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College Council Minutes, March 9, 2022

Minutes
College Council
Wednesday, 3/9/22, 3:30 p.m.
Via Zoom

Present:  T. Moretti, D. DeFino, M. Bard, A. Howerton-Fox, M. Hughes, E. Mariola, A. Rosenfeld, M. Veyvoda, A. Connolly, M. Wydan, S. Carey, D. Wheeler, L. Richardson, J. Stabile, C. Andruk, J. Gerometta, T. Delgado, J. Haber, M. Newell, I. Stabell, E. Procario-Foley, C. Winkler, M. Callaghan, N. Cosby, J. Quintong, A. Schettini-Lynch
Excused: L. Derenzis, A. Saccoman, A. Aggarwal, O. Huk, T. Lyle, M. Malenbaum, A. Stackhouse, R. Weaver

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

Approval of Minutes

Minutes from the 2/9/22 College Council meeting were approved via e-mail on 3/2/22

Announcements:

None

Information Item: President’s Report

  • S. Carey highlighted several recent faculty accomplishments
  • Kavita R. Dhanwada, Ph.D., has been named founding Dean of the New York-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences
  • Yield season is underway; faculty are asked to be on the lookout for requests from Admissions to help present the Iona story to prospective students
  • The Murphy Green project is on schedule for completion by mid-April
  • Iona’s application for university status has been submitted to NYSED

Information Item: Provost’s Report

  • Commencement is scheduled for 5/21 on Mazzella Field; faculty in need of regalia are urged to order it immediately
  • The President and Provost will host a Town Hall at 12:30 on 3/30 in Romita; the event will be livestreamed
  • Several faculty have not yet submitted mid-term reports; it is imperative that this be done on time, as they allow for early intervention and higher student success rates
  • The Provost’s Office will be increasing efforts to identify and secure funds to support academic efforts in the humanities, social sciences, and fine and performing art
  • D. Wheeler recognized the efforts of his team in the areas of faculty development, student services, software upgrades, and operational supports
  • D. Wheeler recognized the efforts of E. Procario-Foley and the Core Assessment team
  • Our honor societies will be holding inductions over the coming months; please show your support
  • COVID masking policies have been updated: masks are now only required in classrooms and designated areas, though strongly encouraged in all indoor spaces

Information Item: Core Curriculum Committee Report

  • CCC met four times since the last Council meeting
  • Fall Core assessment is underway
  • 24 Learning Communities have been scheduled for FA22; 1 more COL 150 faculty is needed to complete a 25th, and 1 or 2 to teach freestanding COL 150 designated for transfer students
  • CCC presented proposed changes to the Core at a 2/11 Town Hall, and subsequently to ARTLC, Senate, and SGA; modifications will now move through governance for approval and implementation

Action Item: Proposal to Make Hynes Director an Ex Officio member of RTA

  • After preliminary discussion, where several concerns were raised, and members of RTA urged the need for further time to consider implications, a motion was called and seconded to table the proposal
  • The motion passed unanimously
  • Item remains open

Information Item: Reports from Constituent Assemblies

Faculty Senate

  • The Senate met on 2/24
  • E. Procario-Foley presented proposed changes to the Core
  • The Senate discussed possible changes to governance committee composition (partly to ensure that SHS faculty are proportionally represented) and the function of College Council
  • The Senate reviewed expected committee openings ahead of the committee election and appointment process

Staff and Administrative Council

  • A. Scaccia was elected Vice Chair
  • SAC continues to work on filling staff committee seats, and has begun the election process for next year
  • SAC discussed traffic and parking issues with Campus Safety & Security

Student Government Association

  • SGA meets weekly for the remainder of the semester in person
  • SGA met with S. Furlong to discuss DEI initiatives, E. Procario-Foley to discuss potential changes to the Core, and K. Byrne to speak about his new role as LSB Coordinator for Student and Alumni Engagement
  • Class senator elections are expected to be completed by the end of April
  •  SGA Constitution and bylaw changes are in process
  • SGA continues to work in collaboration with the Center for Student Engagement to spread the word about senior/graduation events coming up this semester

Information item: Reports from the Standing Committees

Committee on Rank, Tenure and Awards

  • Since the last Council meeting, RTA has reviewed 12 cases

Committee on Academic Affairs

  • No report

Committee on Budget

  • No report

Committee on Human Resources and Compensation

  • No report

Committee on Libraries and Information Technology

  • LIT met on 2/28
  • Repairs to the 3rd floor west wing of Ryan are ongoing, and will impact availability of some books, a few classroom and study spaces, and the noise level directly below
  • LIT voted to approve the replacement of the all-in-one computers in Doorley G-09, Hynes 217, and the PSY lab

Committee on Institutional Advancement

  • Advancement met on 2/15
  • L. Doherty (the new Senior VP of Advancement) was introduced
  • Fall events were reviewed
  • The Forever Campaign continues
  • Discussions began regarding the feasibility of connecting alumni relations through various departments

Committee on Student Life

  • IC360 has so far had a positive impact on student success
  • 3/27 and 4/23 are Accepted Students Days
  • Strategic planning for the Gael Interpersonal Violence and Education program is underway

Committee on Athletics

  • Athletics met on 3/1
  • Winter sports are wrapping up, and Spring sports getting started
  • Progress reports were sent to coaches and academic staff; concerning grades are being addressed
  • Student-athlete FA22 registration began on 3/7

Committee on Diversity

  • No report

Committee on Enrollment Management

  • EM met on 3/9
  • The committee heard reports from Advising and Student Financial Services
  • Enrollment yield is up from last year

Committee for Environmental Sustainability

  • CoES met on 2/24
  • The St. Catherine of Siena Environmental Summit will take place on 4/24
  • The functionality of current Level 1 charging stations will be investigated by Facilities, along with possibility of installing more efficient, higher-powered stations
  • Cenergistic reports $2.5m in energy savings over the past five years, though the bulk of that has been absorbed by rising utility costs
  • The committee discussed planning for the Meditation Garden on campus
  • Student members made two proposals: a koi pond on the Bronxville campus; and a viability study for vermicomposting on campus

There being no other business, T. Moretti adjourned the College Council meeting at 4:43pm. The next meeting of the Council will be held on 4/6/22; it will be a General Assembly.