Faculty Assembly

May 14, 2021FAEC Meeting Minutes, May 5, 2021

FAEC MINUTES (draft)
5/5/21

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

Vote to bring meeting to order at 10:01am.

Minutes Approval: The 4/28/21 minutes will be approved next week.

FA PRESIDENT’S REPORT

FAEC DISCUSSION

Meeting with Provost: Naseem and Scott met with Provost Gaulden and shared concerns about switching course delivery models and other elements in need of clarification.

Meeting with President: Naseem and Scott met briefly with President Mercer. The Cabinet is discussing vaccinations; details were not shared.

Anonymous Letter: FAEC did not know about the letter received by the BoT, administrators and some others. It is not representative of Faculty Assembly. A brief response clarifying this will be sent by FAEC.

Program Marketing: Can the College do more to promote the successes of faculty regarding grants received? Publications? Other special programs at the College?

Program Websites: We need to improve ours due to the absence of information included by other colleges and universities in theirs. Students’ success stories, videos, etc. would be beneficial in presenting dynamic majors. Conveners are doing their best but they are untrained.

May 25, 2021 @ 2 pm: Meeting With Dr. Jebb: FAEC will meet with Dr. Jebb for an hour. Topics to be addressed will come from the FA survey and will include governance, shared governance, and a brief discussion. We will summarize our goals in the last minutes of the meeting. In addition, faculty and student scholarship and successes will be invited from the faculty to share with our new President so she can see ours is a community of scholars.

Committees: The BoT has strongly recommended having students on the hiring committees. It is possible the BoT does not understand why the faculty resists this suggestion. The search committees include members who do not share the candidates’ expertise, limiting the identification of the most qualified by the experts with whom they will work. Should students have knowledge of committee deliberations? They might study with the hired individual in the future. Students can attend candidates’ lectures and talks and complete feedback forms versus being on the confidential search committees..

Convening Groups: Is there a limit to the number of convening groups in which a faculty member can be a member? Nothing has yet been documented. I thought some one (Mia?) found some kind of documentation.,

Diversity Council: It is not yet clear how FA wll interface with the EDIC council

Hiring committees: Are all approved by Nicole. Joanne Ehlermann is the new Talent Acquisition and Onboarding Coordinator.

FA Leadership Survey: This will go out this week.

Diversity Workshops: There will be one in May and another in September. These are mandatory.

Students in Remote/In-Person Courses in Fall 2021: Where can students go for remote classes while on campus for in-person courses? How many students will this impact? Will headphones be provided? If 50% of students will be at least partially in-person, divided by T/F and M/R, where will all of them meet and be able to participate in their remote courses?

Meeting adjourned at 12:07pm.

Categories: FAEC meeting Minutes 2021, RAMAPO FAEC

May 14, 2021FAEC Meeting Minutes, April 28th, 2021

FAEC MINUTES (draft)
4/28/21

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

Guests: President Peter Mercer, Interim-Provost Susan Gaulden, Chris Romano, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs

Vote to bring meeting to order at 10:03am.

Minutes Approval: The 4/21/21 minutes were approved.

FA PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Transition Team Meeting: The campus survey has been distributed and is noted in the Daily Digest. Dr. Jebb will receive the schedule of regularly scheduled meetings this week for the next academic year.

Special Unit Councils with Dr. Jebb Fall 2021: This has been cancelled for 9/15/21 due to the holiday of Yom Kippur.

FAEC Meeting with Dr. Jebb: We will try to meet with Dr. Jebb in July.

SGA President: Naseem met with newly re-elected Anjali Patel who will join FA, today. She did not bring up concerns. Students would welcome more on-campus courses.

Provost Council: Naseem attended.

Bylaw Revisions Survey: 61 faculty have responded so far and this closes May 8th.

FAEC Surveys: We have several more to send. Some will be combined. One will address the May 25th Dr. Jebb FA meeting.

FAEC DISCUSSION

President’s Tribute: Today we will present the tribute crafted by Katie Cohen with music arranged and conducted by Lisa Lutter. This will be followed by a tribute from one representative from each school and the Library.

OSHE Restart Plan: https://www.state.nj.us/highereducation/documents/pdf/index/OSHErestart.pdf

Bylaws: Discussions continue about revisions to these and the amendments.

Committee Candidates: We have one candidate for each of these committees:

Audit Committee: Kathryn Yeaton

Finance Committee: Rikki Abzug

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

President Bident’s Speech Tonight: Concerns were shared about the plan for free community college here and from other constituencies. Will the government make up the financial deficits? The STARS program cost over $1 million per year and it was not supposed to have impacted the College’s budget.

Enrollment: This is looking good. Chris Romano will share more.

Last FAEC Meeting: This is the end of an era, as it is Pres. Mercer’s final Faculty Assembly Executive Council meeting. The FAEC wished him well.

PROVOST’S REPORT

Academic Achievement Ceremony on Campus: 5/12 at 9am; rain date is 5/14 at 9am. Lisa Lutter will be providing the music. Live streaming will be available.

Qualtrics Survey for Academic Achievement Ceremony: This was in the Provost’s email yesterday seeking help with the on campus guests for the in-person graduation festivities.

Seats Taken Across Delivery Modes: Fall 2021 Enrollment delivery modes were reviewed. More registrants are coming. Student preference for courses does not break down the number of students represented or if this is their preferred delivery mode.

Adjunct Faculty: Some adjunct faculty reported that they feel out of touch regarding changes, course delivery information, etc. Can they be more efficiently informed?

Faculty Review of Registration Modes for Same Course: It seems in some majors, the virtual sections are filling while in-person is not.

July/August Delivery Mode Decisions: It is still too early to finalize these. Room assignments have not been assigned for lecture courses. Once the current courses are roomed, room stock will be known for additional courses. The CDC has changed its regulations and says common surfaces do not have to be cleaned between courses. Some limited shifts will be possible. Changes will likely not be accepted after the end of July as classroom assignments will have been made and Webex room kits purchased.

Vaccination Mandate: Rutgers and Montclair are requiring vaccines. Our current understanding is that sState institutions cannot make this mandate as these are for emergency use at this time. Anecdotal evidence suggests that a few students selected Ramapo because it is not requiring the vaccine. Any changes in state regulations may affect enrollment. Such changes will help determine how many students can be in a classroom at one time. This is being discussed.

Campus Surveillance Testing on Campus: There have been few cases. There was not a single case of in-class transmission. April 23rd testing of 179 students resulted in 1 positive case.

OSHE Clarification of Practicable Accommodations: The strategic plan submitted to OSHE was updated requiring any student who is unable/unwilling to participate in on-campus courses must be able to attend remotely. First choice: take a remote section. Second choice: Pick a different elective. Third choice: Convener can make a course substitution. Required course: You cannot come to campus; take next semester or after. If the student needs the course to graduate, they will have to be accommodated. OSHE said if we tell a student to delay a course, we must explain to them how this might delay their graduation.

The Provost reported that in a phone conversation with an OSHE representative she was told we have to provide an option for remote learners, regardless of the student’s stated reason for not coming to campus. Recording class sessions and posting them on Canvas is one way to accommodate their learning needs; some privacy issues may emerge.

CHRIS ROMANO (Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs)

FA Presentation Today: Chris will present the most up-to-date information about enrollment for Fall 2021.

Presidential Scholarship Applications: We have the most presidential deposits than ever before, possibly as a result of eliminating the SAT requirement.

Undergraduate Deposits: We are ahead of last year. The target is to have 800 deposits by May 1st.

Campus Housing: The deposit has been reduced from $500 to $100 and if decisions are made to not live on campus, the deposit will be applied to students’ accounts; in the past, refunds were not given.

Montclair as Vaccination Site: Montclair has partnered with Walmart. Montclair is a research university so they have different state vendor options than we do. The College has reached out to different potential partners. If vaccines become required at Ramapo, would international students vaccinated at home with different vaccines need to be revaccinated here?

Meeting adjourned at 12:00pm.

Categories: FAEC meeting Minutes 2021, RAMAPO FAEC

May 14, 2021FAEC Meeting Minutes April 21, 2021

FAEC Minutes
4/21/21

Guests: Timothy Judge (Adjunct Representative), Rachel Budin (Faculty Handbook Point Person), Martha Ecker (AFT, President AFT Local), Virginia Galdieri (Assistant Vice President, Human Resources and Benefits Administration), Janet Faber (Assistant Director, Employee Relations & Faculty Services (AFT)

Vote to bring meeting to order at 10:08am.

Minutes Approval: The 3/31/21 and 4/14/21 FAEC minutes were approved.

FA PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Provost’s Service Award: Lisa Lutter and Ellen Kaiden will be honored. It will be held in the Alumni Lounges.

Next Week’s Faculty Assembly Agenda: was discussed.

Transition Team Update:

A meeting was held today. A survey will be distributed on 4/26 in an All College email from the Board of Trustees. This will provide a link for different campus constituencies; faculty should complete theirs regarding their concerns. There will be approximately nine open-ended questions and they are limited to 250 characters. Dr. Jebb will read all of the information we provide.

Dr. Jebb: Will be invited to attend a July or August FAEC meeting.

Connect Advisory Board:

Invitation: Naseem was invited by Joe Connell to attend the April meeting. He will be invited to meet with FAEC. Naseem shared faculty concerns about Connect with the Provost.

Adjuncts: Tim Judge explained there is one Connect training for adjunct faculty, in the fall. Adjuncts are paid to teach; this would need to be done on their own time. Adjuncts also do not have advisees.

AFT: Martha Ecker discussed the need for union negotiations about Connect; faculty is not required to use it.

FAEC DISCUSSION

Adjuncts: Adjunct website visibility would be an important and validating enhancement and allow students to have easier to their contact details and more. This is standard practice at other higher education institutions. Tim Judge explained how this impacts adjuncts.

AFT LOCAL PRESIDENT’S REPORT (Martha Ecker)

NTTP: Martha Ecker discussed non-tenure track professionals is similar to a lecturer’s line. In the past, full-time faculty have been able to be hired under different conditions for a limit of 3 years. The union did not support this new “NTTP” position but eventually agreed to this in the master contract. AFT offered several models of MOAs from other institutions to administration, several months ago. Some faculty and adjuncts are very supportive of this. It is unclear how the positions will be filled; there is a cap in the number of openings in the master contract. Presently, we do not have NTTP hires. Who will fill these positions? In other institutions, these positions are often filled by very well-qualified individuals. Would adjuncts without terminal credentials be considered? There is much less protection for those hired for these positions. Elements related to advisement, service, evaluation, opportunities for promotion need to be discussed/negotiated. Some institutions offer 2 year, 2 year and then 3 year contract renewals. Others then would apply, again, as a new hire. These can be indefinite with renewals. The Faculty Handbook would also need to address this. Virginia Galdieri has recently reached out to Martha about interest on campus to hire individuals as NTTPs.

Hiring Managers: Different from other NJ state higher educational institutions, Deans are the only hiring managers at Ramapo College.

Summer Faculty Forum: Attendance is optional.

Faculty Assembly Bylaws Survey: Draft questions were reviewed.

Quorum: ER and the provost’s office provides the number of faculty upon which the quorum number is based. With electronic voting, quorum will be considered to be met when votes are received by at least 25% of the voting members, and will not be linked to attendance at a Faculty Assembly meeting.

FACULTY HANDBOOK REPORT (Rachel Budin)

NTTP: It was recommended that after AFT negotiations, NTTP criteria should be added to the Faculty Handbook for the purposes of clarity. Guidelines for advancement (absent a scholarship requirement) and other issues will need to be addressed.

Faculty Handbook: The process is moving along. The Career Development Committee is doing well. Virginia has said she will come up with a new calendar. Individual units need to provide scholarship standards for each convening group. What does non-traditional scholarship look like in different disciplines?

EMPLOYEE RELATIONS (Janet Faber)
Faculty Handbook:

Project Plan: Virginia would like to schedule a meeting for May 15th to check in with where committees are and to offer information for moving forward.

Faculty: The original task force included approximately 10 faculty members. Virginia asked for sub-committee members and more representation from all units. Approximately 13 faculty members are currently involved.

Meeting adjourned at 12:36pm.

Categories: FAEC meeting Minutes 2021, RAMAPO FAEC

May 14, 2021FAEC Meeting Minutes, April 14 2021

FAEC MINUTES
4/14/21

Guests: Sarah Carberry (GECCo Chair)

Vote to bring meeting to order at 10:02am.

Minutes Approval: The 4/7/21 minutes were approved.

FA PRESIDENT’S REPORT AND DISCUSSION

Course Delivery Change Dates: It is unclear how much flexibility there is in changing course delivery modes.

Enrollment as of April 13th: We have access to some information. Currently, SSHS conveners received data about course and delivery mode percentage preferences for seniors in the early days of registration for Fall 2021. We agreed FAEC should routinely receive the same enrollment updates given to Conveners and Deans.

Provost Meeting: Naseem will meet on Friday.

Transition Team/Planning:

Finances: Stephen Larsen’s report shed new light on the financial health of the College; we did not lose money this year and there is a good chance for the same for the next academic year.
Faculty Assembly 5/24 at 2pm with Dr. Jebb:
- FA with Dr. Jebb: The agenda is being organized.
- Introduction to Faculty Assembly: We will discuss the governance structure, shared governance, the task force findings and recommendations.
- Faculty Priorities: FA will provide Dr. Jebb with 2–3 priorities faculty feel the President might focus on when we meet.
- Solicit Dr. Jebb’s priorities and vision.
- Types of Programs: Share how faculty feels about professional, graduate, and liberal arts programs at Ramapo College.
- Google doc: A Google doc has been set up for suggestions provided to FAEC to identify faculty priorities to discuss with Dr. Jebb.
- Liberal Arts College: We should highlight our commitment to the mission of our college.
- General Education: Discuss the strengths of this program.
  - Breakout Meetings with Dr. Jebb: Under 10 year faculty, senior faculty and other groups representing constituencies across the college might be beneficial as time permits. If not possible here then we will create these as separate special sessions.

o Faculty Considerations: Where would we like to be in 5 years?

o Collaboration between schools: We used to do this more.

Teaching: How do we better address learning the needs of students during these difficult times?

Forthcoming Surveys:

Transition team
Leadership: Beginning of May. (FAEC)
·Faculty Assembly for President’s visit. (FAEC)
Faculty Assembly Bylaw Survey will be sent in April. (FAEC)

Year’s Goals:

Approve FA Bylaws
Meet with Dr. Jebb

Faculty Forum: The next and last Faculty Forum for the academic year will be held on 4/28/21.

Financial Information: This academic year we have been able to receive more financial information about the College. For example, Professor Stephen Larsen has provided information about the Budget Report and Professor Yongbum Kim has similarly shared important details from the BoT Audit Committee.

Faculty Service: There is some concern about a perceived hestiance of some Faculty to fulfill their sevice obligation by serving on committees and engaging in voting. is less inclined to volunteer. The Faculty Handbook can will help by specifying how service is measured and counted. Who serves? How is service acknowledged or recognized? What is the incentive for faculty?

Instructional Design Center: Lysandra Perez-Strumolo has offered words of appreciation to Dr. Michael Bitz and all those also involved in seeing us through the pandemic.

ARC Courses in The Approval Process: These are not being listed by the Registrar as they are new courses requiring ARC approval. In the past this was not the case.

Peter Mercer Recognition: Katie Cohen will spearhead this.

Faculty Survey Participation: Encourage faculty to participate in voting and other polls.

SARAH CARBERRY (GECCo Chair): GECCo is running well.

Meeting adjourned at 11:16am.

Categories: FAEC meeting Minutes 2021, RAMAPO FAEC

May 14, 2021FAEC Meeting Minutes, May 31, 2021

FAEC MINUTES
3/31/21

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

Guests: Chris Romano (Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs)

Vote to bring meeting to order at 10:00am.

Minutes Approval: The 3/24/21 approved with one abstention.

FA PRESIDENT’S REPORT

CRW: Is returning to Academic Affairs. Discussions about how this will work without a director.

Course Delivery/Budgets: Is Academic Affairs going to innovate or move forward? What is the vision? We do not have a strategic plan.

Arching Day: This will be on May 12th. Activities will be: the Academic Achievement Ceremony, Nursing Pinning Ceremony, and Rites of Passage. This will be held at the bandshell; family members will not be able to come. The rain date is that Friday. Regalia will not be available.

Leadership Survey: Naseem is preparing this for faculty completion in April.

FAEC DISCUSSION

3’ or 6’ Distancing: Concerns were raised about distancing, which may influence student and faculty decisions about in-person classes. Are the distancing differences being considered?

Student Delivery Mode Choices: Post pandemic, will students still be able to choose to remain remote for in-person courses indefinitely?

Post-pandemic: Can we have fully in-person courses, without remote options, once the College is running normally. The legislation says we have to accommodate everyone.

ARC & Hybrid Courses: ARC seems to be a key campus constituency to be involved with curriculum and delivery changes once we return to normal.

Transition Team: AFT was not included so FAEC will represent AFT. This group is organizing events for President Jebb to attend. Should she be invited to attend Unit Councils? She should be told about the The Fred and Florence Thomases Faculty Award and Bischoff awards? Naseem will meet with the team on 4/7 and will submit her suggestions from faculty. A survey will be sent to everyone in April by a consulting firm.

Marketing of Ramapo Faculty Accomplishments: Rowan is very successful in promoting publications, scholarships, achievements, grants, etc. Ramapo College is not doing this, or as effectively. It may be an effective tool with which to bring in students.

Ramapo Social Media: A very small group makes decisions about what can be posted and it does not allow convening groups and others to promote what they are doing. Some had Facebook pages for their majors but were told to remove them.

Course Delivery/Budgets: Is Academic Affairs going to innovate or move forward? What is the vision? We do not have a strategic plan.

Incoming President Jebb: Dr. Jebb has agreed to have a meet and greet with Academic Affairs, including faculty, in May.

FA Bylaws: FAEC members should send feedback to Mia. The Governance Review Committee, comprised of Mia, Ed, and Christina O’Connor, will present information at the next Faculty Forum. This will allow faculty to give feedback throughout the month of April. There will be a survey. This can also be a Unit Council 4/21 item to remind their faculty.

Distinguished Professor: This was awarded once to Anthony Padovano; Brittany Williams-Goldstein is researching this.

Faculty Distribution Lists: FA_ALL (includes adjuncts and full-time faculty). If FAEC members get it, let Naseem know

CHRIS ROMANO, (Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs)

Housing Portal: This was opened a week ago and continuing students have until 4/4 to commit to housing. The goal is to have 1,200 students living on campus; these would include 700 continuing and 500 new students. Sixty-one percent of the incoming class is committed to housing. Approximately, 300 deposits have been received so far.

Graduate Programs: Enrollment has been strong. Social Work’s MSW Program is driving graduate enrollment.

April Faculty Assembly: More will be known regarding housing commitments. College decision day has long been May 1st but, nationally, students are taking more time to make their selection.

Returning to Normal: Colleges are advertising as returning to normal in the fall. Chris will not say this as another NJ state college did this for the current semester and the week before had to return to the remote model.

Rutgers Plan for Vaccinated Students In-Person Courses: The vaccines are for emergency use so mandates may not be possible; their plan might change. We will follow guidance from Governor Murphy and the Department of Health.

Enrollment Growth: This will likely come from the graduate programs, especially those with distance options. There is marketability for Data Science and two other programs, which has international student interest.

Required Student Vaccines: Nursing and social work students in clinicals and internships may be required by the sponsoring hospital/agency. The College is working on figuring out how to assist students as needed.

In-person Classes: Students seem to enjoy in-person classes this semester but they do not necessarily come consistently. We will know more about which of the 6 models students prefer when enrollment begins. Many may be accustomed to coming to class virtually. Some may be open to changing the model of delivery to in-person, pending late decisions to become remote. Is this a 7th model?

Outdoor Activities: Two outdoor activities (movies, etc.) are being offered each week to provide more campus events to help bring back the feeling of normalcy.

Campus Offices: It is likely more offices will need to be open as there will be more students living on campus and studying in-person.

Wipes: The current version on campus dries out in the boxes once opened. Can a different type be used that can remain wet and more useful?

Meeting adjourned at 11:48am.

Categories: FAEC meeting Minutes 2021, RAMAPO FAEC

April 6, 2021FAEC Meeting Minutes, March 24th 2021

FAEC MINUTES 3/24/21

Vote to bring meeting to order at 10:32am.

Minutes Approval: The 3/17/21 approved with one abstention.

FA PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Presidential Transition Team: The team represents various groups across campus. Naseem is included in this as the representative of Faculty Assembly. The charge of this team is to plan a calendar of events for incoming President Jebb as well as anything we would like to do for Peter and Jackie Mercer as they depart from the Mansion and Ramapo College.

Draft Calendar: Naseem will send us an informational table, which will include our usual schedule, including the Bischoff and Thomas Awards. This will be submitted to the Presidential Transition Team.

Possible Meet & Greet with Dr. Jebb: Naseem will see if Dr. Jebb might be available for a meet and greet with faculty.

April Survey: BoT President Susan Vallario will distribute a survey. The College continues to work with the recruiting company, which is helping in facilitating the transition of our presidential change.

July Retreat: We will discuss specifics. This will be after President Jebb begins. Retreat notes will be available for those who do not come. Last year’s retreat was audio recorded.

Faculty Forum: Naseem will discuss the Presidential Transition Team and Mia will discuss the Faculty Bylaws aiming for a vote in early May. If we distribute April 7, then have a live meeting on April 28th, there should be time for a review prior to a discussion or vote.

Chris Romano: will join us next week at 10am.

Bylaws: Mia discussed how ours compare with those of other institutions. This information was relevant to how we function. Mia is working on sorting out questions. Some changes are simple clarifications. The names of the schools, names and dates have been updated to represent what we do now. Considerations: maximum career service limits on FAEC, voting and quorums. Currently, we use a fraction (1/4) of the faculty to form a quorum, which can mean a limited number of faculty can vote about significant matters. Qualtrics removes the quorum issue. A new section was added explaining what the Faculty Forum is and that votes will not be held there. GECCo and WAC were added as standing committees; ARC’s section was shortened. A discussion is needed about the councilors and the need to retain the over and under 11 representatives and the importance of including adjunct representation. A short survey of the adjuncts would be helpful. FA cannot pay and the time commitment makes this not necessarily convenient for adjuncts. Should a Councilor at Large represent adjuncts, for example?

Adjunct concerns: Most are not observed. There aren’t teaching awards. If new positions will be full-time non-tenure track requiring a terminal degree, this will impact adjuncts. We should have a Faculty Forum about this allowing a few weeks for discussion and possibly having a vote by the end of May. It would be best to complete the By Laws before the new academic year. A copy with highlighted changes of new provisions and big changes will be referenced for voting. This will be presented at our next Faculty Forum. We have approximately 210 full-time faculty and 250+ adjuncts. If we have adjunct representation, Naseem will ask for compensation for the 2 year term.

Councilors: Should we keep the Councilors at large under 11, as there are few faculty who qualify for this position? We can add more or make them representative of different constituencies on campus.

Distribution Lists: One is only for voting: full-time faculty and adjuncts not on leave. The other comprises 510+ teaching faculty as F1, F2 and AF. Librarians are included. The professional staff who teach were not included. FAEC information will be distributed more efficiently with this new updated system..

Budget Meeting is on May 24th.

BoT meets on April 26th and June 28th.

Distinguished Professor: More research is needed.

SGA: They will be issuing a statement of support for the AAPI community against Anti-Asian violence and discrimination

Meeting adjourned at 11:29am.

Categories: FAEC meeting Minutes 2021, RAMAPO FAEC, Uncategorized

March 30, 2021FAEC Minutes, March 10th, 2021

FAEC MINUTES 3/10/21

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

Guests: Stephen Rice (ARC, Chair and FA rep to BOT), Stephen Larson(FA representative to BOT)

Vote to bring meeting to order at 11:05am.

Minutes Approval: The 2/24/21 and 3/3/21 minutes were approved.

FAEC DISCUSSION

“Satellite” Campuses:

3+1: Concerns were discussed about how students will be advised about 3/1 courses at the satellite campuses. Courses are encouraged in certain sequences in many majors–there is concern that this will complicate advising..

Enrollment Numbers: We discussed enrollment numbers; Naseem will ask Provost Gaulden about PCCC enrollment.

SCCC: 3/1 and 2/2 (social work BSW) programs will be offered here in the fall.

Unit Personnel Decisions and Procedures: Questions have been raised about how to appeal a unit or dean’s decision about a recommendation.

Web Pages: Some groups are updating their own and others are sending theirs to IT. FAEC agreed the college needs to identify someone in IT who can facilitate these updates.

Vaccines at NJIT and Saint Peter’s University: These institutions have made arrangements for vaccines for their faculty and staff. Can Ramapo try to access a block of vaccines to raffle off to our faculty and staff?

Space Committee: Ashwani Vasishth reported the committee has not met since the beginning of the pandemic.

FA governance review committee: There was discussion about the role the review committee played in the past, their charge. The current subgroup in FAEC, led by Mia, has a similar charge.

ARC REPORT (Stephen Rice, Chair)

ARC Update: ARC is close to finishing its review of syllabus and program proposals. The committee will next turn to working on revising to the ARC manual and the ARC forms, and proposing changes to some of the submission procedures.

BoT The Mission Fulfillment Committee Report: Stephen Rice will submit a brief report to Naseem.

Diversity Committee Report: The Diversity Committee did not formally launch, there were hurdles in lack of structure/direction and in creating boundaries between the committee’s role and that of EDIC. FA/FAEC will discuss further how to best proceed.

SUBMITTED REPORTS

BoT Report (Dr. Yongbum Kim, BoT Audit Committee)

Dr. Yongbum Kim provided this recap of the latest meeting on January 14, 2021 as follows.

Discussed the report of the Internal Auditor which included (1) reaffirmation of internal audit organization independence, (2) Audit Universe 2021, (3) internal audit plan for fiscal year 2021, (4) issued audit reports regarding executive summary for Athletics Team Gear and executive summary for student accounts collections, and (5) audit issue follow-up as of January 2021.
Discussed disclosure of related party transactions – Vendor List Ethics Filing with State Ethics Commission
Discussed the report of the Vice President for Administration and Finance
Discussed the review of MD&A and Draft Financials presented by the external auditor, O’Connor Davies, required auditor communications, and
review of audit wrap up communication from PFK O’Connor Davies

Garden State Guarantee Plan (Stephen Larson, Professor of Finance)

Stephen Larson presented a review of the proposed plan by Governor Murphy to provide students in families with incomes less than $65,000, two free years of higher education. It is in the discussion phase. Funding from the state has not been determined nor is it yet known if additional costs will have to be covered by the College. It is unknown if this plan will be implemented.

Meeting adjourned at 12:35pm.

Categories: FAEC meeting Minutes 2021, RAMAPO FAEC

March 14, 2021FAEC meeting minutes Feb 24, 2021

FAEC MINUTES 2/24/21

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

Guests: Todd Barnes (CRW), Monika Giacoppe , Hugh Sheehy,

Christopher Romano (Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affair)

Vote to bring meeting to order at 10:03am.

Minutes Approval: The 2/17/21 minutes were approved.

FA PRESIDENT’S REPORT

EMSA: We await information about a report of fall 2021 101% enrollment.

Discussion with Todd Barnes, Monika Giacoppe and Hugh Sheehy

Center for Reading and Writing: FAEC invited Todd Barnes, Monika Giacoppe, and Hugh Sheehy to clarify current CRW concerns. Todd Barnes served as the CRW liaison. He helped to clarify questions about recent data. Faculty remains committed to CRW returning to Academic Affairs. Tom Kitchen created a structure and handbook 10 years ago, which is still the model used.

HR Employment Question Dedicated Email Address: hr2020@ramapo.edu.

New President: We await the final decision.

FA President/VP Meeting with President Mercer: They discussed the state of the state appropriations.

FA President/VP Meeting with Provost Gaulden:

Cleaning Schedule: High demand classrooms are not being cleaned in order to not lose teaching slots. The conversation is continuing. Naseem has written to the deans. ASB135 does not get cleaned, for example. Why are some classrooms required to be cleaned and others not?

Covid Vaccines: Provost Gaulden has asked the state to make us a vaccination distribution center. There has not been a response. Is there consideration of whether or not all faculty will be able to be vaccinated in advance of teaching in-person?

CARES Act Technology Reimbursement Funds for Faculty: Naseem has not heard anything about this. Are funds available for the faculty as at other colleges?

Alert Me Now: Why are text messages directing us to emails? Can we please return to having the complete alert in the first text?

VICE PRESIDENT FOR EMSA REPORT (Chris Romano)

Enrollment Goals: EMSA froze Spring 2021 file on 2/13/21. We are having a strong semester. Grad enrollment was the strongest of all: 131% of its target. Many programs exceeded their projections. Undergraduate enrollment was 98% meaning Ramapo has met its 100%, overall. Program interest and enrollment information has been shared with deans. More student payment plans have been added. It has been a strong enrollment year, especially during a pandemic.

Total Number of Ramapo Students: We do not have a cap. There are first year and transfer goals, which contribute to the undergraduate total. Scott just enrolled 41 high school students taking a computer science class (dual high school/college enrollment). Graduate programs are done differently, as well. Elements reviewed: what is of interest in the market and how was enrollment last year? The 4+1 programs also contribute to increased enrollment. The budget does not drive enrollment numbers.

Comparison to Other NJ State Colleges and Private Schools: It is hard to get enrollment goals from other institutions. Nationally, the average school enrollment is down because of online learning fatigue, challenges in high school counseling, etc. Urban schools are suffering the most for enrollment. Nationally, colleges are down 40% in applications. New Jersey is 25-27% down, and Ramapo is 15% down. Applications to Ivy League schools remain the same while private schools’ enrollments are down the most. SUNY enrollment is down 20%. Applications have never been a primary indicator of enrollment. The common application allows students to easily apply to many schools. Ramapo does not have free applications. Most applicants choose to pay the $60 application fee; those who need assistance do not pay to apply. Two of 3 majors’ deadlines are done. Going test optional made a difference; students can be looked at more holistically. This helps CA and HGS as some students did not always do well in math. TAS enrollment has gone down, which has balanced programs a bit. Over than 200 deposits have been received which is equivalent to last year. We have accepted 50 more students than last year despite having fewer applications. The focus is on demonstrated interest. Ramapo is one of the few state schools offering tours during the week and on Saturday; these are booked through June. The important target is the total of May/June deposits. Early decision acceptances increased by one. Recruiting opportunities are reduced due to lack of in-person school and community events. Marketing is up.

Dorming: More students live on campus as compared with last semester?. We opted out of some sports related to COVID-19 risk so some athletes chose to not live on campus. There has been a fluctuation of 475-500 this year. We will target 1,200 residents for the fall, which allows one student per bedroom. 57% of first year students who have given deposits have expressed interest in dorming. 500 freshmen are planning and 700 higher classmen are anticipated. Priorities are freshman, EOF, foreign, geographically distant students, etc. Some dorming decisions will be based on which courses are offered in person.

CRW/EOF Decision: FAEC sent a letter to VP Romano and Provost Gaulden. We did not receive a reply and retain the same position that the move and eventual moving of these program was made without discussion by the previous Provost and CRW, at least, should be in Academic Affairs, where it was previously. Chris said there were assertions in the letter without data, which is untrue. Two assertions were based on who uses these and one argument was philosophical and how it was moved. There was no data used to move it to Student Affairs, a temporary move, thus why is there discussion of data to move it back? A request has been made to know which assertions are believed to be false.

There will be a meeting on Friday; Todd, the Provost and Dean Hangen will attend from Academic Affairs. This will be re-evaluated by the end of the year. The data behind the conversation is important. Who is using the CRW? Friday’s meeting is about understanding the strategy of academic success at Ramapo and not about moving it back. A centralized resource for a variety of needs is not available at RCNJ. Students are sent to different places across campus to find out where to gain assistance other than CRW. FAEC does not disagree and feels this is an Academic Affairs discussion. A discussion was held about where this should lie and who would centralize these resources.

FAEC DISCUSSION

Course Delivery Modes: Provost Gaulden distributed an email with very clear guidelines. There is much interest in in-person courses.

All of the above noted topics were discussed.

Meeting adjourned at 11:51am.

Categories: FAEC meeting Minutes 2021, RAMAPO FAEC, Uncategorized

March 14, 2021FAEC Minutes March 3, 2021

FAEC MINUTES 3/3/21

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

Guests: President Peter Mercer, Interim-Provost Susan Gaulden

Vote to bring meeting to order at 10:04am.

Minutes Approval: The 2/24/21 minutes will be approved next week.

FA PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Next Year’s Budget: President Mercer told Naseem and Scott we are on track to be in better shape next year.

Faculty Handbook Revision: The committee has been reconvened and has had its first meeting. Committees have been established and sub-committees may be included.

Center for Reading and Writing: FAEC is advocating for the return of this resource to Academic Affairs by the end of the academic year.

Faculty Assembly: General information will be addressed and then faculty and adjuncts will meet.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

FY’22 Budget: We are doing better than many other state schools and are only slightly below our enrollment goals. The increase in graduate applications has made up for the slight drop in undergraduate enrollment. Hopefully, 1,000 students will be able to live on campus.

New President: President Mercer looks forward to the announcement.

Free Tuition: Governor Murphy is interested in providing free tuition for the first two college years of income-qualifying students at two and four year colleges. There is concern about the impact this might have on Ramapo, as the State would decide the level of financial compensation allocated to replace the loss in tuition.

PROVOST’S REPORT

Fall 2021 Course Schedule: Last semester, one review was conducted before the schedule was made live. A second review is being done this semester to ensure accuracy in delivery modes.

Provost’s Council Policies: These are on the Provost’s website and faculty are encouraged to review policies under review.

Minimum Technology Policy: Laptop Upcycle will likely move to Ramapo in the Fall. This would allow volunteers on campus to upgrade/repair tables, laptops, etc. to ensure all students will have some sort of technology as many have been dependent on campus labs.

Covid-19 Positive Students: Notify Debra Lukacsko; students should inform her directly. Alerts will be provided by the tracing team and no one should be identified by faculty in abidance with HIPPA regulations.

Meeting adjourned at 12:00pm.

Categories: FAEC meeting Minutes 2021, RAMAPO FAEC

February 25, 2021FAEC Meeting Minutes, Feb 17th, 2021

FAEC MINUTES 2/17/21

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

Guests: Virginia Galdieri (Assistant Vice President of Human Resources), Janet Faber (Assistant Director/Deputy ELO)

Vote to bring meeting to order at 10:02am.

Minutes Approval: The 2/3/21 and 2/10/21 minutes were approved.

FA PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Teaching Faculty List: has been received so announcements can be shared with adjuncts and full-time faculty.

Presidential Candidates: Today we will meet the 3rd candidate.

Course Delivery Plans for Fall: Deans should have all fall plan information. Students will know their scheduled fall format by the time registration starts. Room utilization for 50/50 hybrid courses will depend on enrollment. Twice weekly courses require faculty selection of which day they wish to teach in-person so another can split the in-person timeslot.

Cleaning: The state follows the CDC guidelines. If someone is concerned about their studio spaces or other rooms, contact Lauren Tibbetts, Associate Director of Facilities.

HUMAN RESOURCES’ REPORT (Virginia Galdieri and Janet Faber)

Faculty Handbook: Virginia has reconvened the task force for 2/24 and will create subcommittees to work on different sections. This will be a collaborative effort and is a big project. Changes recommended by the committee will be approved by the legal department, Provost, faculty and other College constituencies. This may not be ready this semester. An agenda and a project management plan will be established and shared. Virginia will share the schedule with faculty at Faculty Assembly.

Faculty Promotion/Sabbatical/Tenure Committees: Members will be trained in advance of participating to ensure best practices.

COVID-19 Vaccinations & Testing on Campus:

Testing: How quickly can we move to full in-person course delivery without requiring vaccinations? The Pandemic Assessment Team makes these decisions. Students living in campus housing are tested based on CDC best practices for communal living. We currently have approximately 178 courses with some in-person components in spring 2021. What will be the plan if there are 500+ courses offered? Additional testing options for the fall will be explored based on who will be on campus in the fall.

Vaccinations:FAEC posed questions about on-campus testing and the possibilities of providing vaccinations on campus to best prepare us for the fall with more in-person courses and people on campus. HR reports that RCNJ follows EEOC guidelines.

Flu Clinics: FAEC informed HR that more faculty may be able to participate in flu clinics if they are held on Wednesdays in the future.

Unemployment: Difficulties with unemployment filings were discussed. AFT has been providing the guidelines about unemployment despite the fact that it is not the union’s responsibility. HR reports that there is information on the HR website. Virginia will strategize with Johnie Burton. A dedicated email address is being considered to receive all unemployment questions.

Meeting adjourned at 12:08pm.

Categories: FAEC meeting Minutes 2021, RAMAPO FAEC

Faculty Assembly

Related Resources

Follow Ramapo

May 14, 2021FAEC Meeting Minutes, May 5, 2021

May 14, 2021FAEC Meeting Minutes, April 28th, 2021

May 14, 2021FAEC Meeting Minutes April 21, 2021

May 14, 2021FAEC Meeting Minutes, April 14 2021

May 14, 2021FAEC Meeting Minutes, May 31, 2021

April 6, 2021FAEC Meeting Minutes, March 24th 2021

March 30, 2021FAEC Minutes, March 10th, 2021

March 14, 2021FAEC meeting minutes Feb 24, 2021

March 14, 2021FAEC Minutes March 3, 2021

February 25, 2021FAEC Meeting Minutes, Feb 17th, 2021