FAEC Minutes 2/14/2018

Faculty Assembly Executive Council (FAEC) Meeting Minutes February 14, 2018 ASB 008 Room 10:30am to 11:55am

Attendees: Roark Atkinson, Kim Lorber, Christina Connor, Kathryn Zeno, Tae Kwak, Eva Ogens, Donna Flynn (for Cristina Perez), Gladys Torres-Baumgarten, Renata Gangemi

Excused: Cristina Perez

Secretary:​ Hugh Sheehy

1.     Minutes 1/31 and 2/7 Approved
2.     Melissa Van Der Wall is looking for founding professors or professors who have taught at Ramapo since near its founding to staff a Traditions Council dedicated to informing marketing and advertising practices at the College in the interest of “preserv[ing] and promot[ing] Ramapo’s history and traditions”.
3.     The library renovation proceeds. The URL has been changed to both include the word “library” and to remove it.
4.     OER: We have a drafted charge for the OER TF; the role of the TF will be to research costs and data about use, effectiveness, limitations. A committee member stated that librarians have attended a conference related to OERs and recommend an expanded timeline allowing for more faculty to attend conference, which is highly informative. FAEC members will seek volunteers for TF at 2/14 Unit Councils.
5.     Leadership Meeting: SGA President, President Mercer, Chris Romano, and Provost present. Administration is charging a TF with implementing an eight-year strategic plan for improving shared governance. This strategic plan will carry forward from current five-year strategic plan, which is set to expire at the end of June 2018. FAEC needs three volunteers to serve on TF. TF must be approved by Board of Trustees. A committee member suggests Steve Rice, who is familiar with strategic plan and the data gathered for it from the past four years. The work on this task force will continue through the beginning of the summer. Volunteers should report to Tae Kwak. FAEC members will seek volunteers at 2/14 Unit Councils.
6.     Course Evaluations: the course evaluation instrument is available for redesigning. How it is changed depends on the faculty.

There are three options:

1. Leave as-is
2. Change in FAEC
3. Form a TF for redesign

A committee member took issue in particular with the phrasing of questions 21 and 22. Faculty members raised a number of issues, beginning with question of whether course evaluations are useful; scholarship on the subject suggests they are not reliable. There is a question of how the College plans to utilize evaluations in the future: whether they will be filled out online or in the classroom. A committee member noted that the evaluation instrument has been updated recently and that the changes made then should be noted; a TF charge should include reaching out to the members of the previous TF. FAEC feels a representative is required from every Unit to ensure coverage of pedagogical interests. FAEC members will ask for volunteers at 2/14 Unit Councils.

Meeting adjourned 11:55

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