FAEC Minutes 11/13/2019

FAEC Minutes 11/13/2019

Faculty Assembly Executive Council [FAEC] Meeting Minutes

Date: Wednesday, November 13, 2019  | Location: A 226  | Time: 10:30 am to 12:00 pm

Attendees: Tae Kwak, Donna Flynn, Roark Atkinson, Hugh Sheehy, Eva Ogens, Lisa Lutter, Scott  Frees

Guests: Provost Becker and President Mercer

Secretary: Nakia Matthias

I. FAEC Minutes Approved [last 2 meetings]

II. Degree Completion Programs (DCP)

Degree Completion Program courses are taught during evenings and are for non-traditional students such as adult learners.  Students are not allowed to enroll in DCP courses as they are solely reserved for its program participants.   Faculty members are not compensated for working on the program. These programs are not reviewed but should be reviewed.  Enrollment and graduation rates for the DCP program are also unknown.  The Provost stated that he will provide a cost benefit analysis for the TPO programs in response to a request for this information from the FAEC.  Faculty do not want to teach a watered-down version of their existing programs and it is believed that DCP’s contain subpar versions of existing courses. 

ASB’s Marketing DCP has been discontinued after only one year for unknown reasons.  The provost was unaware that this program existed and was terminated during his tenure.  SSHS’ Society & Culture DCP and CA’s Communication DCP are operational but have not undergone program reviews.  President Mercer confirmed that two DCP’s are complete and other will be finalized in the next 2.5 years.

As a result of the 11/13/19 communications meeting it is imperative for FAEC to ask the Provost about is the Status of DCP’s

III. Three Plus One Programs (TPO’s)

FA President is conducting a meeting with program Conveners with the aim of engaging those whom have been  tapped for TPO’s on Wed. Nov. 20, at 2:30pm, in A-226. However, TPO are not on the agenda for the conveners meeting.

In conversation with deans it is understood that some believe that faculty do not have purview over curricula.  There is also an assumption that students are already enrolled in 3 credit transfer courses but we accept them as 4 credit courses.  If students have an associates they are exempt from a Gen. Ed. coursework and some conveners waive this coursework for transfer students with 54 credits. 

As a result of the 11/13/19 communications meeting it is imperative for FAEC to receive confirmation about whether Bergen Community College will become a TPO institution and what the official numbers are for institutions in agreement with RCNJ for TPO’s.

There is concern that Administrators can evade faculty concerns over TPO’s by insisting that  DCP Programs already exist and that these programs will be converted to TPO’s. The Provost insists that  TPO’s must begin with RCNJ for Fall 2020 without any observable justification for this move. The Provost insists that TPO’s will not be created for RCNJ’s more “popular” programs.  He also confirmed that at the third year the TPO curriculum is the property of community colleges. FAEC raised concern over contradictions about whether it is a requirement for TPO students’ to enroll in their fourth year at RCNJ.  President Mercer and the Provost asserted that the fourth year [at RCNJ] for TPO’s is critical to these programs. Although RCNJ would not have ownership over third year curriculum in TPO’s there would need to be oversight and control over the curriculum for the proposed fourth year. 

FAEC affirmed that the RCNJ Curriculum for TPO’s would need to be developed and maintained as part of a formal ARC review process. Faculty also expressed consensus relative to requiring the ARC review process for course revisions and new programs.  The provost believes that TPO’s do not require ARC review if they are modeled after existing courses and programs. It is up to the discretion of ARC as to whether a course or program should be exempt from any review process. A convening group can make this case to ARC.  FAEC insisted that if TPO students are receiving an RCNJ degree then there must be some acceptable program which meet our standards as determined by ARC.

FAEC raised concern over the potential for the cannibalization of RCNJ programs.  The provost stated that RCNJ has exclusive rights and right of first refusal with Passaic and other community colleges. FAEC contends that economic justification for TPO’s must be provided to make wise decisions about the potential for these programs. 

Biology faculty are in the process of formalizing the reasons for their concern and discontent with the potential development of TPO’s which appear to be progressing regardless of their position.

President Mercer suggested that faculty should not  “get ahead of” themselves with assumptions that since community colleges have jurisdiction over TPO curricula up to the 3rd year that this means  they have sovereignty to teach whatever they wish.

The provost mentioned that there is a healthy skepticism about the viability of TPO’s but he wished that Faculty refrain from categorizing TPO’s as “a race to the bottom”.

FAEC noted that TPO’s are viewed as marketplace solution and a state mandate.  Thus language that frames the discussion of TPO’s is based on this concern and the understanding that the law that was passed to generate TPO’s is ill conceived and facilitates an unintentional “race to the bottom”.  

IV. Administrators and Academic Programs

Administrators are receiving Academic rank in units where they don’t need them.  They are becoming faculty after they leave their administrative positions. This has been the case with the former provost regardless of any demonstrated need for another professor in any respective units?  

V. Board of Trustees’ Meetings

A special Board of Trustees meeting will be held but it has not been announced.  The BoT’s open meeting was called to order and then dismissed. The agenda for the open meeting was not provided  but may be archived in the library. 

Roughly half of the BoT are on the presidential search committee. 

VI. Miscellaneous 

There is no update on EOF funding. 

The Krame family has withdrawn their pledge associated with the RCNJ library renovation project.  Mr. Krame pledged 250K per year for 10 years to RCNJ. The Krame’s have discontinued support for funding that they pledged. The Krame’s will develop a center at a private institution.   Students that worked in the Krame center were taken off of payroll. The Foundation now has to make up the 1 million to 1.5 million that was pledged to the learning commons.

Meeting Adjourned at 12:00 pm

Categories: FAEC MEETING MINUTES 2020, RAMAPO FAEC