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University Council Minutes, March 6, 2024

March 6, 2024, 3:30pm, via Zoom

Present:  M. Callaghan, C. Carlson, S. Curko, C. DelliCarpini, J. DeMelis, K. Dhanwada, B. Gaines, M. Higgins, A. Howerton-Fox, N. Kane, Y. Kang, A. Kelso, T. Mulligan, N. Naqvi, E. Procario-Foley, A. Qayyum, A. Rosenfeld, A. Saccoman, B. Sanner, C. Smith, O. Soluade, J. Stabile

Excused: C. Andruk, J. Breslin, S. Carey, J. Carroll, O. Huk, T. Pichardo, T. Pope, S. Silverberg, M. Volza, C. Winkler

A. Rosenfeld called the meeting to order at 3:31. Quorum was met.

Announcements

  • From Elena Procario-Foley
    • On March 26 at 7:00 pm in Burke Lounge- Shared Roots, Divergent Paths: Preaching Christ’s Passion without Harming Jews, with Dr. Adam Gregerman and Dr. Phillip Cunningham.
    • On April 4 at 8:00 pm in Burke Lounge-Iona Community Iftar.  Sponsored by Driscoll Professorship in Jewish-Catholic Studies, Office of Mission and Ministry, Office of DEIB, and the student club SAME.
    • On April 16 at 7:30 pm in Burke Lounge- Annual Yom Ha’Shoah Holocaust Commemoration.
  • From Joe Stabile
    • On April 3 at 12:30 pm in Romita Auditorium- Beyond the Red and Blue Divide. Dr. Jeanne Zaino will be interviewing county executive George Latimer.
    • On April 10 at 12:30 pm in Romita Auditorium- New York 1860: City on a Precipice. The rapid political changes that happened in that year leading up to the civil war. Dean’s Symposium with Dr. Joshua Leon. He will speak on the work he did as a New York Historical Society fellow last year.

Information Item: President’s Report

  • We just met last week at the Town Hall meeting which I think was the most well attended Town Hall we have had since my arrival. I appreciate all of you who were able to attend in person, or participate via the zoom.
  • We were able to introduce you to the new Senior Vice President for Advancement and External Affairs Gary Grant and re-introduce you to Jim Mustich who has re-joined Iona, as Senior Advisor to the President.
  • We also unveiled the renderings for the LaPenta Student Union Dining Hall renovations set to begin just after commencement. Spanning two floors and roughly 20,000 square feet, the redesign will create an inviting, modern, open-concept space opening out onto the Murphy Green. We will be maximizing natural light with large windows and pull-out doors. The design also incorporates LEDs and low-carbon-footprint materials for greater energy efficiency. In addition, the renovation features a 6,000-square-foot lounge and meeting area on the ground floor. This will include multipurpose rooms for student clubs and leadership organizations, a stunning gas fireplace, several flat-screen televisions and versatile seating that can be configured in various arrangements. The lounge area will have a strong connection to Starbucks, providing additional overflow seating.
  • We are excited about the renovations and grateful to our food vendor Chartwells who is partnering with us on the design and funding for the project.
  • I also talked about a new Center for Teaching and Learning which will be a vibrant hub for innovation, faculty development, and student success. We are working on a location and layout for the Center and will have more to share this semester.
  • In the coming weeks we will announce Dick Gephardt as this year’s Commencement Speaker. Gephardt served in the United States House of Representatives for 28 years and as House Leader for more than 14 years, emerging as a leading strategists and chief architect to landmark reforms in healthcare, pensions, education, energy independence and trade, and as an inspirational advocate for international human rights.
  • As a reminder, last year’s commencement speaker, Maggie Timoney, Iona Trustee and CEO of Heineken USA, will serve as Grand Marshal of the 2024 New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade. On Saturday, March 16, she will become just the sixth woman to lead the historic parade in its 263-year history. You are all invited to join us in the march up 5th avenue and for a pre-parade reception at the Long Room.
  • Thank you. I hope you all have a nice Spring Break.

Information Item: Provost’s Report

  • CAA will be very busy in the next month, more on that next UC meeting
  • Training for faculty in both AI and hybrid online learning continues--a number of workshops coming up in April.
  • Workshops forthcoming with Bill Goren on Accessibility. The theme is how to make this less work for faculty to support students in that space.
  • Workload group will be sharing working groups recommended policy to faculty senate in a few weeks, presenting to entire faculty the following week in April.  Based on feedback received hope to make some quick improvements.

A number of events coming up over the next few weeks related to St. Patrick’s Day.

Information Item: Core Curriculum Report

  • Since last University Council meeting, the Core Curriculum Committee has met three times: Feb 1, 15, 29.
  • Continued to recruit faculty for the Fall 24 Cornerstones and learning community courses; need 3 more sections.
  • Posted a learning community schedule for FS24 with the registrar.;
  • Crafted a policy change concerning transfer students and the Columba Cornerstone requirement; the change is moving through the POI governance process.
  • Planned for annual core town hall on 3/7 via zoom.
  • Reviewed courses for inclusion in the core curriculum.
  • Continued to plan for the May 14 Annual Training for Learning Communities which will return to an in-person format this year.

Information Item: Reports from Constituent Assemblies 

Faculty Senate

  • Met on 2/29.
  • Discussed Narcan access.
  • Thanks to Michael Higgins, joining as new member of executive committee.
  • Constitution Review committee continuing to meet.
  • Discussed faculty handbook, and changes, and how they get made, and faculty senate reiterated importance that faculty are made aware of any changes made.
  • Discussed ongoing issue of continuing to have faculty input in governance process, including faculty being aware of roles of various committees.
  • Possibility of using the Higher Education Review Institute survey, will have response following our next meeting.
  • Discussed the new Center for Teaching and Learning and the importance of faculty input from the beginning of this process in how the Center is structured and the kind of work it does.

Staff and Administrative Council

  • A quick thank you to the provost’s office for scheduling the Robert’s Rules workshop by the Westchester Parliamentarians; it was engaging and very informative!
  • SAC will be sending out the survey for nominations for new SAC members soon; everyone please look for the email and be sure to nominate anyone you think would be a good representative of staff and administrative employees.
  • We have formed the Br. Bray Award subcommittee and you’ll soon see an email for nominations.  There are three categories: full-time exempt and full-time non-exempt employee of the year, as well as part-time employee of the year.  Please keep an eye out for the email and nominate someone you think is deserving of the award – you can nominate one person per category. 
  • Last, we have recently launched the Employee Newsletter, which will be sent quarterly.  The first issue is scheduled for early April.  Please check the Tuesday Campus Announcements for the link to share, or you can go to iona.edu/employeenewsletter. This is a great way for all employees to share our news and increase our community engagement with each other.  We have already had a few submissions and look forward to a robust first issue.  Pictures are welcome and encouraged!

Student Government Association

  • No report received.

Information item: Reports from the Standing Committee 

Committee on Rank, Tenure and Awards

  • No report received.

Committee on Academic Affairs

  • Committee has not met since last University Council meeting.

Committee on Budget

  • Committee has not met since last University Council meeting.

Committee on Human Resources and Compensation

  • Jenn Lykins, our new Title IX coordinator, reviewed our Title IX policy as well as updates she has made to the Title IX website. Jenn also reviewed the updated resources card which details available resources for Title IX situations. If anyone has any questions regarding Title IX, please feel free to contact Jenn.
  • The 2024-25 holiday schedule is now available on our website.
  • Employee Appreciation Day was Mar 1 and we were happy to share our appreciation for everything our Iona community does with refreshments and an employee giveaway on Feb 29, as well as celebrating Iona Gaels Spirit Dress Down on Mar 1 and rooting for our Gaels against Quinnipiac that night – (update with result).
  • We continue to review policies and if there are any policies you find need to be revisited, please email Denise Smith.

Committee on Libraries and Information Technology

  • Met on January 22.
  • Group Study Room Reservations. 
  • Tent displays and signs have been posted around Ryan Library to inform students of the reservation system. 
  • Some students have already started booking.  The traffic will likely grow as the semester progresses and exam periods come up. 
  • Library Workshops and Events 
  • Natalka will communicate with MarCom to highlight workshops and events in upcoming campus announcements. 
  • Blackboard Ultra Update 
  • Communication plan updates- ongoing 
  • Teaching Readiness Training- ongoing 
  • Four faculty have converted Spring 2024 Original View courses to Ultra View courses. 
  • AI Update 
  • Exploring user experience from a pedagogical perspective: Instructors are looking at how to change courses to get students engaging more as AI grows. 
  • Aidan Callahan: promoted to Instructional Technologist. 
  • He works under Tony Iodice, providing support for Blackboard, AI, media, etc. 
  • Library Hours are available online.

Committee on Institutional Advancement

  • No report received.

Committee on Student Life (from J. Quintong)

  • Committee met Friday, February 2, 2024.
  • Killian's kickoff for the Winter was a success.
  • Student Leadership & Diversity Conference Friday, March 22nd.
  • Spring 2024 Career and Internship Fair Thursday, February 29, 2024, 11 am – 2 pm.
  • Office Mission & Ministry had immersion trips to Lima, Peru, and Brownsville, TX over the Winter Break.
  • The Iona University Cheerleading team will compete at UCA Nationals in Orlando, Florida.
  • The dance team will compete at the 2024 National Dance Team Championships.
  • SGA Town Hall Meetings are being held to keep everyone updated on events and due dates.
    • A special guest at the last Town Hall Meeting was Kevin O’Sullivan, Senior Vice President for Enrollment and Student Affairs.

Committee for Athletics

  • The Committee on Athletics met via Zoom on Thursday, February 1, 2024.
  • The Academic Report was presented by Jamie Fogarty. The Fall 2023 overall 3.42 GPA for Iona student-athletes was “the highest in a long time,” with all teams earning a GPA over 3.0.
  • The Athletic Report was presented by Matt Glovaski. Winter sports continue with their Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference schedules, including men’s and women’s basketball, women’s water polo, and men’s and women’s swimming diving, who will compete in the MAAC championships at a new facility in Ohio. Spring sports are “gearing up” for their seasons.
  • The Community Service Report was presented by Mr. Glovaski. Coming out of winter break, teams are reaching out to new organizations, including Team Impact, for service projects.
  • In the Director’s Report, Mr. Glovaski discussed a “very busy week” with the induction of six new members to the Hall of Fame on Saturday. This year’s formal induction ceremony will be separate from the annual spring golf outing. Women’s Athletic Leadership Night will be held on February 7. Iona’s SAAC won a national contest with its video “The Power of the Platform of SAAC,” resulting in “national recognition” and a $2,000 award.
  • The committee will meet virtually next at noon, Thursday, March 7.

Committee on Diversity

  • No report received.

Committee on Enrollment Management

  • Has not met this academic year.

Committee on Environmental Sustainability

  • The Committee on Environmental Sustainability met on 2/29/24, we discussed results of a poll we had held to see how funds might be distributed from the Cenergistics Award the committee received in September 2023. Main support was for the installation of an algae bench that was developed by Iona student Lazar Paroski, and the second choice was for current composting project in place in Montgomery Garage to increase capacity and efficiency. 
  • Ongoing events were presented from the Institute of Earth and Spirit and Berry Forum and shared as an addenda with the different events previously held and currently planned. 
  • There was a meeting planned on 3/1 regarding the pollinator garden between Christina and members of the Facilities Department. This is a project that has will be funded through a grant from the Earth and Spirit Institute. 
  • A Gaels Go Green student representative presented on future club activities which include talks on invasive species and a clothing drive. There was a discussion around a collaboration between GreenFaith and Gaels go Green. All members of the committee were invited to visit the compost project on campus. Currently two students are supervising the project three days a week during activity hour. 
  • An additional note the committee would like to add relates to ongoing discussions about reusable plateware and cutlery in the dining spaces on campus. Currently there is no reusable option in any dining spaces on campus and this is a concern to students and to the committee. Over the course of several months, the committee has presented information from a company ReDish to business services. Redish provides reusable containers on a rental basis and washes these off-site. This is a viable alternative for dining facilities when there is no dishwashing infrastructure but does incur a cost. The committee members therefore welcomed the news from Dr. Carey at the Town Hall meeting on 3/28 about the dishwashing capacity in the new planned dining space. The Committee will continue communication with Business services about the details of the plan. 

Old Business: None

New Business

General Assembly at our next meeting, so if anyone has ideas about things they want to see, or have further discussion on, please share!

There being no other business, A. Rosenfeld adjourned the University Council meeting at 3:58 pm. The next meeting of the Council will be a General Assembly held on 4/17/24.