Faculty Meeting 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 September 5, 2014.  Hearing none, he announced the minutes were approved.

PRESIDENT'S REPORT

President Glotzbach addressed the campus lockdown that took place on October 1 due to the presence of an armed and dangerous criminal suspect in the North Woods.  He thanked everyone in the community for paying attention to the information that the College provided and, most especially, for complying with directives. He understands that this process disrupted everyone's lives and resulted in cancelled classes and labs, among other things. However, it is important to note that our emergency procedures worked as designed.  Dennis Conway, Director of Campus Safety, and Rochelle Calhoun, Dean of Students and Vice President for Student Affairs, provided excellent leadership of the Emergency Management Team.  Everyone involved performed well, especially in cooperating with local law enforcement agencies; in turn, they worked very effectively with us.  Thanks in part to a tip from some vigilant students, the suspect was captured at about 8:30 a.m.  Most importantly, no one in our community suffered any harm, and the campus remained safe.  A number of people attended the Open forum held later in the afternoon; they asked some good questions and gave us some helpful suggestions.  Those in leadership positions and Cabinet officers conducted a review of the entire episode to see what we learned and where we might make some improvements for the future.  Mr. Conway and Dean Calhoun were available for any questions or comments concerning the event or our emergency procedures in general.

Thereafter, President Glotzbach referenced an op-ed piece in the latest Skidmore News written by sophomore Ryan Davis that was prompted by this event.  In it, he writes:

"There's been no shortage of discussion regarding this year's safety concerns at Skidmore.  We've been getting a steady volley of emails from Campus Safety informing us of various dangers and crimes committed both on and off campus.  Last week's lockdown was probably the most dramatic of these cases.

In general, discussions that have taken place among students fall into one of two categories:  Are there more safety reports this year ... due to an increase [in] transparency?  Or is the increase in reports a sign of the outside world changing for the worse?

I know I'm not alone in admitting that recent acts of violence have left me a bit spooked."

President Glotzbach commented that this is a really thoughtful and balanced essay, acknowledging the reality that we live in a complex and sometimes dangerous world but also saying that he hopes Skidmore does not respond by having "road checkpoints, thicker doors, and a campus that is harder to access" ... that "discussions of how we as a community will respond to recent safety concerns will help bring us together, and make us stronger."    President Glotzbach continued by stating that these events can offer opportunities to build confidence in our capacity to deal with difficult circumstances, and, further, that helping our students evaluate risk and threat is one dimension of liberal education. The current Ebola situation in Africa – and, increasingly in the rest of the world – is a case in point.  While there is virtually no immediate risk to our campus, and currently the flu is responsible for far more deaths on a global scale, the possibility of a world-wide Ebola pandemic with severe human, economic, and political consequences is something that we do need to take seriously.  Regarding safety on campus, our efforts to create transparency and provide full information to the community when safety-related events occur carry the risk that people will over-state the potential risk.  President Glotzbach asked that, as we engage with our students on these issues, we help them strike the kind of thoughtful and informed balance that is reflected in the Skidmore News op-ed piece.

Thereafter, President Glotzbach reported that the U.S. News "America's Best Colleges" rankings have been released.  This year, Skidmore moved up eight places to 37th place in the category of "National Baccalaureate Colleges," tied with Dickenson, Franklin and Marshall, and Whitman College.  This is the highest ranking Skidmore has ever held.  A round of applause was given for this news. The U.S. News rankings are formula-driven, and we benefitted from our first-to-second-year retention rate, selectivity in admissions, our graduation rate, faculty resources (faculty compensation and resources), and in improvements in the peer assessment and high school counselor assessment.

It is also encouraging that we showed well on two other lists: we are 37th on the U.S. News list of "Great Schools, Great Prices,", and we are 48th on a list of "economically diverse colleges" compiled by the New York Times that they call "Top Colleges that Enroll Rich, Middle Class, and Poor."  This list tracks numbers of Pell-eligible students, net-price to middle-income families, and endowment/student.    It is worth noting that this later list is a list of colleges and universities undifferentiated by institutional size.  So, although Amherst, Harvard, Pomona, Duke, and Dartmouth, for example, are ahead of us, we are ahead of the University of Chicago, Middlebury, Swarthmore, and Boston University.

Continuing, President Glotzbach stated that we have just passed our October census date – the date on which we decide just how many students we have – and announced that this year's first-to-second-year retention rate is 94.7 percent, rounded up to 95 percent.  There are only 17 national liberal arts colleges that have a higher retention rate than us and only 5 more are tied with us.  This result places us in the top 23 national liberal arts colleges in terms of retention.  Even looking at our currently-reported retention rate of 94 percent places us in the top 31 schools; our first-to-second-year retention rates track pretty well with the overall U.S. News rankings.

President Glotzbach concluded by thanking the members of the faculty for their terrific work with our first-year students, which is reflected in this result.  There are other factors that influence retention as well but the point is that, if students are not having a positive experience both in and outside of the classroom, they will not stay.  So, this retention rate of 94.7 percent is very good news for the College.

Thereafter, President Glotzbach opened the floor for questions or comments.  A thank you was given on behalf of Skidmore's Jewish population for the adjustments made to schedules during the recent holiday.

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

Beau Breslin, Dean of the Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs, provided updates on the Middle States reaccreditation process, this year's tenure-track searches, and the search for a new Librarian.   Dean Breslin encouraged everyone to complete the MALS survey that has been sent via email and also to attend Celebration Weekend.

Thereafter, Dean Breslin introduced Nora Clark as the new Director of the Opportunity Program.  A round of applause was given to Ms. Clark.  Dean Breslin thanked Jamin Totino for all his work directing the Opportunity Program these last few months.

As started at the last Faculty Meeting, Dean Breslin reintroduced Jennifer Napierski, Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery; Tammy Blair, Registrar's Office; Mary Ann Toia, Student Affairs; Adam Reagan, Information Technology; Ellen Eldredge, Master of Arts in Liberal Studies; and Anita Miczek, Sponsored Research Office.

In concluding, Dean Breslin stated that we will soon begin having conversations concerning the results of the COACHE survey on job satisfaction, with the goal to identify what we need to do in order to increase job satisfaction.  To begin the conversation, Dean Breslin will send the report electronically to all faculty members for their review.  Then, on October 30, Professor Susan Walzer will present her findings based on her interviews with midcareer faculty titled: "In the Middle: Qualitative Accounts of Midcareer Faculty at Skidmore."  In this session, Professor Walzer will present findings from 30 interviews about the experiences of associate-level faculty members at Skidmore with topics including general themes that emerged for faculty "in the middle" in rank and administrative structure as well as contested areas related to promotion to full Professor.   Later in the academic year, department chairs and program directors will discuss the overall data, and the faculty will have an opportunity to discuss the COACHE results. Dean Breslin welcomes any questions or comments regarding the COACHE survey results.

REPORTS

Sexual and Gender-Based Misconduct

Rochelle Calhoun, Dean of Students and Vice President for Student Affairs, discussed with the faculty their role in reporting a violation of the sexual and gender-based misconduct policy.  Dean Calhoun provided a brief history surrounding the development of the Sexual and Gender-Based Misconduct Policy and shared a website that has been created to provide resources in the event a violation of the policy occurs: https://www.skidmore.edu/sgbm/.  Dean Calhoun stated that the College is mandated to report violations of the sexual and gender-based misconduct policy; further, all faculty are required to report such violations of the policy as a responsible employee.  Faculty receiving reports of violations of the policy have the authority and duty to take action when such a report is received.  When a faculty or staff member receives a report, the person to refer the report to depends upon the reporting individual.  If a report is received concerning a student, the report should be directed to Mariel Martin, Director of Student Diversity Programs and Title IX Deputy Coordinator; if a report is received concerning a faculty or staff person, the report should be directed to Herb Crossman, Assistant Director for EEO and Workforce Diversity.  Dean Calhoun further described the actions a faculty or staff member would take in the event a report is received.  An open forum on this topic will be held on November 12, 2014, and Dean Calhoun invited everyone to attend.

Committee on Educational Policies and Planning

Associate Professor Bill Lewis, as chair of the Committee on Educational Policies and Planning (CEPP), provided an update on the progress of curricular reform and the team teaching proposal.  CEPP is currently bringing new and returning members up to speed on the proposed models and the research that has been done to date and hopes to have a model or two to present to the faculty at the next faculty meeting.   The team teaching proposal has been shared with Department Chairs and Program Directors and has been reviewed by the DOF/VPAA.  Most likely, CEPP will endorse the proposal and will bring it to the faculty for approval.    Brief discussion about the team teaching proposal was held with regard to some concerns about the policy, and it was requested that any concerns with the proposal be sent to Associate Professor Lewis.

OLD BUSINESS

On behalf of the Faculty Executive Committee, Professor Mehmet Odekon read the following Motion that was introduced at the last Faculty Meeting (see attached):

MOTION:  The Faculty Executive Committee moves that the 2014-2015 Faculty Handbook be adopted.  The following link takes you to the 2014-2015 Faculty Handbook (showing tracked changes) as well as handbooks from previous years: https://www.skidmore.edu/dof-vpaa/faculty-handbooks.php

Professor Odekon noted one housekeeping change that was made to the Faculty Handbook since the Motion was introduced last month.  There being no further discussion, the Motion was voted on and passed by majority vote.

NEW BUSINESS

There was no new business.

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

A Committee of the Whole was held to discuss committee restructuring.  Associate Professor Bill Lewis was appointed as chair of the Committee of the Whole.  A 20-minute time limit was set.  At the conclusion of the Committee of the Whole, Associate Professor Lewis rose and reported that a discussion on the topic of committee restructuring was held.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Professor Shirley Smith announced that nominations for the Edwin M. Moseley Faculty Lectureship are due on October 17, 2014.
• Professors Jordana Dym and Tom Lewis announced upcoming events sponsored by the new John B. Moore Documentary Studies Collaborative and the new Media and Film Studies program.
• Associate Professor Mimi Hellman announced the dates for this year's Mellon Faculty Seminar.  The seminar will begin with a trip to New Orleans from January 8 through January 11 and will continue over the spring semester with series of six meetings to be held at the Tang every 2-3 weeks culminating with celebration dinner.  Additional details will be sent via email.
• Paul Calhoun, Dean of Special Programs, introduced Alyssa Meyers as the new College Calendar Coordinator. 
• Ian Berry, Dayton Director of the Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery, invited everyone to a reception at the Tang immediately following the faculty meeting.  He announced upcoming events and encouraged everyone to view the exhibits while at the Tang.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:01 p.m.

 

Debra L. Peterson
Executive Administrative Assistant