Faculty Senate Minutes April 4, 2019

April 4, 2019
3:30 p.m., Faculty Reception Room
(Approved April 22, 2019)

Present: D. DeFino (Secretary), J. Alstete, M. Bard, D. Brophy, A. Bishop, M. Draeger, A. Howerton-Fox, M. Hughes, R. Jantzen, J. Kaalund, A. Kelso, C. Martins, M. Nadel, H. Park, C. Tsai, M. Veyvoda Excused: T. Moretti, L. Ivanov, E. Mariola

D. DeFino called the meeting to order at 3:35 p.m.

Announcements

• None

Self-Nomination Results & Faculty Appointed Committee Selection

• The Senate reviewed draft ballots for the upcoming governance committee election, noting areas where the number of nominees was not sufficient to fill existing seats. 
• The Senate discussed whether L. Oslen, Director of Occupational Therapy, currently met the standard for voting faculty (as opposed to an administrator who also teaches) and unanimously agreed that she does meet that standard.  She is therefore eligible to self-nominate, and to vote in the upcoming election.

Old Business

• UPDATE: T. Moretti will meet with MarCom and the Deans of Arts and Science and LaPenta on 4/10 to discuss the status of adjunct faculty information on the College website
• UPDATE: the Presidential Search is on track
• UPDATE: T. Moretti will meet with T. Wilmot on 4/5 to discuss overload pay policies
  • R. Jantzen urged that chairs’ overload compensation be adjusted to match that of other faculty (currently chairs are compensated at the stipend rate only)
• The Senate discussed ways of improving faculty-student connections.  Primary areas of focus included:
  • Gathering data from students about how they perceive strong faculty-student relations
  • Focusing on first-year support: in particular, evaluating our advisement system in comparison to the old faculty-led model; and using COL 150 as an opportunity to introduce students to faculty in various discipines
  • Looking at classroom layout, and designing spaces that allow for more interactive course delivery; identifying particularly effective learning spaces, and dedicating them to first-year courses
  • Assessing workload considerations: if more faculty time is required for attending student events, or cultivating new means of connecting with students outside the classroom, that must be calculated into faculty workload
• In preparation for a future visit from C. Winkler, the Senate discussed questions they would pose about the role of the Director of the Hynes Institute in college governance
• The Senate tabled a discussion on the impact of potential Allied Health and Nursing programs on existing programs until College plans are more solidified

New Business

• UPDATE: T. Moretti discussed with D. Wheeler potential issues arising from the recent exit of two faculty members from the Committee on Academic Affairs (CAA).  It was agreed that, provided a quorum can be maintained, it would be reasonable to leave membership as is and fill the vacancies through the end-of-year election
• The Senate briefly discussed the Internal Audit Report on Governance Committee Minutes, noting both advantages and potential challenges to applying a uniform standard. 
• VOTING ITEM: The Chair of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) proposed that the Senate consider lowering the total membership of the committee from 10 to 8.  The Senate voted unanimously to reject the proposal, on the grounds that the larger membership allowed for broader disciplinary representation and a less onerous workload on individual members.

D. DeFino adjourned the meeting at 5:02 p.m.

The next scheduled SP19 Senate meeting will be held on 4/25 (1st meeting of new Senate)