Faculty Meeting Minutes

March 3, 2017
Gannett Auditorium

MINUTES

President Philip A. Glotzbach called the meeting to order at 3:32 p.m.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

President Glotzbach asked if there were any corrections to, or comments regarding, the minutes of the Faculty Meeting held February 3, 2017.  Hearing none, he announced the minutes were approved.

PRESIDENT'S REPORT

President Glotzbach welcomed everyone and expressed the hope that all is going well, as we approach the midpoint in the spring term.  He thereafter called on Barbara Beck, Associate Vice President for Finance and Administration and Director of Human Resources, who introduced Saytra Green as the new Assistant Director for Employment, Compliance and Workforce Diversity.

President Glotzbach provided a brief update on this year’s admissions results, reporting that the Admissions staff is in the process of reading the spring portion of the 10,000 applications that were received; spring acceptance letters will go out on or before March 23.

President Glotzbach then called on Debra Townsend, Interim Vice President for Communications and Marketing, who provided a brief update on the work her team is doing on website redesign and the upcoming development of campus-wide “graphic standards.”  

Thereafter, President Glotzbach reminded everyone that we will be conducting a national search for the position of VP for Communications & Marketing.  VP Townsend indicated that she would not be a candidate in this search and has graciously agreed to stay on in her current part-time, interim role until July 1.  He also confirmed that we will be working with the firm of Storbeck/Pimentel for all three active searches: VP for Communications and Marketing; VP for Advancement; and the Dean of the Faculty and VP for Academic Affairs.  President Glotzbach reported that he will be meeting with our principal search representative next week to lay out the timelines for all three searches, and that his office is also working with the Faculty Executive Committee and the Committee on Appointments, Promotions, and Tenure to fill the faculty representatives for those search committees.   It is anticipated that these three searches will be launched very soon.

President Glotzbach then called on Cerri Banks, Dean of Students and Vice President for Student Affairs, who provided an update on the current housing situation and recent immigration issues.

President Glotzbach then reminded everyone that his office has launched an administrative review of Michael West, Vice President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer.  In accordance with the Faculty Handbook, each senior administrator is reviewed every six years.  He thanked the administrative review committee, which includes Mark Huibregtse as chair, Catherine Golden, Wendy LeBlanc, Julia Routbort, and Ann Marie Pryzwara.  Joshua Woodfork will coordinate the process.  President Glotzbach asked for the community’s participation in this review process.

Thereafter, President Glotzbach provided an update on the recent Board of Trustees regular winter meeting held Wednesday, February 22 through Friday, February 24.  This was a very good Board Meeting.  The Board members participated in three Community Dialogue programs sponsored by the Office of the President: “The Contours of Free Speech On Campus,” with Fred Lawrence, Secretary and CEO of the Phi Beta Kappa Society; “Immigration and the Future of DACA,” with David Oxtoby, President of Pomona College, and Dean of Student Affairs Cerri Banks; and “Institutional Values and Investment Decisions,” also with David Oxtoby.  The latter event included a panel comprising of Karen Kellogg, Environmental Studies and Sciences Program; Pat Oles, Department of Social Work; Daniel Allen, Trustee, and member of the Investment Committee; and Charles Buchanan, Trustee, and also a member of the Investment Committee.  Karen Kellogg was Vice-chair of the Task Force on Divestment, and Pat Oles and Charlie Buchanan also participated as members of the Task Force.   The fourth and final program in the Community Dialogue Series will occur during the third week in April, and it will deal with diversity and inclusion.  Joshua Woodfork is planning this event, and details will be forthcoming.

Over the course of its meeting, the Board took the following actions:

• approved recommendations from the Administration and the Budget and Finance/Infrastructure Committee setting the major budget parameters for the FY 2018 operating budget;
• approved the Capital budget - $9 million;
• authorized the transfer of $10 million from working capital funds to the College’s long-term investment portfolio (bringing the latter to a current total exceeding $360 million); and
• approved the allocation of proceeds from a charitable remainder trust in the amount of $951,000 to help fund the Center for Integrated Sciences (CIS).

The Board received and discussed a number of reports regarding Admissions, student housing, and the status of the Campaign.

In addition to taking the above actions, the Board focused primarily on long-term facilities planning for the College.  President Glotzbach reminded everyone that, in 2007, the Board approved a Facilities Master Plan (which is available on the College web site); that plan included place-holders for Athletics Facilities.  At this most recent meeting, the Board heard presentations from several design groups who provided more detailed plans for Main Campus Athletics Master Plan (Canon Design) and a master plan for renovation and construction of additional facilities for the Van Lennep Riding Program (Stonelane Associates).  The Board understands that funding is not currently in place for these projects, but it believes that having these designs available to share with potential donors should facilitate fundraising efforts to realize these exciting plans.  The Athletics master plan separates the various components of the proposed facilities into parts that can be staged over time.

The Board also received an update from Payette on the Center for Integrated Sciences (CIS), describing the present state of the project, along with a report from Colliers International on the program for relocating those departments and offices currently in Harder, as well as other academic programs in old and new Dana during construction of new space for the CIS.  

Finally, the Board heard a presentation from the Yuba Group on Skidmore’s capacity for assuming new debt in support of the CIS.  The Board engaged in substantive and thorough discussions regarding the CIS and, especially, the funding plan for this significant project.  Trustees expressed consensus as to the strategic importance of this project and affirmed it as the College’s highest priority.  At the same time, the Board recognized that the funding plan is not yet fully realized and that significant challenges remain regarding both the external and internal aspects of this plan.  Not wishing to delay this project further until all parts of the funding plan are fully in place, the Board approved recommendations from the Administration to proceed with three actions:

• to initiate and complete the permitting process with the City of Saratoga Springs and other appropriate governmental entities;
• to undertake site-enabling work (pre-construction activities) not exceeding $5 million and
• to undertake design, building, and installation of temporary construction trailers for classrooms, dry-labs, and offices necessitated by the CIS project, not exceeding $5.5 million.

Realizing the possibility that the College might have to pause following construction of the new space, if the necessary funding to support the entire CIS project were not fully available at that moment, the Board also instructed the Administration to charge Payette to produce any additional design and construction plans that would be necessary to ensure that the new construction would be fully operational at that point, even if we were not able to proceed immediately with the renovation of spaces in old and new Dana.  

The Board approved all the above actions to ensure that construction of new space in the CIS project can proceed without further delay, seeing the additional plans as a function of due diligence – as creating a prudent “insurance possibility” to mitigate the risks involved in securing funds for the complete project.  Again, the Board fully understands and supports the strategic importance of the CIS, and therefore, has instructed the Administration to continue moving this project forward.  

Thereafter, President Glotzbach reported on our three honorary degree recipients at this year’s commencement: Wes Moore, Ann Tisch, and Oprah Winfrey.  The faculty speaker is Mark Youndt, and President Glotzbach congratulated Mark.

In concluding his report, President Glotzbach referenced Fred Lawrence’s presentation on the “Contours of Free Speech on Campus.” During the course of that talk, he suggested three “ground rules to support ‘vigorous civility’” of dialog: (1) understand that it is possible to disagree without delegitimizing opposing perspectives; (2) question ideas not motives; and (3) strive to begin every conversation with a rigorous search for common ground.  These are not particularly new ideas, but President Glotzbach believes they are worthy ideas, and he commends them to our attention as a community and, in particular, as a deliberative body in this Meeting.

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

Beau Breslin, Dean of the Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs, reminded everyone that the Moseley lecture being given by Professor Pushi Prasad will be held on March 7, 2017.  Thereafter, DOF/VPAA Breslin announced that, at their February, 2017 meeting, the Board of Trustees granted tenure, effective immediately to Associate Professor Sarah Day O’Connell, Department of Music and Associate Professor Jeremy Day-O’Connell, Department of Music.  Further, the Board of Trustees granted tenure, effective immediately, and promotion to Associate Professor, effective June 1, 2017 to Kendrah Murphy, Department of Physics; Greg Gerbi, Department of Physics; and Beck Krefting, Department of American Studies.   A congratulatory round of applause was given to these faculty members. 

OLD BUSINESS

On behalf of the Committee on Educational Policies and Planning, Associate Professor Erica Bastress-Dukehart read the following Motion that was introduced at the last Faculty Meeting (see attached):

MOTION: CEPP moves that the faculty establish a partnership with Frontiers Abroad in New Zealand to establish the Skidmore in New Zealand program. Skidmore College will serve as Frontiers Abroad’s School of Record, with the opportunity in the future to develop a Skidmore-specific, STEM-based, faculty-led program in New Zealand.

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

NEW BUSINESS

On behalf of the Office of the Dean of the Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs, DOF/VPAA Beau Breslin introduced the following Motion (see attached):

MOTION:  The Dean of the Faculty’s office moves to alter the Faculty Handbook to allow departments and programs to hire faculty with tenure.

DOF/VPAA Breslin discussed the rationale for bringing the Motion.  Brief discussion followed with regard to the rare instances when a department would seek to hire a faculty member with tenure.  There being no further discussion, the Motion will lie over until the next faculty meeting.


On behalf of the Office of the Dean of the Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs, DOF/VPAA Beau Breslin introduced the following Motion (see attached):

MOTION:    The Dean of the Faculty’s office moves to alter the Faculty Handbook to eliminate the second year review.

DOF/VPAA Breslin discussed the rationale for bringing the Motion.  Brief discussion followed with regard to those faculty members currently in their second year.  There being no further discussion, the Motion will lie over until the next faculty meeting.


On behalf of the Committee on Educational Policies and Planning, Associate Professor Erica Bastress-Dukehart introduced the following Motion (see attached):

MOTION:    The Committee on Educational Policies and Planning moves that the faculty adopt the new General Education Curriculum for Skidmore College as detailed in the February 28, 2017 Proposal.

Associate Professor Bastress-Dukehart announced that CEPP will hold two open forums to discuss the new general education curriculum proposal – one on March 22 at 4:00 p.m. in Gannett Auditorium for pre-tenure and non-tenure track faculty and one on March 24 at 4 p.m. in Gannett Auditorium open to the entire faculty.   There being no additional discussion, the Motion will lie over until the next faculty meeting.


OTHER

On behalf of the Faculty Executive Committee, Assistant Professor Greg Gerbi provided an update on the DOF/VPAA search, indicating that FEC will be requesting volunteers and nominations for the search committee.  FEC will then hold an election and will forward the results to the President and the Committee for Appointments, Promotions, and Tenure, who will then make the appointments to the committee.  It is anticipated that three tenured and one untenured or non-tenure-track faculty members will be elected to serve on the search committee.  Voting will occur over spring break.  President Glotzbach indicated that the timetable for the search is being developed; however, the search committee will be constituted in the spring with the majority of the work being done in the fall semester.  The goal is to complete the search by the middle of the fall semester.

Lastly, Assistant Professor Greg Gerbi announced that FEC will hold two open meetings to discuss ways to improve the new faculty governance voting system.  Those meeting will be held on Monday, March 20, 2017 from 2:30-3:30 p.m. and Tuesday, March 21, 2017 from 3:00-4:00 p.m. in Emerson Auditorium.  A reminder email will be sent out.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Jordana Dym, Director of the John B. Moore Documentary Studies Collaborative, introduced Sarah Friedland, the new Director of Storyteller’s Institute.
• Paul Calhoun, Dean of Special Programs, invited everyone to a reception at Pine Cottage immediately following the faculty meeting.
  
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The meeting was adjourned at 4:32 p.m.