FACULTY MEETING

October 2, 2009
Gannett Auditorium

MINUTES

President Philip A. Glotzbach called the meeting to order at 3:34 p.m.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

President Glotzbach asked if there were any corrections or comments to the September 11, 2009 Faculty Meeting minutes. Hearing none, he announced the minutes were approved.

PRESIDENT'S REPORT

Citing lines from Emily Dickinson's "I Dwell in Possibility," President Glotzbach suggested that the College could extend the meaning of her poem to our own situation. Since last year, we have spent a great deal of time dwelling anywhere but in possibility – perhaps in adversity, or difficulty, or even despondency. Whatever its specific address, the neighborhood in which we have all been residing has not always been a congenial place. While the community has needed to hear the dreary economic news and there will most likely be more to come, we still need to focus on our future.

In this regard, President Glotzbach noted that this year's "Strategic Action Agenda" will be posted on the President's Office webpage under the Strategic Planning heading. This is the fifth year of issuing the Strategic Action Agenda and represents the half-way point in the implementation of the Strategic Plan. This year's "Strategic Action Agenda" incorporates initiatives identified by the President's Cabinet in collaboration with the IPPC and the Strategic Planning Committee of the Board of Trustees and identifies actions that advance our strategic priorities.

While this year's preamble to the "Strategic Action Agenda" is longer than in prior years, President Glotzbach requested that everyone read it. The preamble details the College's situation and prospects and provides a context for the work that President Glotzbach will be asking everyone to do together this year. The preamble emphasizes the enormous progress we have made, not just in the past five or six years, but over the trajectory of our institutional history. Through dedication, creative thought, and the hard work of the faculty, staff and students, the College has moved to a competitive place amongst other top liberal arts colleges – a place one could never have predicted from looking at our resources alone.

In our current economic environment, we must first defend the gains we have made by protecting the core of our enterprise – the curricular and co-curricular opportunities that contribute most significantly to student success. We will, therefore, need to make difficult choices to withhold some of our resources – time, energy and money – from certain activities that contribute less directly to this core. Second, we must preserve some capacity to invest in those opportunities that offer the best prospects for improving the educational value we offer to our students. Lastly, we must continue to perform at a high level even in these difficult times and continue to expect higher achievements from ourselves and our students in the future.

In furtherance of these objectives, President Glotzbach announced campus Town Hall Meetings, which will occur later this semester in conjunction with a related set of meetings occurring off campus throughout the year with our alumni, parents and friends. These Town Hall meetings, subtitled "Your Voice; Our Future," will provide the opportunity to pause at the midpoint of our 10-year Strategic Plan and ask what objectives should take the highest priority over the coming years in a time of constrained resources. President Glotzbach noted that the IPPC is centrally involved in this process, as is the Cabinet. SGA will also have a role.

President Glotzbach concluded by returning to his opening theme – it is important that we all continue to "dwell in possibility" as we think about where we are going over the coming years, and he encouraged all to let their voices be heard.

VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS' REPORT

There was no report from the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

OLD BUSINESS

Erica Bastress-Dukehart, Chair of the Committee on Educational Policies and Planning (CEPP), read the following resolution introduced at the September 11, 2009 faculty meeting (see attached):

MOTION: CEPP moves that the faculty approve the articulation agreement with New York University College of Nursing, which would permit qualified students to complete the requirements for the baccalaureate degree from Skidmore College and the 15 month accelerated baccalaureate nursing degree from NYUCN or a two year non-accelerated baccalaureate nursing degree from NYUCN.

After discussion concerning the administrative costs to Skidmore (minimal), the motion was voted on and passed with all in favor. 

NEW BUSINESS

Committee on Educational Policies and Planning

Professor Bastress-Dukehart updated the community on the college-wide learning goals developed by the Assessment Steering Committee, which is chaired by Professor Sarah Goodwin (see attached). She noted that the Assessment Steering Committee consulted with various college constituencies (CEPP, Academic Council, Academic Staff, Academic Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees, and faculty who attended CEPP forums), and the comments and recommendations received from these groups were largely incorporated into the learning goals. CEPP intends to bring a motion to the faculty in November seeking an endorsement of these learning goals; this motion will lie over until the December meeting. In order to ensure the opportunity to hear from everyone, a faculty forum will be held on October 8 at 4:00, and a second forum will be held on October 9 from 2:30-3:30. Additional information will be sent via email.

A question was raised asking about the implications for faculty if the faculty were to adopt the learning goals. Professor Sarah Goodwin explained that the learning goals lay the groundwork for our continued inquiry about what our students are learning during their careers at Skidmore. The learning goals have been derived from various documents, such as the Strategic Plan, as well as from broad consultation. The Assessment Steering Committee believes that these goals are consistent with assessment work we are currently doing. Further, Middle States requires us to have learning goals for accreditation. Professor Goodwin concluded by noting that, while the Assessment Steering Committee seeks faculty endorsement of these learning goals, no one is going to hold individual faculty members accountable for ensuring that students achieve all these goals; rather, we are looking for a consensus that our students should have these capacities and skills after four years at Skidmore.

Curriculum Committee

A. Tim Harper, on behalf of the Curriculum Committee, introduced the following motion (see attached):

MOTION: The Curriculum Committee moves to eliminate the Government-Sociology interdepartmental major.

There were no questions or discussion concerning the motion; and the motion will lie over until the next faculty meeting.

B. Tim Harper, on behalf of the Curriculum Committee, announced that the Women's Studies Program has changed its name to the Gender Studies Program (see attached for full announcement).

Faculty Executive Committee

Dan Hurwitz, on behalf of the Faculty Executive Committee, introduced the following motions (see attached):

A. The Faculty Executive Committee moves that the following changes be made in the 2009-2010 Faculty Handbook:

1. All references to "the Office of Dean of Studies" be changed to "the Office of Academic Advising" and all references to "Dean of Studies" be changed to "Associate Dean of the Faculty for Academic Advising."

There was no discussion, and the motion was voted on and passed with all in favor.

2. In Part II – Faculty Governance, II. Committees of the Faculty, (A) change "External Masters Degree" to "Master of Arts in Liberal Studies."

In Part II – Faculty Governance, II. Committees of the Faculty, (F)(11) – change "External Master of Arts Committee (EMAC)" to "Master of Arts in Liberal Studies Committee"; in Function, change "External Master's Program (EMP)" to "Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS) Program"; in Membership, change "EMP" to "MALS Program" (2x).

In Part V – The Administration, VI. The Dean of Special Programs, in second paragraph, delete "s" from "Masters" to read "Master of Arts in Liberal Studies Program."

There was no discussion, and the motions were voted on and passed with all in favor.

3. In Membership of Curriculum Committee (Handbook, Part Two, [F][II][5], "Curriculum Committee"), change membership from "the Associate Dean of the Faculty" to "the Dean of the Faculty or his/her designated representative."

There was no discussion, and the motion will lie over until the next meeting.

4. Under Reappointment: Second Year (Handbook, Part One, VIII, [A][1]), insert the following as a new "c": "Candidates for reappointment shall have access to all written materials immediately following notification of the Dean of the Faculty's decision. These materials may not be photocopied." "Reviews" will then become "d".

Discussion was held concerning copying written materials by means other than photocopying, such as scanning. CAPT will determine whether this language needs to be revised and will report back to the faculty. The motion will lie over until the next meeting.

5. Under "Promotion" (Handbook, XI, [A][1][j]), replace the last sentence ("Finally, the President and the CAPT report their recommendations to the Board of Trustees") with "Finally the President's recommendations are reported to the Academic Affairs Committee (AAC) of the Board of Trustees, and the CAPT informs the AAC of the recommendations it made to the President."

There was no discussion, and the motion will lie over until the next meeting.

B. The Faculty Executive Committee moves that the 2009-2010 Faculty Handbook be adopted. There was no discussion, and the motion will lie over until the next meeting.

REPORTS

Dan Hurwitz, on behalf of the Faculty Executive Committee, reported on the upcoming election schedule and stressed the importance of the faculty's role in shared governance. See attached for election details.

CONFERRAL OF DEGREES

A. Sheldon Solomon, on behalf of the University Without Walls, read the following resolution (see attached):

RESOLVED, that the Faculty of Skidmore College recommend to the Trustees the granting of the Bachelor of Arts degree to four students and the Bachelor of Science degree to four students.

The motion was voted on and passed with all in favor.

B. Michael Mudrovic, on behalf of the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies Committee, read the following resolution (see attached):

RESOLVED, that the Faculty of Skidmore College recommend to the Trustees the granting of the Master of Arts degree to one student.

The motion was voted on and passed with all in favor.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

A. Monica Raveret-Richter, on behalf of the Faculty Development Committee, announced that the first deadline for applications for faculty development grants is Monday, October 5, 2009. Additional information concerning faculty development grants can be found on the Dean of the Faculty's website.

B. Monica Raveret-Richter, on behalf of the Faculty Development Committee, encouraged everyone to submit nominations of a deserving colleague for the 2010‑11 Edwin M. Moseley Faculty Lectureship.

C. John Weber, Dayton Director of the Tang, announced the opening of three new shows at the Tang ~ Adam Ames and Andrew Bordwin: Barrier (2009), Type A; Nicole Eisenman: The Way We Weren't; and Arlene Shechet: Blow by Blow; as well as the ongoing shows: Eduardo Paolozzi, Amazement Park, Elevator Music 15 and Lives of the Hudson. He also noted the following upcoming events: a Dunkerley Dialogue between Robert Boyle, founder of Riverkeeper, the Hudson Fisherman's Association, and Tom Lewis, Professor of English and co-curator of Lives of the Hudson; a Dunkerley Dialogue, "Investigating the Hudson," among artists Bob Braine and Leslie Reed – and Professor Judy Halstead (Chemistry) and Professor Karen Kellogg (Environmental Studies) on October 17; and a lecture jointly sponsored with Art History on October 29, "Sex in the Kitchen: The Social Iconography of Male Bodies in Renaissance Art and Culture. He concluded by inviting everyone to the Tang for refreshments immediately following the faculty meeting and to view the current exhibits.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:11 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Debra L. Peterson
Executive Administrative Assistant