FA Minutes 01/24/24

Faculty Assembly Meeting Minutes
January 24, 2024
1:00 pm
Trustees Pavilion

Faculty Assembly is open to a general college audience, including administrators, but only FA members may vote. Faculty, including library faculty and all full-time employees contractually obligated to teach are FA members as defined by our bylaws.

*FA Secretary position is currently open. Meeting minutes taken by Jeff Ellsworth.

Agenda:

Approval of Minutes (12/6/2023)

Faculty Assembly President’s Report:

• Board of Trustees is in need of an Alternate Student Trustee and accepting applications through February 28. Faculty encouraged to identify and refer candidates to Student Trustee Gloria Jeong at gjeong@ramapo.edu. (Time yielded to Gloria Jeong for this brief announcement.)
• Discussion of specific changes and events added to the spring meeting calendar, as well as the challenge of scheduling events with a limited numbers of slots. Faculty are encouraged to add the FA Google calendar (directions posted on the FA Meeting Calendar website).
• Deadline for FA President self-nominations extended to Friday, January 26. FA President election still to be held at the next FA meeting on February 21.
• Catalin Martin is the new ARC Chair. ARC is continuing to work on bringing recommendations to FA for revising/improving our curriculum development and review process.

College President’s Report:

• Cited positive momentum in enrollment, prestigious scholarships, grants, development of new academic programs, NJAC Volleyball champions.
• Stressed the importance of:
  • building on what we have learned
  • fostering a culture of trust and extending grace
  • entrepreneurial mindset (ex. Accelerated Nursing Program, grants)
  • partnership and collaborations.
• Talked about ensuring a great senior year and graduation experience for the special Class of 2024.

Provost’s Report:

• Acknowledged members of the CAP Implementation Team. Stressed the importance of faculty engagement. The Team will direct the implementation effort but reach out to faculty for participation on specific Tasks.
• Encouraged participation in Spring ’24 series of events specifically designed to foster conversation and civil discourse in the campus community.
• Search for the Vice Provost is in process.

Presentations/Discussion Items:

WAC Update (Paula Straile-Costa, Vittoria Rubino)

• Discussion of results and takeaways from Spring ’23 WAC survey.
• Responding to Student Writing workshop to take place from 3-4:30 on February 28.
• Discussion of services available at the Center for Reading and Writing.
• Faculty encouraged to discuss student writing with their Convening Groups and Units, bringing ideas/concerns to their WAC representative.
• Sharon Leathers also provided details on the upcoming Faculty Development Day:TechFest 2024 event from 12-3:30 on March 6.

Voting Items:

The following proposals were brought to FA by ARC for approval. All seven were approved by FA. (Vote tallies included for each individual proposal.) Proposal documents will be archived on the FA website under Archived Reports and Documents.

• BA in Filmmaking (new program); 88 approve, 1 not approve, 2 abstain
• BA in Theater and Film (new program); 85 approve, 3 not approve, 3 abstain
• MA in Creative Writing (new program); 88 approve, 1 not approve, 2 abstain
• BS in Healthcare Administration (new program); 75 approve, 5 not approve, 11 abstain
• BS in Cybersecurity (new program); 83 approve, 2 not approve, 6 abstain
• BA in Law and Society (new concentrations); 88 approve, 0 not approve, 3 abstain
• Minor in Jewish Studies (name change); 88 approve, 0 not approve, 3 abstain

Meeting adjourned at 2:40.

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