Faculty Meeting Minutes

October 4, 2019
Gannett Auditorium

MINUTES

Michael Orr, Dean of the Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs, called the meeting to order at 3:34 p.m.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

DOF/VPAA Orr asked if there were any corrections to, or comments regarding, the minutes of the Faculty Meeting held September 6, 2019.  Hearing none, he announced the minutes were approved.

OLD BUSINESS

On behalf of the Faculty Executive Committee (FEC), Associate Professor Kendrah Murphy read the following Motion that was introduced at the September 6, 2019 Faculty Meeting (see attached):

MOTION:  The Faculty Executive Committee moves that the 2019-2020 Faculty Handbook be adopted.  The following link takes you to the 2019-2020 Faculty Handbook (showing tracked changes) as well as handbooks from previous years: https://www.skidmore.edu/dof-vpaa/faculty-handbooks.php

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

NEW BUSINESS

Appointments and Tenure Committee and Promotion Committee

On behalf of the Appointments and Tenure Committee and the Promotion Committee, Associate Professors Michael Arnush and Beck Krefting introduced the following Motion (see attached):

MOTION: to couple promotion from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor with tenure and to allow a faculty member to count up to two years of previous full-time teaching employment towards eligibility for tenure. Faculty may stand for tenure and promotion to Associate Professor as early as the fall of their fourth year of service at the College but no later than the fall of their sixth year. Faculty members denied tenure and promotion will be given a terminal year of employment.

Professor Arnush stated that, while not explicitly stated in the motion, faculty already at the institution and shifting to a tenure-track position will be allowed to count up to two years towards their tenure clock, as is already the practice.  Professor Arnush stated that this language will be included in the motion before bring it to a vote before the faculty.

Professor Arnush stated that an open forum to discuss the Motion will be held on October 18, 2019 and a Committee of the Whole discussion will be held at the next Faculty Meeting to discuss the motion.   There being no further discussion; the Motion will lie over until the next meeting.

Faculty Executive Committee

On behalf of the Faculty Executive Committee, Professor Kendrah Murphy introduced the following Motion (see attached):

MOTION:  The Faculty Executive Committee moves to amend the Faculty Handbook (Part Two, I, Article II) by naming the Dean of the Faculty/Vice President for Academic Affairs as the Presiding Officer of faculty meetings.

There being no discussion, the Motion will lie over until the next meeting.

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

Committee of the Whole was held to discuss the student evaluations of teaching.  Associate Professor Stephen Ives was appointed as chair of the Committee of the Whole.  A 20-minute time limit was set and extended for an additional 10 minutes.  At the conclusion of the Committee of the Whole, Professor Ives rose and reported that a discussion on student evaluations of teaching was held. 

REPORTS

Faculty Executive Committee

On behalf of the Faculty Executive Committee, Professor Murphy reported on the Committee of Committees meeting (see attached for complete report).

Presidential Search Committee

Faculty members of the Presidential Search Committee provided an update on the highly confidential presidential search.  In order to attract the best candidates and ensure them that their current positions would not be in jeopardy, members of the presidential search committee were required to sign nondisclosure agreements and, thus, no detailed information will be provided concerning the candidates.  Assurances were made that the faculty members elected to serve on the presidential search committee will represent the faculty.  The presidential search committee anticipates being in a position to make a recommendation of 2-3 final candidates to the Board of Trustees by the end of the semester.  The ultimate decision will rest with the Board of Trustees.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Smoke Free Campus Policy

Cerri Banks, Dean of Students and Vice President for Student Affairs, provided an update on the Smoke-Free Campus policy and its enforcement.  She shared the process being undertaken by Special Programs and Residential Life and noted that, rather than include the policy in the Faculty Handbook, all faculty and staff members will be expected to adhere to the policy as posted on the Human Resources website.  An assessment will be done in March, and those results will be used to move forward as necessary.  Dean Banks encouraged anyone with questions to reach out to her.

In It 4

Joshua Woodfork, Vice President for Strategic Planning and Institutional Diversity, shared details concerning the upcoming In It 4 events, which can be found on the In It 4 website (https://www.skidmore.edu/diversity/init4/). 

Campus Campaign

Professor Jeffrey Segrave, as chair of the Campus Campaign and the Campus Campaign Executive Committee, provided an update on the campus campaign.  After sharing a video. Professor Segrave reminded everyone that the overall campaign ends May 31, 2020 and encouraged everyone to participate in the campus campaign.  An email will be sent shortly detailing how one can contribute to the Campus Campaign. 

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

DOF/VPAA Orr reported that CEPP has been looking at the academic calendar in an effort to make our accommodation of religious holidays more inclusive and to ensure compliance with New York State laws.  Under NYS law, any student who is absent from class due to their religious beliefs must be given an opportunity to make up any missed work. CEPP is working to develop a draft policy and more information will be forthcoming later this semester.

OTHER

On behalf of Communications and Marketing, Vice President Martin Mbugua invited everyone to the reception immediately following the faculty meeting to be held in Gannett Lobby.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:51 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,