Faculty Assembly Minutes, 5/1/2019

Wed. May 1, 2019

Faculty Assembly

Minutes

Recorder: Hugh Sheehy

 

 

 

• Approve Minutes
  • March 13 Minutes Approved
  • April 3 Minutes Approved
• Report: FA President

The FA President reminded the Assembly that core function of the College is stated in the mission and that it should be preserved above other elements sacrificed in the name of increasing efficiencies.

 

 

 

• Report: College President

No report.

 

 

• Report: Provost

The Provost remined faculty to be proactive in pursuing a high response in online course evaluations.

 

Faculty CVs have put uploaded to SPOL. Faculty will receive messages linked to the webpage where they can correct any errors or address any omissions. Contact Gurvinder Khaneja if you need assistance.

 

The Provost characterized the looming structural deficit as a natural state of affairs resulting from increasing salaries and expenses and steady revenue streams. All divisions will be affected by cross-College cuts. The Provost encouraged faculty to develop new, attractive programs to bring students into under-enrolled courses. He urged faculty to imagine new programs that might attract new students to Ramapo, including Ramapo Online. He wishes to build Ramapo’s brand recognition outside the usual advertising and student-culling areas and believes that the new data science initiative will attract students from across the world. The Provost wants faculty doing exciting creative work and scholarship to think about how their scholarship might be used to promote the College. He invites faculty to reach out to him with any new ideas.

A faculty member pointed out that it is not in a faculty member’s job description to find new ways to market the College. He argued that more support, not less, for faculty scholarship is the best way to attract more students with better programming. The Provost replied that he hopes to restore and add to faculty support funds in the future, once revenues have been increased.

 

Stephanie Sarabia and Michael Unger introduced the Self-Study Draft and encouraged the faculty to review it. Faculty can report any errors or dead links using the Spring Cleaning Initiative.

 

• VOTING ITEMS(FAEC)

 

 

Discussion: The FA President opened the discussion by briefly explaining the history and rationale for each of the following resolutions. Faculty indicated they were prepared to vote.

 

• Data Driven Decision Making: Prior to making or suggesting substantial changes, the Faculty Assembly urges the Provost to provide the cost-benefit rationale and relevant data to support such changes.

 

Results: 98% Yes (115 Voting), 1% No, 1% Abstain

 

• Shared Governance: The Faculty Assembly urges the Provost to observe Shared Governance as prescribed by the Shared Governance Task Force report, and that appropriate constituent groups (e.g. FA, ARC, etc.) be consulted and/or informed of relevant proposals or changes.

 

Results: 97% Yes (115 Voting), 2, 1

 

• Mission:It is the Mission and Vision of RCNJ to be “the region’s premier public liberal arts college.”  The faculty cannot be solely responsible for furthering the Liberal Arts mission.  Beyond following enrollment trends and downsizing programs based on popularity alone, the Faculty Assembly strongly urges the College administration to identify specific ways to sustainably promote the core
  liberal arts.

 

Results: 91% Yes (113 Voting), 4, 5

 

• VOTING ITEM (MFSA)
  • African American Literature Line: If Ramapo College is to uphold its commitments to promote diversity, as stated in the Mission and core Values of the college, and in the objectives of Goal 2 of the Strategic Plan, then resources need to be allocated to preserving this position. The Faculty Assembly urges the Provost and President to reinstate African American literature as a tenure-track position at Ramapo College.

 

Results: Yes 86%, 11, 4

 

Endorsement of Solidarity Statement against Bias and Hate

 

Results: Yes 96%, 2, 2

 

 

• VOTING ITEMS(ARC)
  • New Minor in Public Health

Results: Yes 96%, 4

• New BS in Data Science

Results: Yes 51%, 36,13

• New MS in Data Science

Results: Yes 55%, 31, 14

 

GECCo Reps

Results: Yes 98%, 0, 2

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