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FACULTY SENATE MINUTES, January 16, 2015

3:00-5:00 P.M., Lynett Boardroom

Senators present:Dhanapati Adhikari, Trish Arter, Jen Barna,Bill Conlogue, Alex Dawoody, Frank DeMatteo, John DePoe, Lynn Hutchings, Sue Jenkins,Sarah Kenehan, Tom Kent, Sr. Angela Kim, Maggie McManus, David Palmiter, Michelle Sitko, Charles Truitt,Stephanie Wise,Shelby Yeager

Others present:Tammy Amosson, Estelle Campenni, Brooke Cannon, Annette Fisher, Melinda Krokus, Andrea Novak,Ed O’Brien, Lindsey Wotanis, Chaogui Zhang, Mary Ann Zimmer

Minutes submitted by: Bill Conlogue

TOPIC / DISCUSSION / ACTION
REVIEW OF MINUTES FROM December 5, 2014 MEETING / The phrase “salary freeze” was cut from item #4 in the announcements section of the 5 December 2014 minutes. / Minutes were approved as revised.
Dr. Peter Spader
University enrollment plan
AAUP update
Executive Council update
Other updates / Faculty Senate expressed its sorrow at the passing of Dr. Peter Spader, a thirty-eight-year veteran of the Philosophy Department.
Ann Boland-Chase, Vice President for Enrollment Services and Student Success, offered a review of the university’s enrollment plan. A question-and-answer period followed.
During the discussion, it was suggested that the university create a network of volunteers by department who would interact with prospective students during campus visits and who would speak at high school assemblies.
Brooke Cannon offered an update of the activities of the Marywood chapter of AAUP. On January 8, chapter officers met with members of the administration to introduce the chapter and to offer an update on its activities.
1)At the Executive Council meeting on January 12, the president noted that no employee will receive written notification of the changes to the university’s retirement contribution. Formal notification was offered at the November 7 General Faculty meeting and at meetings of the other senates.
2)The administration did not interpret a November 24 e-mail from the chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Shared Governance as a formal invitation to meet with the committee. To clear up the confusion, the chair will send a more explicit invitation to the president and the vice president for academic affairs.
3)The president announced that administrators are engaged in discussions about strategic issues. (See “Announcements,” #4, below.)
4)The president encouraged Faculty Senate to suggest ways that the university could be more proactive in engaging students in meaningful conversations about justice and peace as responses to the violence that is happening in the nation and around the world. (See “Announcements,” #5, below.)
Faculty Senate heard and discussed updates from various committees and faculty members.
1)Maggie McManus announced that the mentorship program for new faculty will host a get-together at Mickey Gannon’s on Wednesday, January 28, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. All faculty are invited. Anyone with ideas for the mentorship program should contact Chris Fryer and/or Maggie.
2)Sarah Kenehan, chair of the Faculty Development Committee, led a discussion of Faculty Development funding. The fund is approximately $25,000 in arrears; the shortfall will be covered with money from next year’s budget. In anticipation of less money next year, the committee will likely redefine its spending priorities.
3)In a follow-up to a December 5 discussion about task force membership, Bill Conlogue noted that Faculty Senate is creating a list of faculty members interested in serving on future university-wide task forces. The list may help to expedite the creation of future task forces.In a January 15 e-mail, Bill Conlogue encouraged full-time and pro-rata faculty to contact their Senate representatives about their interest in volunteering to serve on future task forces. / The Senate voted to send on to Ann Boland-Chase the faculty’s collected ideas for increasing enrollment/dealing with the university’s current financial challenges.
The vote: 17 in favor; one opposed; no abstentions.
Discussion of forwarding the ideas had been tabled at the December 5 meeting.
Talk of the University
Committee on Rank and Tenure
Announcements / Trish Arter explained Talk of the University, a periodic gathering of students and faculty to discuss current issues. Senators were encouraged to spread the word. Senators who have participated in the talks underscored their value as a learning experience for all attendees.
Bill Conlogue offered an update on the Committee on Rank and Tenure, which has forwarded two sets of suggestions to Faculty Senate. The sets of proposals will be posted to the Faculty Senate Moodle site. Senators were encouraged to respond to them.
Bill Conlogue announced the following:
1)The Learning Commons Committee will host a spring forum on February 11 in the Fireplace Lounge. Beginning at noon, the event will feature Miao Hong leading a discussion of the instructional opportunities that the Learning Commons will make possible.
2)A survey about Rank and Tenure policies and procedures was recently distributed to the faculty. Senators were encouraged remind their constituents to complete the survey.
3)The by-laws that are posted to the Faculty Senate website are not the latest version. During the 2010-2011 presidency of Kathy Ruthkosky, the by-laws were amended. Among other things, the amended by-laws redefined the position of Vice President as President-elect. The current president-elect is Alex Dawoody, who will assume the office of Faculty Senate president on July 1, 2015. The amended by-laws were passed on to the By-laws Committee.
4)At a January 7 meeting, the administration decided to create a Strategic Issues Task Force. Members will include the Cabinet and the deans, who will nominate a dozen faculty members to serve on the task force. The president will send invitations to nominated faculty members. (See “Other updates,” #3, above.)
5)Faculty Senate is creating a committee to discover ways that the university could be more proactive in engaging students in meaningful conversations about justice and peace as responses to the violence happening in the nation and the world.
ADJOURNMENT / Adjournment:5:00 p.m.