April 8, 2019Faculty Assembly Executive Council | Minutes 3/27/19

Faculty Assembly Executive Council [FAEC] Meeting Minutes

Date: Wednesday, March  27, 2019 | Location: A220  | Time: 10:30 am to 12:00 pm

Attendees: Kathryn Zeno, Tae Kwak, Donna Flynn, Sam Mustafa, Kathy Zeno, Renata Gangemi, Christina Connor, Hugh Sheehy, Eva Ogens, Catalin Martin

Secretary: Nakia Matthias

Guests:  Martha Ecker, AFT;  Michael Unger and Sarah Carberry

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I.  FAEC Minutes Approved

II.  Online Course Evaluations [Martha Ecker, AFT]   

Martha informed the FAEC of the Provost’s intention to proceed with implementing online-only course evaluations (eliminating paper forms) for Spring 2019.  Martha maintained that a threshold would need to be established on an aggregate, rather than individual basis. She also expressed that faculty should not be penalized if they do not meet this threshold due to missing/few online course evaluations.

It was discussed that when online evaluations were the default format and faculty needed to opt in for paper course evaluations a record of faculty that opted in for paper evaluations was established to demonstrate course evaluation format preferences.

Martha noted that the move to online course evaluations is proceeding without faculty negotiation toward an agreement or faculty buy-in.  She indicated that during a Communications meeting on 3/27/19 the Provost explained that online evaluations will save money.

The FAEC noted that the provost originally agreed that online course evaluations would not be implemented until there was a plan to ensure response rates.  There for the current decision to move forward with online course evaluation is occurring without a plan to understand and improve response rates.

The following Faculty Assembly and FAEC minutes document discussion of course evaluations:

• FAEC Minutes – October 17, 2018
• FAEC Minutes  – October 10, 2018
• FAEC Minutes – March 13, 2019
• October 31, 2018  – Faculty Assembly
• September 5, 2018 – Faculty Assembly

III.  Follow-up to Provost’s Faculty Assembly report

The next Faculty Assembly on April 3rd. should include discussion of the move to online evaluations.  

The faculty should vote on whether online evaluations should be immediately implemented  for Spring 2019, as well as whether the roll out for online evaluations should be conducted among tenured full professors until an adequate response rate is achieved.  The response rate for the previous online evaluations that were conducted for full professors were never assessed to determine the nature of the response rates.

IV.  Increasing the number of Faculty at RCNJ through the Implementation of Instructor Lines

President Mercer seeks to increase faculty to teach courses through the use of the instructor line.  Also, Martha from AFT is interested at capping the number of instructor lines. If faculty at the instructor line make up 5 to 15% of faculty this will create a two-tier system.  Any decision to employ more faculty should be driven by the curriculum. If RCNJ employs more faculty at the instructor line that receive benefits this would be a better than an adjunct system.  

V. Michael Unger and Sarah Carberry, GECCo  [General Education and FAEC Assessment]

It was discussed that the Provost may be concerned that the General Education course categories will become bloated and he may be under the Impression that we GECCo and faculty have lifted restrictions.  The process for removing restrictions includes a chain of approval that must be followed before the Provost can approve changes to the Gen.Ed courses.

Currently, General  Education classes must run once each year per an agreement that was endorsed by FA during came former Provost, Beth Foster’s tenure.  Additionally, deans and convening groups have historically handled scheduling rather than GECCo. Deans also perform syllabi audits. Michael and Sarah suggest that this should continue to be the case.   Furthermore, narrowing or expanding sections is up to deans. There will be more effort by deans to populate courses by increasing their capacity. A percentage of courses can be determined for General Education courses that can be allowed to run under the established capacity threshold [10% etc.].  Sarah will attend Dean’s Counsel to discuss the scheduling matters that the Provost mentioned via e-mail with deans.

At present GECCo has no policies but will be creating a manual over the Summer 2019 term.  The document will include written procedures for assessing course content in conjunction with outcome categories, as well as other processes that GECCo undertakes.

VI.  FAEC Assessment

By end of the semester FA and FAEC must  conduct a self-evaluation survey patterned on what has been done in the past for the provost and president. The general role of the FA and FAEC, as well as FAEC representatives can be evaluated.  The results of the evaluation are not the primary concern but rather the ability to demonstrate that the faculty had the opportunity to assess the role and functions of the FA and FAEC. FAEC discussed that evaluations instruments can be disseminated via a secured Qualtrics survey.  

Meeting Adjourned at 12:00 pm

 

Categories: Uncategorized

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February 20, 2019Faculty Assembly Executive Council | Minutes | 2/13/19

Faculty Assembly Executive Council [FAEC] Meeting Minutes

Date: Wednesday, Feb  13, 2019 | Location: A220  | Time: 10:30 am to 12:00 pm

Attendees: Kathryn Zeno, Tae Kwak, Donna Flynn, Sam Mustafa, Kathy Zeno, Renata Gangemi, Christina Connor, Hugh Sheehy, Eva Ogens, Catalin Martin

Secretary: Nakia Matthias

Guests:  President Mercer

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FAEC Minutes Approved

1.  RCNJ AFT contract and faculty teaching load

The current AFT contract establishes that faculty teach twenty-four credit hours per academic year.  Most faculty teach twelve credits per semester with a 3/3 course load.

Although Ramapo maintains a 3/3 course load this is inflexible as does not generally permit other options for teaching distributions such as a 4/2 or 2/4 course load. Furthermore, if faculty currently teach overload in the Fall semester, compensation for the overload is not made until the Spring semester (in cases of teaching 4/3).

Enabling faculty to teach a 4/2 or 2/4 course load is allowed in our AFT contract.  The AFT specifies the number of credits but not the number of classes taught. Therefore, the contracts do not specify that Ramapo faculty must teach a 3/3 course load.  This is an interpretation issue and there is no need to change policy. RCNJ’s programmatic needs may be driving the practice of the 3/3 course load. If faculty desire to make the system more flexible it will require greater complexity.

Having the option to teach a 4/2 or 2/4 course load should be an possible for faculty outside of the scope of overload teaching.  Additionally, the Provost was under the impression that the teaching distribution policy allows for flexibility and that this should be the case under normal circumstances.  Summer teaching does not count as overload as it falls under a separate contract. The business school does facilitate 4/2 or 2/4 overload teaching to meet its needs.

(The provost is determining the financial feasibility of people teaching a 4/3 course load with 3 credit courses.) Faculty with demonstrated scholarship may be able to maintain a 3/3 course load. In the past this system was in place at RCNJ through flex time and resulted in disadvantages for non-tenure track faculty who were made to teach overload courses. One criticism was that senior faculty monopolized four credit classes and junior faculty were stuck with a greater course load. It can be proposed to allow three credit online courses that offer  faculty get four credit teaching compensation. This would be attractive to students and also help faculty accrue a four credit courses.

2.  Class enrollments and the credit hour system

Deans may allow up to ten percent of the classes in their unit run under the minimum student enrollment requirement if the class is critical to the programmatic need(s).   

One and two credit classes are being restructured which can be the groundwork for shifting to a 3/4 credit hour mixed model. Courses with a great number of major requirements can be impacted by any changes.

Winter and Summer online are going to converted to three credit  courses in order to be marketable. Summer classes can also be introduced with a reduced term.   

It would not matter whether faculty or adjuncts teach these some of these courses as paying a full time faculty member bearing an Assistant Professorship for overload and paying an adjunct falls within the same pay range.  

3.  Satellite programs at Sussex Comm. College

Faculty would like clarity about the nature of the satellite program and how it translates at the RCNJ campus.  The e-mail that was distributed does not provide for enough detail and context. Furthermore, the provost has reached out to convening groups about the program and this has placed faculty in an awkward position. There is a need for communication about the program that provide thorough clarification of its functionality and objectives.

The satellite program poses logistical issues for the library and its fulfillment of subscriptions.  It also poses logistical issues for who will be hired to teach and when courses will be taught. It also bears implications for math and writing courses. It is understood that satellite programs are not restricted to majors.  It is maintained that it is easier to teach advance courses online rather than introductory or remedial courses and that tjis is a consideration that must be made within satellite program offerings.

Student Success has devised a list of courses that can be expanded online within the various disciplines and concentrations.

4.  New course and programs

A Faculty Assembly vote on the placement of new ASB minors in the catalog is postponed to March 13th, the first meeting in the Spring semester.  This can be advanced as an information item and even if the vote is postponed to the Faculty Assembly’s April makeup meeting this poses no problem as it is an information item and minor.  The minor is already in the RCNJ catalog as a hidden item that will be activated by the registrar once it is approved by the BoT.

The ARC Chair, Jacqueline Braun has two items to vote on for the next Faculty Assembly meeting.  One of her concerns for the next meeting is that faculty that are hearing about the Doctorate of Nursing Practice program for the first time will object to it.

5.  The FAEC addressed the following issues with President Mercer:

The Spanish for Healthcare and Human Services Certificate Program

Since introduced, this program has been orphaned since Continuing Education (CIPL) was dissolved and coordinating the certificate has been an issue.  Natalia Santamaria-Laorden is the only contact person for the program as well as the program coordinator.   Currently there is no way for students to declare this certificate so the registrar has to do this manually.

6.  RCNJ and its position as a Military-Friendly school

Accommodations should be made to students in the reserves or in other areas of the military on an as-needed basis.  This relates to testing and the fulfillment of coursework, and course activities.

7.  Healthcare and Pensions

Any pension changes impact health care benefits would be negotiated through the AFT.  Under the Governmental Accounting Standards Board(GASB) rules the pension issue would put RCNJ in the red if the college had to cover it.  President Mercer is unsure of how the state will balance the issue of funding pensions and health benefits

8.  The state of annual STEP and COLA increases

Not receiving step or cost of living increases takes much needed income from faculty salaries for each year of faculty members careers.  The Governor is opposed to such measures but the Senate democrats are in support of it.

9. New Jersey Secretary of State and Vocational Training

The Dr. Zakiya Smith-Ellis, New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education’s remarks on the ramping focus on promoting and funding for vocational and training centric educational programs is concerning.  Such direction does not provide for the support liberal arts programs. The secretary is committed to producing a plan for higher educations in the next few weeks.

Meeting Adjourned at 12:00 pm

Categories: Uncategorized

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February 20, 2019Faculty Assembly Executive Council | Minutes | 2/6/19

Faculty Assembly Executive Council [FAEC] Meeting Minutes

Date: Wednesday, Feb  6, 2019 | Location: A220  | Time: 10:30 am to 12:00 pm

Attendees: Kathryn Zeno, Tae Kwak, Donna Flynn, Sam Mustafa, Kathy Zeno, Renata Gangemi, Christina Connor, Hugh Sheehy, Eva Ogens, Catalin Martin

Secretary: Nakia Matthias

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1.  FAEC Minutes Approved

2. Distribution of laminated ‘Hostile intruder/lockdown situations quick reference card’

Several faculty have not received the laminated yellow ‘Hostile intruder/lockdown situations quick reference card’ that was composed by Public Safety to inform the faculty of the recommended safety procedures for campus emergencies relative to such hostile intruder and lockdown situations.  

Furthermore, the document makes suggestions that some faculty and staff will not be able to follow due to the absence of window coverings [blinds or shades] at classroom doors. [Item #2: CLOSE THE SHADE/BLINDS ON THE DOOR AND WINDOWS TO DARKEN THE ROOM.]

In order to follow the recommendations accordingly the necessary materials/apparatus should be installed in classrooms.  This matter should be addressed to ensure that the safety procedures can be followed in the best interest of the campus community.

3.  Doctor of Nursing Practice [DNP] Program Nursing

The proposed Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is a clinical doctorate program proposed by the Adler Center for Nursing Excellence. The program will undergo several review processes before it is approved.  FAEC acknowledges that the faculty would like to have the opportunity to discuss and learn more about the DNP offering. Although, ARC, the BoT, the provost, and respective offices in Trenton must review and approve the DNP program this process does not have occur in sequence.  

The FA scheduled for March 13, 2019 presents an opportunity for faculty to discuss and vote on the proposed DNP program.  The April 3, 2019 FA would likely be very late for this discussion and the progression of the review process. One of the issue to be addressed is the DNP’s classification as a clinical rather than research doctorate.  Upon approval the DNP program would be entered into catalog beyond 2019.A request will be made to ARC Chair, Jacquelin Braun to circulate information about the DNP program among the faculty prior to the next FA.

4.  Faculty Development Day

Three simultaneous panels scheduled for Faculty Development Day. FAEC encourages faculty to attend the events scheduled for Faculty Development Day.  

5.  Late Submission of Final Grades

Six hundred grades were outstanding and not submitted by the due date. Most late submissions were made by adjunct professors.  FAEC suggested better communication with and support of adjuncts to ensure they are meeting the deadlines final grade submission deadlines.  

6.  Five Year Career Development

FAEC discussed the procedure whereby tenured faculty submit requests for career development every five-years. It was noted that there is no real standard for selecting how career development committees are formed nor a clear understanding of how the provision of career development resources are determined.  Thus, when requests for career development are honored it is at the discretion of the committee’s members. Furthermore, there is no follow-up in the process to assess whether resources have been used for their intended purpose. The process was once suspended when faculty contracts lapsed but has since been reinstated.  Some faculty are not informed when they must submit packets for career development. The process is viewed as a means to encourage professional and academic development but bears no gatekeeping function. The career development process is distinct from faculty development.

7.  Economic Education Forum at the Meadowlands |  Chamber of College Economic Education Forum

President Mercer invited New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education, Dr. Zakiya Ellis-Smith to attend the Economic Education Forum where she discussed the connection between employment and education with an accent on experiential learning; making community college free as a priority of her office; advancing all forms of post-secondary education; as well as the state budget and funding formula.

Meeting Adjourned at 11:38 am

Categories: Uncategorized

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February 20, 2019Faculty Assembly Executive Council | Minutes | 1/30/19

Faculty Assembly Executive Council [FAEC] Meeting Minutes

Date: Wednesday, Jan  30, 2019 | Location: A220  | Time: 10:30 am to 12:00 pm

Attendees: Kathryn Zeno, Tae Kwak, Donna Flynn, Sam Mustafa, Kathy Zeno, Renata Gangemi, Christina Connor, Hugh Sheehy, Eva Ogens, Catalin Martin

Secretary: Nakia Matthias

Guests: President Mercer

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1.  FAEC Minutes Approved

2.  Tenure and Promotion

The FAEC discussed the policies and rationale for promotion as the new criteria for promotion present differences in their implementation.  These criteria will not impact existing promotion applications. The faculty handbook will be updated to reflect the new criteria.

The former provost converted full professorships to associate professorships to clear an apparent  bottleneck that existed. This has now caused a bottleneck with full professorships. Provost Becker aims to transform the culture that views promotion to full professor as the ultimate end of an academic career at Ramapo College of New Jersey.   President Mercer agrees that there is nothing wrong with retiring as an associate professor. He expressed concern that numerical indicators my prohibit faculty from being promoted and is considering to require tenure and associate professorship decisions be determined simultaneously. President Mercer has not divulged the formula or guidelines for the process of determining slots for full professorship. He has stated that retiring professors are taken into consideration in the creation of slots for full professorships.  

The merger of these decisions would require a contractual revision.  He acknowledges that the criteria for tenure and associate professorship are slightly different and not clearly understood.  Therefore, there are challenges to employing a combined committee for this review process but faculty do already have the option to request this.  As cost savings is an issue in full professorship considerations a reduced number of full professors warrants an decrease in salaries and benefits for full professorships.  

Should qualifications for tenure and full professorship be changed or elevated then faculty would like these measures to be communicated and documented formally with clear guidelines for the process.

President Mercer also affirmed that sabbatical should not be a contest and that money should not be a factor in determining when sabbaticals are granted and whom receives them.

3.  Faculty Handbook

There is a commitment from Human Resources Director and AFT to prioritize the revision of the faculty handbook. The revisions have been underway for five years to date.  

4.  FAEC Term Limits  and Faculty Assembly

FAEC term limitations are ambiguously worded.  There is a two-term limit for unit representatives but it remains unclear as to how long representatives must be away from duties in order to be re-elected or reinstated in a new term.

In the past it was also unclear as to whom should and should not participate in FA voting. Thus the FA unintentionally and routinely excluded faculty with membership voting rights.

Furthermore, based on the FA bylaws  there is a lack of clarity regarding the FA President’s involvement with the President’s “Cabinet” and the Provost’s “Cabinet.”  This is the case as the FA President is not allowed to serve on the President’s Cabinet and the Provost’s Cabinet does not exist.  (The FA President serves on the President’s Advisory Council and the Provost’s Council, both very large groups.)

5.  State of the College

The State of the College address was announced relatively late and there was some initial confusion about its start time.  

6.  Start date of Academic Year

A Provost’s working group examined the feasibility of starting the academic year before Labor Day.  A contingency in the local AFT agreement stipulates that Ramapo can start up to one week earlier then it has ordinarily started.

The Registrar is waiting for the BoT to approve the dates for the academic calendar and has submitted future academic calendars for up to October 2025.  From 2020 -2025 the Registrar proposes that we start on September 1st or 2nd. Faculty may start after September 1st but are under contract at the start of this date.  Convocation is normally on the first day of September in the past. Additionally, In-service Day/Faculty development day is contractually stipulated.

7.  Late grade submissions   

The provost office seeks to address the repeated instances of late grade submission.  Suggested measure include sanctioning faculty for professional conduct violations. Other options will be considered for ensuring that faculty submit grades by the published deadlines.  

8.   Ramapo College Parking Lots

Parking in lots has become problematic as there needs to be greater enforcement of designated spaces for faculty, staff and students.  The safety of the parking lots during icy weather conditions is an issue as the ice is not adequately cleared. Anticipated weather conditions should warrant greater attention to managing the accumulation of ice in the parking lot.  Furthermore, there needs to be enhances regulation of driving speed throughout campus.

9.  Economic Education Summit and the New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education

The New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education, Zakiya Ellis Smith  has accepted an invitation made by President Mercer to attend the Economic Education Summit which will take place at The Meadowlands on February 5, 2019.

To date, Secretary Ellis-Smith has in attendance at the President’s Council meetings more times than her predecessor.  The Secretary also has a new strategic plan for higher education but will only make its contents known after the Governor releases his budget.

Meeting Adjourned at 12:00 pm

 

Categories: Uncategorized

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January 27, 2019Faculty Assembly Executive Council | Minutes12/12/18

Ramapo College of New Jersey

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Faculty Assembly

 1.  Faculty Assembly Minutes Approved

 2.  FA President’s Report

• Exam Make-up day is Sunday December 23rd which presents a calendar crunch with Christmas and winter break.
• There is a possibility of starting the academic year earlier.  This would require adjustment to the AFT contract to start last week in August and to end the academic year earlier in June. The AFT will work with Provost’s office to determine the possibilities.
• The New Jersey state legislature’s 120 credit cap is non-applicable to RCNJ and does not impact the College’s credit-hour system.  Public liberal arts colleges are exempt.
• Consequently,  RCNJ avoids having to redesign its programs in a very short period of time. The College’s consideration of a hybrid ¾ credit hour model in the future is independent of the pressure of the legislation.
• The faculty handbook will be revising the by human resources.  RCNJ is the only New Jersey college with separate human resources and employee relations departments.  The function of these offices will be consolidated under human resources.
• Starting January 15, 2019 Nicole Morgan Agard will primarily and solely serve as RCNJ’s  Chief Diversity Officer.
• One and two credit courses are not rigorous.  They require assessment and revision. Students  (namely transfer students) take up to 16 credits in in order to meet the 128 credit hour requirement.  
• Every other meeting for Faculty Assembly will be in the Pavillon

3.  College President’s Report

• President Mercer is traveling to Trenton along with the presidents of other New Jersey public colleges to meet with the New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education. They will work on a strategic plan for Higher Education.  RCNJ’s appropriations are lowest per capita than any other public liberal arts college. The challenge for RCNJ resides in how the College manages to get things into a budget that is flatlining. Some broad themes of the new strategic plan include: Workplace training and reducing tuition.   We will also examine the possibilities for the New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education’s design of a funding formula.
• RCNJ receive 2k less per student than TCNJ.  The only schools receiving less per capita are Montclair State University and Stockton University.
• RCNJ had received more admissions applications than in any other  time in the College’s history. The application rate is up by 5%.
• The College’s graduate programs doing well with 600 graduate students on campus
• The Learning Commons will shift to Linden Hall which is being reconfigured to serve as swing space for the library’s collections.  The Library facility will be completely demolished before it is reconstructed. The project is on budget at 42 million dollars and on time with drawings and specifications.  It is likely to completed based on the established timeline.
• Patrick O’Connor, RCNJ’s Government Relations Officer,  attended a briefing given by the Director of New Jersey Transit.  The Director suggested that he will try to help devise a plan for developing public transportation options for access to RCNJ.  Pat O’Connor will work with New Jersey Transit to hopefully implement a plan in two to three months.
• There is nothing to preventing RCNJ from  offering Associates degrees. This comprises the primary initiative taken up by which are cannibalizing some two year colleges.  

4.  Provost’s Report

• Introduction of the Provost’s Special Assistant, Diane Couzens
• The Provost invites faculty to contribute to his discussion board   
• During a speech the Provost suggested that RCNJ needs to be innovative as success  is defined by defined by increasing impact, providing more opportunities and student success. The Provost proposed three cornerstones:
  • Curricular Innovation characterized by signature graduate programs that feature Data Science,  RCNJ online [an online course offerings that are not in competition with existing programs], and Programmatic reviews that entail self-studies.  
  • International Orientation:  Attracting new students and expand RCNJ activities abroad.  An innovation taskforce will be established to address this.
  • Scholarly Excellence:  Enlarging and supporting faculty-student research

5.  Voting Item: GECCo (Experiential Component)

• Vote Results: [Abstain = 5  No= 1 Yes = 90]
• The Language of the Voting Item:: The Experiential Component in the General Education Program will be moved from a Category to an Objective that states: Participate in an engaged, experiential activity that connects the course to real world settings.
• Issue with New General Education program relative to the experiential component. All objectives overlap with experiential objectives and  ⅔ do not encompass the experiential component at all. The experiential should be an objective and listed as a category with other categories.  The proposed solution is to make the experiential component an objective.
• Gecco will devise a manual and have standing committees like ARC
• The ambiguity of the language “Experiential” and “engaged” ambiguity will be addressed to determine what the metrics and qualifiers for these terms.  There needs to be clarity on how ”engaged” is operationalized.

6.  Middle States Report (Stephanie Sarabia)

• The Middle States self study Oct 15th first draft were submitted by the working groups.  
• During December 2018 the steering committee reviewed the chapters and provided feedback.  The process was advised after the committee attended the Middle States conference.  The report will be published on the self study website. Google groups will be used to enable feedback on the report
• The Middle States working group co-chairs are seeking to establish Middle states office hours  to be available to discuss the chapters of the report.
• David Nast and Stephanie Arabia are taking suggestions on the process

7.  Report: Student Athletes (Dr. Ben Fine)

• Student Athletes/Faculty:  Ben Fine is the faculty member contact that serves to bridge gaps between student athletes and their classroom performance by keeping coaches informed of and student athletes’ progress.  Dr. Fine reports to Chris Romano about these relations. He affirmed that student athletes should not be afforded an unfair advantage in their courses.

8.  FA Q & A

• How can RCNJ facilitate an International Orientation and more more study abroad?
  • The Innovation Taskforce can determine how can we accomplish this to support travel funds. Ramapo Online would increase revenues to fund study abroad and academic affairs needs.
• Concern expressed about the language of the OSS statement that is circulated among faculty and students.   It indicates that students must meet with OSS advisor at the end of the first week but does does not specify anything about meeting with the instructors to discuss OSS accommodations.
• Concerns expressed about expectations for service and faculty scholarship.  Faculty that are and wish to produce scholarship cannot be engaged in the level of service that we are currently expected to maintain.

9.  Information Items

Chief Diversity Officer (Nicole Morgan Agard)

• Communications Meeting Overview
• Change at the College Since the EDIC ‘s Establishment
• Drafting a College Wide Diversity Plan
• Creation of an anonymous Online Bias reporting system
• Diversity Committee + Bias Response Team
• Diversity Convocation Feb 13 2019 John Quinones from ABC “What Would You Do” will be in attendance
• Call for Search Advocates to sit on search committees – receives training. Not a voting member on a committee

SGA President (Stephan Lally): Food Pantry and Student Relief Fund (SRF)

• Tiffany Miniweather and Stefan Lally: We Care Program  [MSW internship program] Help with non-Tuition related expenses
• Given out over $2500 for student expenses
• CCSE, CSI,EDIC  -good academic + financial standing, in need, appropriate behavior
• Homelessness, books.
• Student Relief Fund https://www.ramapo.edu/give/ To donate to the Student Relief Fund, scroll down to “Other,” and please write in “Student Relief Fund” in the text box for Other Gift Designation.)

Library Update

• No access to phone from 7th to 18th of January
• Closed Jan 2nd to 21st

Fair Trade (Neriko Doerr)

Visit https://www.ramapo.edu/fair-trade/ for more information

• Adjunct Professor Service Awards – 3:00pm AFT (Alumni Lounges):
  • All members of the College Community are invited to stay for the  Adjunct Professor
  • Service Awards at the beginning of the AFT meeting.

Faculty Assembly Adjourned 3 pm

 

Categories: FACULTY ASSEMBLY MINUTES, Uncategorized

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December 5, 2018Faculty Assembly Executive Council | Minutes | 11/28/18

Faculty Assembly Executive Council [FAEC] Meeting Minutes

Date: Wednesday, November 28, 2018  | Location: A218  | Time: 10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Attendees: Tae Kwak, Donna Flynn, Sam Mustafa, Cristina Perez, Hugh Sheehy, Renata Gangemi, Christina Connor

Secretary: Nakia Matthias

Guest:  Provost Becker

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1. FAEC Minutes Approved

 

 

2. Three-credit system and school restructuring

 

If applied universally, a three-credit  credit system would have a tremendous impact on the curriculum and its delivery, particularly in terms of faculty teaching workload.  A mixed three/four credit model also has its pitfalls and we should avoid the same inequities that had existed before. Any potential move for School restructures should be predicated on sound rationale and objectives (it was not in the past).

 

3. GECCo and ARC

 

The FAEC president suggests that the General Education Governance Committee restore GECCo’s original charge rather than create another committee to address matters that must be resolved.

As GECCo’s  charges as they are broad and not limited it can function in a manner similar to ARC.  GECCo is composing a manual featuring guidelines, principles, and policies.

There are no GECCo or ARC voting items for the December 12 Faculty Assembly agenda.

 

4. In-Service Days and Faculty Development Day

 

Mandatory faculty In-service days scheduled at the beginning and end of academic year were discontinued by the previous FA President.  The most popular component of ISD, teaching and pedagogical workshops were incorporated into the FRC’s Faculty Development Day workshops that run once per semester.

The Provost suggests that the activities related to in-service and faculty development events include:

• Faculty presentations about their research to their unit during Unit Council meetings.  
• Each unit can present research and projects during a faculty research exhibition
• An interdisciplinary faculty colloquia that involves faculty presentations based on themes and  topics determined by the faculty.

 

5. Provost Becker and the Innovation Task Force

 

Provost Becker has requested that deans submit names for volunteers for the Innovation Task force that he is assembling.  The Innovation Task force will not function as a standing committee but it will focus on creativity. The Provost extends an invitation to faculty and staff that wish to participate in advising and creating opportunities around the Task force’s three cornerstones.   The three cornerstones are in support of scholarly excellence related to:

1. Curricular Innovation
2. Data Science
3. International Orientation for students and faculty

The Provost suggests that task force shall operate to address the three cornerstones while progressing RCNJ’s ability to respond to the following questions:

• What is the RCNJ structure?
• Who are we at RCNJ?  
• What do we stand for at RCNJ?  
• What is our passion at RCNJ?  
• What is our purpose at RCNJ?

Provost Becker expressed desire to have an initial Innovation Task Force Meeting before the end of the Fall 2018 semester on Wednesday. December 5th at 3:00 pm during the old Diversity Action Committee time slot

5. Miscellaneous Items

 

 

• Provost becker is considering to start the Fall semester one to two weeks earlier
• FAEC  meeting times for Spring 2019 semester is 10:30 am to 12:00pm in A-221

Padavano Commons

 

 

• Jim Morley requested that FAEC circulate the letter that he composed about Padavano Commons among the faculty.  FAEC determined that each unit representative can forward the letter to their respective unit secretary for distribution.
• Dunkin’ Donuts  in Adler Center and opened for business this week.

Meeting Adjourned at 12 p.m.

Categories: Uncategorized

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December 5, 2018Faculty Assembly Executive Council | Minutes | 11/14/18

FAEC Minutes 11/14/2018

Faculty Assembly Executive Council [FAEC] Meeting Minutes

Date: Wednesday, November 14, 2018  | Location: A218  | Time: 10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Attendees: Tae Kwak, Donna Flynn, Mark Skowronski, Sam Mustafa, Cristina Perez, Hugh Sheehy, Renata Gangemi, Christina Connor

Secretary: Nakia Matthias

Guests:  SGA Liaison, Philip Buechel and Provost Becker

___________________________________________________________________________

1. FAEC Minutes Approved

2. SGA Liaison, Philip Buechel

Buechel asked questions about the functions, roles and goals of the FAEC.

3. FA Morale  Fund

The FAEC Morale Fund is the operating Budget for FA.  It may be used fo retirement events, service awards, and any faculty-related celebratory events.  FA received $2000 from Ramapo Foundation. Coffee service costs $205. The FA Morale Fund budget has been cut to $1500 for next year. The FA was able to eliminate paper ballots as there has only been one within the last two years.

FAEC had deliberately spent less of our funds in order to help seed SGA’s Student Emergency Relief Fund (SERF) for SGA.  We did this by eliminating cookies and snacks (ordering just coffee and tea) as well as forgoing one beverage service. Tamka Quick inquired about how much FAEC is willing to donate to SERF.  At the end of AY 2016-17 and 2017-18, FA donated about $600 each to SERF. We were hoping to make a last donation of about $1000 at the end of this year.

The RCNJ SERF fund arose through a larger movement in New Jersey State. Students Government Associations in other colleges established agreements with food services so that skipped meals could be donated to other students in need.   This is not possible through the RCNJ meal plans provided by Sodexo, as the food service provider does conduct a diaggreate of actual versus. used meal plans.  Furthermore these has been no cooperation between RCNJ and Sodexo for meal skipping and donation.

4. General Education Curriculum Committee (GECCo)

GECCo will be modeled after ARC and create a handbook.  The FAEC President is talking with Sarah Carberry and Michael Unger about the creation of a new committee. It must be determined whether there is another FA endorsement to revert to the GECCO’s original (more expansive) charge.  Sarah and Michael will be asked if they would like to address this during the next FA meeting.

5. Shared Governance at RCNJ

6. Provost’s Council

The Provost’s Council has not met this year and will only convene when there is a voting Item.  The Provost’s Council makes changes to policies whereby FA is afforded 30 days to discuss the proposed changes and provide input.  If the FA makes no recommendations the policy proposal is implemented. This was problematic in the past as policy proposals and changes were made during  the summer months when the FA does not assemble.

7. Innovation Task Force

The new task force requires more participants that are knowledgeable of innovation in higher education and institutional change.  Each unit should have three to five representatives on the task force.

8. President’s Advisory Council [PAC]

PAC has not met in nearly a calendar year.  It is open to faculty and staff and functions as a way to communicate between the President’s Cabinet and faculty.

9. Employee Relations and Chief Diversity Officer Restructuring

Nicole Morgan Agard has been hired to replace the Director of Employee Relations. Morgan-Agard started in August 2016 and became Chief Diversity Officer (CDO).  This raised concerns about conflicts of interest from the Minority Faculty and Staff Association. The Director of Employee Relations position will be dissolved and Morgan-Agard will only function and CDO. the MFSA expressed concerns about  Morgan-Agard assuming the role of Chief Diversity Officer.

RCNJ has a separate Employee Relations (ER) and Human Resources (HR) departments although this is not typical in most New Jersey public colleges and universities.  According to our union (AFT), RCNJ has filed relatively fewer formal grievances than other colleges in NJ precisely because of our peculiar structure. The change in structure will negatively impact AFT on campus, as the point-person for the AFT will no longer be the Director of Employee Relations.  This places the AFT at a strategic disadvantage. Mercer does not want to hire a new Director of Employee Relations however.

The following is a copy of the letter from AFT President Martha Ecker to College President Mercer and his response:

November 9, 2018 … Dear President Mercer, We have come to understand that the Office of Employee Relations is to be disbanded and its functions to become part of Human Resources. As President, it is your managerial prerogative to structure the administrative function and organization of the college; however we believe that this change will not be beneficial to the college as a whole. Since 2009, the Office of Employee Relations has reported directly to the Office of the Provost rather than the Vice President for Administration and Finance. The collaborative relationship enjoyed by the AFT and Employee Relations has produced relatively harmonious labor relations that has resulted in significantly fewer issues leading to grievances and related filings. Even during the time when the faculty and professional staff were working without a contract, the collaborative nature of the working relationship between the AFT and Employee Relations benefited not only the faculty and professional staff, it benefited the students and the administration as well. When we searched for a Director of Employee Relations, Nicole Morgan Agard’s background and experience fit the needs of the position. The search for an Assistant Vice President of Human Resources did not include the duties of the Director of Employee Relations in the job description. We see the Office of Employee Relations as an indispensable entity uniquely tasked with the effective implementation of the union contract. The office has served an important role to the administration, faculty and professional staff in ensuring adequate adherence to the union contract and effective management of disputes. No rationale has been provided by your office for its elimination beyond the need to meet other administrative initiatives. This represents a concerning disregard for the needs of faculty and professional staff. We respectfully ask you to reconsider your decision in the best interest of students, faculty, professional staff and the college.   Sincerely, Martha Ecker President

 

November 13, 2018 … Dear Professor Ecker: Thank you for your letter of 9 November 2018. I agree that the functions of the Office of Employee Relations are indispensable and responsibility will be allocated within the Office of Human Resources to ensure that those functions will continue to be carried out effectively under the new arrangement. I have spoken with Virginia Galdieri and she is committed to maintaining the excellent relationship with the AFT and to meeting the needs of faculty and professional staff. I look forward to further discussions on how best to prepare a smooth transition in the few weeks remaining before the implementation date of January 1, 2019. Sincerely, Peter P. Mercer, J.D., Ph.D. President

10. Vice Provost

The Vice Provost position remains unfilled.  The position of Interim Vice provost had been offered to Michael Unger, but he is currently filling the Director of Assessment Position.  There is alco a vacancy for the Deputy Provost for Graduate Programs position. Provost Becker believes that the Deputy Provost for Graduate Programs may be unnecessary.   

11. AFT OPRA Request for Presidential Cabinet Salary Disclosure

The RCNJ AFT has filed an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request regarding the salaries of the RCNJ President’s cabinet members.  Raises were granted for the President’s cabinet members. The salary information has been released by the AFT.

12. Provost Becker and Curricular Innovation

Ramapo Online

Provost Becker wants to expand online classes, including graduate-level courses to increase RCNJ revenues.  He proposes a Ramapo Online initiative to grow programs, their revenues, as well as public-private partnerships in support of existing and new programs. Becker mentioned that at present the MBA program has 30 students and an online version of the program is needed.  He sees online expansion as a possibility for the forthcoming music and DNP programs.

Data Science

Becker seeks to initiate an interdisciplinary Data Analytics program as he sees the demand for data science in the private and public sectors.  The program is in the early planning stages marked by discussions about its features and potential implementation. The Provost asserts that a Data Analytics program would incorporate RCNJ’s core courses in business analytics, coding and statistics,  Becker envisions that the data analytics program will serve the RCNJ strategic plan and suggests that it could be a signature program at the graduate and undergraduate levels. His goal is to position RCNJ as the hub for Data Science in the region with national and international reach.

Program Reviews

Provost Becker recommends that program reviews be conducted as part of the planning for curricular innovation. The process involves program-level assessment of the work that units do to include self-evaluation, external evaluation, and the responsive development of a 5 to 7 year plan based on the feedback.   The Provost will provide guidelines for program reviews, secure external evaluators, and work through deans for scheduling them.

Meeting Adjourned 12:00 pm

 

Categories: FACULTY ASSEMBLY MINUTES, FAEC MEETING MINUTES 2018, Uncategorized

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April 30, 2018Minutes Faculty Assembly 4/25/18

Faculty Assembly Minutes

April 25 Pavilion 1 pm

Faculty Assembly President: Tae Kwak

Secretary: Hugh Sheehy

 

1. Minutes approved

 

2. President’s Remarks: The College is over halfway to $15 million goal for new library. Incoming Provost Becker will attend BoT Meeting 4/30 and will be available to have dinner with faculty members. Mercer shared numbers of locks changed on campus for enhanced security. The rest of the locks will be installed by the Fall. Other security factors being considered are the entrances and exits on campus. FAEC President Kwak expressed his appreciation for the 4/20 event on campus safety the Administration helped to plan and make happen. A faculty member asked about unblinded classrooms with glass walls. Mercer expressed his interest in looking into further security features for these spaces.

 

3. Provost’s Remarks: Syllabi for Fall 2018 are due to deans by June 30, 2018. Barnett went over the items that must be included on these syllabi and will send a memo outlining these required elements. There was some discussion of the number of grids or rubrics required by each syllabus and whether including program outcomes on syllabi would be rendered redundant by end-of-year reports. The Provost’s Service Award this year goes to Rachel Budin.

 

4. In the future, College-wide policies for all courses will be available as a link to be placed on syllabi.

 

5. 4/18 Voting Results: Faculty cast 165 ballots in the paper vote (about 77% return rate). in the future, paper ballots will be replaced with anonymous Qualtrix surveys. The passage of Ballot Item 2 will allow FAEC to amend and update old matter in the Bylaws. Hugh Sheehy will step down as FA Secretary in the Fall and take the place of the current FAEC HGS representative; Nakia Matthias will replace him. FA President Kwak will continue in his current role. Kwak stated that he will continue to work toward making the College’s vision of shared governance a reality; he also discussed a couple of changes respecting exam periods and grade due dates that have taken place under his watch. He plans also to make future FA meeting times and durations consistent. Kwak is reachable by email.

 

Voting Results:

Item 1 (Electronic Voting of Officers) Y 137, N 12, A 16

Item 2 (Amendment of Bylaws) Y 128, N 13, A 23

FA President: Kwak Y 143, N 1, A 20

FAEC Councilor at Large (11+Years): Mustafa Y 137, A 27

FAEC Councilor at Large (11-Years): Flynn Y 134, A 30

 

6. Stephen Anderson delivered the ARC report, stating that the Committee has approved 9- courses for inclusion in the Gen Ed. ARC is now open for submissions of new courses to be considered for the GE. Faculty considering new programs for the Fall can expect a new checklist on the ARC website. ARC is still determining who will be the next chair.

 

7. Sarah Carberry delivered the GECCo Report. Deans have agreed to include the Senior Presentation as a graduation requirement. Schools will decide requirements for each presentation and how to align their criteria with program outcomes. Faculty in Readings in the Humanities and CRWT have been contacted with requests for GE data. Carberry then talked about how to find scheduled courses that are in both the old GE and the new GE in Banner; the easiest way is to select all options under “Subject” and to then choose the relevant GE areas in “Attribute Type” and then “Section Search.” Students who wish to declare the new GE must get permission through the relevant deans, who will be responsible for contacting the Registrar. Newly declared majors will be responsible for completing new GE major requirements. A faculty member asked whether courses outside of the GE could be used as equivalents; Carberry replied that in general they may not.

 

8. Meeting adjourned 2:05

 

Categories: Uncategorized

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April 18, 2018FAEC Minutes 4/4/2018

Faculty Assembly Executive Council (FAEC) Meeting Minutes

April 4, 2018

ASB 008 Room

10:30am to 12:30am

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

Excused: Cristina Perez, Donna Flynn, Roark Atkinson

Secretary:​ Hugh Sheehy

Guest: Martha Ecker

1.     Minutes 3/28 approved
2.     Faculty Assembly Agenda: The provost continues to offer incentives for faculty members who are willing to teach online; Michael Bitz will discuss security concerns related to the expansion of online learning. Committee members expressed similar concerns related to the adoption of online course evaluations. There was some discussion of how the evaluation instrument might be improved; there was some discussion of how evaluations are used in the material submitted by faculty members for promotion decisions. There was some discussion of the value and reliability of evaluations: a committee member suggested they are valuable for making promotions decisions, while other committee members suggested that evaluations can be corrupted by disengaged or vindictive students, and another argued that it is impossible to measure phenomena such as sexist and racist bias in evaluations data.

It remains unclear whether we will hold a Faculty Forum on 4/25 as scheduled.

The Administration has scheduled a number of meetings involving the Faculty that interfere with scheduled faculty meetings.

        Ben Fine will give a talk about student athletes at the end of FA.

        There will be a discussion of whether the College should pay for OER.

        The College supports a one-semester sabbatical for outgoing FAEC Presidents; FAEC hopes the Faculty will endorse this measure to entice more faculty members to participate in FAEC.

3.     Martha Ecker discussed the New Jersey statute regarding tenure. She discussed the hire of the Vice Provost and the College’s current interest in hiring a new provost. She reminded FAEC that AFT can negotiate procedures but not content of agreements between colleges and state employees. She suggested that faculty concerns about the terms of administrative hires be brought to the floor during Faculty Assembly.
4.     Stephen Anderson described the three new majors proposed by ASB and ARC. He discussed the onerous process of approving courses for the new Gen Ed. He explained that ARC has also had difficulty recruiting members and maintaining continuity from term to term. An FAEC member and Anderson discussed making coordinating points of information in the new GE program on a simple form that might be made available online to students; Anderson said he would discuss it with the GECCo chair. He said he will also look into the mechanism coordinating the old GE with the new one for students who have to work with both.
5.     FAEC will hold a paper ballot vote on whether to update the FAEC Bylaws.
6.     FAEC discussed the candidates for the opening Provost position.
7.     FAEC will be leaving many items on the table for next Fall, and a number of significant meetings are scheduled for the end of the semester. The FA President will be in touch with FAEC members during the summer as needed.
8.     FAEC discussed the progress of the library renovation. Committee members discussed impressions that oversight for the renovation remains difficult to track.
9.     Meeting adjourned 12:30

 

Categories: Uncategorized

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April 4, 2018DRAFT Faculty Assembly Minutes 4-4

Faculty Assembly Minutes

April 4 2018 ASB 136 1 pm

Faculty Assembly President: Tae Kwak

Secretary: Hugh Sheehy

 

1. Minutes 1/31 Approved

 

2. President’s Report: Mercer talked about the new state budget and suggested expectations for increased $$ for public higher education should be tempered. With respect to new developments in higher education, Mercer discussed Rowan College’s adoption of a “3+1” model of degree pursuit, which would allow for students to attend a two-year college for three years and then complete their study in one year at a four year college. Mercer stated that he and the Administration are heading in a different direction: increasing access to Ramapo for students at two-year colleges. He stated his belief that the outlook for next year is good, with deposits and transfers up from this time last year. Regarding the Provost Search, Mercer stated his hope that negotiations will commence with the top candidate by next week and that he will be in touch with the Faculty with more information shortly. FA President Kwak asked about the search for a new Government Affairs Officer for the College. President Mercer replied that having a Government Affairs Officer in the state capitol is essential to staying abreast of developments in Trenton as well as continuing to represent the College’s particular interests, including lobbying for the College’s share of the budget appropriations. Mercer believes that Ramapo will benefit from these efforts. A faculty member made a statement on behalf of the Minority Faculty and Staff, which plans to make one of three recs: 1) failed search, 2) one candidate, 3) no recommendation—rec is forthcoming. A faculty member raised a question about offering more scholarship money for transfer students. Mercer replied that the College would like to offer more money, but doesn’t have it; he added that the College has invested in transfer students in the form of placing Ramapo staff at two year colleges in the interest of bringing more well-prepared students to the College. A faculty member stated that students are expressing their anxieties and fears about possible violence on campus and enumerated ways in which the College appears unprepared for unpredictable violence, such as a shooter on campus. Mercer replied that our security officers are unarmed and that he would like for them to remained that way; the record suggests that having more guns on campus—even only with security officers—leads to more shooting on campus. He also stated that there limits to how safe the campus could be made without altering the basic character of campus life. He stated that the College is hoping to take place in an active shooter exercise soon; the opportunity was presented recently, and there will be more information on that in the near future. However, he stated, the value of such an exercise will naturally be limited; he stated that the College will undertake adding certain safety measures (locks for doors, shades for windows) that have been under discussion for years. A faculty member asked when we might see some of the safety measures put into place, and Mercer replied that he would try to bring a time table to the 4/25 FA.
3.  Provost’s Report: Provost Barnett thanked Stephanie Sarabia (?) and Vice Provost Williams on their contributions to preparing the College for its Middle States visit. She reminded faculty that students are registering for classes this week and asked that faculty members do their best to assist their advisees. Barnett is preparing for an upcoming Board of Trustees meeting and will be taking forward a number of Faculty requests and recommendations. On Wednesday 4/18 there will be a Diversity Training program; Barnett urged all faculty to attend at their assigned times. CRW staff will decrease the teaching loads of full-time employees to free up staff resources for students in need of extra guidance or instruction. Barnett expressed her enthusiasm for the Roukema Center’s program for faculty conducting research abroad. A faculty member asked about the changes at the CRW. Barnett talked about logistical changes and also raised the issue of increasing CRW resources for graduate students. A faculty member recounted a story about an ITS problem she encountered while trying to advise a student and requested more advance warning in the future. Provost Barnett sympathized and stated that she would take this concern back to ITS.

 

4. Voting Items (92 Voting Faculty Present):

A. Museum and Exhibition Studies Minor

1. Yes 95%
2. No 5%
3. Abstain

B. Conversion of Business Administration Concentrations into their Respective Majors

1. Yes 97%
2. No
3. Abstain 3%

C. Course Evaluation Revision Task Force

1. Yes 91%
2. No 3%
3. Abstain 6%

D. Open Educational Resource Task Force

1. Yes 90%
2. No 6%
3. Abstain 5%

 

5. FA President’s Report: Tae Kwak discussed the changes that have taken place under his tenure as FA President. He underscored the newly implemented Shared Governance plan as a sign of things to come and stated his current concerns with existing difficulties the Faculty and the Administration have with communicating. Kwak promised to work on this issue going forward. He then raised the issue of the shortage of faculty interest in working on FAEC and announced that the Faculty have received the blessings of the Administration and AFT to award outgoing FA President’s with a semester of leave in the interest of establishing more incentive for faculty members to volunteer to take part in the broader endeavor of shared governance.

6. FAEC Candidates Introductions: Kwak introduced Donna Flynn, who was absent, and endorsed her candidacy for the position of All-College Representative (under eleven years). Sam Mustafa introduced his own candidacy for All-College Representative (over eleven years). Kwak also introduced two further amendments of the FA Bylaws. Kwak also invited untenured faculty members interested in becoming FAEC secretary to volunteer for the position.

 

7. Benjamin Fine talked his role as NCAA Division III Representative. He stated his interest in developing the position around the needs of the student-athlete population. He discussed the faculty mentoring program that assigns faculty members to different teams. Fine also stated that he is available to hear concerns and complaints about student-athletes; he added that he hopes to hear what Ramapo student-athletes are doing well.

 

8. FA adjourned 2:51 PM

 

 

 

 

Categories: Uncategorized

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