reported that requests for financial aid have held steady in the high 70-percent range.
VP Bates reported that early decision applications have reached a record high as well, with a corresponding increase in early decision applications from domestic students. Rounds one and two of early decision have been completed, with over 50 percent of the class having been accepted and enrolled through early decision. Regular decisions will be released in mid-March.
VP Bates indicated that Admissions is now planning our programming for accepted candidates day, which will start in mid-March and go throughout April. We will continue to offer virtual options for a number of the programmatic accepted candidates day pieces. This year, we will be hosting one virtual academic showcase on April 8 and will host three on-campus accepted candidate days, with our on-campus programming focusing on activities we cannot do online.
As an outgrowth of our campus master planning discussions, VP Bates reported that Admissions is also engaging in an enrollment projection project. We have retained an outside enrollment consultant to conduct a data-driven analysis of internal and external enrollment data, including national demographic and census changes, to determine the optimum size of the Skidmore class. After interviewing three consultants, we have retained Maguire Associates from Concord, Massachusetts, who worked with us in the past. It is anticipated that Maguire Associates will complete their analysis and submit their report by the end of the spring semester.
VP Bates concluded her remarks by stating that we are on track to enroll another great class and thanked everyone for partnering with Admissions in the recruitment process.
Following VP Bates’ report, President Conner addressed the changes in Skidmore’s COVID policies announced earlier this week. He reminded everyone that the key principles that continue to guide our decisions are to prioritize the health and safety of our community; follow the guidance of science and the medical community; provide the full Skidmore educational experience for our students; and communicate at every step of the way in a timely and transparent manner. President Conner indicated that these principles would continue to guide us for as long as we have to grapple with COVID and beyond. He noted that the landscape around COVID has changed dramatically since mid-January when we returned to campus. President Conner asked that everyone be patient and understanding of others’ perspectives and experience regarding COVID and encouraged anyone with any feedback on our updated COVID policies to reach out via the dedicated covid-feedback email.
Following President Conner’s report, a brief discussion occurred regarding faculty concerns about the potential move of academic departments out of Ladd Hall as described in recent presentations on the Campus Master Plan. President Conner noted the importance of continued consultation as the planning process for Campus Master Plan proceeds and stressed that the Plan was conceived as a menu of options rather than a list of prioritized choices.
DEAN OF THE FACULTY AND VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS’ REPORT
DOF/VPAA Orr discussed the new COVID guidelines, particularly the decision to relax the masking policy and grant faculty the choice to decide whether to require masking in their classroom. He noted that granting faculty the choice to make a determination in their classrooms was in line with the decisions made by a number of our counterparts and is consistent with our overall policy of allowing faculty to set the parameters for how their classes are conducted. He indicated that he does understand the concerns that some faculty, especially those that are untenured, from underrepresented groups, or who may feel vulnerable, may not feel they are able to make their preferred choice for fear of student push-back. DOF/VPAA Orr indicated that he believes having discussions at the departmental level regarding these concerns may be helpful and that many faculty are basing their decision on feedback they have received from their students. He further indicated that anyone with a particular health concern about their own circumstances should feel free to reach out to Human Resources.
As a result of the relaxing of the mask policy, DOF/VPAA Orr announced that faculty will no longer need to maintain class attendance records and seating charts. Additional guidelines for planning events for the remainder of the spring semester, including departmental gatherings and end-of-year celebrations in which refreshments might be made available, would be shared soon. He reminded everyone holding events open to guests or visitors from off campus that the college policy that visitors and guests be fully vaccinated (including the booster if eligible), remains in effect. However, showing proof of vaccination at the entrance to events is not required but event organizers can choose to request that attendees show proof. Lastly, the daily health certification is still required, as mandated by New York State, and would continue to be required until the Governor lifts the requirement.
DOF/VPAA Orr also indicated that there is a possibility that the Faculty Meeting scheduled for April 29 may be held in a hybrid format, so that those wishing to attend in person could do so. While the hybrid format does have some complications with voting, DOF/VPAA Orr indicated that his office has been working with Beth DuPont and her staff in LEDS and Media Services to identify a technology to allow faculty attending both in-person and remotely to vote on faculty business. A decision about moving to a hybrid Faculty Meeting will be made after Spring Break.
Next, referencing the COW discussion held on the inclement weather policy and a question that had arisen regarding New York State Department of Education requirements for instructional hours, DOF/VPAA Orr reported that it is the expectation from New York State Department of Education that if a class is cancelled it should be made up by the end of the semester. However, the class time can be made up either through in person instruction or by assigning other activities, readings, or other assignments that approximate the amount of missed instructional time. DOF/VPAA Orr indicated that an email will be sent shortly with the New York State requirements for making up cancelled classes.
DOF/VPAA Orr then provided an update on the Faculty Compensation Study that is being conducted. Our consultants are still in the midst of completing the market equity analysis, and the Advisory Group has been considering the criteria for internal salary equity to help the consultants in completing the regression analyses. It is anticipated that this work will be concluded before the end of the academic year and a report provided to the faculty with the results of the study.
Next, DOF/VPAA Orr referenced an email that he sent earlier in the day with regard to an IT planning project to help develop a 5-year informational technology plan or roadmap. Consultants with extensive experience in higher education, in particular liberal arts colleges, are assisting in the review of the current IT structure. They are gathering information from a number of individuals and offices on campus to help determine our IT requirements and assess changes in processes and procedures. Overall the goal is to evaluate our current IT capacity and determine our readiness and requirements for the future. There will be opportunities next week for faculty and staff to participate in open forums being held by the consultants.
Lastly, DOF/VPAA Orr announced that Professor Rachel Roe-Dale had agreed to serve as the next Director of the First Year Experience and invited attendees to join him in congratulating her on her appointment. A virtual round of applause was given.
DOF/VPAA Orr then provided an opportunity for any questions or comments. Brief discussion was held with regard to some of the challenges and competing interests at stake when faculty are deciding whether to require masking in their classrooms. Further comment was also offered about holding classes remotely during campus closures and the difficulties of ensuring equitable access to class if we can’t guarantee that all students have access to suitable computers.
There being no further business, DOF/VPAA Orr adjourned the meeting at 4:47 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,