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College Council Minutes December 5, 2018

Wednesday, 12/5/18, 3:30 p.m.
Hegarty Multipurpose Room
(Approved 1/16/19)

Present: T. Moretti, D. DeFino, D. Brophy, G. DeFeis, A. Howerton-Fox, M. Nadel, H. Park, L. Derenzis, A. Mastantuoni, H. McGowan, S. Caruselle, J. Nyre, D. Wheeler, W. Lamb, J. Stabile, A. AlAbbad, J. Breslin, J. Carroll, J. Haber, E. Hamerman, C. Procario-Foley, E. Procario-Foley, L. Pacheco-Jorge (for C. Winkler), H. Short (for A. Stackhouse), M. Varner, A. Schettini-Lynch, J. Steele
Excused: E. Mariola

T. Moretti called the meeting to order at 3:37 p.m. He welcomed all members of the College community to the inaugural General Assembly. He briefly reviewed the origins and guiding principles of the General Assembly, emphasizing that its purpose is to improve communication and decision-making across College constituencies. He then outlined the Assembly meeting running order: traditional College Council reports, then discussion of agenda and other items with the larger community.

Announcements

None

President’s Report

J. Nyre welcomed members of the College community, especially those who do not typically attend College Council meetings; explained that the Assembly is an extension of the College Council’s role as a communicative body; and encouraged members of the Iona community to attend any and all Council meetings

  • He then reported that since the last Council meeting, the College has:
    • Welcomed filmmaker Sean Baker as the Fall 2018 Hynes Distinguished Speaker (Mr. Baker spoke on “Art, Advocacy and Innovation”)
    • Hosted Gael to Gael Networking Night (thanks to all who helped make the night successful, especially Student Life and Career Development)
    • Celebrated the Thanksgiving Basket Blessing ceremony, where more than 150 baskets were donated to local charities.  The head of Hope Community Services remarked at the event that their partnership with Iona is not limited to one day a year, but year-round and of significant importance
    • Witnessed our women's volleyball program win the MAAC Championship tournament for the first time in 14 years
    • Saw our women's cross-country representative, Egle Morenaite (a sophomore from Lithuania) earn All-America status after finishing 28th at the 2018 NCAA Division I Cross-Country in chilly Wisconsin
    • Begun accepting applications to the Iona University Graduate OT Program, which will launch in Fall 2019. The distinctive curriculum includes community engagement and service central to our mission and integration of Entrepreneurship & Innovation.
    • Announced a partnership with WNBC Channel 4 sports anchor Bruce Beck as host of his Sports Broadcasting Camp this summer
    • Welcomed Dr. Amber Straughn as a Bullen Lecture Series Speaker.  Dr. Straughn gave an incredibly engaging talk on "Infant Galaxies to Alien Atmospheres: NASA's James Webb Space Telescope"
    • Come together for the Lighting of the Campus Crèche and Christmas Tree, along with the Home for the Holidays event that highlights and celebrates the faith traditions of religions throughout the world; followed by the Black Student Union’s annual culture show.
    • Held the annual Alumni Christmas Mass and Breakfast with Santa this past weekend.  On 12/13, we will celebrate the annual College Christmas party, where faculty and staff will come together to toast a wonderful year and spread well wishes for a happy holiday season.
  • Since we last met, the Community task force met and shared concerns about a developer looking to re-classify a building project on North Avenue as a for-profit residence hall. This was of great concern to the College and neighbors. There are important legal distinctions between a college residence hall and a privately owned and operated apartment complex. Colleges operate their residence halls under a myriad of federal requirements and regulations. And a non-college affiliated building would create risk for students in the buildings as colleges would have no rights to appropriately monitor safety or provide support for students.
  • J. Nyre then said that he and K. Nyre look forward to celebrating the Iona University traditions with you each year along with their children, and that they are grateful and blessed to spend these special times with member of the Iona community.  He wished a Happy Holiday to one and all.

Provost’s Report

D. Wheeler reported on the following:

  • The Compensation Plan working group is nearly seated and ready to begin its work
  • The Strategic Planning Steering Committee held a Town Hall on 11/8.  Thanks to all who attended, and contributed to the conversation
  • Director of Grants candidates continue to be reviewed
  • The Provost’s Office continues to monitor Special Sessions and Spring registration, with an eye to supporting students
  • The Senate and CAA are currently working to seat members of the Undergraduate Academic Plan Working Group
  • College catalogue revisions for both undergraduate and graduate programs are being made, as we work to expedite those for next year
  • The Student Success Working Group, with members representing a diverse cross-section of campus constituencies, meets weekly.  T. Mulligan is the point person for this effort
  • Items that remain on the Provost’s radar: Faculty Development, Study Abroad/International Programs, curricular innovation, and Service Learning
  • Special thanks to T. Moretti (Senate Chair) and A. Stackhouse (CAA Chair) for co-hosting the Workload Policy Town Hall on 12/4

E. Procario-Foley reported on the Core Curriculum Committee. Since the last College Council meeting, CCC has:

  • met on 11/8 and 11/27
  • co-sponsored (with Professional Development) two PD opportunities:
    • a syllabus review and development (11/8)
    • a listening session of the CCC to hear feedback from Learning Community faculty (11/15)
  • completed e-portfolio setup with the assistance of Anthony Iodice from IT-Libraries, and opened the e-portfolio for uploads for FS 18
  • launched the Columba Cornerstone Learning Community freshman survey for FS18
  • continued ongoing review of syllabi for acceptance into the core curriculum
  • continued committee work by email between in-person meetings on all ongoing aspects of the core curriculum
  • continued working on spring professional development opportunities with a focus on ICTs
  • began developing tools for further evaluation of the curriculum, including surveys and focus group protocols
  • sponsored the first college-wide core curriculum event on 11/12: Dr. John K. Roth professor emeritus of philosophy at Claremont McKenna College and Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching 1988 US National Professor of the Year, spoke to over 200 students and faculty about the relationship between truth and justice

In C. Winkler’s absence, D. Wheeler reported on the Hynes Institute:

  • In FA18, Hynes offered 4 sections of ENT 200 Intro to Entrepreneurship & Innovation (2 sections were part of Academic Learning Communities, which also included 1 section as part of a Living Learning Community), 1 section of ENT 301 Intro to Ideation & Design Thinking, and 1 graduate section of ENT 500 Entrepreneurship & Innovation (trimester 1), and 1 section of ENT 601 – Ideation & Design Thinking (trimester 2).
  • For the spring we are gearing up with the following courses:
    • 3 sections of ENT 200 – Introduction to Entrepreneurship & Innovation
    • 1 section of ENT 201 – Ethics & Entrepreneurial Leadership (1st time being offered)
    • 1 section of ENT 301 – Introduction to Ideation & Design Thinking
    • 1 section of ENT 302 – Introduction to Business Modeling (1st time being offered)
    • ENT 398 – The Art of Curating (developed by Thomas Ruggio as part of the Hynes Distinguished Fellowship Award)
    •  ENT 399 – Data Driven Decision Making (developed by Benjamin Gaines as part of the Hynes Distinguished Fellowship Award)
    • ENT 602 – Business Modeling (3rd course of our graduate offerings)
  • We will have a pinning ceremony 12/5 for the 3 students who became University Innovation Fellows (UIF) from the dSchool at Stanford University. The University Innovation Fellows program empowers students to become agents of change at their schools
  • Hynes held its last co-curricular event of FA18 on 12/4: a faculty Lunch and Learn on 12/4
  • The Ionavation student podcast begun in FA18 is available on our YouTube Channel (Hynes Institute)

Reports from Constituent Assemblies

Faculty Senate

  • The Senate met on 11/29
  • E. Mariola was selected to replace Kevin Molloy on the Senate Executive Committee
  • The Senate also deliberated over self-nominations for the Compensation Working Group. J. Matich-Maroney and T. Mussio were selected for the A&S slots. A. Qayyum self-nominated for the La Penta seat, but the Senate agreed to search for tenured faculty before rendering a decision
  • The Senate generated a list of faculty members for the Undergraduate Academic Plan Working Group. T. Moretti reached out to those members to gauge their interest
  • T. Moretti reported that he awaits the advice of college counsel, K. McElroy, on the proposal to change the CC constitution to add the Senior Director of Advisement as an ex officio to the Athletics Committee
  • T. Moretti reported on his work collating the different drafts of proposed Faculty Handbook revisions in existence since 2015. He stated that in 12/2015, HR&C decided which sections of the employee handbook applied to faculty 
  • The Senate also: discussed the role and function of Faculty Development; expressed concerns over indemnification regarding the college harassment reporting policy; and agreed to contact HR about the possibility of adding compensation for tolls and commuting as employee benefits

Staff and Administrative Council

  • SAC met on 11/15
  • J. Nyre gave a report on the state of the College
  • Br. Ford gave updates on Strategic Planning Working Group reports
  • In Old Business, the committee continued to discuss HR&C’s recommendations for staff raises

Student Government Association

  • SGA meets every Thursday at 3:30pm
  • During the fall term, SGA focused on making changes to its Constitution that would make its operations more efficient; the remainder of the AY will focus on fully implementing those changes
  • SGA has also been focusing attention on student civic engagement, including voter registration events and bringing students to New Rochelle City Council meetings
  • SGA is sponsoring a Harry Potter feat this evening at 6:30.  All are welcome

Reports from the Standing Committees

Committee on Academic Affairs

  • CAA met on 11/27
  • Several POIs were taken up for A&S and ENT
  • CAA discussed distinctions between graduate and undergraduate coursework, noting that no policy currently exists.  CAA should receive regular reports from deans to ensure college-wide rigor in graduate coursework, and master planning should be used to identify best practices
  • CAA also discussed the process for catalog revisions, and the status of revisions currently in progress

Committee on Budget

  • Budget met on 11/28 to discuss the projected revenue for AY 2019-20

Committee on Human Resources and Compensation

  • HR&C met on 11/9
  • The committee discussed options for harassment training. T. Wilmot provided a number of possible online training options and the committee was to review the choices and get back to HR with their preferred option.
  • The committee also voted to recommend a 2% salary increase across the board for all faculty (including adjuncts) and staff. This will be retroactive to July 1 for staff and September 1 for Faculty.

Committee on Rank, Tenure, and Awards

  • RTA has been reviewing 3rd One-Year Contract Renewals, Fourth and Fifth Two Year Contract Renewals, Clinical Faculty Reappointments, and Sabbatical Leaves

Committee on Libraries and Information Technology

  • The committee met on 11/8, and discussed the following
  • Interlibrary Loan form change and preliminary results from LibQual survey
  • Use of gmail accounts in phishing and requests to share student information
  • Digital accessibility: Joanne Steele and Tony Iodice encourage invitations to department meetings
  • Blackboard automated batch enrollment and approved restriction on ability of faculty add/delete students from a course
  • ProctorU: AI proctor selected, demonstration at upcoming meeting
  • Students receive bounce back when replying on a mobile phone to emails sent through Blackboard, students must respond through Blackboard or use the professor's email address
  • Library hours extended for finals
  • Campus wifi login on Windows machines and email distributions lists

Committee on Institutional Advancement

  • Advancement met on 12/4
  • The committee followed up on the discussion about the employee giving rate from our previous meeting. D. Berkner presented a draft outline for an employee giving campaign. Based on feedback from the committee, he will revise this outline and share it with the committee at the next meeting

Committee on Student Affairs

  • Student Affairs met on 11/30 to begin planning for next year
  • Since the last Council meeting, Student Affairs sponsored its first “Flunch” event.  The turn-out, talk, and discussion were excellent

Committee on Athletics

  • Athletics met on 11/17
  • In Academic Report, Jamie Fogarty stated student-athletes were completing Fall Semester assignments and preparing for final exams
  • In the Athletic Report, Fogarty reported that fall sports had completed their seasons. Having won the MAAC Regular Season and Championship, volleyball will be competing in the NCAA Tournament in Pittsburgh. Men’s cross country finished 28th out of 31 teams in the NCAA Championship, and in the NCAA Women’s Cross Country Championship, sophomore All-American Egle Morenaite finished 28th in the 6K race. A national search for a new women’s soccer coach should concluded by Christmas break. Men’s and women’s basketball have begun their seasons, while men’s and women’s swimming and diving continue their seasons
  • In Community Service, all teams were involved in the Thanksgiving baskets drive and various fund-raising activities. There was no the Athletic Director’s report
  • As a member of the Committee on Academic Affairs’ subcommittee for scheduling, J. Breslin reported on the results of subcommittee’s faculty survey and proposals for additional activity hours and revisions in the class schedules
  • In the open agenda, the committee discussed academic considerations for student-athletes on road trips, particularly men’s basketball’s November two-week road trip to New Mexico, Las Vegas and Ohio University

Committee on Diversity

  • COD met on 12/4
  • COD committee polished and approved a revised “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” statement for future Iona job ads, as well as a set of guiding principles for writing DEI statements in the future. COD will share both with Legal Counsel and HR for feedback before bringing it to College Council
  • COD established two mini working groups: one to plan and execute the Diversity Lecture Series in April 2019 and one to research methods and strategies for assessing diversity-related campus climate
  • COD began compiling a list of soft recommendations concerning the conceptualization, training, execution, and accountability/follow-up procedures for the diversity-related hiring policy. This project will be ongoing for the AY 18-19 year and will lead to reports to the Provost, HR, Legal, and the College Council.

Committee on Enrollment Management

  • CEM met on 10/1 and 12/3
  • In October, we discussed the yield on the incoming class and transfer students (Iona hit enrollment goals, which was true for only 36% of schools nationwide), freshmen class GPAs and SAT scores GPA, and the college’s acceptance rate. L. Monty reviewed the Admissions seasonal cycle, and reviewed goals and strategies
  • In December, we discussed Open House day, and plans for spring events, including Accepted Students Day and Junior Preview day. Faculty are encouraged to participate as much as possible. We also talked in-process strategies for recruiting transfer students, such as digital geo-fencing and articulation agreements with area community colleges

Committee on Environmental Sustainability

  • CES has not met since the last Council meeting

Old Business

F. Bailie presented the following Report from the Schedule and Calendar Committee:

  • The charge to the committee addressed three main topics:
    • Block Scheduling
    • Additional Activity Hours
    • The Definition of Activity Hours
  • The committee gathered data from the following sources:
    • A student survey on activity hours administered in SP18
    • A faculty survey on block scheduling and activity hours administered in FA18
    • Class schedules and activity hours at other institutions: Manhatanville, Marist, Fairfield, Pace, Monmouth and St. John Fisher
  • The committee studied the data and makes the following recommendations on each of the main topics:
    • Block Scheduling: Change the current Monday/Wednesday and Tuesday/Thursday/Friday schedule to Tuesday/Thursday and Monday/Wednesday/Friday, keeping the same class times as we have now.
    • Keep the 12:00-12:52 activity hour on Monday/Wednesday/Friday and a 12:30-1:48 activity hour on Tuesday/Thursday.
    • Redefine activity hours to consider such issues as athletics, class rescheduling and required academic events
  • These three recommendations are independent and therefore could be approved separately
  • It is important to note that the earliest that the new block scheduling and additional activity hours could be implemented would be AY 2020-2021

F. Bailie’s report was followed by a general discussion, which included several remarks, questions, and concerns:

  • Would the proposed TuTh scheduling block follow the same pattern as the current MW? (F. Bailie responded that it would)
  • Would it be possible to build more flexibility into the proposed scheduling block? (F. Bailie responded that the committee would be willing to hear any and all suggestions)
  • Would the committee consider lining up Iona’s scheduling block with other local colleges and universities, for the benefit of adjunct faculty working elsewhere? (F. Bailie responded that the committee would be willing to hear any and all suggestions)
  • Would the proposed scheduling block have negative implications on classroom utilization? (F. Bailie responded that this question was beyond the immediate charge of the committee, but would be a part of the broader conversation moving forward)
  • Several people raised concerns about how the MWF schedule would impact faculty and students, in terms of preparation, work/commuting issues, and limitations on weekend travel and planning

F. Bailie assured the Assembly that she would take these comments, questions, and recommendations to the committee, and encouraged all to forward any further remarks to her.

New Business

  • T. Delgado asked for further information on the North Avenue picketers protesting the College’s decision to hire non-union labor for the Hynes and LePenta building projects, and asked for further clarification on the reasons behind this decision
    • A.M. Schettini-Lynch addressed the cost factor: hiring a mix of union and non-union laborers yielded a savings of $8m in construction costs
  • T. Delgado asked whether this decision was mission-consistent, particularly as related to Iona’s commitment to social justice
    • J. Nyre responded that the Facilities Committee sought to balance mission objectives—lowering the cost of education as part of the College’s commitment to social justice—by ameliorating much of the financial burden on students, faculty and staff, while still employing some union labor at a higher cost

T. Moretti adjourned the meeting at 5:10 p.m.