FA Minutes 4/30/25

Faculty Assembly Meeting Minutes
April 30, 2025
1:00 pm
Alumni Lounges

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.

Meeting minutes taken by FA Secretary Matthew Jobrack.

Agenda:

Approval of Minutes (4/2/2025)

Reports:

Faculty Assembly President’s Report (slides)

Provost’s Report:

  • Thank you to faculty members on the Liberal Arts Curriculum Task Force; plan to start synthesizing results with prior task force reports over the summer.
  • Thank you to the Institutional Review Board.
  • Middle States accreditation is moving forward; review team will be visiting Ramapo during Spring 2027.
  • Before the end of the semester, Provost will send an email with guidance on AI policies on syllabi.
  • Event to acknowledge adjunct faculty being planned for next AY.

College President’s Report:

  • Discussed uncertainty surrounding budget.
    • Cuts to higher ed ($135 M) in Governor’s proposed budget
    • Impact of anticipated cuts ($5 B) to Medicare funding for the state
  • Update on RCNJ prestigious scholarship winners and finalists
  • Decision-making process regarding handling of the AACU letter
  • Remarks of appreciation for faculty

Announcements:

  • FA Faculty Service Awards
    • Award for Paula Straile-Costa; presented by Liz Siecke
    • Award for Tim Judge; presented by Mia Serban
  • Summer Reading Selection (Peter Campbell, FYS Director) (slides)
  • HSI Task Force Update (Inderani Walia)
    Formation of three subcommittees: current demographics at Ramapo; current methods we have of serving Hispanic students; methods used by similar schools to serve Hispanic students
  • GECCo Update (Chris Reali, GECCo Chair)
    • Voting Item: New Global Awareness (GA) Coordinator
    • Seeking 1-year replacement for Social Systems and Society (SSS) Coordinator
    • Piloting new submission form to collect assessment documents
    • Gen Ed Revision:
      • Met with and collected data from stakeholders
      • New course submissions for the GE program suspended until revision process is complete

Presentations/Discussion Items:

  • Planning for Middle States Self-Study
    Joyce Shim, Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs (slides)
  • ARC Updates
    Stacie Taranto, ARC Chair (slides)

    • Annual ARC Chair Report
    • Revised Syllabus Template
    • Voting Item: Revised ARC Manual guidance on use of Topics courses
    • Voting Item: Integrated Science Studies Program
  • FY 2026 Budget Presentation
    Kathy Stathis, Interim Director of Budget and Fiscal Planning (slides)

Elections/Voting Items: (92 eligible voters)

  • Atieh Babakhani elected to two-year term as GECCo Global Awareness Coordinator
  • ARC Manual revision regarding guidance on usage of Topics courses approved (48 Approve, 3 Do Not Approve, 7 Abstain)
  • Integrated Science Studies Program Revision
    • Name change to Natural Sciences approved (53 Approve, 1 Do Not Approve, 4 Abstain)
    • Concentrations in Physical Sciences and Life Sciences approved (53 Approve, 1 Do Not Approve, 4 Abstain)

Formal meeting adjourned at 2:30 pm. Followed by Faculty Forum on Faculty Evaluation of Administrators.

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