SSU Academic Senate Meeting of 14 September 2023

Submitted by ERFSA Senator Steven V. Winter

 

Report of the Chair of the Faculty – (L. Krier)

- AS Metings wil be in-person only at the beginning and end of the academic year.

- EmeritusLuncheon is Friday November 3 rd 12-3 pm Prelude $45

Announcements & Info Items:

1.) reparing Documents for the Senate and Determining Readiness

ExCom revised the document on the AS website re what should be included and what ExCom will be looking at.

2.) Administrative Response and Recommendations on Interim Policy on Reorganization

included in AS packet for today.

3.) Robert’s Rules Cheat Sheet

included in AS packet for today.

Consent Items:

1.) Emeritus Status for Professor Alice Wexler / Passed

Business Items:

1.) Changes to the Senate and ExCom Minutes; 1st Reading

- Change of format of the minutes. Do we have briefer minutes version or a more detailed

transcription version or both?

- Discussion of how easy it is to approve – how reads the full transcript / how soon can they be

available to take information back to constituents / amount of content on-the-record versus

interpretation /none of our other committees produce transcripts.

2.) Psychology MA Discontinuance (Depth-Psy / only concentration); 1st Reading (E. Asencio &

L. McCabe) https://sonoma.curriculog.com/proposal:3281/form

- The School of Social Sciences did not support continuance. versus giving resources needed to continue the program. Ten-twelve students per year. L. McCabe who ran the program retired in 2020. Nobody has stepped up to run the program. Last cohort was started in 2019.

- Question: Other universities in area with this program in Depth-Psych? Ans: only at private

schools in CA; something similar in Clinical Psychology.

- Question: Put on hiatus to see if it can be restarted? Ans: No other faculty member or

searches for expertise in this area of Humanistic approach to depth-psychology versus clinical.

3.)  EPC: Leadership Certificate program proposal; 2nd Reading (E. Asencio & E. Acosta Lewis) https://sonoma.curriculog.com/proposal:3962/form

- (Last AS Mtg Description) The leadership certificate will help develop both current leaders and

those who want to expand leadership goals. The certificate will provide leadership development based on the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE): career and self-development, communication, critical thinking, equity and inclusion, leadership, professionalism, and teamwork. Additionally, this certificate will give students practical personal leadership and organizational leadership development.

- Question on one of the courses availability.

- Passed

4.) FSAC: Temporary Range Elevation Policy; 2nd Reading (R. Whitkus)

- (Last AS Mtg Description) Threw out old policy as related to Collective Bargaining Agreement

and started anew. Produced Guidelines, Forms and Timeline, as well as defined Professional

Achievement. If lecturer has a current Periodic Review the new policy will accept that and not

require another review.

- New / Changes: Professional Achievement was defined as activities applicable to the

assignment of the individual / Added an action by the Dean versus just review.

- Passed

Special Reports:

1. AI in Education from CTET (J. Lipp) https://ctet.sonoma.edu/initiatives/ai-education

- Depth of Changes: virtually on all desktop tools and many professional fields developing new

classes of jobs which use AI in the workplace (ie. Prompt Engineer).

- What Can We Do in Education: set expectations with students, learn about tools yourself and

come to CTET for help & consultation on assignment redesign (e.g.. local prompts and scaffolding assignments).

- Campus Response: working groups on campus looking into matter, professional development

workshops and academic integrity software.

- Question: What are positives of generative AI in the classroom? Ans: Metacognitive tool to

summarize materials / language translation for ESL students.

- Statement: Statewide AS is looking into CSU system creating system-wide policies related to AI.

Standing Reports:

1. President of the University – (M. Lee)

- CSU Trustees’ Mtg: 21 of 23 campuses had Associated Students’ Presidents at meeting with

all opposed to tuition increase. Lt. Governor also spoke against. Trustee’s approved tuition

increase. Six percent for each of next 5 years.

- Electricity: Have units now that can provide several hours of back-up power to keep campus

running due to solar project. System-level funding with no SSU campus funds. SSU will keep

savings of decreased electricity cost.

2. Provost/Vice-President, Academic Affairs – (K. Moranski)

- Graduate student mixer in Overlook at 5 pm today.

- Hosting Japanese Speech Contest (Transportation Creating Global Connection) October 23rd .

- Moving Summer Session to State-Side: Second phase of pilot program summer 2024. SEIE

will lose 30% of revenue but still administer.

- Reorganization FAQ by beginning of next week.

- Question: Chairs of School of Arts and Humanities are concerned about elimination of

department chairs. Who is going to do the work and how is that compensated? Ans: Not

accurate to say we are eliminating all chairs. Put departments together into schools with a chair

for the group / thus decrease in the number of chairs, not elimination.

- Question: Current amount of budget deficit? Ans: $9 million or so. That is a campus amount.

Academic Affairs is being asked to save $1 million by the end of this year.

- Question: Chronicle of Higher Education article on restructuring. Can we order copies? Ans:

Yes we will get and distribute. Moranski will also look at book list of relevant materials.

- Question: SFSU slashing of lecturers? Ans. Moranski said we have not taken that approach but

we have seen a steady decline in units available to lecturers in the last 5 years. Seven campuses

making major budget cuts and 11 CSU’s not making enrollment target.

3. Statewide Senators - (R. Senghas & D. Wilson)

- Plenary Session Report: Discussion on Enrollment / Graduation Initiative / Transfer Agreements with JC / Tuition Increase / Title IX / others

- Produced a Letter Supporting CFA on Bargaining / a Letter of Agreement of CAL GETC

Transfer Agreement with verbiage to not harm individual campus GE breadth.

- 1st Reading of resolutions: California Legislature to not allow banning of books at California

educational institutions / CSU Board of Trustees to not make changes to GE Pattern at this time

Good of the Order

Anthropology Department lost emeritus faculty member Sue Taylor Parker