Faculty Meeting Minutes

April 30, 2021

Michael Orr, Dean of the Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs, called the meeting to order via Zoom at 3:32 p.m.  He reminded everyone of the protocols to be followed during the Zoom meeting and the process for voting through theSpring.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

DOF/VPAA Orr asked if there were any corrections to, or comments regarding, the minutes of the Faculty Meeting held March 26, 2021.  Hearing none, he announced the minutes were approved as distributed.

RECOGNITION OF RETIREES

On behalf of the Appointments and Promotions Committee (ATC), Professor Mary Odekon read the following resolution into the record (see attached):

BE IT RESOLVED, that the faculty of Skidmore College expresses its profound appreciation and admiration for the following members of the Skidmore Faculty who have this year expressed their determination to retire:

• John Anzalone, Department of World Languages and Literatures
• Pola Baytelman, Department of Music
• Debra Fernandez, Department of Dance
• Hédi Jaouad, Department of World Languages and Literatures
• Leslie Mechem, Department of Classics
• Barbara Norelli, Scribner Library
• Janet Sorensen, Department of Art

The faculty further resolves that the biographical highlights of these members contained in the Retirement Citation booklet distributed at this meeting be included in the Faculty Meeting Minutes of April 30, 2021, in recognition and celebration of their distinguished service and achievement.

The assembly signaled their acclamation with virtual applause.

Thereafter, Professor Viviana Rangil delivered a tribute to John Anzalone and Hédi Jaouad; Professor Jeffrey Segrave delivered a tribute to Pola Baytelman; Assistant Professor Sarah DiPasquale delivered a tribute to Debra Fernandez; Associate Professor Dan Curley delivered a tribute to Leslie Mechem; College Librarian Marta Brunner delivered a tribute to Barbara Norelli; and Associate Professor Sarah Sweeney delivered a tribute to Janet Sorensen.  A congratulatory round of applause was given to each retiree.

OLD BUSINESS

Appointments and Tenure Committee

On behalf of ATC, Associate Professor Sara Lagalwar read the following motion that was introduced at the last Faculty Meeting (see attached):

MOTION: the Appointments and Tenure Committee (ATC) moves to amend the 2020-2021 Faculty Handbook as follows, with changes highlighted by  strike through or in red:

Part Two, Section II.F.2.b., page 211

Members of ATC may not participate in the tenure cases of candidates with primary affiliation in their own departments/programs and a substitution will be made by the remainder of the

Committee. In exceptional other cases of conflict of interest (for example when an ATC member and candidate serve the same academic program), ATC may substitute one or more members for    a specific case.

Professor Lagalwar explained the rationale for the Motion and provided a response to a question that was raised at the last meeting as to whether candidates have the option to request a substitute.  She noted that this Motion specifically refers to members of ATC recusing themselves from a candidate’s case and, further, that ATC views the current motion and a candidate’s request for a substitute ATC member as two separate issues. Professor Lagalwar indicated that ATC is happy to review this issue next year if there is faculty interest.  If there is such interest, she requested that an email be sent to her directly.   Although an opportunity for discussion on the Motion was provided, there were no questions raised.  The Motion was voted on and passed by majority vote (after voting results were tallied over the weekend).

Promotions Committee

On behalf of the Promotions Committee, Professor Barbara Black read the following motion that was introduced at the last Faculty Meeting (see attached):

MOTION: The Promotions Committee moves that the Faculty Handbook (Part One, VIII, F. 2.viii.—p. 132) be amended as follows: [Deleted language is struck through. New language inbold. There are three housekeeping edits in underlined bold.]

Promotion files shall include the following:

1. an updated CV, which makes clear what has been achieved since the last promotion.
2. all scholarly, creative, or professional materials produced since the last promotion; the candidates may add some earlier materials for purposes of context or to show continued growth. The cCandidates may wish to seek letters from Skidmore colleagues outside their department/program qualified to speak to their professional accomplishment. Candidates may also wish to include a statement about achievements and works in progress.The candidate shall include a Research/Artistic Statement, which articulates the significance, scope, and future directions of scholarly/creative work.
3. the ten most recent consecutive semesters of teaching evaluations. For purposes of context, the candidate may wish to include other evaluations. The candidate shall also add copies of syllabi, and may include assignments and handouts. The candidate may also wish to append a statement about teaching goals and philosophy shall include a Teaching Statement, which articulates teaching goals and methodologies, and charts one’s development as a teacher over time. The file may include peer evaluations of teaching.
4. a cover sheet showing courses taught, sabbatical leaves, and any course releases over the previous six years.
5. service credentials presented within the context of the broad statements about service in Part One (Faculty Rights and Responsibilities), Article VIII (Evaluation of Faculty for Continued Service and Advancement in Rank), Section A (Tenure-Track Faculty, Community Service). The candidate may wish to provide relevant documents and seek letters from Committee Chairs or members who can speak about the quality and extent of service. The candidate shall include a Service Statement, which articulates service goals and accomplishments that demonstrate a record of sustained, significant, and effective service to the college.
6. Annual Reports for the past six years.

ix. Candidates for promotion may solicit letters on their behalf from reviewers familiar with their credentials from outside the college. Such letters may come directly to PC, or go to the Department Chair or Program Director and then to PC as part of the candidate's dossier. Letters mandated by the department/program must also be transmitted to PC.

 

Professor Black explained the rationale for the Motion and indicated that, as part of their work this year to ensure that the personnel review process is fair and inclusive, the Promotions Committee had also developed a White Paper which will be sent out to the faculty shortly.  She thanked the members of ATC, DOF/VPAA Orr, and Associate Professor Casey Schofield for partnering with the Promotions Committee as they developed the Motion. Although an opportunity for discussion was provided, there were no questions raised.  The Motion was voted on and passed by majority vote (after voting results were tallied over the weekend).

NEW BUSINESS

Committee on Academic Standing

On behalf of the Committee on Academic Standing, Professor Hassan Lopez introduced the following Motion (see attached):

MOTION: The Committee on Academic Standing (CAS) recommends that Skidmore College extend the current three-tiered grading policy for S/U courses through the Summer 2021 semester.  This policy specifically states that students who choose the S/U option will be governed by the following three-tiered grading structure:

• Students whose coursework merits a grade of C or above will receive an “S”
• Students whose coursework merits a grade of C-, D+ or D will receive “CR” (which designates “Credit”)
• Students whose coursework merits a grade of F will receive a “U”

Professor Lopez explained the rationale for the motion, noting that CAS anticipates returning to the traditional S/U grading process in the next academic year.  A motion was then made and seconded to suspend the layover provision as it would apply to the Motion. After CAS explained the reason for the suspension of the layover period, the motion to suspend the layover provision was voted on and passed by majority vote.

Although an opportunity for discussion of the grading motion was provided, there were no questions raised.  Thereupon, the Motion was voted on and passed by majority vote (after voting results were tallied over the weekend).

Appointments and Tenure Committee, Committee on Academic Freedom and Rights, and the Tenure Review Board

On behalf of ATC, the Committee on Academic Freedom and Rights, and the Tenure Review Board, Professor Mary Odekon introduced the following motion (see attached):

MOTION:   The Appointments and Tenure Committee (ATC), the Committee on Academic Freedom and Rights (CAFR), and the Tenure Review Board (TRB) move to amend the Faculty Handbook (Part One , VIII, E. 5-7; Part Two, II, A and F) by replacing the Tenure Review Board (TRB) with a Tenure Review Subcommittee (TRS) and revising the membership of the Tenure Appeals Committee (TAC).

First, the responsibilities of the TRB will shift to a new Tenure Review Subcommittee (TRS) composed of three tenured members of the CAFR. The composition of the CAFR will be modified to require three tenured members instead of two, and the TRB will be discontinued. The TRS will hear appeals from faculty not recommended for tenure on the basis of any potential violation that might have had a material impact on the tenure recommendation. The TRS will determine whether to convene a Tenure Appeal Committee (TAC) to reconsider a case. 

Second, the membership of the TAC, currently composed of the seven members of the ATC plus the three members of the TRB, will be changed to include only two members of the ATC (the current and upcoming chairs), along with two members of the TRS (the current and upcoming chairs of CAFR) and three former members of the ATC/CAPT from previous years.  The former members of the ATC/CAPT will be identified by the chair of the ATC according to the current process for soliciting ATC substitutes when there is a conflict of interest in a tenure case.  Specifically, former members who do not have a conflict of interest and are not on leave are solicited in order of most recent full-time membership (not substitute membership for a single case) on the ATC/CAPT. As is currently the practice, the chair of the ATC will serve as chair of the TAC.

Professor Odekon explained the rationale for the Motion and then shared a PowerPoint presentation that explained the background for the Motion; the current process for review of a negative tenure decision and its limitations; the guiding principles in considering alternatives to the current process; the proposed process for reviewing negative tenure decisions; and the steps taken to develop this proposal (see attached presentation).  Thereafter, Professor Odekon announced that an open forum to discuss the proposal would be held on Friday, May 7, 2021 and that an online forum is in the process of being created on Skidmore.forumbee.com titled “CAFR-ATC-TRB proposal 2021” under Academic and Course Specific Forums. A previous CAFR chair indicated her support for the proposal, noting that this new proposal will clarify the various timelines surrounding review of negative tenure decisions.  There being no further discussion, the Motion will lie over until the next Faculty Meeting.

OTHER

On behalf of the Faculty Development Committee, Associate Professor Silvia Carli announced that Professor Hassan Lopez has been awarded the Ralph A. Ciancio Award for Excellence in Teaching for 2021-22.  Professor Carli then read a citation honoring Professor Lopez (see attached).   A virtual congratulatory round of applause was given to Professor Lopez.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

President Conner offered his congratulations to the retirees and to Professor Lopez for his award.  He then provided the following updates:           

• The COVID alert level has been lowered to Level 1; there is currently one active COVID case and almost zero quarantined cases on campus.  He credits student vigilance in following the safety standards as well as the fact that almost 50 percent of the student body have been vaccinated in getting to this level. 
• Vaccinations will be required for students on campus this summer.
• Arrangements for an in-person Commencement at SPAC for the entire senior class are proceeding.
• The campus master planning process is moving forward. The focus group meetings are occurring and providing important feedback.
• The search for the Vice President for Advancement is in its final stage, with finalist interviews occurring.
• The search for the Vice President for Student Affairs is on track with semi-finalist interviews being conducted within the next week.
• A decision on the health care recommendations will be made before mid-May. President Conner reported that he would be meeting with representatives from our retirees before final decisions are made.

President Conner then provided an update on the College’s budget for this academic year, noting that the entire college has been working hard to produce a balanced, deficit-free budget during the pandemic.  He stated that he was happy to announce that the college will finish the academic year without a deficit. He credits this to very careful attention to achieving budget savings, as well as the hiring and salary freeze, and foregoing a general salary adjustment (GSA). At the same time, the college has achieved this budget result without having to cut other benefits as many other schools have done. 

Additionally, as President Conner reported, the college has benefitted from COVID stimulus relief from the Federal government, which has resulted in a budget surplus as we approach the end of the fiscal year.  Since the budget surplus consists of one-time funds, it has to be spent in this fiscal year and cannot be carried over to the next fiscal year.  Because the whole community contributed to this year’s success, President Conner announced that employees will receive a one-time discretionary payment.  He explained that this discretionary payment had two purposes: to acknowledge all employees who did not receive a GSA in this fiscal year and to recognize all the employees who worked during the past year in this incredibly challenging period of the pandemic. 

President Conner also announced that a general salary adjustment is projected for all employees in next year’s budget, subject to Board approval in May.  In addition, recognizing the challenges caused by the change in the College’s policy with respect to vacation carryover, President Conner announced that the College will be providing an additional five days of floating holidays for all staff members subject to the vacation carryover policy.

President Conner then invited Donna Ng, Vice President for Finance and Administration, to provide a more detailed presentation of this year’s budget and the discretionary payment. The presentation included a summary of the operating budget for FY ’21, details on the operating budget revenue and expenditures for FY ’21, details on the discretionary payment for employees, and a preview of the operating budget assumptions for FY ’22.  Following VP Ng’s presentation, President Conner stated that a community presentation on the College’s finances will be held following the Board meeting in May.

At the conclusion of President Conner’s report, an opportunity for questions was provided. 

• A question was raised as to why the GSA is not used to increase the per credit/hourly compensation rates for part-time faculty, and why the GSA is calculated as a percentage of salary rather than according to an equal benefit model where all faculty receive the same dollar amount of GSA. A brief statement was then read asking for faculty support with regard to the calculation of the GSA and using the GSA to increase the per credit and hourly compensation rate for part-time faculty. In response, President Conner stated that he welcomes more conversations about this in the future, but that the college calculates compensation much in the same way as our peer schools do. DOF/VPAA Orr also acknowledged that the hourly rate for music instructors, in which compensation is tied to the lesson fees that we charge our students, has fallen below the radar in the last few years but indicated that he is committed to reviewing this pay scale. Regarding the broader question of the GSA, DOF/VPAA Orr noted that the one of the challenges of adopting a fixed dollar amount for the GSA would result in the college’s inability to maintain market position in salaries for the various faculty ranks.
• After reading a lengthy statement regarding the emergency use classification of the COVID vaccines, a faculty member inquired as to whether President Conner would unequivocally state that the COVID vaccine would not be mandated for college faculty and other employees. President Conner stated that he will rely upon the expertise of epidemiologists, the Center for Disease Control, Tony Fauci, Saratoga County Public Health, and the Director of Saratoga Hospital for medical guidance when making decisions about how to deliver a safe Skidmore education for our students.
• Further discussion was held regarding use of the GSA to adjust salaries for faculty and staff to address salary inequality and the eligibility of non-tenure track faculty on yearly contracts to receive the one-time discretionary payment.
• Finally, in response to a question regarding this year’s admissions picture, Mary Lou Bates, Vice President and Dean of Admissions, reported that the deadline for admissions decisions is May 1 and that we are tracking close to where we have been in recent years. She indicated that she and her staff were cautiously optimistic about meeting the admissions goals amidst all of the uncertainty occasioned by the pandemic. She then thanked everyone for all of their assistance in this year’s admission process.

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

VPAA/DOF Orr thanked everyone for all their hard work this semester, noting that it has taken exceptional effort on everyone’s part to get to this point in the semester.  He said that it is very encouraging to see that the COVID rates on campus have moderated, and that the Saratoga County infection rates have dropped to the lowest level we have seen for months, with a 1.7 percent positivity rate. While there are lots of reason for optimism as we enter the last few weeks of the semester, DOF/VPAA Orr asked that everyone continue to be flexible and empathetic, given that many members of our community are continuing to deal with family members or friends who have contracted COVID or are in areas that have much higher levels of risk. In particular, he drew attention to the health crisis in India and other regions in the world, such as Brazil, that are facing much higher risk of transmission of COVID and lack of access to vaccines. He also noted that COVID has disproportionately impacted communities of color within the United States and asked for everyone’s understanding on behalf of students who may be struggling with these worries and stresses.

Following up on the discussion about the GSA during President Conner’s report, DOF/VPAA Orr indicated that he is planning during the May Faculty Meeting to provide a summary of the latest AAUP salary data, which will provide a comparison of where we stand with respect to our peers and aspirants in the professorial ranks. He stated that it is clear, though, that we need to do a much more comprehensive equity study of salaries, not only in the ranks of tenure and tenure-track faculty but especially among non-tenure-track and contingent faculty.  He further indicated that he had hoped to be able to pursue this during this academic year but COVID had precluded that work; however, he indicated that he is committed to this work in the coming academic year.

He concluded his report by calling attention to the email that was recently sent by the Faculty Executive Committee regarding their recommendations concerning faculty listserv access.  He indicated that he will be accepting those recommendations and will move forward implementing them over the summer.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:30 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,