Submitted by Steven V. Winter
Report of the Chair of the Faculty – (L. Krier)
- Attended the CSU Chair’s Council
- Active Shooter Training 9-12 next Tuesday Dec 5th.
Business Items:
1. Resolution Opposing the Loss of Individual Department Chairs; 2nd Rd – Senator, Mark Perri
- Perri indicated: Changed resolution: removed part about combining departments which can be okay but keep part about losing individual department chairs. Faculty bill of rights says each department has the right to pick own chair, which is violated if bigger departments control vote or have a plan to rotate between depts. Why share students with interdisciplinary when may not have enough students to keep department from being eliminated. Statewide Academic Senate has reinforced that faculty should never give up release time for work rendered.
- Comments Against: Hyperbole that elimination of some chair positions is a bad thing, maybe status quo has gotten us in the place we currently are. / Not every department has a chair across the CSU but many do. / Assumptions that administration is untrustworthy is hurtful. / There are already protections in Collective Bargaining regarding workload so resolution is based on Fear. / Fear before what administration proposes – still time to rebut proposals.
- Comments For: Going to need department heads anyway with expertise in discipline, which can lead to un-compensated work. / Less department chairs equals less faculty representation in governance. / Prudence versus fear to back resolution because of lack of information – structure not perfect but has worked and only changing due to fiscal crisis. / Don’t have evidence that the problem is chairs – what is cost savings – evidence of more workload on chair and staffs to recruit students etc. / Demoralized faculty-staff regarding increases in workload without compensation.
- Comments from ERFSA and APARK: Not enough data to show we need to vote for this proposal since we have not seen an actual proposal from the Provost.
- Comments from CFA – This happened at CSU Humboldt and here at SSU in School of Business where a Dean reorganized to area coordinators with one super-chair. CFA will be fighting grievances regarding loss of individual department chairs.
- Comments from ERFSA: Senator Winter indicated he personally is going to vote for this resolution. However, the ERFSA Board at this time due to lack of information.
- Motion Approved14-7
2. EPC: Policy for Suspending or Discontinuing Academic Programs; 1st Reading – E.
- Asencio indicated: Currently on-campus there is no official policy on suspension of a program / Do have discontinuance policy from 1981 with a few changes in 2011.
- Comments: Paragraph about President being forwarded recommendation has been eliminated, why? Maybe it was put somewhere else in document. / References to department chairs needs to be removed. / Procedures should be taken out of this policy because procedures can be changed. / SEIE has concerns since most suspensions are in their purview. SEIE would lose money.
3. EPC: Course Modality Policy; 1st Reading – E. Asencio
- Asencio indicated: Program portion has been removed and is now just about individual courses. Program policy will be brought to the Academic Senate in the future. Some information from the Chancellor’s Office is coming so EPC will look at that information before resubmitting Program Modality Guidelines to AS.
- Questions - Comments: Item #3 Course modality must follow EPC Guidelines. Ans: These are guidelines until EPC forms actual policies. / EPC Policy will be templates to determine types of course modalities. / Lot of concerns regarding face-to-face distinction means in-person every session. Contrast where face-to-face distinction is anything where at least 51% is in-person / Department determines modality not individual professor to perform their work / EPC should list conditions that allow for why a faculty member could change the assigned modality.
Special Reports:
1. Office of Strategic Communications: Strategic Plan Highlights 2023-24 – Jeff Keating, AVP of Strategic Communications
- Four Responsibilities: Transmit Mission, Mange Internal and External Communications, Public Information and Gate Keeper for Public Relations. Messaging to general public, prospective students, influencers, alumni, employers, faculty-staff, and donors. Content: explainer pieces, fact sheets, annual reports, digital assets, video photo library and display materials.
- Questions: Can faculty and students submit content? Ans: Yes please submit – however not everything will be used. Personal stories are great for our published materials. / Are you responsible for signs and banners on-campus? Ans. Yes – please give us suggestions – we also do campus maps. / Can you use help with legislative efforts? Ans: Yes – we are currently working with legislators to inform them that a non-4-year path is okay for part time students. I myself have a family and I worked on my bachelor’s degree one class at a time – so very aware of the many different paths to education.
2. Provost Report on Reorganization; Provost, K. Moranski
a. Update Milestones and Fall 2023 Consultations We are in the period where proposals have been received with Administrative Proposal to APARC and AS Executive Committee on December 7th. Still consulting with all departments, deans and faculty governance that have asked for discussion.
b. Current & Upcoming Work Omnibus Proposal to ExCom on Dec. 7th. Draft Chair assigned time Jan 18th.
c. Assistance from Faculty Governance Committee Structure-Composition: College curriculum committees - changes on governance committees - professional development review levels and other issues / Chair recommendation Policy
d. Discussion Academic Models / Chair Assigned Times & Program Coordinators
Reorganizations at other CSU’s: some have worked and others have not. Still learn from parts that did work. / COPLAC’s: over 50% are doing reorganizations. / Some places do course release time for combined Chair and individual department – program coordinates get a stipend. Finalize model next Monday / Save a little less by giving Department Coordinators initial on boarding funds – and some assigned time of one course per year.
e. Budget Savings
450K for 3 MPP eliminated so far / 600-800K for another 3 MPP in future / 100K School Chair versus Department Chairs. / Overall savings of $1 million. / SSU has 40 chairs but other CSU campuses have half of that number. We have so many because we have for example a department with 3 permanent faculty and 17 majors with a department chair.
f. Questions
We are not out of alignment with department chairs versus MPP’s. / Talking with people is not consultation. / Appreciate consultation that has occurred. (Note: meeting was extended to 5:15, but time ran out anyway to ask the Provost more questions or make comments.)
Standing Reports: None, due to lack of time