My Iona
News
All News
Events
All Events

College Council Minutes, April 7, 2021

Minutes
College Council
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Wednesday, 4/7/21, 3:30 p.m.
Via Zoom

Present:  T. Moretti, D. DeFino, D. Brophy, A. Howerton-Fox, M. Hughes, A. Kelso, E. Mariola, A. Rosenfeld, C. Normil, M. Wydan, J. Ford, C. Procario-Foley, S. Carey, D. Wheeler, R. Highfield, J. Stabile, T. Delgado, C. Dougherty, J. Haber, C. Procario-Foley, E. Procario-Foley, J. Rosenberg, I. Stabell, A. Stackhouse, M. Volza, C. Winkler, M. Callaghan, D. Costello, S. Furlong, K. O’Sullivan, M. Reilley, R. Rubbo, A. Schettini-Lynch, P. Sutera

Excused: H. Park, N. Cosby, J. Meyer, N. Naqvi

T. Moretti called the meeting to order at 3:34. Quorum was met.

Approval of Minutes

Minutes from the 3/3/21 College Council meeting were approved via e-mail on 4/15/21

Announcements

  • T. Moretti reviewed the purpose of General Assembly meetings
  • Chief Diversity Office, S. Furlong introduced herself to the College community
  • Next week is Iona’s annual Heritage Week; be on the look-out for various programs and events
  • Iona’s annual Holocaust Remembrance event will be held on 4/8 at 7:30pm via Zoom
  • The American Jewish Committee and Driscoll Professorship in Jewish-Catholic Studies will co-sponsor “Antisemitism: The Pandemic that Persists” as part of the Shared Roots, Divergent Paths series on 4/20 at 7:30 via Zoom

Information Item: President’s Report

  • No report (S. Carey was traveling on College business at the time of the meeting)

Information Item: Provost’s Report

  • The College plans to return to fully in-person teaching in the fall term
  • Summer courses are planned in a variety of formats, from fully DL to fully in-person
  • The College is in the process of establishing the School of Health Sciences, which will initially consist of the following existing academic programs:  Nursing, Mental Health Counseling, MFT, Social Work, Communication and Speech Disorders and Occupational Therapy
  • Commencement scheduling continues, with plans to hold an in-person recognition event for graduating students, a virtual Honors Convocation, and a pre-recorded virtual Baccalaureate Mass and Commencement
  • COVID testing continues apace
  • The College is partnering with Westchester Medical Center and other local healthcare providers to secure and distribute COVID vaccines to the Iona community; expect announcements in the coming days
  • The faculty award nomination window remains open until 4/9
  • The College continues to work with our Concordia partners to assist in completing the Iona portions of their Teach Out plan

Information Item: Core Curriculum Committee Report

  • CCC met on 3/4 and 3/18
  • ePortfolio has been opened for SP21
  • Assessment for AY 19-20 was conducted by a total of 26 faculty members (8 from CCC); analysis of results is underway; AY 20-21 Assessment will begin in June
  • A survey of FA20 LC/CC faculty has been launched, which seeks faculty feedback on showcase pedagogies in the areas of critical thinking, co-curricular engagement, learning community engagement, and the common read
  • A survey of FA21 COL 150 faculty has been launched, soliciting suggestions for the common read
  • 9 A&S and 2 Hynes courses have been accepted across 4 Core categories
  • Students are being sought to participate in SP21 Core focus groups

Information Item: Hynes Institute Report

  • The Iona Innovation Challenge is in full swing; 17 teams (33 students) submitted their first milestone on 3/16
  • The third mentor meet-up of the semester was held on 3/18
  • On 3/24 we held another Lunch & Learn seminar with Sean Harvey, Chief Compassion Officer & Founder of Sympónia Institute for Global Compassionate Healing
  • Hynes Institute's inaugural Designer-in-Residence, Rob Kissner, has developed a new course "Hacking and Making for Creative Problem Solving"

Information Item: Report on MSCHE

  • Working groups submitted drafts for the second Interim Report on 4/1; chapter drafts are due 6/15
  • The Chair of the Evaluation Team will visit Iona (virtually) on 4/28; the full Visiting Team visit will take place (virtually) in October 2021
  • On 4/21 at 12:30, the co-chairs will lead a Town Hall on our Self-Study Process

Information Item: Reports from Constituent Assemblies

Faculty Senate

  • The Senate met on 3/25
  • T. Moretti presented reports on MSCHE, the self-nomination and balloting process for elected and appointed committees, and the Budget Prioritization Taskforce
  • The Senate reviewed results of the Faculty surveys, and will distribute those results along with an Executive Summary shortly
  • The Senate discussed the participation of tenure-track faculty on major committees, and agreed to consider appointments on a case-by-case basis
  • T. Moretti alerted the Senate to plans for the establishment of the School of Health Services

Staff and Administrative Council

  • SAC met on 4/6
  • The committee agreed that staff awards held over from last year (due to COVID) should be acknowledged during Commencement
  • Nominations have been received and ballots are currently being finalized for upcoming elections
  • The committee raised several concerns about fall return to in-person instruction, COVID testing, and vaccine availability
  • The committee discussed the holiday/vacation calendar, as well as clarifying HR language regarding time off after holidays

Student Government Association

  • SGA meets regularly
  • On 3/11, SGA welcomed the Director of the TRIO Program;
  • This past week, SGA members participated in a number of Commencement listening sessions
  • SGA is currently focused on class senator elections, which will be concluded by mid-May
  • On 4/8, SGA will host a “Meet the Candidates” event; balloting will follow shortly after

Information Item: General Assembly Q&A

  • Q: How will students be notified of vaccine availability? A: A series of e-mails will follow shortly, with links to a sign-up portal
  • Q: What sorts of exceptions to fully in-person might we expect in the fall term? A: Only documented medical and religious exceptions
  • Q: How much notice could faculty expect in case they needed to accommodate students who could not attend in person, especially given how disruptive it might be to have one or two virtual students in a class otherwise designed entirely for in-person instruction? A: The goal is to minimize such instances to a negligible level by focusing on vaccinating students
  • Q: What if students demand virtual options? A: Only legitimate, documented accommodations will be allowed, and will be the rare exception
  • Q: What is the thinking beyond NOT requiring vaccinations? A: Current vaccinations, unlike COVID, are Title IV mandated; and even in those cases, hundreds of students are either exempt or non-compliant
  • Q: What sort of safety protocols do should we expect moving forward? A: Even in the post-COVID world, we should expect some use of PPEs
  • Q: Why weren’t students informed of recent website changes? A: Will look into the details
  • Q: Will Zoom be used in the future in place of snow days? A: A reasonable assumption, but we need to be sure the tech infrastructure is up to it
  • Q: Will there be a process in place to enable faculty to experiment with tech platforms to enhance in-person instruction? A: It is up to faculty to determine how and when to use tech to enhance in-person learning

Information item: Reports from the Standing Committees

Committee on Academic Affairs

  • CAA met on 3/30 and 4/5
  • CAA accepted the 5-year reports for the Libraries and Education
  • CAA approved six new programs in Education: MSEd Teaching Students with Disabilities in Childhood (Grades 1-6); MSEd Teaching Students with Disabilities in Early Childhood (Birth- Grade 2); MSEd Teaching Students with Disabilities in Childhood and Early Childhood (Birth-Grade 6); MSEd Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL); MST Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL); MSEd TESOL and Special Education
  • CAA approved the MS in Leadership and Innovation
  • CAA approved the Multiple Major proposal

Committee on Budget

  • Budget met on 3/10 and 3/24
  • K. O'Sullivan presented on the status of and strategies for recruiting the Fall 2021 freshmen class
  • D. Highfield presented on the status of LSB graduate enrollment for Fall 2021
  • J. Stabile presented on the status of A&S graduate enrollment for Fall 2021
  • The Finance Office presented the most recent Revenue Analysis: Historical, 20/21 Projections and 21/22 Budget numbers thus far

Committee on Human Resources and Compensation

  • HR&C met on 3/19
  • The committee discussed the status of the LSB Dean’s Search
  • The committee reviewed administrative decisions thus far regarding COVID and return to in-person teaching the FA21
  • The committee noted that Cammack Retirement Group has entered into partnership with CAPTRUST; this will have no significant impact on our current retirement plans
  • The committee reviewed non-faculty employee Performance Review procedures and timeline for this fiscal year

Committee on Rank, Tenure, and Awards

  • No report

Committee on Libraries and Information Technology

  • The committee met on 3/31
  • CAA has approved the Libraries Five-Year Review
  • The new Worldcat interface should be available by the end of June
  • IT is considering removing desktop computers from up to three of the computer labs, in order to enable students to plug in their own laptop devices

Committee on Institutional Advancement

  • Advancement met on 3/23
  • The committee reviewed March virtual alumni events for March Madness and St. Patrick's Day
  • The committee discussed plans for the 4/14 virtual Loftus Dinner
  • The Trustees’ Gala is scheduled for 6/4 as a combined virtual/in person event

Committee on Student Life

  • Student Life met on 3/26
  • K. O’Sullivan reviewed ongoing recruitment efforts
  • J. Quintong reviewed several Residential Life initiatives and activities
  • M. Wydan gave an update on SGA civic engagement, updates to SGA bylaws, and spring elections
  • J. Bethea spoke about rising incidence of anti-Asian American hate and violence, and the College’s response

Committee on Athletics

  • No report

Committee on Diversity

  • COD met on 3/24
  • The committee discussed rebranding to reflect its purpose and mission of inclusivity
  • The committee discussed various opportunities for campus outreach
  • The committee discussed potential themes and speakers for the SP22 Diversity Spotlight

Committee on Enrollment Management

  • The committee met on 3/11
  • Admissions and SFS outlined strategies for recruiting Concordia students
  • Enrollment reviewed fall to spring retention rates, 2021-22 application numbers/yields to date, and its increased emphasis on scholarships tied to campus engagement in areas such as service, performing arts, and club sports

Committee for Environmental Sustainability

  • COES met on 3/25
  • S. Carey’s video remarks on the College’s commitment to the message of Laudato si’: On Care for Our Common Home have been made available
  • Deignan Institute and Berry Forum partnered with Dr. Silmilly Toribio on 2/24 to host an online program for her Columba Cornerstone classes: “Embodying Eco-Justice at Freedom Farm: A Conversation with Edgar Hayes” 
  • IC Green inquiries about pollinator garden have been passed along to Facilities for possible summer event with students
  •  A subcommittee was formed to help raise awareness regarding recycling and composting on campus; it will present about student compliance at SGA in April

Action Item: School of Health Sciences

A motion was brought forward to endorse the establishment of the School of Health Sciences; the motion was unanimously approved; item closed

There being no other business, T. Moretti adjourned the College Council meeting at 4:51pm.  The next College Council meeting will be held on 5/5 at 3:30 via Zoom.