Faculty Meeting Minutes

April 1, 2016
Gannett Auditorium

MINUTES

President Philip A. Glotzbach called the meeting to order at 3:33 p.m.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

President Glotzbach asked if there were any corrections to, or comments regarding, the minutes of the Faculty Meeting held March 6, 2015.  Hearing none, he announced the minutes were approved.

PRESIDENT'S REPORT

President Glotzbach acknowledged the recent death of our first-year student, Will Golden, which occurred during spring break.  He thanked everyone who attended Will’s memorial service on campus and those who are dealing with the loss with Will’s fellow students.  Poet laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, who was awarded an honorary degree, started his presentation by reading a poem he wrote that day (while he was on campus) for Will.  President Glotzbach sent the poem to Will’s family and hopes that it will bring some solace to Will’s family.  President Glotzbach also acknowledged the recent, untimely death of David Porter.  A memorial service is scheduled for Friday, April 8 at 3:00 p.m. in Zankel.  President Glotzbach will speak at that event and will have an opportunity to comment on the loss of this remarkable member of our community, who was a member of our community for nearly 30 years, and who was a transformative president in the history of the College.  A moment of silence was held in remembrance of Will Golden and David Porter.

President Glotzbach reported that the sentencing for Thomas Gorman, the man who last fall drove the car in the incident that led to the death of our student, Michael Hedges, and injured several other students, was held on March 21.  President Glotzbach and several other administrators attended the sentencing.  At the sentencing, four Skidmore students spoke, providing moving victim-impact statements, and a statement from Michael Hedges’ mother was also read into the record.  Mr. Gorman was sentenced to two concurrent indeterminate sentences: one of 5-15 years for vehicular manslaughter and a second of 2-6 years for vehicular assault.  Judge Murphy is recommending to the corrections authorities that Mr. Gorman serve the full term of the sentences.

On a happier note, Cathy DeLorenzo provided an update on admissions.  Ms. DeLorenzo reported that decision letters were mailed on April 24.  With the record number of applications that were received and the fact that we were able to fill about 50 percent of the class through early decision, our overall acceptance rate should be approximately 29 percent.  This compares to 37 percent last year.  Ms. DeLorenzo indicated that the Discovery Tour will be held during the following week on April 6-8, and there are currently more than 150 registrants for that program.  She further indicated that the Accepted Candidates Days will be April 8, April 11, and April 15.  She thanked everyone for helping Admissions and Financial Aid to enroll another terrific class.  President Glotzbach thanked Ms. DeLorenzo and all her colleagues in Admissions.

Thereafter, President Glotzbach reported that at its meeting earlier in the day, the Institutional Policy and Planning Committee (IPPC) approved the request from the Enrollment Management Group to enact the test-optional policy for admissions that has been widely disseminated and discussed in the community. Standardized test scores, however, will still be required for international students other than those who have attended English-language-based schools for at least three years, homeschooled students, and students attending secondary schools that provide only written evaluations without accompanying letter grades.

Joshua Woodfork, Vice President for Strategic Planning and Institutional Diversity, provided an update on the current search for a new Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students.  Dr. Woodfork reported that there is a robust candidate pool.  Video interviews of the candidates will be conducted in the next few weeks, and 3-4 candidates will be brought to campus before the end of the semester.  Dr. Woodfork encouraged anyone with any questions or concerns to reach out to him or Associate Professor Natalie Taylor.

President Glotzbach reported that we will be moving forward with the search for a new Title IX coordinator.  After discussions with various committees and groups, President Glotzbach believes it is the right time to move forward with that search – to fill this new position.  In the meantime, the search for the Vice President for Communications and Marketing will be delayed until the fall.  Debra Townsend will continue in her role as Interim Vice President for Communications and Marketing.  

Thereafter, Michael West, Vice President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer, shared a PowerPoint presentation on the financial health of the College.  This financial report included a Moody’s financial comparison of Skidmore’s aspirant and peer institutions; a comparison of endowment figures for Skidmore and its peer institutions; historical operating budget figures for fiscal year 2010 through 2016 showing a breakdown of revenues and expenses by category; information on tuition and fees for fiscal year 2016 for Skidmore and its peer institutions; factors that potentially could cause Skidmore to experience financial pressures in the future; basic guidelines for the annual budget process and construction; and key budget assumptions approved by the Board at the February board meeting.  

Vice President West indicated that the factors with greatest impact on the budget are net tuition revenues, compensation, investment performance, plant-related expenses, capital construction, and campaign receipts.  He further indicated that the key for Skidmore in sustaining its financial health is enrolling strong classes meeting targets including financial aid; controlling expenses and selectively reducing certain programs and services while maintaining the integrity of the College’s mission; improve fundraising capacity from alumni and other supporters; maintaining and improving retention, including balancing enrollments between semesters; annually reviewing all new programs and regularly reviewing of all established programs; and balancing budgets annually. In summary, VP West indicated that the admissions picture is the most challenging, as there are intense competition for students, increasing financial needs of families and concerns of affordability, perceived value and career success, and competitors pricing and use of merit aid.  Financial markets still remain volatile and concerning, and the fundraising environment remains difficult.

DEAN OF THE FACULTY AND VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS’ REPORT

Beau Breslin, Dean of the Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs, thanked everyone for their participation during the Middle States team visit.  There was a great turnout for the report read by Janet Riggs and a lot of excitement and energy in the room.  By all accounts, the Middle States visit was very successful.  The team’s draft report was sent to the College and that provided an opportunity for the College to respond to some of the issues raised in the report.  The College was delighted with the commendations and encouraged by the suggestions, but did push back on some of their recommendations.  The Middle States team will respond to our response, we will receive an official report, and then Janet Riggs will go to the Middle States Commission this summer to present our case for reaccreditation.  Once we receive the Middle States decision, we will let the community know.

DOF/VPAA Breslin reported on two grants received within the last ten days, which is a testament to the excellent work of all our faculty.  We were part of an international competition for a handful of Ho Family Foundation Professors of Buddhist Studies.  The grant was open to any school and there was stiff competition for this award.  Skidmore was chosen as one of the Ho Family Foundation recipients.  This award will allow us to hire a tenure line faculty member in Buddhist studies, a shared line in Asian Studies and Religious Studies.  Special thanks to Professor Eliza Kent and Associate Professor Ben Bogin for preparing the proposal.  

Secondly, the Tang received an $840,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation, combined with a grant from the Ellsworth Kelly Foundation, for a total award for this initiative of $1.2 million.  This grant will engage with the collection on issues of diversity and inclusion, and will allow us to dive deeply into the works of some of the collections’ most prominent African American artists.  This is a testament to the excellence of the Tang and the excitement of the exhibitions.  Special thanks to Ian Berry and his team for doing a wonderful job in getting this grant.

DOF/VPAA Breslin also thanked Barry Pritzker in Advancement and Bill Tomlinson in Academic Affairs for leading the grant operations on behalf of the College.

OLD BUSINESS

Committee on Appointments, Promotions, and Tenure

On behalf of the Committee on Appointments, Promotions, and Tenure (CAPT), Professor Mehmet Odekon read the following Motion that was introduced at the last faculty meeting (see attached):

MOTION: The Committee on Appointments, Promotions, and Tenure proposes the following changes (added language in red) to the Faculty Handbook Part One, Section VIII, Article E.5.j (Procedures for Tenure, p. 129) and Part One, Section XIII, Article F.2.a.xiii (Procedures for Promotion, p.134):

j. Candidates recommended for tenure shall have access to written materials in the tenure file immediately after the Dean of the Faculty/Vice President for Academic Affairs has made the recommendation known to the candidate, with the exception of solicited letters of evaluation written by department colleagues, departmental colleagues required to write in accordance with department or program personnel procedures, colleagues internal to the college, or colleagues external to the college, which shall remain confidential. These materials may only be reproduced by hand written notes.

and

xiii. Candidates (recommended or not recommended) for promotion shall have access to written materials in the promotion file immediately after the Dean of the Faculty/Vice President for Academic Affairs has made the recommendation known to the candidate, with the exception of solicited letters of evaluation written by department colleagues, departmental colleagues required to write in accordance with department or program personnel procedures, colleagues internal to the college, and colleagues external to the college, which shall remain confidential. These materials may only be reproduced by hand written notes.

Professor Odekon explained that the request for a friendly amendment was withdrawn.  There being no further discussion, the Motion was voted on and passed by majority vote.  

Curriculum Committee

On behalf of the Curriculum Committee, Associate Professor Larry Jorgensen read the following Motion that was introduced at the last faculty meeting (see attached):

MOTION: The Curriculum Committee moves that Skidmore College create an Environmental Science Major as part of the Environmental Studies and Sciences Program.

There being no discussion, the Motion was voted on and passed by majority vote.


NEW BUSINESS

On behalf of CAPT, Professor Mehmet Odekon introduced the following Motion (see attached):

MOTION: CAPT proposes the following change to FHB Part One, VI.B (p.108):

Old Language:
The ID PPC will consist of the ID Program Director and four to eight tenured and tenure-track faculty in at least the third year of consecutive full-time college service and at least the third year of participation in the ID Program. The Dean of the Faculty/Vice President for Academic Affairs appoints members to the PPC in consultation with the Director and the ID Program Steering Committee. In cases where a Committee member vacates the position on the Committee, a replacement is appointed in the same manner. Normally the ID Program Director will chair the PPC. If the Director is a candidate, however, the Dean of the Faculty/Vice President for Academic Affairs in consultation with the PPC shall appoint a tenured faculty member from the committee to serve as Chair. Once the committee is formed, PPC membership shall remain a fixed number of faculty through a candidate's tenure review. Appointments will be for one term of three years or for two or more consecutive terms, with the latter recommended if feasible. Appointments should ensure that membership is representative of the disciplinary diversity and range in academic rank of faculty actively teaching in the ID program. The majority of committee faculty should be tenured, if possible, and should have prior experience in reappointment and tenure review.

New Language (eliminates the sentence in red above):
The ID PPC will consist of the ID Program Director and four to eight tenured and tenure-track faculty in at least the third year of consecutive full-time college service and at least the third year of participation in the ID Program. The Dean of the Faculty/Vice President for Academic Affairs appoints members to the PPC in consultation with the Director and the ID Program Steering Committee. In cases where a Committee member vacates the position on the Committee, a replacement is appointed in the same manner. Normally the ID Program Director will chair the PPC. If the Director is a candidate, however, the Dean of the Faculty/Vice President for Academic Affairs in consultation with the PPC shall appoint a tenured faculty member from the committee to serve as Chair. Appointments will be for one term of three years or for two or more consecutive terms, with the latter recommended if feasible. Appointments should ensure that membership is representative of the disciplinary diversity and range in academic rank of faculty actively teaching in the ID program. The majority of committee faculty should be tenured, if possible, and should have prior experience in reappointment and tenure review.

Professor Odekon explained the rationale for bringing the Motion.  There being no informational questions, the Motion will lie over until the next meeting.


COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

A Committee of the Whole was held to discuss the Board of Trustee’s response to the recommendations of the Divestment Task Force.  Professor Denise Smith, as Chair of the Faculty Executive Committee, was appointed as chair of the Committee of the Whole.  The Committee of the Whole discussion took place for 40 minutes. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• On behalf of the Committee on Educational Policies and Planning (CEPP), Assistant Professor Kelly Sheppard announced that CEPP received a proposal from the Department of Philosophy and Religion to separate into two departments.  CEPP will review the proposal and introduce a Motion.  Once the Motion is introduced, CEPP will hold an open forum for discussion before bringing the Motion back to the faculty for vote.
• On behalf of the Periclean Scholars Awards Committee, Erika Schielke reminded everyone that the deadline for nominating outstanding work by seniors is April 15, 2016.  Although the Committee realizes that some performances won’t have occurred by the deadline, as long as the faculty nomination is received by the Deadline, the Committee will be able to consider any performances by April 29, 2016.
• Mimi Hellman announced that this year’s Mini Mellon Faculty Seminar is scheduled for May 16-17, 2016.  This year’s trip will be to the Hudson Valley area.  An email will be sent with further details.
• Mike West, Vice President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer, invited everyone to a reception in the Pohndorff Room, Lucy Scribner Library, immediately following the faculty meeting.

 

The meeting was adjourned at 4:57 p.m.