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Sent to Faculty, Teaching & Learning Core Staff, and Mission Element Team
Dear Colleagues,
The Office of the Provost invites you to meet the incoming Vice Provost, Dr. Joyce Shim. We are excited to welcome her and celebrate her arrival. Please join us.
Dr. Shim was previously the Dean at the School of Nursing, Arts, and Sciences at SUNY-Delhi. Her PhD is from Columbia University in Social Work with a concentration on Policy Analysis. Her complete CV is found here: link
Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2024
Time: 4pm – 5pm
Location: The Birch Mansion – York Room
Warm Regards,
Michael
Sent to all faculty and Teaching & Learning Core staff
Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to announce that Rikki Abzug, Professor of Management, will assume the role of Director of the Faculty Resource Center effective July 1, 2024. Professor Abzug has been with Ramapo College since 2006 and has distinguished herself as an outstanding teacher and leader across the campus. In this position, she will manage FRC programs and activities including new faculty orientation and other various workshops throughout the academic year. Her contributions will have a significant impact on our shared work and support the vision of teaching and learning at Ramapo College. I look forward to working with Rikki in this capacity.
Warm regards,
Michael
Sent to all faculty
Dear Colleagues,
As we come together for Arching and for graduate and undergraduate Commencement ceremonies in the next week, I want to extend my gratitude for your dedication, creativity and tireless effort in fostering a supportive environment of intellectual growth for our students.
We’ve certainly had many successes to celebrate in the past year. Just in the last few weeks, faculty members have been awarded a grant to support their work in climate change education and a Fulbright-Hays Award to study global sustainability. These two examples are representative of the overall increase in sponsored research proposals and funding we’ve had this year to support your scholarship. With your mentorship, students in Psychology and Physics have presented their research at professional conferences, and been awarded NJ Governor’s Hispanic Fellowships and Critical Language Scholarships. These and other successes are important to recognize, as are the day-to-day successes that occur in our classrooms, labs, tutoring sessions, and office hours. I’m deeply appreciative to those who have invited me into your learning spaces, since in those moments I can truly appreciate the day-to-day teaching and learning moments that make Ramapo special.
As I reflect on my first full year at Ramapo, I also want to thank you for your effort to engage in shared governance and to create a more collegial and collaborative environment which makes teaching and learning possible. In the Fall, you endorsed the Comprehensive Academic Plan (CAP), providing a blueprint for many of the efforts we’re making to strengthen the student experience, to cultivate inclusive excellence, and to nurture community partnerships that advance knowledge and problem solving. Over the last few months, we’ve found a way to improve our process for curricular innovation and change in order to be more collaborative, transparent and timely. Improving the ways we work together – both in processes and in collegiality – adds to the quality education we can provide our students.
With this spirit of coming together, I’m also thinking ahead to our shared challenges for the next academic year, including:
I hope you’ll reflect on these challenges and plan to join me in addressing them together in the Fall.
Thank you again for your exceptional contributions and dedication that make me proud to be part of our community. I’m looking forward to our shared celebrations over the next few days, and hope that the summer is restful and rejuvenating for each of you.
Warm regards,
Michael Middleton
Sent to all faculty
Dear Colleagues,
As we gear up for end-of-year activities, I thought it might be helpful to share a schedule of the many exciting events to celebrate the class of 2024!
Wednesday, May 22, 2024
Graduate Programs Commencement Ceremony, Bradley Center
4:00 pm: Doors Open
5:15 pm: Ceremony Begins
Thursday, May 23, 2024
10:00 am: Nursing Pinning Ceremony, Sharp Theater
12:00 pm: Rites of Passage, Friends Hall (Reception in Alumni Lounges)
2:00 pm: Academic Achievement Ceremony, Sharp Theater
3:00 pm: Pictures & Music in the Grove
4:15 pm: Organization/Lineup of Graduates, Faculty, Staff, & Guests
4:30 pm: Arching & Post Reception, Arch/Bandshell Lawn (Rain Site: Cherry Lane & Bradley Arena)
Wednesday, May 29, 2024
Undergraduate Commencement, Prudential Center, Newark, NJ
7:30 am: Doors Open
8:40 am: Ceremony Begins
Processional Attire
Reminder: If you process in any of these events, the attire is academic regalia.
Additional information can be found here.
Warm Regards,
Michael
Sent to all full time faculty
Dear Colleagues,
If you are a full-time faculty member interested in a position of extraordinary College service in AY24-25, we are currently accepting applications for the Director of the Faculty Resource Center. This role requires the appointee to produce concrete deliverables as outlined in the job description.
Please review the information below and apply by emailing provost@ramapo.edu by Wednesday May 22, 2024. Please include an explanation of your interest and qualifications (1 page maximum) and your CV. I look forward to learning of your interest!
Position: Director of the Faculty Resource Center (FRC)
Term: Three (3) years; appointment reviewed annually
Compensation: $10,000 summer stipend and four (4) credits of reassigned time for the fall and spring semesters. (Please be aware that, as per the AFT Collective Bargaining Agreement, faculty are not permitted to teach overload in any semester in which they receive course releases/reassigned time.)
Responsibilities:
Plan and execute the summer new faculty orientation;
Plan and execute programs and activities of the FRC throughout the academic year;
Assess FRC programs and submit annual assessment plans and reports;
Manage the FRC budget;
Support the vision of teaching and learning at Ramapo College and respond to faculty needs in this area;
Communicate FRC opportunities and resources to Ramapo College faculty;
Coordinate activities with the Instructional Design Center and other ad-hoc groups as needed;
Develop and maintain contact with other teaching and resource center professionals outside the College;
Maintain and consult with an FRC Advisory Board; and
Maintain and update the FRC website.
Sent to all faculty
Dear Colleagues,
I know the next few weeks will be busy with guiding students in their final projects and papers, preparation for exams, and other teaching activities. I’m looking forward to joining many of the year-end celebrations of our students’ work that would not be possible without your guidance.
I’d like to update you on a couple of matters of college-wide importance. First, I’m pleased to announce the following appointments of faculty in key service roles directing programs:
Professor Tammi Redd – Faculty Resource Center
Professor Michael Bitz – Instructional Design Center
Professor Peter Campbell – First Year Seminar Program
Professor Monika Giacoppe – Studies in Arts and Humanities (SIAH) Course
With the recommendation of the Comprehensive Academic Plan Implementation Team, I’m also appointing two short term task forces to examine and make recommendations to me on critical structures of the College – the composition of our Schools and the role of convening groups and conveners. The members of the task forces are listed below. I’m sure you will hear more about their work as it evolves and will be given the opportunity to weigh in on the task forces’ recommendations.
Task Force on the Roles of Conveners and Convening Groups
Co-Chair: Dean Susan Hangen – HGS
Co-Chair: TBD
Anne LePore – CA
Kokila Kota – TAS
Emily Leskinen – SSHS
Tim Haase – ASB
Tae Kwak – HGS
Jessica Steinheimer – Office of Student Success
Jenn Hicks-McGowan – People Operations and Employee Resources
Task Force Examining Academic Structures
Co-Chair: Dean Ken Goldstein – CA
Co-Chair: Emma Rainforth – TAS
Ruma Sen – CA
Sangha Padhy – SSHS
Kathleen Ray – Graduate Programs
Malavika Sundararajan – ASB
Lisa Cassidy – HGS
Katie Cohen – LLC
Kathy Stathis – Fiscal Health Core
Anthony Dovi – Admissions and Enrollment
Thanks to all the members of our community who are willing to serve.
Warm regards.
Michael
Sent to full time faculty via email
Dear Colleagues,
If you are a full-time faculty member interested in a position of extraordinary College service in AY24-25, we are currently accepting applications for the following positions: Director of Studies in Arts and Humanities Course, Director of the First Year Seminar Program, Director of the Faculty Resource Center, and Director of the Instructional Design Center. These roles require those who are appointed to produce concrete deliverables as outlined in the job descriptions.
Please review the information below and apply by emailing provost@ramapo.edu by Friday, January 12, 2024. Please include an explanation of your interest and qualifications (1 page maximum) and your CV. I look forward to learning of your interest!
Position: Director of Studies in Arts and Humanities (SIAH) Course
Term: Three (3) years; appointment reviewed annually
Compensation: Four (4) credits of reassigned time per academic year. (Please be aware that, as per the AFT Collective Bargaining Agreement, faculty are not permitted to teach overload in any semester in which they receive course releases/reassigned time.)
Responsibilities:
Position: Director of the First Year Seminar (FYS) Program
Term: Three (3) years, appointment reviewed annually
Compensation: $10,000 summer stipend and four (4) credits of reassigned time for the fall and spring semesters. (Please be aware that, as per the AFT Collective Bargaining Agreement, faculty are not permitted to teach overload in any semester in which they receive course releases/reassigned time.)
Responsibilities:
Position: Director of the Faculty Resource Center (FRC)
Term: Three (3) years; appointment reviewed annually
Compensation: $10,000 summer stipend and four (4) credits of reassigned time for the fall and spring semesters. (Please be aware that, as per the AFT Collective Bargaining Agreement, faculty are not permitted to teach overload in any semester in which they receive course releases/reassigned time.)
Responsibilities:
Position: Director of the Instructional Design Center (IDC)
Term: Three (3) years; appointment reviewed annually
Compensation: $10,000 summer stipend and four (4) credits of reassigned time for the fall and spring semesters. (Please be aware that, as per the AFT Collective Bargaining Agreement, faculty are not permitted to teach overload in any semester in which they receive course releases/reassigned time.)
Responsibilities:
Sent to all faculty via email
Dear Colleagues,
As we approach the middle of the Fall semester, I once again want to thank you for all your work with our students. It seems that each day I learn about another accomplishment that a faculty member and their students are celebrating. It’s been a joyful experience for me to see what our goals of experiential learning and close faculty-student relationships look like at Ramapo. Thanks also to the faculty and students who have invited me to join their class and observe first-hand.
One issue that seems to be a focus of daily conversation is the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in teaching and learning. I am very pleased that this year’s Faculty Development Day will be centered around this very topic. The Faculty Resource Center and the Instructional Design Center invite you to an in-depth discussion and exploration of Artificial Intelligence with special guest speaker Amanda Bickerstaff from AI for Education. The event is Wednesday at 1:00 pm on the 2nd floor of the Learning Commons. Click here for more information and to register.
I want to congratulate all of us for the development and endorsement of the college’s Comprehensive Academic Plan (CAP) that serves to reinforce our values and prioritizes strategies for helping us get closer to the educational goals we hold for our students. Special thanks to Professor Stephanie Sarabia and Dean Ken Goldstein for their leadership of the committee and to all who participated as committee members over the past year. I’m especially pleased by the number of faculty members who have mentioned their appreciation for the inclusive process that led to the formation of the document. It serves as a model for our future work.
With the endorsement of the CAP, we now move to the implementation phase of the plan. Within the CAP is an Appendix that “serves as a blueprint for turning our plan into action.” In the next few weeks I’ll be putting together an implementation team who will meet with me regularly to monitor our progress on the plan and will advise on committees, timelines and governance processes for moving forward with the implementation tasks. The committee will be representative of the College and will include some members of the initial CAP committee for continuity as well as new members to broaden participation and voice.
Thanks again for your contribution to a successful start of the academic year!
Warm regards,
Michael
Sent to all faculty via email
Dear Colleagues,
As you prepare your course materials over the next few weeks, I want to raise some important considerations. The College has revised its Academic Integrity policy to include information about use of artificial intelligence (AI). As AI tools evolve and we all become more informed about how AI may be used or misused within our disciplines and classrooms, the policy seeks to empower our faculty in making decisions about appropriate use of emerging technology tools in their classroom. After reviewing the policy, I urge you to include explicit direction for your students in what is acceptable/unacceptable use of artificial intelligence tools in your classroom and in student research and creative activity. You may also include a link to our Academic Integrity policy in your syllabi.
I also want to alert you to the existence of websites (see articles from the International Center for Academic Integrity and Inside Higher Ed ) that serve as a clearinghouse for course materials that students have supplied, at times for financial benefit. In some cases those materials include lecture notes, assignments, instructor feedback, course assessments and answers. Although this may not come as a surprise as we navigate a new reality of electronic communication, it may have important implications for how you move ahead with your classes in preparing course materials. Please be explicit and educative with your students and in your course materials about what materials students may or may not share with others. Please know that the integrity of academic conduct and protecting intellectual property is paramount to the College. If you are aware of violations of the use of your course materials, you may request that course-sharing websites remove your course materials. In some cases, it would also be appropriate to report those violations in the Academic Integrity system. Please consult with your Dean if you’d like to discuss this further.
In the Fall, the Provost’s Council will continue reviewing our policies with regard to AI as the context evolves. I will also bring the matter of course sharing websites to the Council for developing a policy and information to guide our community.
Warm regards,
Michael
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