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College Council Minutes October 16, 2019

Wednesday, 10/16/19, 3:30 p.m.
Hegarty Room

Present: T. Moretti, D. DeFino, A. Howerton-Fox, A. Kelso, E. Mariola, M. Nadel, H. Park, S. Caruselle, H. McGowan, S. Carey, D. Wheeler, R. Highfield, J. Stabile, Z. Altinay, N. Cosby, T. Delgado, E. Hamerman, E. Procario-Foley, H. Short, I. Stabell, C. Winkler, M. Varner, D. Hopkins, M. Reilley, A. Schettini-Lynch

Excused: J Haber, J. Meyer

T. Moretti called the meeting to order at 3:36 p.m. Quorum was met.

Approval of Minutes

Minutes for the 9/18/19 meeting of the College Council were approved via e-mail on 10/16/19.

Announcements

  • None

Information Item: General Assembly

  • Chair’s review of the role of the College Council in governance, and the purpose of General Assembly meetings.

Information Item: President’s Report

  • S. Carey has been meeting alumni on the road and is impressed with how dedicated they are to the College and higher education
  • Each major division of the College is engaged in major initiatives. The branding initiative in particular offers an opportunity for self-reflection as we review who we say we are as an institution related to who we are in reality
  • Admissions held events on Columbus Day for prospective students and families, and with Open House coming up, Enrollment will be calling on all of us to help realize results in the admissions area. The new Vice President for Enrollment Management has great ideas and knows the business of enrollment inside and out

Information Item: Provost’s Report

  • The Faculty Compensation Plan and Performance Review Tool working groups met on 10/11.  They received comments and questions from the Committee on Academic Affairs and Faculty Senate.  In concert with the Senate, they are working to seat Academic Cluster working groups in six areas (Humanities, Social Sciences, STEM, Entrepreneurship and Fine Arts, Business, and Professional Studies), to help customize the review tool for each disciplinary unit. A deadline of May 2020 has been set for approval of their proposals, to assure implementation in Fall 2020, in alignment with Staff colleagues.
  • Thanks to all who attended to recent Town Hall
  • A reminder to all advisors and instructors to inform students of the potential benefits of special sessions
  • At a 9/24 meeting of department chairs and program directors, D. Wheeler introduced a new annual review instrument focused on programming, planning and budgeting
  • On 11/19 at noon in Romita Auditorium, the Provost’s Office will sponsor an open forum on shaping a more robust and impactful faculty development mechanism
  • Thanks to all who worked to develop the new grading system that is going before the Council for a vote today
  • A reminder to be reflective and open to developing skills that will benefit our students in their search for meaning, and academic and social success

Information Item: Core Curriculum Committee Report

  • CCC met on 9/19 and 10/10
  • CCC accepted 6 courses under 4 different core designations and referred 5 courses for revision
  • CCC completed data entry for AY18-19 core curriculum assessment
  • CCC is working toward release of Fall 19 e-portfolio for Core Signature Assignment uploads
  • CCC is reviewing and preparing for release of the Fall 19 Columba Cornerstone Learning Community survey
  • CCC is exploring the feasibility of qualitative modes of evaluating the curriculum

Information Item: Hynes Institute Report

  • The Hynes Institute is off to a great start in its new home in Spellman Hall well. Since its opening, students are actively using the space by taking classes, utilizing the coworking space, attending Entrepreneur Talks, workshops, student meetups and club events. 
  • The Fall 2019 Hynes Distinguished Speaker is Tania Vargas ’90 (cofounder of Goat-Milk Kidware).  She will present her talk on 11/14 at noon in Romita Auditorium
  • Three Iona students are in the process of completing their six-week training for candidacy of the University Innovation Fellows program of Stanford University’s d.school
  • The Hynes Institute hosted its second Lunch & Learn Faculty Seminar. Dr. Rasheda Weaver shared her experiences of how she developed a study abroad program in Jamaica that emphasizes services learning within a social entrepreneurship framework

Information Item: Reports from Constituent Assemblies

Faculty Senate

  • The Senate met on 10/3
  • S. Lee was invited to discuss new ways of strengthening and promoting Iona Scholars Day
  • J.Matich-Maroney was invited to discuss drafts of the compensation plan and performance-based pay metric, its history, and next steps
  • The Senate discussed a faculty vacancy on the Committee on Diversity
  • The Senate agreed to clear rules of order regarding email voting for committee vacancies
  • The Senate confirmed the results of La Penta Faculty special elections to Budget, Senate, and HR&C
  • The Senate tabled its discussion of Faculty Development after losing quorum

Staff and Administrative Council

  • SAC met on 9/26
  • Two of three committee vacancies were filled
  • The Staff Compensation Plan was discussed, including clarifications on overtime, the accrual of vacation time, non-financial incentives, and how the Plan compares to those at other institutions

Student Government Association

  • SGA meets weekly
  • Senate elections have closed, and SGA is currently operating with a full slate of legislators
  • Standing SGA committees are meeting regularly
  • L. Wenchell visited an SGA meeting to discuss Advising Center resources
  • D. Wheeler and J. Steele visited an SGA meeting to discuss the process of vetting graduation candidates
  • SGA continues to work on updating by-laws, and finalizing programming for the year

Information item: Reports from the Standing Committees

Committee on Academic Affairs

  • CAA met on 10/1
  • Potential issues arising from the implementation of minus grades were discussed
  • The committee accepted the schedule of 5-year reviews for the year, and also accepted the Academic calendar for 2020-2021

Committee on Budget

  • Budget met on 9/25 and 10/2
  • On 9/25, the committee voted unanimously to recommend a 3.5% increase in undergraduate Tuition and Fees, and a 3% increase in Room and Board for 2020/2021
  • On 10/2:
    • Office of Finance presented the Preliminary Statement of Activities for 2018/2019 and reviewed actual vs. budget, the variances and the increase in unrestricted net assets from operations.
    • Director of Arts & Sciences Graduate studies presented comparative graduate tuition and fees pricing for local and competitive schools.
    • Dean of LaPenta School of Business presented comparative graduate tuition and fees pricing for local and competitive schools.
  • On 10/7, J. Manley was elected to Budget as representative from LaPenta School of Business

Committee on Human Resources and Compensation

  • No report

Committee on Rank, Tenure, and Awards

  • No report

Committee on Libraries and Information Technology

  • The committee met on 10/8, and discussed the following
  • Workshops for students RefWorks and MLA citation https:/
  • Accessibility and AdobePro
  • Dual authentication for network security
  • WiFi problem locations
  • Student access to Microsoft Office applications

Committee on Institutional Advancement

  • Advancement met on 9/24
  • E. Hamerman was re-elected chair
  • The committee discussed priorities for the current academic year, including the Iona Forever campaign and ongoing programs for 50 Years of Women at Iona

Committee on Student Life

  • CSL met on 10/11
  • H. McGowan and Y. Makimura were elected co-chairs
  • CSL reviewed its charge and discussed programming and policies
  • CSL discussed how the space opened up by LaPenta construction and recent campus renovations are likely to impact student life

Committee on Athletics

  • Athletics met on 9/24
  • J. Fogerty reported on team standings GPA
  • M. Glovaski reviewed Spring 2019 sports and reported on the progress Fall 2019 sports
  • M. Glovaski reported on the progress of Hynes Athletic Center upgrades
  • The committee discussed the purpose of community service and incorporation of a volunteering tracking and management platform; how the Advising Center can support student athletes; and the difficulties student athletes face when instructors use older versions of textbooks

Committee on Diversity

  • COD met on 10/8
  • COD thanked T. Lyle and A. AlAbbad for their service as Chairs of the committee, and elected N. Cosby and A. Camara as our new Co-Chairs for the AY
  • COD has partnered with D. Hopkins (Student Life) on potential programming ideas for Women’s Herstory Month
  • COD discussed a potential Diversity Lecture Series in the Spring and reviewed particular strategies for securing long-term funding options to expand the annual program
  • COD set priorities for the year

Committee on Enrollment Management

  • No report

Committee for Environmental Sustainability

  • CES met on 9/26
  • The Committee heard a report on the 9/20 Climate March in which over 40 Iona students and faculty participated
  • Continued discussion and prioritization of concerns for 2019-20, with the suspension of the Environmental Studies major to be a major focus
  • Continued discussion of the structure of the committee.  Voting members verified; non-voting members (guests) to be welcomed.

Information Item: Open Discussion of the General Assembly

  • Discussion of how to improve attendance at future meetings, town halls, and other public forums, which included the potential positive impact of the new activity hour schedule, and setting the agenda for these events to focus in the most immediate concerns of the various College constituencies
  • Discussion of how to more actively engage students with campus life (in particular, commuter students), which included targeted programming (co- and extra-curricular) and making campus spaces more intentional
  • Discussion of how to engender more meaningful engagement between students and faculty, which included targeted dialogue between faculty and student representatives, expanding research partnerships, moving Iona Scholars Day to the fall term to encourage deeper academic engagement as early as possible, and more effectively communicating Mission & Ministry and Study Abroad opportunities

Action Item: New Grading Scale

  • A proposal for a new College grading scale, which includes minus grades, was discussed.  Questions were raised concerning implementation and transfer credit intake
  • Motion to approve was called and seconded.   The motion passed unanimously
  • Item closed

There being no other business, T. Moretti adjourned the College Council meeting at 5:12 p.m. The next Council meeting will be held on 11/13/19 at 3:30 p.m. in the Faculty Reception Room.