FAEC minutes, November 4, 2020

FAEC MINUTES 11/4/2020

Present: Naseem Choudhury (President), , Donna Flynn (Councilor-at-Large under 11), Scott Frees (TAS), , Lisa Lutter, (CA), Thierry Rakotobe-Joel (ASB), Mihaela Serban (SSHS), Ed Shannon (HGS), Bonnie Blake (Councilor-at-Large over 11), Kim Lorber (Secretary), Katie Cohen (Library)

Vote to bring the meeting to order at 10:08AM.  Ed Shannon will take minutes for FA today..

Minutes Approval: Approval of the minutes from the 10/21/2020 and 10/28/2020 minutes will be deferred to next week. 

FA President’s Report 

Naseem met with Susan Gaulden this week.  Susan is aware of the discrepancy between paper and online evaluations. Susan will ensure this is coded correctly. 

Faculty concerns regarding due process were discussed.  

Faculty need to complete the CUTE survey.  

Naseem also discussed promotions with Susan.  Susan will speak about promotions today at the Faculty Assembly. 

FAEC Discussion 

ITS:  Still some ongoing issues. FAEC would like to compile  a list  to discuss with Rob Doster. Theirry reported that as part of the ITS committee, faculty need additional training on technology related to service. For example, how to vote on committees for tenure and promotions. HR should ensure confidentiality of voting to ensure a fair and equitable process. 

New Business

Connect: Ed Shannon reported that Connect often closes out faculty comments when they have not been adequately resolved with the faculty. Academic Flags should be resolved by faculty. The gradebook has been removed from Connect. 

Student Evaluations: Mihaela reported that online student evaluations are available to anyone Faculty evaluations in Web Self Service.  This is concerning to FAEC. We will let Susan know. Katie will report to AFT. 

Spring Break:  SGA is coming up with additional proposals regarding spring break to bring to administration. 

Vice Provost: Ed brought up that the absence of a Vice Provost is noticeable to others.

Hiring Committees: Scott Frees brought up the issue of  Search Committees.  There was discussion about a Hiring Pool to increase diversity in the search committees.  There are inconsistencies as to how search committees are formed.   We would like a formal policy on this issue.  Naseem has asked Nicole for a Diversity plan.  

Faculty Credentials: Bonnie inquired as to credentials of adjunct faculty. Adjunct hiring is the purview of the deans.  

3 + 1 Programs:  There are discussions about concentrations vs tracks. This will be discussed at the Faculty Assembly. 

President’s Report:  

Parent’s Council:  Peter discussed that he met with the Parent’s Council last week virtually.  The parent’s would like to see their students back on campus.  

They also discussed spring break. Peter is meeting with SGA tomorrow.  Our early applications for early decision is up 6%.  This is in addition to students that have deferred for a semester.  

Peter reported that we are losing money on dining services at this point. We need to keep services and buildings regardless. There are currently about 400 students living on campus. 

Support for Interim Vice Provost: 

Ed Shannon brought up the issues of academic integrity and current load on the vice provost. He suggested the possibility of a course release or stipend to someone to assist with some of these job functions. FAEC concurs. 

Interim Provost’s Report:  

Fulbright Program: We have three Fulbright Scholars that have not yet arrived. Susan was asked about in person meetings by the Fulbright Program.  

ITS:  IT is working with Webex Teams to field and correct some of the immediate IT issues. 

Promotions:  Susan is waiting for a number.  Susan stated that we are out of compliance with current Board policy. She is meeting with Virgina and Janet to  clarify this week. Considering the delay, there will be modifications to the dates for packets and guidelines for digital submission. 

Meeting adjourned at 12:05 pm. 

Respectfully submitted,

Donna Flynn

Categories: FAEC MEETING MINUTES 2020, RAMAPO FAEC