Faculty Meeting Minutes

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

DOF/VPAA Orr asked if there were any corrections to, or comments regarding, the minutes of the Faculty Meeting held April 30, 2021.  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 316 students of the Class of 2021 to be awarded on May 22, 2021.

            RESOLVED, that the Faculty of Skidmore College recommend to the Trustees the granting of the Bachelor of Science degree to 178 students of the Class of 2021 to be awarded on May 22, 2021.

           RESOLVED, that the Faculty of Skidmore College recommend to the Trustees the granting of the Bachelor of Arts degree to 36 students of the Class of 2021 upon satisfactory completion of the degree requirements by August 31, 2021.

            RESOLVED, that the Faculty of Skidmore College recommend to the Trustees the granting of the Bachelor of Science degree to 13 students of the Class of 2021 upon satisfactory completion of the degree requirements by August 31, 2021.

The total number of graduates of the Class of 2021 is 570 as follows: 27 for January completion, 494 for May completion, and 49 for August completion. 

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

All-College and Departmental Honors. Michael Arnush, 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 2021, as presented at the May 19, 2021, Faculty Meeting: 54 students for summa cum laude distinction; 105 students for magna cum laude distinction; and 48 students for cum laude distinction.  (Note: including January 2021 graduates, 220 of 570 students [38.6%] in the class of 2021 will receive College Honors).  

            RESOLVED, that the Faculty of Skidmore College approve Departmental and Program Honors for 223 students from the Class of 2021, as presented at the May 19, 2021 Faculty Meeting.  (Note: including January 2021 graduates, 234 of 570 students [41.1%] in the class of 2021 will receive Departmental or Program Honors; 23 students will receive honors in two majors).

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

OLD BUSINESS

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

On behalf of the Appointments and Tenure Committee, the Committee on Academic Freedom and Rights, and the Tenure Review Board, Professor Mary Odekon read the following motion that was introduced at the last Faculty Meeting (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 proposed changes, noting that these changes are designed to improve clarity, equity and fairness, while also being feasible from a faculty governance standpoint. Although an opportunity for discussion was provided, there were no questions raised.  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 the format for Faculty Meetings during the 2021-22 academic year.  Associate Professor Casey Schofield 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 Schofield rose and reported that a discussion on the format for faculty meetings was held. 

OTHER

Amon Emeka, Director of the First Year Experience, announced this year’s summer reading is Ibram Kendi’s How to be Anti-Racist.  Professor Emeka indicated that this book was chosen by the FYE Summer Reading Committee, which includes himself; Lia Ball, Department of Chemistry; Paul Benzon, Department of English; Leigh Wilton, Department of Psychology, and takes a deeply personal and interdisciplinary look at racism and its opposite anti-racism, arguing that there's no middle ground between them and that it's not possible to be “not racist” without committing oneself to anti-racism.  Professor Emeka stated that he will be soliciting faculty responses to the book shortly and to email him if anyone is interested in contributing to this project.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

President Marc Conner expressed his appreciation for being able to meet with everyone at the end of an unforgettable year.  He stated that he has recently had the pleasure of addressing a number of student groups and it has been invigorating to be able to celebrate and gather in person with students, faculty and staff.  While there is a mood of celebration on campus this week, there’s also a mood of loss and grief.  President Conner stated that it is important to acknowledge both of these emotions as we bring this year to a close, as we think about how far we have come this year.  He reported that he has been thinking a lot about the extraordinary challenge of a community going through the pandemic while trying to get to know a new president, and, at the same time, a new president trying to get to know a complex and fascinating community. With that in mind, he indicated the hope that our students can look back on this year with an enormous sense of pride in their endurance, resilience and grit, while also recognizing the challenges and suffering experienced.   Much like the end of a Shakespearean romance, President Conner suggested, we have arrived at the end of the semester aware of the achievements of our community but with a powerful sense of the suffering that's been part of our shared experience.

President Conner reminded everyone that, despite the losses of this past year, so much has been achieved.  We have kept our community safe and healthy, we have delivered the Skidmore education spectacularly, and we have made progress on multiple fronts, including campus master planning, this year’s Strategic Action Agenda items, and the racial justice initiative.  He announced that Donna Ng, Vice President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer, would be giving a presentation to the community next week on the college’s finances and noted that, despite the challenges of the pandemic, we are remarkably well poised financially and that that is not the story we are hearing at all liberal arts colleges. Although the pre-pandemic financial challenges remain, we are fortunate not to be carrying a financial hit from COVID into next year and having to face the challenges that go with that.  In addition, he noted that, as part of DOF/VPAA Orr’s report, Mary Lou Bates, Dean of Admissions and Vice President for Admissions and Financial Aid, would provide an update on this year’s admissions.  Given that this has been the most challenging of years, Dean Bates’ update provides extraordinarily good news and is very encouraging, given that many schools are not having success in making their incoming classes.

Reflecting on this past year, President Conner finds himself wondering what’s next? What will the summer hold and what will the fall be like? How will this virus change and how will it continue to change us?  He assured everyone that we will get there together and promised ongoing clear, transparent communication throughout the summer.  His hope is that everyone can find time for rest and recovery over the summer and that the summer would provide an opportunity for productive, creative, and restorative work.   President Conner concluded by thanking everyone for their extraordinary work this past year and for everything that has been done for our students and the college.

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

VPAA/DOF Orr expressed his personal appreciation for all the work everyone has done to bring the semester to a successful conclusion, noting that it has taken tremendous flexibility and adaptability, as well as great ingenuity and creativity, to adopt and adapt to different modes of teaching.  He also acknowledged that many faculty and staff have found themselves needing to provide much more emotional and mental health support to students than typical. This has created an additional burden that many faculty have had to bear. In addition, almost every faculty member at one point or another had to handle the challenge of accommodating students who suddenly needed to isolate or quarantine.  This past semester probably felt even more demanding given that there was no spring break to provide everyone a short respite. The differential impact of COVID on individual members of our community, as well on friends, family, and society more broadly also increased the demands and stress that had to be managed this past year. 

VPAA/DOF Orr then shared a PowerPoint presentation showing the latest AAUP faculty salary data for Skidmore and its peer and aspirant schools. The presentation provided a comparison of the average salary for the ranks of full professor, associate professor, and assistant professor and showed that Skidmore ranked 8^th out of 17 at the full professor and associate professor ranks and 11^th at the assistant professor rank.  He noted that the latter ranking was the most concerning as it showed that Skidmore is not achieving the goal it set a number of years ago to be at the median or better compared to our peers and aspirant schools.

The presentation further provided a gender breakdown of the average salary between men and women in the three professorial ranks. This data showed that the greatest differential in salaries between men and women is at the full professor rank.

Additionally, the presentation showed a comparison of the total compensation (salary and medical/retirement benefits) at the ranks of full professor, associate professor, and assistant professor.  VPAA/DOF Orr reported that, unfortunately, over the last few years, AAUP has changed its methodology and now reports the average benefits of all ranks.  For the PowerPoint slide of total compensation, the average benefits reported were then added to the average salary in each rank.  Unfortunately, this approach does not permit comparison with earlier years when the AAUP’s methodology was different. Additionally, three of our peer and aspirant schools did not report benefit data to the AAUP. Nevertheless, the comparison of total compensation reveals that Skidmore compares more favorably with its peers, improving its rank to 5 at the full and associate professor ranks and 7 at the associate professor rank.

VPAA/DOF Orr indicated that the data clearly supports the need for a comprehensive equity study of salaries across the board, including gender equity, and reported that he is committed to completing this study in the coming academic year.  One of the challenges of using AAUP data for benchmarking is that we are constrained by the methodology that AAUP uses.  AAUP focuses on the professorial ranges for the tenure-track and tenured ranks and does not, by and large, give reliable data for non-tenure-track faculty.  The AAUP has begun trying to gather data on part-time, per-course rates for faculty, but institutions are inconsistent in how they report this data.

DOF/VPAA then provided an opportunity for questions or discussion on the data that was shared:

• A comment was made that it would be interesting to know how salaries compare with regard to white faculty verses non-white faculty. DOF/VPAA Orr noted that the AAUP data does not report salaries by race; however, this is one of the metrics that will be reviewed as Skidmore conducts its internal salary equity study.
• A question was raised as to whether the cost of living is taken into account in comparing salaries to our peer and aspirant schools. It was then suggested that, in order to build community and retain faculty, that the administration take into consideration the high cost of living in Saratoga Springs when conducting the salary review.  VPAA/DOF Orr acknowledged that this is an important consideration for all staff that work at the college.

Thereupon, Sarah Delaney Vero, Interim Human Resources Director, shared a PowerPoint presentation on the Return to Campus Policy (see attached for details).  The presentation outlined the guiding principles used in developing the policy, the key elements of the policy with regard to academics and offices, the three phases for return, as well as the reasonable accommodations for a return to campus.

An opportunity for questions on the policy was then provided.  A brief discussion was held concerning the possibility of a hybrid work model for employees.  Ms. Vero reported that a discussion was held with supervisors with regard to flexible work arrangements but it became apparent that there was a need to focus on getting back to normal first and then address the issue of flexible work arrangements.  Ms. Vero emphasized that Skidmore is a residential institution which requires an on-campus presence and that the shift to remote work was not a choice made by the College but was a requirement by the Governor’s office.  Some divisions and units have been able to operate efficiently remotely while other divisions are not able to operate remotely, and that has created a divide in perceived equity by some.  There is also a loss of the sense of community for many, including students.  Ms. Vero stated that flexible work arrangements are not completely off the table, but at the moment, the institution is focusing on a return to campus.

A question was raised as to whether the College has assessed the work-from-home arrangements, especially in terms of innovation, in making the decision to return to campus.  Ms. Vero reported that there were numerous discussions with supervisors and department/division heads as well as communications amongst staff members, and the COVID 19 logistics working group with regard to what is working and what is not working.  The prevailing themes was the loss of community and the inability of departments to be able to just talk with each other.  There are also concerns between the haves and the have-nots on campus; certain divisions have had to be on campus since the beginning of the pandemic while others have not, and that has created a sense of divide. Skidmore has been in reaction-mode since the pandemic began and there needs to be an opportunity to determine whether the college wants to move forward in this direction and, if so, to develop a telework policy that is as equitable as possible. While there certainly has been innovation and efficiencies during the pandemic, Ms. Vero indicated that the college needs to pause at the moment and think about those things before we rush through a telework policy. 

Thereupon, Cerri Banks, Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students, shared the challenges her division faced during the pandemic when many divisions were working from home.  Her office spent a great deal of time listening to parents and students about the lack of access to people on campus at a private residential college, the frustration of contacting people not on campus to try to answer questions for students, and the anxiety and stress created for her staff in having to take on additional responsibilities, in addition to feeling as though they had to put themselves on the front line while others had not shared in that responsibility of being present in person for students.  Dean Banks encouraged everyone to think about what it means to be a residential private liberal arts college--we require students to live on campus and we make promises about what their experience will be here, and we need to fulfill those promises. 

Thereafter, brief discussion was held concerning when the college might revisit the masking policy now that the CDC has released new guidelines regarding vaccinated individuals.

In concluding her report, Ms. Vero encouraged anyone with questions regarding the return to campus policy to reach out to her.

VPAA/DOF Orr then acknowledged the new appointments to endowed chairs that were recently announced: 

• Beau Breslin appointed to the Joseph C. Palamountain, Jr. Chair in Government;
• Matt Hockenos reappointed to the Harriet Johnson Toadvine ‘56 Chair in 20th Century History; and
• Jenny Day appointed to the Frances Young Tang ’61 Chair in Chinese Studies.

VPAA/DOF Orr then thanked the outgoing department chairs and program directors: Beck Krefting, American Studies; Mimi Hellman, Art History; Sylvia McDevitt, Biology; Tom O’Connell, Computer Science; Debra Fernandez, Dance; Jordana Dym, Latin American and Latinx Studies; Katie Hauser, Media and Film Studies; Jeff Segrave, Music; and Mark Rye, Psychology.  He then acknowledged that Dean Banks was attending her last faculty meeting and expressed deep appreciation for all the work that Dean Banks has done during her time at Skidmore, including her dedication to our students, and wished her well in her new position at Syracuse University.

Next, Mary Lou Bates, Vice President and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, provided an update on this year’s incoming class.  She reported that we have met and slightly exceeded our goal for the Class of 2025. She then shared a PowerPoint presentation on Admissions and Financial Aid as of May, 2021 (pre-summer melt), which included the statistics for the class as follows:

• The class is 43 percent male, compared to 41 percent last year;
• Domestic students of color are up slightly from last year to 26 percent;
• The percentage of first generation students is down slightly to 10 percent;
• International students are down slightly to 9 percent (from 10 percent last year), of which 15 are United World College Students;
• Eight percent of the class are dual citizens;
• 29 students are currently enrolled in the London program;
• There are 38 Opportunity Program students, which is consistent with last year;
• There are 4 Filene Scholars, 11 Porter/Wachenheim Scholars, and 9 S3M Scholars;
• The percent of the class receiving financial aid is consistent with last year at 52 percent;
• Our acceptance rate is down slightly to 31 percent;
• Our spring yield on regular decision admits is 13 percent.

VP Bates then stated that, as we move into recruiting for next year’s class, our inquiries from rising seniors for the Class of 2026 is up from last year.  Admissions is in the process of determining the ideal combination of inputs as we trend toward normalcy, but it is clear that virtual programming will continue to play a role. And, for the first time since the pandemic, we will have in person tours that can go into buildings on campus.  Dean Banks then expressed her appreciation to everyone for responding to the many requests from Admissions and Communications and Marketing to participate in all the virtual programming this past year and for helping to successfully enroll our students. 

Following Dean Bank’s report, a brief discussion was held concerning the availability of information on student retention rates, particularly with regard to vulnerable and underrepresented student populations. Joe Stankovich, Director of Institutional Research, reported that the data on retention and graduation rates is reported on the Institutional Research website. Lastly, Professor Winston Grady-Willis expressed his appreciation for the leadership of President Conner and President’s Cabinet over the past year.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:48 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,