Faculty Senate Minutes March 25, 2021

March 25, 2021, 3:30 p.m.
Via Zoom

Present: T. Moretti (Chair), D. DeFino (Secretary), M. Bard, A. Bishop, D. Brophy, H. He, A. Howerton-Fox, M. Hughes, J. Kaalund, A. Kelso, J. Klein, E. Mariola, H. Park, S. Petrovic, A. Rosenfeld, O. Soluade, M. Veyvoda

Excused: L. Ivanov, R. Lacey, C. Martins

T. Moretti called the meeting to order at 3:38 p.m.  Quorum was met.

Approval of Minutes

Minutes to 2/25/21 meeting of the Faculty Senate were approved via e-mail on 3/8/21

Announcements

• Iona University’s AAUP chapter recently distributed its inaugural newsletter
• The Office of Mission and Ministries will host an interfaith retreat on 5/25

Discussion Item: Spring Committee Elections and Appointments

Self-nominations remain open until 4/6; a ballot will be constructed and distributed shortly after, with the expectation that results will be ready for the final meeting of the Senate on 4/22

Discussion Item: Middle States Update

T. Moretti reported that the co-chairs of the Middle States Steering Committee will hold a virtual Town Hall on 4/21; and that the chair of the Middle States Evaluation Team will visit the College virtually on 4/28

Discussion Item: Budget Prioritization Taskforce

The Taskforce held its first meeting on 3/24, and is currently working on gathering data and developing ideas that can be readily operationalized; faculty members include Y. Kang, T. Moretti, and R. Weaver

Discussion Item: Faculty Survey

The Senate reviewed results of the full-time and adjunct surveys, identified key take-aways, and outlined the structure of an Executive Summary, which will be drafted and shared shortly with the general faculty, along with complete Survey results

Discussion Item: Participation of Tenure-Track Faculty on Major/Ad-Hoc Committees

The Senate agreed that, rather than outlining a specific set of policies, it would consider faculty rank as one among many other variables (diversity, expertise, workload, etc.) on a case-by-case basis

Discussion Item: Faculty Awards

Awardees from 2019-20 will be recognized as part of 2021 Commencement activities; self-nominations to serve on the faculty awards committee will go out shortly

Discussion Item: School of Health Services

The Senate discussed the College’s proposal for the creation of a School of Health Sciences, which will come up for approval at the next College Council meeting.

Action Item: Governance Committee Minutes

• A volunteer was sought to help D. DeFino consolidate committee minutes into a central, accessible virtual location
• D. Brophy volunteered, and was unanimously approved
• Item closed

Action Item: Adjunct Pay Period Shift

• Adjunct faculty were not informed of shifts in this year’s pay cycles from fall to spring term (3 in the fall due to the compressed schedule; and a return to the typical 4 in the spring)
• D. Brophy has asked the Senate to draft a formal request to HR that this information be communicated immediately
• The Senate unanimously agreed, and D. DeFino will draft
• Item closed

There being no other business, T. Moretti adjourned the Faculty Senate meeting at 5:38 p.m. The next Senate meeting will be held via Zoom on 4/22/21 at 3:30 p.m.