FAEC Minutes 9/25/2019

Faculty Assembly Executive Council [FAEC] Meeting Minutes

Date: Wednesday, September  25, 2019 | Location: A 220  | Time: 10:30 am to 12:00 pm

Attendees: Kathryn Zeno, Tae Kwak, Donna Flynn, Christina Connor, Eva Ogens, Scott Frees,   David Oh, Hugh Sheehy

Guests: Nicole Morgan Agard, EDIC; Tamika Quick, EDIC and Brittany Williams-Goldstein

Secretary: Nakia Matthias

1. FAEC Minutes Approved [needed]

2. Bias Response Team

EDIC has requested that FAEC nominate faculty members to serve on the Bias Response Team [BRT].  The appointment process will involve the FAEC nomination of three faculty members to EDIC whereby one of the nominees will be selected to serve on the BRT.  EDIC did not declare whether the faculty member should be tenured or untenured. EDIC aims to establish the team immediately to form an exploratory committee which will shape the nature and charge of the BRT.  The volunteer position requires a one year commitment. The faculty representative will meet two times per month until the training for the BRT commences. A trainer from an external institution will be sought to illustrate best practice in assessing bias grievance incidents. EDIC intends that the faculty representative will serve in-part to communicate the BRT’s mission to the RCNJ community.  

FAEC stressed the need to clarify a formal charge and criteria for the Bias Response Team in order to identify potential appointees.  Requirements for the scope, membership composition and size of the committee was requested. FAEC recommended that aspects of the charge should include plans for  how the team will work with other parts of the college. Additionally, it was suggested that two faculty members are selected so that one member could serve as an alternate.

FAEC faculty representatives were asked to inform their units of the need for the BRT appointee and conduct an interest-check.

3. RCNJ Multicultural Center Planning

Regarding EDIC’s plans to establish a Multicultural Center, FAEC underscored that the starting point for this endeavor should be focused on articulating the guiding principles for the Multicultural Center to clarify its mission and purpose to the RCNJ community.  

4. Wednesday Meeting Block Schedule 

FAEC recommends that meeting block scheduling be reconsidered for faculty to be able to balance teaching and service commitments.    

5. Formalizing Communication and Taskforce Directives from the Provost’s Office

FAEC affirms the need for the Provost’s Office to formalize all communication relative to processes, procedures, and decisions that affect the College.  Discussion boards should not be employed as a primary means for dialogue or deliberation around issues that impact or involve The College. Informal online discussion board contents should not be used to represent or substantiate the positions, opinions, and input of the faculty.  FAEC maintains that discussion board contents are not a representative or valid means for establishing or proving faculty accord, particularly in instances when there is no indication of broad issue consensus among the faculty.   

Any task force formed by the Provost’s Office should operate with a formal charge and timelines that specify goals and objectives toward task completion.

6. Communication from administration to the RCNJ Community

FAEC observed that the State of the College address and the Back to School Reception were well publicized.  Notification for the Back to School reception was circulated via Ramapo Daily Digest on the morning of the event.

7. Informational Request for Clarity on Three Plus One Proposals

FAEC supports the formation of a college-wide 3 + 1 task force or committee to liaise between the faculty and administration.  The body would serve to report 3 +1 planning to the faculty, as well as to represent faculty concerns to the administration. The charge for a prospective task force should be decided by the faculty.  

FAEC suggests that any decisions around 3+1 require the following:

• Individual convening groups will not be tapped to create curricula or model programs 
• RCNJ faculty maintains curricular oversight
• Courses and curricula must legitimately improve educational access for students
• 3 + 1 agreements must generate short and long-term profit for RCNJ 
• Courses must mirror the quality and content offered at RCNJ 

FAEC recognizes the need for clarity on the status of any agreements with outside institutions relative to 3+1 programs.  There is concern that faculty and programs are being provided with differing information about the existing state and nature of RCNJ’s involvement with 3 + 1 proposals. Furthermore, engagement in 3+1 programs will impact RCNJ programs that are bound to accreditation processes.  

Faculty concerns are also centered on the following:

• Ensuring that cannibalism will not be an outcome of the implementation of 3 +1 programs
• Potential programs would require prospective students to assume more than 1 year of enrollment at RCNJ, thus resulting in 1.5 years or 1 year and summer enrollment to complete a 4 year degree
• There is no evidence of any cost benefit and cost benefit analyses are not being conducted

To address these and other related concerns, FAEC seeks to open discussion of these matters during Faculty Assembly to formulate a resolution that stipulates how faculty will proceed in our involvement with potential 3+1 planning.

8. The FAEC Presidential Nomination, Voting, and On-Boarding Process

Potential FA candidates will deliver speeches during the December 4th FA meeting.  A Qualitrics survey will be distributed among the faculty on the day after the December 4th FA meeting and faculty will have one week to register their responses toward a vote for FA President.  The winner of the vote will be announced by the end of the Fall semester.  The outgoing FA President hopes to onboard the new President over the Spring semester to ensure a smooth transition.

The FAEC will engage in advertising and campaigning to support a robust participation in the vote for the FA President.  The next FA President will be acting during the RCNJ Presidential transition. 

9. Presidential Search Committee;  Brittany Goldstein, President’s Cabinet

The Board of Trustees is commissioning a committee of thirteen college-wide representatives to serve on the RCNJ presidential search committee.

• The BoT specified that the committee of thirteen should comprise:
• Committee Chair, Susan Vallario
• 3 faculty representatives [including Library faculty and adjuncts]
• 5 Board of Governors representatives [including the immediate past board chair]
• 1 Dean [nominated by Dean’s council]
• 1 Student representative
• 1 Alumnus
• 1 staff member

FAEC has been asked to identify and advance up to 9 faculty nominees that wish to serve on the search committee.  The BoT will choose 3 out of the 9 faculty members that the FAEC nominates to serve on the committee. The BoT and EDIC will inform FAEC of any issues with nominees.

There was no criteria provided for the selection process.  FAEC recommended that criteria are established to pre-empt any potential discontent with candidates that are advanced and selected.  FAEC was informed that criteria should be designated by its members. The FAEC maintains that criteria specification and the decision for faculty nominations must come through FA and not FAEC.  Professors that wish to serve must make their case to FA.

The FAEC was informed that the committee will bear one less faculty member than in the previous Presidential search.  The 2004 Presidential search committee was composed of 17 members and the 1985 presidential search committee consisted of 7 members.

FAEC would like further justification and/or rationale for the following:

• The BoT’s faculty selection criteria and factors for disqualification of faculty nominees
• Details of the service commitment for each category of committee membership 
• The selection of 3 faculty members as opposed to 5 members of the Board of Governors 

Meeting Adjourned at 12 pm

Categories: FAEC MEETING MINUTES 2019, RAMAPO FAEC, Uncategorized