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College Council Minutes September 30, 2020

Wednesday, 9/30/20, 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. Wyden, J. Ford, C. Procario-Foley, D. Wheeler, R. Highfield, J. Stabile, N. Cosby, C. Dougherty, J. Haber, M. Malenbaum, J. Meyer, N. Naqvi, J. Rosenberg, E. Procario-Foley, I. Stabell, A. Stackhouse, C. Winkler, M. Callaghan, J. Quintong, M. Reilley, A. Schettini-Lynch, D. Smith, J. Steele, K. Sullivan, P. Sutera, P. Tascio
Excused: H. Park, S. Carey, N. Cosby, T. Delgado, T. Lyle

T. Moretti called the meeting to order at 3:32. Quorum was met.

Approval of Minutes:

Minutes for the 9/2 of College Council were approved via e-mail on 9/30

Announcements:

  • This week marks the annual Make a Difference Week coordinated by the Office of Mission and Ministry
  • The Office of Mission and Ministry will be hosting our annual Thanksgiving Basket fundraiser: sign-up and collection information is forthcoming
  • Jewish-Catholic Studies will host “The Influence of Religion on Voting” (John Gehring and Nadine Epstein) at 7:30pm on 10/15 via Zoom

Information Item: President’s Report

  • Dr. Carey is teaching “Introduction to Moral Philosophy” this term during the time scheduled for College Council meetings; M. Callaghan will deliver reports in his stead
  • 8 weeks into the Fall term, our students continue to rise to the extraordinary challenges posed by the pandemic; to date, 9 students have been recipients of the “Gaels Take Care of Gaels”  campaign scholarships 
  • More than 4,200 COVID tests have been taken by Iona students, faculty and staff since 7/1; testing is now available on campus in partnership with Montefiore; our goal of conducting surveillance testing for 250 to 300 students weekly is being met
  • The new College website has launched with a brighter, fresh design, video capability and crisp photos; it is dynamic, mobile friendly and intentionally focused toward potential and current students
  • Our new Dean of Students in the Division of Student Affairs, Joel Quintong, comes to Iona with nearly 20 years of experience in Catholic Higher Education; his appointment is part of a larger restructuring that bridges admissions and student affairs under a common leader in a way that will better support enrollment and retention at Iona
  • Also part of the restructuring will be the enhancement of Iona’s Club Sports and Performing Arts offerings
  • The Chief Diversity Officer Search Committee will meet next this Friday to determine which of the more than 100 applicants to invite for first round interviews
  • Since 2014 the students of Iona have gathered on the East Hill to participate in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and support Iona alumnus Pat Quinn '06; I was happy to join them this past week in supporting this important cause, as the Challenge has raised over $250 million worldwide since its launch
  • The Strategic Innovation Committee has submitted an Executive Report, the contents of which I will be sharing more broadly in coming weeks

Information Item: Provost’s Report

  • Please refer all questions previously directed to M. Jordan, to M. Littleton and I. Reece
  • Fall 2020 grades are due by 11/23 (last day of term)
  • School of Business Winter Quarter will follow normal schedule
  • The College is exploring the possibility of an additional intersession in December and/or January
  • The Spring 2021 term will run 2/1 to 5/21
  • Since 7/1, there have been 4,278 COVID-19 tests conducted (415 last week alone), with 4 active student and 2 active staff cases (all since out of isolation); we continue to monitor data and evolving information from NYS and CDC, as well as national higher education trends and responses to COVID-19
  • The College will conduct a flu shot clinic for students and faculty and staff covered by the College health plan on 10/8; we are exploring options for other employees

Information Item: Core Curriculum Committee Report

  • CCC met on 9/3 and 9/17
  • CCC received implicit bias training
  • CCC decided to reduce the size of the annual freshman Cornerstone Learning Community and incorporate it into the CTE for COL 150 beginning this semester
  • The CCC continues to work on SLO mapping for assessment; we are analyzing the data to make sure we have a sufficient representation of courses across all core SLOs
  • Work to deploy this semester’s e-portfolio is underway; faculty will be alerted when the platform is ready to receive uploads
  • A letter of intent for a grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation was submitted

Information Item: Hynes Institute Report

  • Hynes Curriculum Committee met on 9/21 
  • The Institute held its second Mentor Meetup on 9/3
  • Co-curricular Programming this semester will include 10 E-talks, 5 student workshops, virtual in-class peer and community coworking, 5 Lunch & Learn seminars
  • University Innovation Fellows (d.school Stanford) are currently completing their 6-week training, developing a project on campus
  • The first Virtual Idea Hackathon will take place on 10/2
  • Hynes is currently conducting interviews for the launch of the GaelVentures Virtual Incubator Program; the pilot will launch the week of 10/5

Information Item: Report on MSCHE

  • The Middle States Working Groups will submit detailed outlines by today; the Steering Committee co-chairs will provide feedback by 10/15
  • Work remains on target for completion ahead of the planned Evaluation Team visit during Fall 2021
  •  The Steering Committee co-chairs have also worked to fill vacated spots in several working groups to ensure that all college constituents are represented and are participating in the self-study process

Information Item: Reports from Constituent Assemblies

Faculty Senate

  • The Senate met on 9/17
  • The new Dean of Students position was announced, prompting a discussion about the hiring process
  • Fall Convocation plans are in the works, during which Faculty Senate Awards will be bestowed
  • The Senate certified the results of the RTA election, where J. Carroll was selected to fill an A&S vacancy
  • The Senate reviewed the 9/2 College Council discussion regarding the RTA Tenure Clock Proposal, and considered other ways that the college might support faculty filing for tenure this Fall
  • A Senate sub-committee was formed to review and potentially revise the Faculty Survey, which will be administered in Spring 2021
  • The Senate discussed the new policy excluding employees without CBS insurance from free immunizations during the Flu Vaccine Clinic on 10/8; D. Wheeler and M. Callaghan agreed to look into alternatives
  • The Senate discussed the ways that mixed mode has been working this semester, including the migration of greater numbers of students online and the impacts on student engagement and pedagogy

Staff and Administrative Council

  • SAC met last week
  • Committee memberships were finalized
  • The implications of the new spring semester start and stop dates were discussed
  • The committee considered alternative staggered on-campus staff schedules to maximize social distancing in offices
  • The committee received updates on the new Dean of Students
  • The committee reviewed the new spring holiday schedule

Student Government Association

  • SGA meets every other week; the following occurred since College Council last met
  • K. O’Sullivan and J. Quintong introduced themselves and outlined their new roles
  • D. Wheeler reviewed COVID-19 statistics and student survey results, and announced that limited printing options would be made available to eligible students on campus
  • Four new senators and a new VP for Internal Affairs were welcomed to SGA
  • SGA hosted two registration drive events in coordination with the local League of Women Voters chapter
  • SGA strongly encourages students who cannot return to their polling place to vote, to use absentee ballots

Information item: Reports from the Standing Committees

Committee on Academic Affairs

  • CAA met on 9/15
  • CAA will now receive regular reports from Honors, IRB, and CCC
  • The Registrar reminded the committee that new course proposals should be sent to that office prior to the deans
  • A new FPA course (Theater for Social Justice) was approved
  • EDU 480 and EDU 580 were re-activated
  • The minimum grade threshold for acceptance into the EDU major for Core MTH and ENG 120 has been lowered from B to C

Committee on Budget

  • Budget met on 9/14 and 9/23
  • The committee welcomed new members, and reviewed its charge, its meeting schedule and timeline, and the College's Vision and Values Statements
  • The committee initiated a conversation regarding the revenue budget
  • K.  O'Sullivan reflected on the current enrollment landscape, and answered questions regarding strategies for continued enrollment growth, particularly during the pandemic
  • The committee reviewed the 2020/2021 Final Approved Budget shared by the Office of Finance
  • The committee discussed 21/22 Tuition, Fees, Room & Board increase scenarios

Committee on Human Resources and Compensation

  • HR&C met on 9/18
  • D. Wheeler provided an update on COVID-19 testing
  • HR selected Paycom as the vendor for the HRM System (Human Resources Management); a letter will go out to all employees in the next week discussing the changes to the retirement program; informational meetings will be scheduled, one of which will be recorded and available on demand for 30 days
  • Language regarding Health Insurance and Dental Insurance policies has updated for clarity, but the policies have not changed
  • The committee will review the Tuition Remission Policy and Employment Policy next

Committee on Rank, Tenure, and Awards

  • No report; members of RTA who also sit on College Council will make themselves available for questions should they arise; and RTA will continue to offer end-of-term overviews of the work of the committee

Committee on Libraries and Information Technology

  • The committee met on 9/17
  • Ryan and Arrigoni libraries have been set up for social distancing and for student access to remote courses; librarians are available seven days a week in person, via phone, or via e-mail
  • Faculty should contact their library liaisons for any library materials or supports they might need for Intersession by mid-October, and Spring term by the end of November
  • The committee endorsed extended hours for exam week and the week prior
  • In accordance with CDC guidelines, student-access keyboards and printers had been taken offline; however, the committee recommended that student-leaders whose jobs require printing should have a printer made available to them on the main floor

Committee on Institutional Advancement

  • Advancement met on 9/15
  • The committee discussed virtual and in-person events from the Alumni Engagement Office
  • The committee reviewed Iona Forever campaign fundraising progress to date

Committee on Student Life        

  • Student Life met on 9/4
  • The committee discussed issues created by CDC guidelines restricting student printer use; D. Wheeler and M. Wydan will discuss possible solutions
  • The committee reviewed progress on the selection of a Dean of Students who, upon hiring, would become an ex officio member of the committee
  • The committee discussed issues students were having with the new dining app
  • The committee reviewed efforts to increase student engagement during the pandemic, including regular e-mails informing students of upcoming events, and in particular to commuter students to get their input

Committee on Athletics

  • No report

Committee on Diversity

  • COD met on 9/16
  • The committee identified key priorities for the year, including campus outreach and generating resources for DEI work
  • The committee reviewed an SGA proposal to partner with COD on anti-racist work on campus

Committee on Enrollment Management

  • No report

Committee for Environmental Sustainability

  • The committee met on 9/24
  • The revised Environmental Studies program will be ready for governance review in early October
  • The Contemplative Circle planned to host Dr. Mindahi Bastida on 10/12, but he will be sending a representative to speak on his behalf
  • The next Laudato Si presentation is 10/3 in White Plains
  • The committee continues to work on the language of the land acknowledgement statement
  • A request was made for information on which buildings have MERV 13 filters; Facilities is gathering that information
  • WEACT and South Bronx Unite have both been invited to speak at Week of the Peacemaker
  • The committee discussed ways of increasing engagement with IC Green
  • The committee is currently seeking a voting member from SAC
  • The committee is considering a panel on the Election and Climate Change in collaboration M. Hagerty from POL

There being no other business, T. Moretti adjourned the College Council meeting at 4:46pm.  The next College Council meeting will be held on 10/21 at 3:30 via Zoom.