Faculty Resources
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Provost's Letter FA President's Letter Application Timetable Faculty Assembly Site (link) (Agenda, Committees, Schedule) College Funding for Research and Professional Development Sabbatical Leave Funding Guidelines for Research and Professional Development Library (link) |
I. J. K. L. M. N. O. P. Q. R. |
Grants Administration Faculty Handbook (link) Employee Handbook (link) Forms/Planning Guide Adjunct Faculty Funding Guidelines For Curriculum Development Parking Permits (link) Conveners - Academic Year 2008 - 2009 Procedures for Selection of Deans (PDF) Flex Unit Proposal Calendar (PDF) |
Attention All Faculty and Deans: Schomburg Funds Information |
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20 November 2007
Dear Faculty Colleagues:
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| Dr. Beth Barnett |
The Fall 2007 semester at Ramapo College enjoyed a wonderful start. We had the pleasure of welcoming Ishmael Beah to Ramapo’s Opening Convocation. His talk was both sobering and inspiring. Students were motivated to read, reflect, and interact across his writings. Several students were moved to action in the form of fund-raising for a foundation that rescues children from war. Siddhartha, Ramapo College's Schomburg scholar for the Fall 2007 semester, spoke on spirituality and social justice and how this is practiced in outreach projects at the Fireflies Intercultural Center. President and Mrs. Mercer will visit Fireflies in January 2008. Filmmaker Daniel Flores y Ascencio was present for the screening ofLa Memoria del Tiempo, the story of the 1932 genocide of Nahua-Pipil, and to answer questions after the screening. The list of interesting and thought-provoking events extends across the semester as the College continues to enhance the scope of activities that support and expand the intellectual climate on campus.
In my last communication I ended with the following list of priorities:
- Strategic Planning and Strategic Resource Allocation;
- Advancing Support for Professional and Scholarly Development;
- Developing and Implementing Assessment Plans for Student Learning Goals and Outcomes;
- Reviewing and Aligning Academic Policies; and
- Preparing for the Next Middle States Self-Study.
I will begin this letter with an update on this agenda for 2007-2008.
Strategic Planning and Strategic Resource Allocation
The Strategic Planning Task Force (SPTF) has presented the final draft of the Ramapo College Strategic Plan to the College community. President Mercer delivered the Strategic Plan to the Board of Trustees in October. It is expected that the Board will discuss the plan at its 10 December 2007 meeting. I have posted a draft Academic Plan on the Provost’s Web site and invite feedback. Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management, Ricardo Ortegon, is in the process of forming the college-wide Strategic Enrollment Management Committee (SEM). A subgroup within this committee will work on the Enrollment Management Plan. Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and CIO, George Tabback, is also forming a group that will draft a Technology Plan. As I indicated in September, these plans will map our priorities for the coming three years and will play a central role in resource allocation. I strongly urge your participation in their formation and review.
Aligning Resources with Strategic Goals
I announced the formation of a new Space Committee, composed of representatives from each of the divisions of the College, and, on behalf of the President’s Cabinet, have charged this group with the drafting of principles and practices by which space will be allocated across the College. Members of the Space Committee are: Evan Lederman, Associate Director for Facilities (Chair); Pat Chang, Vice Provost for Budget and Personnel; Rosa Mulryan, Assistant Vice President for Innovative and Professional Learning; Steve Perry, Dean of the School of Contemporary Arts; Miki Cammarata; Associate Dean of Students; and Ron Kase, Associate Vice President of the Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs.
The Five Year Program Review Process has been modified to include planned assessment of student learning outcomes. Convening groups should note evidence that supports the accomplishment of outcomes and base requests for resources on assessment of outcomes.
Enhancing Revenue
Ramapo College must increase revenue to support our core undergraduate programs. Rosa Mulryan, Assistant Vice President for Innovative and Professional Learning has been receiving ideas for high quality programs that can serve the College and the surrounding communities, take advantage of expertise and facilities available on our campus, enhance the College’s reputation, and contribute to the general revenues ofthe College. These programs, if accepted for implementation, will receive 25% of the net revenue back to the sponsoring school. Items that are moving forward include summer on-line learning (see Advancing Support for Scholarly and Professional Development for a funding opportunity that supports the development of on-line learning opportunities), a financial planning program for community members, several new certificate programs, and a series of programs for high achieving high school students. The College continues to explore potential new graduate programs and hopes to see the results of this effort by Fall 2008.
Advancing Support for Professional and Scholarly Development
As the Provost’s Office seeks to increase its support of professional and scholarly development, several one-year opportunities have been identified. As indicated previously, twelve (12) stipends are available for faculty who are interested in offering an existing course in an online format during Summer 2008. Applications should include the following:
- The syllabus for the course being proposed;
- Support for anticipated student enrollment in this course (e.g. this course is highly enrolled every summer, a number of students need this course to stay on track for graduation, etc.).
- Agreement from the convener that this course can be offered in an on-line format.
- Agreement from the dean that this course can be offered in an on-line format.
- A statement indicating that, if selected, the course will be modified and offered on-line for Summer 2008.
Applications should be submitted by 09 December for full consideration. Awards will be announced by 22 January 2008. The selection group will be composed of the Director of TEC, a dean, and a FAEC and an ARC representative. Each of the selected courses will be reviewed by ARC under alternative delivery guidelines. Any four credit course, even if not selected for this special stipend, will be paid at the five credit rate the first time it is offered in an on-line delivery format.
As I announced at the Faculty Assembly meeting, I will distribute an additional $100,000 in faculty travel monies to the Deans. The distribution will be based on number of FT faculty in each school. Also, I will make available in the spring semester some additional monies for student-faculty research. Finally, I have indicated to the Research Committee that I will fully fund their recommendations for SBR.
A final effort in this area is related to sabbaticals. The recently negotiated AFT contract contains new provisions for one semester sabbaticals at full pay and two semester sabbaticals at 75% pay. Because the recent contract was accepted after the 2007-2008 budget development cycle, Ramapo College was unprepared for these changes. President Mercer and I agreed to award up to six (6), rather than the original four (4) semester sabbaticals for 2008-2009. Further, we agreed to make up to the number of sabbaticals allocated (but not funded) by the state to Ramapo College available in future years provided discerning criteria are developed, accepted, and applied to successful sabbatical applications. A faculty committee is currently drafting the requested criteria.
Research/Scholarship Review
The Institutional Animal Care and UseCommittee (IACUC), a governance body that oversees the integrity of research and scholarship protocols that involve animals, has been reconstituted. The committee consists of:
Beth Barnett, Provost (Ex officio);
Edward Saiff, Practicing Scientist;
Marshall Harth, Member(Psychologist);
Joseph Cataliotti, Member( Psychologist);
Sherritta Ridgely, Consulting Laboratory Animal Veterinarian.
Please consult with the Committee if you are planning any research involving animals.
Developing and Implementing Assessment Plans for Student Learning Goals and Outcomes
How effective are we in facilitating and supporting Ramapo College students as they seek to accomplish our stated student learning outcomes?
Student Learning Assessment at the Program Level and College-wide Levels
The Goals and Outcomes Task Force was charged with aligning and rationalizing the goals and learning outcomes identified by the three Pillar Task Forces, the International Committee, and ARC. Membership included: Rikki Abzug (Chair); Karen Booth; Carol Bowman; Kathleen Burke; Martha Ecker; Irene Kuchta; Steve Perry; Emma Rainforth; Michael Riff; Sharon Rubin; Alexander Urbiel; and Eric Wiener. The committee members were asked to answer the question, “What should a Ramapo College (under) graduate know and be able to do?” The Task Force on Student Learning Goals and Outcomes has delivered its final report (which incorporates feedback received from faculty members at the Faculty In-Service Workshop). A copy of the report is posted on the Provost’s Web site under Quick Links. I urge each of you to review this report and send comments to me. The report will be presented at the next Faculty Assembly meeting (12 December). I hope to approve a final version of the report by February 2008. Again, I encourage your participation in discussions of these goals and outcomes. They will guide all future curriculum development at Ramapo College.
Assessment can be successful only when it is manageable and when it includes reflection. We must be focused in our planning and implementation of assessment. To that end, each unit has been asked to form a Unit Assessment Committee and the Provost’s Office has convened a college-wide assessment committee The unit committees will focus on programmatic and school core assessment as well as assessment of upper level general education outcomes integrated within each program. The college wide committee will focus on general education assessment and efficiencies of overall assessment.
Several pilot assessment programs are scheduled. In Spring 2008, a limited number of Readings in Humanities course sections will be selected for participation in a writing and information literacy assessment pilot. Faculty will be trained in the use of a common grading rubric and will use this instrument in the grading of written assignments. At the end of the semester, student learning outcomes will be assessed and the scoring rubric will be reviewed. Additional, the pilot on-line pre-college math program (PCMP) will be assessed early in the Spring semester.
Strengthening Academic Programs
The Graduate Council, consisting of members of the Deans Council (without the Provost), program directors for all active graduate programs, the Vice Provost for Curriculum and International Affairs, the Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management, and faculty representatives from ARC and Faculty Assembly Executive Committee (currently totaling 12 members) has met twice this semester. This Council is reviewing, revising, and/or developing academic policies and procedures related to graduate study. The Graduate Council forwards its recommendations to the Provost’s Council. Dean Jennefer Mazza is chairing the Council.
Accreditation of Professional Programs.
The Social Work Program hosteda visiting team from the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) on 10 and 11 October. In their exit interview with the Program Director, the President, and me, the visiting team complimented the leadership of the program and the integration of its liberal arts foundation throughout the program. I thank Mitch and the Social Work convening group for their on-going efforts toward providing a high quality social work education at Ramapo College.
The Education and Teacher Certification Program hosted a visit from the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC) in Fall 2006. On 08 November, the Accreditation Panel of TEAC voted unanimously to grant Ramapo College’s Teacher Education Program "New Program Accreditation". At a meeting in Washington D.C. attended by our Director of Teacher Education, Professor Alex Urbiel, the panel spoke highly of the quality of the Inquiry Brief submitted by Ramapo College and, most importantly, of our program. Congratulations to Alex and all faculty who support Ramapo College in its efforts provide the highest quality education to elementary and secondary school teachers.
Reviewing and Aligning Academic Policies
We must work to make all academic policies available to the campus community and review all existing policies for currency and effectiveness.
Provost’s Council
The Provost’s Council met on 14 November and was charged with academic policy formation and review. This council, chaired by the Provost and consisting of: the academic deans; Faculty Assembly President; the Chair of ARC; the two Vice Provosts; the Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management; the CIO; Student Affairs, Planning, Institutional Advancement, and Employee Relations representation; four faculty representatives; and one student government representative, will receive and review suggested policies and submit their recommendations to the Provost. Accepted policies will be posted on the Provost’s web site.
Preparing for the Next Middle States Self-Study
In early November, I attended a Middle States meeting on the self study process. As I indicated previously, this self study will be very different from those of the past. We will be held accountable for student learning and institutional efficiency and effectiveness. We must demonstrate our compliance with the Middle States Standards through the presentation of supporting data.
The first step in this process will be the appointment of a Steering Committee (Fall 2007). This committee must design the analytical charge question for the study groups (Spring 2008). Many of you will be asked to participate in this process and I hope you will be able to assist. A clean accreditation report from Middle States is vital to our ability to provide high quality learning experiences for our students.
As you can see, this has been a busy and productive semester. I must express my gratitude to all of you who have extended great effort towards the accomplishment of our priority goals while also staying focused on the overall goal of the College -- facilitating student learning through high quality learning experiences.
Before closing, I will mention three issues that have been discussed across this semester. The first issue concerns the Academic Calendar. Faculty Assembly Executive Committee proposed that spring semesters start on the Monday after the Martin Luther King holiday. Several administrative units requested the second Monday in January as the start date for spring semesters. Surveying students, I found that the largest number of students (45%) preferred a start date in the third week of January. With an obvious lack of consensus on this issue, I have decided to start classes on the Tuesday immediately following the MLK holiday, a practice followed by most other New Jersey institutions of higher education. An exception will be made in years where this practice would bring us back in session earlier than the 16th of January (e.g. 2012).
As many of you are aware, this is the last year that faculty may join the phased retirement program. In addition, the Cabinet has agreed to the following replacement process for all faculty who indicate by this January that they will join the phased retirement program. No replacement (temporary or full-time) will be made during the faculty member’s last year (half-time teaching with full-time pay) nor during the first year of retirement (possibility of up to 12 hours teaching at the overload rather than the adjunct rate). A temporary position may be granted, at the request of the Dean and with the approval of the Provost, during the second retirement year while a search is taking place. However, no replacement will be the norm. This process involves only those positions vacated through the phased retirement program. The decision to follow this process was made after intense review of future financial scenarios. I will work closely with the deans to make certain that the College is able to provide students with the courses necessary for a timely graduation.
The last and still unresolved issue concerns meeting time. Implementing the new curriculum resulted in less meeting time on Wednesdays. The academic deans and FAEC will continue to search for a resolution to this issue. Your input is welcome and, at this point, very necessary.
I look forward to a successful completion of the Fall 2008 semester. As we prepare to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, I share with you my thankfulness for the opportunity to work with the Ramapo College faculty, a thoughtful, hard-working, and extremely competent faculty whose dedication to the College and our students is visible through the progress made by Ramapo College and the numerous accomplishments of our students.
Best wishes for a successful completion of the Fall 2007 semester.
Sincerely,
Beth
Beth E. Barnett,
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Report from the Task Force on Student Learning Goals and Outcomes (PDF)
Draft Academic Plan 2008-2011 (PDF)
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