Faculty Meeting Minutes

 

Michael Orr, Dean of the Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs, called the meeting to order via Zoom at 2:02 p.m.  He announced that President-elect Marc Connor would be joining the first part of the meeting and thanked everyone for their hard work and for the dedication and commitment shown in responding to the incredible challenges of the past semester. He then reminded everyone of the protocols to be followed during the Zoom meeting and the process for voting through Blackboard. 

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

DOF/VPAA Orr asked if there were any corrections to, or comments regarding, the minutes of the Faculty Meeting held April 24, 2020.  Hearing none, he announced the minutes were approved as distributed.

CONFERRAL OF DEGREES AND HONORS

Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science Degrees. Dave DeConno, Registrar, read the following resolutions into the record (see attached): 

RESOLVED, that the faculty of Skidmore College recommend to the Trustees the granting of the Bachelor of Arts degree to 390 students of the Class of 2020 to be awarded on May 16, 2020.

RESOLVED, that the Faculty of Skidmore College recommend to the Trustees the granting of the Bachelor of Science degree to 185 students of the Class of 2020 to be awarded on May 16, 2020.

RESOLVED, that the Faculty of Skidmore College recommend to the Trustees the granting of the Bachelor of Arts degree to 28 students of the Class of 2020 upon satisfactory completion of the degree requirements by August 31, 2020.

RESOLVED, that the Faculty of Skidmore College recommend to the Trustees the granting of the Bachelor of Science degree to 19 students of the Class of 2019 upon satisfactory completion of the degree requirements by August 31, 2020.

The total number of graduates of the Class of 2020 is 646 as follows: 24 for January completion, 575 for May completion, and 47 for August completion. 

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

All-College and Departmental Honors. Ron Seyb, Associate Dean of the Faculty, read the following resolutions into the record (see attached):

RESOLVED, that the Faculty of Skidmore College approve College Honors for members of the Class of 2020, as presented at the May 15, 2020, Faculty Meeting: 42 students for summa cum laude distinction; 106 students for magna cum laude distinction; and 75 students for cum laude distinction.  (Note: including January 2020 graduates, 228 of 646 students [35.3%] in the class of 2020 will receive College Honors).  

RESOLVED, that the Faculty of Skidmore College approve Departmental and Program Honors for 237 students from the Class of 2020, as presented at the May 15, 2020 Faculty Meeting.  (Note: including January 2020 graduates, 245 of 646 students [37.9%] in the class of 2020 will receive Departmental or Program Honors; 28 students will receive honors in two majors).

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

Thereupon, the faculty recorded a message of congratulations in honor of this year’s graduates to be included in the virtual commencement ceremony. 

OLD BUSINESS

On behalf of the Promotions Committee, Associate Professor Beck Krefting read the following Motion that was initially introduced at the April 3, 2020 Faculty  Meeting  (see attached):

MOTION:  to revise the function of the Promotions Committee (PC) following a recent policy change that couples tenure with promotion to Associate Professor, to clarify FHB language around the Appointments and Tenure Committee (ATC) and PC membership, and align language for PC membership with the language employed for ATC membership.

Professor Krefting also introduced two friendly amendments to the Motion (see attached).  There was no discussion, and the motion was voted on and passed by majority vote. 

NEW BUSINESS

There was no new business.

OTHER

Faculty Development Committee

On behalf of the Faculty Development Committee, Professor Jennifer Delton announced that Professor Susannah Mintz had been awarded the Edwin M. Moseley Faculty Lectureship for 2020-21.  A congratulatory round of applause was given to Professor Mintz.

First Year Experience

Associate Professor Amon Emeka, Director of the First Year Experience, announced this year’s first year reading is Stories of Your Life and Others, by Ted Chiang.

Faculty Executive Committee

On behalf of the Faculty Executive Committee, Associate Professor Kendrah Murphy announced that, since this is the last Faculty Meeting of President Glotzbach’s presidency, the faculty wanted to acknowledge and thank him for the numerous contributions he has made to the College over the past 17 years.  Professor Jeff Segrave then delivered a tribute to President Glotzbach (see attached).  Following Professor Segrave’s tribute, Professor Murphy read a resolution of appreciation (see attached).  The assembly signaled their acclaim through resounding applause.

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

Michael Orr, Dean of the Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs, began his remarks by expressing his deep appreciation to everyone for all the work that has been done this semester and indicated he was especially appreciative of the efforts extended on behalf of our students, many of whom have faced very difficult and challenging circumstances.   He then invited Cerri Banks, Dean of Students and Vice President for Student Affairs, to provide an update on the new Title IX regulations, which have just been released.  VP Banks reminded everyone that a working group had been established in anticipation of the release of the new Title IX regulations from the Federal government.  She advised that the working group has now been expanded to include Janet Casey, Associate Dean of the Faculty, because the new regulations also apply to faculty and staff.  VP Banks reported that, inasmuch as the new regulations will go into effect August 14, 2020, the working group will be working over the summer and updating policies and procedures as necessary to comply with the new regulations. VP Banks concluded by noting that further details will be sent out concerning the new Title IX policies and procedures as they become available.

Following VP Bank’s update, DOF/VPAA Orr provided an update on planning for the fall semester.  He noted that, in addition to the recently-formed Academic Planning Working Group (APWG), a COVID-19 Working Group has been working on the public health protocols, residential capacity, provision of dining services, etc., that would be necessary in order to be able to bring faculty, staff, and students back to campus in the fall.  DOF/VPAA Orr reported that the APWG has been meeting almost daily and summarized the priorities and assumptions guiding its work. Above all, the group is being guided by the need to safeguard the health and safety of all members of the Skidmore community and the broader Saratoga Springs community.  At the same time, the APWG is conscious of the fact that our liberal arts education is characterized by close faculty-student interaction within a residential community in which personal relationships between students, faculty, and staff are essential. 

DOF/VPAA Orr reminded everyone that the plans for reopening the college are subject to both public health guidelines as well as directives from New York State. He stated that it is very likely that some students, especially international students, at-risk students, and students who may come from regions where the virus is still very active, may be unable to return.  Furthermore, there may be some faculty and staff who are unable to return due to health reasons or not feeling that it is safe to return to work.  There is also the possibility of a resurgence of the virus at some point.  With these factors in mind, DOF/VPAA Orr stated that we need to be prepared for several different scenarios, including the possibility that the campus may have to shut down at some stage.  He pointed out that if remote learning is to be offered in the fall, students and parents are likely to have higher expectations for the quality and consistency of our offerings.

DOF/VPAA Orr reminded everyone that the APWG has already surveyed all faculty regarding their experience with teaching remotely this semester. Members of the APWG have also been meeting with chairs and program directors. The APWG is in the midst of administering a survey to students and has met with the COVID-19 Working Group to review their planning regarding health protocols, residential capacity, etc.  Based upon this work, some possible directions are beginning to emerge.  From the outset, the APWG’s has assumed that (1) we are allowed to reopen with students on campus and (2) widespread, reliable testing will be available on campus and robust contract tracing will be in place. The APWG is considering a partial return of students, perhaps by cohort. It is also considering not having students return to campus after Thanksgiving, with finals being administered remotely. The APWG has considered the accelerated block model that some institutions have adopted but felt that asking faculty to adjust to an entirely different structure on top of the work they will already have to do over the summer  to prepare for the fall may be too much. The APWG wants to minimize disruption to the current master schedule, but is envisioning that many courses will need to be offered remotely. Even students who are in residence on campus will almost certainly have to take some classes remotely. DOF/VPAA Orr stated that there are still many details to be worked out but did want to provide a sense of the direction of the APWG’s work.

In response to DOF/VPAA Orr’s update on planning for the fall semester, a variety of questions were raised:

• Has the APWG has gauged the opinion of the parents of students? DOF/VPAA Orr stated that the APWG will certainly engage with parents and some have already reached out to the group.  At this point, though, the APWG is not systematically polling parents.
• What is the likelihood of testing being available? DOF/VPAA Orr indicated that at this point he does not know the exact likelihood, but the APWG is working on the assumption that widespread reliable testing will be available.
• Is the APWG considering hyflex courses (courses that can be taught concurrently with either in-person participation or remote participation)? DOF/VPAA Orr indicated that the APWG was aware of some of the challenges of this model and felt that it would be difficult to implement the model widely across the curriculum.
• What about the purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE)? DOF/VPAA Orr indicated that those departments that include PPE in their departmental budgets had already donated their PPE supplies to the local community and hospital.  The College will be ordering large supplies of PPE so that PPE can provided to employees and students when they return to campus. 
• What would be the consequences for students on campus not following mask protocols? DOF/VPAA Orr indicated that the expectations regarding mask wearing will be clearly articulated to the students before they arrive on campus.
• Would it be possible to consider adopting a trimester model for the coming academic year? DOF/VPAA Orr stated that nothing is off the table at this point; however, since shifting from a 14- or 15-week semester to a 10-week term would require faculty to reconfigure their courses significantly, the committee is tending to lean away from this model.

DOF/VPAA Orr reminded everyone that the APWG has not been tasked with making final decisions, but with developing recommendations for consideration by the President’s Cabinet.

Next, DOF/VPAA Orr reminded everyone that, even before the COVID-19 crisis, the long-term budget picture for the college was exceptionally challenging, with substantial deficits being projected in future years. He reported that IPPC has been considering these projections and had hoped to hold a series of in-person community meetings this semester facilitated by outside consultants; however, given the current virus outbreak, those plans had to be postponed. Thus, he asked Donna Ng, Vice President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer, to provide an update on the long-range budget projections. 

Thereupon, VP Ng shared a PowerPoint presentation that detailed a 5-year Financial Plan, which included revenue and expenditure assumptions.  VP Ng explained that net tuition revenue, which is based upon enrollment, the comprehensive fee, and internal financial aid, forms the largest source of funding for the budget. Income from room and board, together with the Skidmore Fund and endowment income, also provides important sources of revenue.  With regard to projected expenditures, VP Ng explained that compensation and benefits (including health care) forms the largest expense category within the operating budget, followed by departmental supplies and services, transfers to capital plant, and debt service.  VP Ng also explained the assumptions made and parameters used in projecting these expenses and then showed a summary of projected revenues and expenses over the next few years, which indicated a substantial growing deficit over the next 5 years.  VP Ng concluded her presentation by reminding everyone there is a community meeting scheduled in which financial planning will be discussed and she will be able to answer any questions concerning the budget. Thereafter, brief discussion was held concerning student wages. 

Following VP Ng’s report, DOF/VPAA Orr shared a presentation concerning the student/faculty ratio.  He noted that the Board of Trustees has made it very clear that we need to start addressing the longer-term budget deficits, and that, in response to the Board, he had begun looking at how our student/faculty ratio has changed over time.  DOF/VPAA Orr stated that the student/faculty ratio is a useful measure for tracking resource allocations over time and is used in rankings as a measure of quality.  He stated that there are a variety of ways to calculate the ratio, but that the most widely adopted standard is the IPEDS methodology. However, DOF/VPAA Orr acknowledged that there are some challenges with using the ratio for comparative benchmarking. 

DOF/VPAA Orr’s presentation included details on the methodology used by IPEDS in calculating the student/faculty ratio as well data showing that faculty FTE had grown by approximately 50 over the past 10 years (an 18% increase) while student enrollment had oscillated between approximately 2400 and 2500 during the same period. As a result, the student-faculty ratio had decreased from 9.0 to 7.7 during this period.  In terms of comparison to other institutions, DOF/VPAA Orr noted that there are some challenges as the ratio is self-reported based on the IPEDS methodology, and institutions vary as to whether or not they include students studying off-campus. In addition, the formula for counting part-time faculty does not account for different teaching loads. DOF/VPAA Orr then shared comparative data for Skidmore’s peer group using both self-reported ratios and then ratios calculated using the IPEDS raw data. 

Thereupon, DOF/VPAA Orr shared data that showed what it would take to adjust the student-faculty ratio, how many positions would be impacted, and the potential savings.  DOF/VPAA Orr stated that if we were to try to return to a student-faculty ratio of about 8.5, it would take about a 10 percent reduction in faculty FTE.  To achieve this ratio, it would require applying a rigorous set of criteria for approving the replacement of vacant faculty positions. This would represent a major change in practice, and consultation with faculty governance to establish the criteria and the review process would be essential.

In concluding his presentation, DOF/VPAA Orr stated that, at an IPPC retreat last year, committee members identified a number of possible strategies for managing faculty resources including incentivizing early retirement, limiting temporary hiring, considering making majors leaner (i.e., decrease number of required courses for the major), and reviewing enrollment trends. Any changes will require careful discussion and planning as we work on addressing the budget picture.

Brief discussion followed concerning increases in the numbers of interdisciplinary program minors and majors, and possible impacts on tenure-track faculty and non-tenure-track faculty.

DOF/VPAA Orr concluded his report by acknowledging that Ron Seyb is concluding his term as Associate Dean of the Faculty and expressed thanks to him for all his work in the Dean’s office over the past three years. 

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

President Glotzbach thanked everyone for all their hard work and determination during this past semester.  He thanked Professors Segrave and Murphy, and the Faculty Executive Committee, for the very generous remarks given in appreciation of his service to Skidmore.   He then extended his sincere thanks and appreciation to every member of the faculty for their extraordinary response to the decision made in March to suspend in-person classes and move to remote learning, and for stepping up to respond with energy, determination, grace, and experimentation and creativity.  While not everything we did this past semester was totally successful, we were able to bring the semester to a successful conclusion, and, based on what we have learned through this crisis, we can do even better in the future.

President Glotzbach then expressed his appreciation to the faculty for all their support over the years. He acknowledged that no president ever expects to be fully supported by all the faculty all the time, or maybe even part of the time, but a president cannot function effectively without reasonable support from the faculty and a good level of understanding between them. President Glotzbach stated that, over the years, members of the faculty and staff had given him generous support and maintained a good level of understanding. For that, he was extremely grateful.  From the moment that he and Marie had arrived on campus 17 years ago, he always had enormous respect for the faculty as teachers, as researchers and creative artists, and as contributors to the shared work of the college.  Over the years, he had consistently witnessed excellent and frequently outstanding work in all three categories and stated that not every president can honestly make that statement. President Glotzbach said that it has been an incredible honor to serve as president, precisely because of the quality of the work he has observed and because of the many remarkable people who make up the faculty, staff, and administration.  Despite the beliefs of some that he and Marie would not stay very long at Skidmore, from the start, he and Marie tried to make it clear that they intended to stay for a substantial time.  In fact, President Glotzbach has ended up being the third longest serving Skidmore president, behind Henry Moore who served 32 years and Joseph Palamountain who served for 22 years.

President Glotzbach stated that many of the accomplishments highlighted by Professors Segrave and Murphy in their tributes were accomplished together.  Nothing on the list was ever done individually.   Two particular points of pride during his tenure as President have been the considerable progress made in developing a more robust, effective, and collaborative system of shared governance, and building pride in Skidmore itself. 

President Glotzbach then addressed the effect of the pandemic on our students and, in particular, the impact of cancelling an in-person Commencement this year.  While many of us have been through many commencements, he commented that it is easy to lose sight how important this celebratory moment is for our students.  We will be holding a virtual Commencement for our students in its place and are planning to hold an in-person Commencement for them next year.

President Glotzbach concluded his remarks by expressing his sincere thanks on behalf of Marie and himself for the ways the community embraced them during their time at Skidmore, and especially during the most trying time in 2011 when they lost their daughter.  They felt the love of this community in full at that moment, as well as the compassion of this community in the way that people reach out to one another in times of adversity.  President Glotzbach said that he has seen this on other occasions that the institution has faced tragedies together, and noted that those times when everyone has come together have been some of our best moments.  President Glotzbach stated that even from the very beginning, he and Marie felt that Skidmore was a community, and that that was one of the very things that attracted them to Skidmore in the first place.  He concluded by thanking everyone again for their respect, concern, and support for Marie and himself over the years and stated that it has truly been the highest honor and privilege of his professional career to serve as Skidmore’s president.

President Glotzbach then invited Mary Lou Bates, Dean of Admissions and Vice President for Admissions and Financial Aid, to provide an update on the entering class. She reported that we surpassed our enrollment goal for the Class of 2024 by almost 50 students. The extra students above our goal will generate additional tuition revenue beyond what was budgeted even after adjusting for more financial aid than originally planned. VP Bates indicated, however, that she anticipates robust summer melt as students either withdraw because they were admitted from the wait list at other institutions or consider deferral as they wait to hear whether they will be in residence in the fall.  VP Bates attributes the healthy admissions results to a number of factors put in place when it became clear that admitted students would be unable to visit campus.  In particular, consistent and proactive outreach by Admissions and Financial Aid staff, in collaboration with Communications and Marketing, meant that Skidmore was able to deliver virtual opportunities for admitted students to get information and directly connect with faculty and students. She reported that Admissions had benefited from a tremendous response from faculty willing to connect with admitted students through individual emails or zoom sessions; faculty moderating or facilitating virtual panels and dialogues; and departments offering weekly zoom sessions throughout the month of April and into May.  VP Bates stated that exceeding our class goal was a tribute to all the faculty.

VP Bates provided some brief demographics of the incoming class.  The class is 41 percent male, which is down a little from last year but up considerably from two years ago.  Twenty-five percent of the class are domestic students of color, which has been consistent with recent years though down a little from last year, and 10 percent of the students are international, which is down a little.  The class also consists of 38 Opportunity Program students, 12 Porter Wachenhim Scholars, and 9 S3M Scholars.

As Admissions prepares for the next admissions cycle, it is operating a virtual admissions program, hosting two group zoom information sessions daily with an admissions counselor and one or two of our student ambassadors. There are also three live virtual tours that are narrated by one of our current student ambassadors.  In recent weeks, admissions staff has been virtually visiting high schools via zoom all over the country and conducting evening panel presentations.  Admissions is not sure what recruitment will look like in the months ahead and is busy preparing programs for outreach to students.

VP Bates concluded her report by once again thanking faculty for all their help in recruiting this year’s class.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:00 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,