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University Council Minutes, October 16, 2024

Wednesday, 10/16/24, 3:30 p.m.

Present: A. Rosenfeld., D. DeFino, M. Bard, C. Carlson, M. Higgins, M. Hughes, O. Murillo, L. Paroski, C. DelliCarpini, L. Roca, T. Mulligan, J. DeMellis, K. Dhanwada, J. Stabile, C. Winkler, E. Procario-Foley, M. Beckwith, J. Robinson, C. Smith, I. Stabell, N. Vidal-Finnerty, M. Callaghan, J. Steele

Excused: S. Carey, Y. Kang, A. Qayyum, R. Richardson, M. Volza
A. Rosenfeld called the meeting to order at 3:33 p.m. Quorum was met.

Approval of Minutes:

Minutes for the 9/18/24 meeting of the University Council were approved via e-mail on 10/4/24

Announcements:

None

Information Item: President’s Report

 (read by M. Callaghan)

  • Class of 2029 recruitment efforts are well underway; our first Open House this past weekend drew 12% more visitors than last year, with a 75% show rate; it was a strong turnout, with excellent energy from parents, prospective students, and Iona staff and faculty
  • The first event in the Presidential Speaker Series will be held tonight at 6:30 in Henry Lecture Hall; Jeffrey Saviano ‘89, will discuss, “Where Strategy Meets Governance and Ethical Intelligence
  • Homecoming and Reunion Weekend will take place 10/18-10/20, with many activities and special events, including a performance by the Iona Players, a special exhibit in the Br. Kenneth Chapman Gallery titled “The Women Dandies of The DRC: Sartorialism As Gendered Resistance In Central Africa,” and several Iona teams competing in game
  • Visits to academic and administrative departments continue, and a strong strategic vision for Iona is emerging from those conversations
  • A memorial service will be held for Vernon Howell, beloved colleague and member of Campus Safety, in the Arrigoni Center tomorrow, 10/17, at 3:30pm

Information Item: Provost’s Report

  • Thanks to staff and faculty for your efforts during the 10/13 Open House; the next event will be held on 11/24
  • Next week, the work of the Gabelli Presidential and Provost fellows with begin
  • The Workload committee met with faculty two weeks ago to discuss its recommendations, and will share that presentation with the wider community shortly
  • Thanks to the support of many campus-wide offices and constituent groups, and the rapid response of faculty, our first round of universal student progress reports went off very well (only 52 students did not receive a report grade by the deadline); outreach to support struggling students is already underway
  • RTA will begin its work in earnest starting early November
  • Data regarding eFollett use will be distributed to the community soon

Information Item: Core Curriculum Committee Report

  • CCC met on 9/26 and 10/10
  • Recruitment of Fall 2025 COL 150 instructors from A&S, LSB, SHS and Hynes is ongoing; several sections remain unstaffed
  • Recruitment of faculty for January and May assessment scoring is also underway
  • The committee continued to review and consult on proposed Core course syllabi
  • The committee reached out to Core faculty to remind them of their Core courses and related SLOs, and to review the process for student submission of Core Signature Assignments
  • The committee considered requests for the funding of learning community activities

Information Item: Reports from Constituent Assemblies

Faculty Senate

  • The Senate met on 10/10
  • A. Rosenfeld gave updates on his discussion with T. Mulligan regarding how to more effectively include faculty input in institutional decision-making; efforts by the CS department to include adjunct faculty on departmental webpages; and A. Rosenfeld’s meeting with O. Murillo to discuss where faculty might effectively support student concerns
  • The Senate discussed its visit with S. Carey during its September meeting; the discussion focused on how the Senate might help to support the growth of graduate programs, and the potential for establishing a futurist committee to consider strategies for challenges beyond AI and other current priorities
  • The Senate completed its slate of liaisons, who will reach out to individual departments, offices and programs in an effort to identify mutual concerns and approaches to institutional problem-solving
  • The Senate discussed potential academic and functional implications of increasing percentages of clinical faculty, as well as strategies for more effectively targeting such hires; Senate liaisons will take these questions up as part of their outreach
  • The Senate appointed a subcommittee to consider future changes to the Senate and Council Constitutions, including a new formula for faculty representation on committees that accounts for shifting ratio

Staff and Administrative Council

  • SAC formed a subcommittee to review Constitutional changes
  • To encourage broader attendance to SAC meetings, meeting details will be shared as part of weekly campus announcements
  • Tomorrow’s meeting has been postponed so that members may take advantage of the scheduled AI Tools Zoom presentation

Student Government Association

  • SGA meetings are held every Thursday at 3:30pm
  • SGA held its second Town Hall last week, and welcomed broadcasting students to record the meeting for the wider community; several also volunteered to participate in student governance
  • There are many SGA-sponsored events and activities forthcoming, including several over the Homecoming and Reunion Weekend

Information item: Reports from the Standing Committees

Committee on Rank, Tenure and Awards

  • RTA has not met since the last Council meeting; review of applications will begin in November

Committee on Academic Affairs

  • CAA co-chairs will meet shortly with T. Mulligan to discuss work for the coming year

Committee on Budget

Budget met on 9/25, 10/2 and 10/9

  • C. Smith was elected chair
  • The committee received updates on enrollment efforts and pricing compared to peers
  • The committee voted to recommend a 3.5% increase on tuition and fees, with plans to discuss room and board increases next

Committee on Human Resources and Compensation

  • The committee will hold its first meeting on 10/25

Committee on Libraries and Information Technology

The committee met on 9/26

  • A. Camara was elected chair
  • A new meeting/group study space has been created in Arrigoni
  • Several AI workshops are scheduled for faculty, staff and students
  • As of Spring 2025, all courses will be created in Blackboard Ultra; faculty training is available, and an Ultra Bootcamp will be held over the winter break for those who still need to upgrade to Ultra
  • All existing U drives will be deleted over winter break; users will be required to move all content to OneDrive prior
  • Copying has been outsourced to Minuteman Press, with convenience copying still available in the McSpedon copy center; please direct questions or feedback to A. DiLello

Committee on Institutional Advancement

  • No report

Committee on Student Life

The committee met on 10/11

  • M. Volza was elected chair
  • K. O’Sullivan reported: New freshman enrollment is 952 (a 20-year high); 20% of students who visit campus apply; Fall 2025 recruitment is underway, including a major event 10/13 (550 families registered); new club registration is underway, and involvement fairs are in progress; Alumni and Family Weekend is 10/18-10/19 (700 parents registered); Career Fair was held 10/10 (550 students attended); FAFSA is still working out issues, but the target for opening the portal is December; Iona Players present “Urinetown” 10/19
  • O. Murillo reported: SGA welcomed K. O’Sullivan and T. Anderson to September Town Hall; at 10/10 Town Hall, clubs and organizations discussed past and upcoming events; SGA continues to work with clubs to align their constitutions with recent changes to SGA Constitution

Committee on Athletics

The committee met on 10/10

  • R. Richardson was elected chair
  • All 23 teams achieved over 3.0 GPA for AY 23-24, with an overall average of 3.42
  • New staff hires include C. Aliano (Dir. of Athletic Development), C. Campagna (Softball coach), D. Tottori (Golf coach)
  • The 21st Iona Golf Challenge will be held in Ireland
  • The 10/28 tipoff dinner will introduce new athletes
  • Tunk-or-Treat for local committee and staff’s children will be held 10/30; Kids Day will be held on 11/14
  • Open Doors helps student athletes with financial literacy; discussions continue to help clarify the implications of recent federal legislation allowing student athletes to participate in revenue sharing
  • A seminar on depression was held for athletes

Committee on Diversity

The committee met on 10/12

  • L. Magliulo and N. Vidal-Finnerty were elect co-chairs
  • The committee reviewed its Mission and Vision Statement, and events on the diversity calendar
  • The committee discussed strategies for amplifying/broadcasting/advertising events, managing operational logistics, and coordinating volunteer efforts

Committee on Enrollment Management

The committee met on 10/10

  • I. Stabell was elected chair
  • The committee discussed its charge and raised the possibility of revisions to said

Committee for Environmental Sustainability

The committee met on 9/26

  • J. Robinson was elected chair
  • Updates were given on the campus composting project
  • The committee discussed the Cynergistics report of $3m in campus energy savings
  • The Thomas Berry Forum updates included information about a new edition of the Carbon Rangers Newsletter
  • The Deignan Institute updates included information about the pollinator garden and the GREENFAITH food recovery network

There being no other business, A. Rosenfeld adjourned the University Council meeting at 4:09pm. The next meeting of the Council will be held on 11/6/24.