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University Council Minutes Wednesday, 10/8/25

3:30 p.m., Via Zoom

Present: A. Rosenfeld, D. DeFino, M. Bard, K. Bauce, C. Carlson, B. Gaines, M. Higgins, M. Hughes, Y. Kang, A. Encarnacion, L. Geer, L. Roca, T. Mulligan, J. DeMelis, K. Dhanwada, J. Stabile, J. Quintong, C. Winkler, E. Procario-Foley, M. Aldredge, M. Beckwith, M. Fanelli, N. Sawchuk, I. Stabell, M. Volza, M. Callaghan, M. Reilley

Excused: S. Carey, R. Richardson, J. Robinson, B. Sengupta

A. Rosenfeld called the meeting to order at 3:34pm. Quorum was met.

Approval of Minutes:

  • Minutes of the 9/3 University Council were approved via e-mail on 9/17

Information Item: President’s Report

  • M. Reilley presented the President’s report in S. Carey’s absence
  • The Gabelli Center conference and official ribbon cutting brought over 250 guests to campus, which speaks to Iona’s growing recognition as a leader in this space
  • Our next Presidential Speaker, Todd Park, will discuss “The Future of Work and the Future of Care” on 10/27
  • Thanks to everyone who is helping to prepare for our upcoming Homecoming Weekend
  • The Gaels Go Further mentoring program inaugurates its fifth year, and has proven to be one of the most effective ways for alumni to engage our students
  • Our first Open House is this weekend; the second will be held on 11/23
  • As always, our Facilities team has done an outstanding job of beautifying our campuses in preparation for visiting prospective students and their families
  • The Upper Green is expected to be completed by the close of the academic year; it promises to be a valuable place for reflection, conversation and connection

Information Item: Provost’s Report

  • The 9/26 “Future of Teaching” conference, sponsored by the Gabelli Center, was a great success; thanks to all who contributed to the event
  • The Gabelli Center will be hosting several workshops and other events throughout the academic year; complimenting the sessions over Summer 2025, a winter symposium is being planned
  • Thanks to all who helped to make the 10/5 Open House a success
  • Iona was awarded a $1.8m DOE grant to develop curriculum on American history and civics; the History Department, Institute for Thomas Paine Studies, and local K-12 schools will collaborate in these efforts
  • The Shared Governance Working Group has met several times, and is looking at ways of making our governance system work more effectively and efficiently
  • The Higher Education Landscape Working Group will meet for the first time next week

Information Item: Core Curriculum Committee Report

  • CCC met on 9/4, 9/18 and 10/2
  • The committee vetted and approved 5 faculty applications for funding for Columba Cornerstone special events
  • The committee vetted and approved an EDU service learning course for Global Perspective core curriculum credit
  • The committee contacted all faculty teaching a core course with information about fall curriculum assessment responsibilities
  • The committee Invited all full-time faculty to consider participating in the Columba Cornerstone first-year experience

Information Item: Reports from Constituent Assemblies

Faculty Senate

  • The Senate met on 9/25
  • D. DeFino shared updates on the work of the Shared Governance Working Group
  • D. Dubal has accepted an invitation to meet with the Senate on 10/23; S. Carey has accepted an invitation to meet with the Senate on 11/20
  • The Senate discussed the process by which it frames faculty comments in the annual Faculty Survey
  • The Senate raised questions about the impact of new federal policies regarding H1-B visas and potential impacts on faculty hiring and retention
  • The Senate was alerted to some inconsistent nomenclature regarding adjunct faculty and will take up the matter with HR
  • The Senate approved the appointments of M. Mehedi Hasan to the Student Life Committee and D. Kawimbua to the Libraries and IT Committee

Staff and Administrative Council

  • SAC met on 9/25
  • SAC discussed the need for staff/faculty parking signage in the Columba lot, and will reach out to Campus Safety regarding options and timeline
  • SAC will invite Chartwells to discuss staff/student/faculty concerns regarding workflow and operations at the new dining hall
  • SAC completed its roster of staff representatives on various committees

Student Government Association

  • SGA continues to meet bi-weekly
  • The Senior Events Committee has plans for several events during spirit week, including Decades Day, White Lie Wednesday, and Class Colors
  • Thanks to all who participated in our successful Constitution Day event
  • SGA will be volunteering in several capacities during the New Rochelle Street Fair
  • SGA will host a Bronxville Legislative Meeting on 10/23
  • The new Recognition Process has proven to be very successful

Information item: Reports from the Standing Committees

Committee on Rank, Tenure and Awards

  • RTA met on 9/15, 9/22 and 9/29
  • M. Beckwith was re-affirmed as chair on 9/15
  • Along with its usual schedule of work, RTA continues to work on revisions to the Faculty Handbook

Committee on Academic Affairs

  • CAA met on 10/7
  • CAA had an update on plans to publish the undergraduate and graduate catalogs jointly

Committee on Budget

  • BUD met on 10/1
  • K. O’Sullivan reported on current enrollment numbers, and projections for next year
  • The committee voted to approve an increase of 3% to undergraduate tuition and room & board

Committee on Human Resources and Compensation

  • HR&C met on 9/19
  • L. Brezovsky was elected chair
  • The committee began review of the Tuition Remission Policy, Sick Time Policy, and Vacation Time Policy
  • Employee FERPA training was to be completed through Vector in September; Cyber Security training should be completed this month; Sexual Harassment training will take place in November

Committee on Libraries and Information Technology

  • LIT met on 9/16
  • M. Volza was elected chair
  • The committee discussed several updates, including a new video stream subscription, the SysAid IT ticketing system, implementation of Secure W2 for Wi-Fi access, revised password requirements, and the development of an AI Acceptable Use Policy
  • The committee discussed changes to the 25Live scheduling window
  • The committee reviewed upcoming needs, such as upgrading Windows 10 machines and appointing a new director of enterprise applications

Committee on Institutional Advancement

  • ADV met on 9/16
  • G. Grant shared updates on various fundraising metrics: in particular, current performance of and projected goals for the Major Gift Portfolio

Committee on Student Life

  • No report

Committee on Athletics

  • ATH met on 9/18
  • The committee discussed excellent student athlete GPA averages over the last AY (3.47), future athletic events, Trunk or Treat and other community service activities, and the growth in number of student athletes YTD from 400 to 550

Committee on Diversity

  • CoD met on 10/3
  • The committee reviewed last year’s action points
  • The committee began revisions on diversity language

Committee on Enrollment Management

  • CoEM met on 9/24 and 9/25 (split meetings)
  • K. O’Sullivan gave a brief update on enrollment numbers and projections
  • The committee discussed these numbers, along with retention figures, and current metrics of student interest for FA26 admissions

Committee for Environmental Sustainability

  • CoES met on 9/4
  • The committee discussed ongoing efforts in composting, gardening, GreenFaith, service learning, the Earth & Spirit/Berry Forum, and the Food Recovery Network
  • The committee discussed ways of restarting student engagement in Gaels Go Green
  • The committee discussed how to more effectively engage campus administration and facilities on sustainability issues, particularly in relation to the new Upper Green

There being no other business, A. Rosenfeld adjourned the University Council meeting at 3:55pm. The next meeting of the Council will be held on 11/5/25. It will be in the General Assembly format.