FAEC Minutes 10/16/2019

Faculty Assembly Executive Council [FAEC] Meeting Minutes

Date: Wednesday, October 16, 2019  | Location: A 226  | Time: 10:30 am to 12:00 pm

Attendees: Kathryn Zeno, Tae Kwak, Scott Frees, David Oh, Donna Flynn, Christina Connor, Hugh Sheehy, Roark Atkinson, Bob Beckman 

Guests: Jacqueline Braun, Provost Becker, and Student Guest

Secretary: Nakia Matthias

1. FAEC Minutes Approved 

2. ARC Update [Jacqueline Braun]

Concern over the faculty curriculum as more graduate programs are being developed and three plus one agreements will materialize in the near future.  

The Provost is concerned about having too many courses within the General Education course offerings.  In some instances with ARC reviews double counting of Gen.Ed courses has come up due to the way that the TAS curriculum is organized as its lab credit requirements place some majors over the 68 credit limit.  In such instances clarification as to whether prerequisites are counted within majors. Additionally, according to the Provost, there is no limit to the size or amount of courses that majors bear. However, this is contrary to the liberal arts framework at RCNJ.

There is also some concern about the number of classes available for First Year Seminar sections and course content delivery.

Prof. Kwak pointed out that the number of different classes in a category should not affect assessment, since all classes/sections should be teaching the same goals and outcomes regardless of content.  Categories with few different course numbers may appear to be easier to assess, but that’s an illusion. E.g. some categories only have one course number (such as FYS), but each section teaches different content, as different as a category with dozens of different course numbers.

3. Three Plus One

Faculty have expressed concerns about the direction of the curricula and whether students will be able to complete their fourth year at RCNJ.  It appears that larger majors at RCNJ have been targeted as the initial programs to model Three Plus One programs. According to the hypotheses of RCNJ administrators the financial outlook on Three Plus One programs will be incremental.

FAEC mentioned that there is a need to address inconsistencies in the Degree Completion Programs at RCNJ for assessment purposes before taking on Three Plus One programs.  Additionally, the Degree Completion Programs use the same course numbers as The Colleges standard course offerings even though they are not taught by full time faculty.

4. Student Demographic Data and the Goal 2 Taskforce

FAEC notes a problem with the current methods of aggregation for student demographic data.  It is problematic for the purposes of being useful for Goal 2 of the RCNJ strategic plan as it lumps all non-white students together into a single category.  This results in inaccurate information about the actual representations of non-white students enrolled at and graduating from RCNJ. For instance, international students, regardless of ethnicity or nationality are categorized as non-white enrollees.  

Furthermore, careful distinctions need to be created for understanding the enrollment composition of students based on ethnicity and race relative to African-American, Hispanic, Black, and Asian student populations. Consequently, Goal 2 reporting may potentially be below the 5% target for minority representation.  Additionally, an estimated 5% of the student body never identified their ethnicity or race in demographic measures. FAEC suggests the selection and use of non-arbitrary racial and ethnic demographic indicators. 

5. Austerity Concerns

FAEC acknowledges faculty concerns relative to the implementation of austerity measures at RCNJ.

6. RCNJ Presidential Search Committee

Susan Vallario acknowledged receipt of the letter submitted by FAEC to the RCNJ The Board of Trustees on behalf of the RCNJ faculty.  Faculty have registered their sentiments about the proposed composition of the search committee,  the coordination of the search process, and control over the selection of the search consultancy firms that will produce the candidate pool.

Faculty have expressed reservations about the process being coordinated by Brittany Goldstein and offer that the search should not be coordinated by representatives of the president’s office.

There are also concerns that the BoT has not articulated clear criteria for the search process, nor the nomination of faculty candidates whom should serve on the committee.

The BoT has developed a nomination form for potential presidential committee search members.  These form is available on the BoT’s page via the following link: https://www.ramapo.edu/presidential-search/2021-presidential-search-committee-member-nomination-form/

The FAEC announces a need for volunteers for the presidential search committee.  

May be inappropriate for Brittany to be in the role but don’t know whom will be better.  

FAEC would like to ensure that the search consultancy firm employed to identify potential candidates is committed to generating a diverse candidate pool.

The FAEC also suggests that the search committee  a total of six faculty representatives comprising one faculty member from each RCNJ unit.  The faculty representatives chosen should reflect a diversity of intellectual, cultural and rank experience.

7. Provost Becker’s Report

FDF reimbursements have been delayed until the return of  a staff member that administers their disbursement.   

The number of sabbaticals were shared but not the number of promotions.  There are thirty per cent fewer sabbatical slots than in previous years.  The number of promotions slots should be known shortly.

The Provost requires clarification of the purposive distinctions between the career development and post-tenure review functions. The provost restated that faculty units should develop standards for scholarship classification to assist with the review procedures for promotion and tenure applications.

Provost Becker mentioned that RCNJ is allocating a significant amount of funding toward the salaries of faculty that take LOA, sabbaticals, and assume grant-funded positions that do not fully compensate faculty at their base or actual salary.  The provost stated that he would like to ensure this practice so that faculty do not lose salary while pursuing research endeavors. 

FAEC asserts that replacement costs do not amount to more than faculty members’ salaries as adjuncts are secured at a lower rate than full time, tenure track, and tenured faculty.  This is the case as faculty conduct research abroad their unit level duties are absorbed by other faculty members without and normally without compensation.

Meeting Adjourned at 12 pm

Categories: FAEC MEETING MINUTES 2019, RAMAPO FAEC