Faculty Assembly Executive Council [FAEC] Meeting Minutes<\/b><\/p>\n
Date<\/b>: Wednesday, October 30, 2019\u00a0 | <\/span>Location<\/b>: A 226\u00a0 | <\/span>Time<\/b>: 10:30 am to 12:00 pm<\/span><\/p>\n Attendees<\/b>: Tae Kwak, Donna Flynn, Roark Atkinson, Hugh Sheehy, Eva Ogens, Kathy Zeno, Lisa Lutter, Christina Connor,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Guests<\/b>:\u00a0 Nassem Choudhury (MFSA), Martha Ecker (AFT), Provost Becker, President Mercer<\/span><\/p>\n Secretary<\/b>: Nakia Matthias<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a01. <\/b>FAEC Minutes Approved\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n \u00a02. <\/b>Presidential Search Committee<\/b><\/p>\n The FAEC expressed the Importance of the need to register faculty concerns and positions with the BoT regarding the selection of the presidential search committee.\u00a0 Several people withdrew their nominations but five nominees remain. Faculty have expressed reluctance to participate in the nomination as they are not aware of the details of the selection process.\u00a0 There is cynicism about the effort involved in serving on the committee as it is perceived that it may not be fruitful. FA needs to clarify the process to the faculty and there is a need to formalize this process.\u00a0 SSHS has not had a conversation about the presidential committee search selection process. <\/span>A request will be made during FA for additional nominations.\u00a0 <\/span>Nominees must be forwarded to the BoT by November 8th but the FAEC may ask for a \u201cmeaningful\u201d\u00a0 extension to determine a more robust process for nominating candidates. If an extension is not granted the FA will request a town hall meeting with the BoT to ensure that faculty can wage their concerns and gather information from the BoT.<\/span><\/p>\n Thus far the BoT is responding to FA input and this may be an invitation to engage them for additional FA concerns.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Although it has been cited that using search firms to select administrative leadership can be a liability rather than an asset to institutions the BoT will select a search firm in January and the presidential search committee will meet in February.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n MFSA was allowed to have a representative on the presidential search committee and the FAEC hopes this is the beginning of a precedent where MFSA has a permanent seat at the table.<\/span><\/p>\n The search committee will not be composed of a representative from each school.<\/span><\/p>\n The BoT declined a request to include AFT union representatives on the search committee but a formal request has not come from the faculty.\u00a0 The absence of union representation is a significant issue. FAEC needs to demand that the committee should not proceed without AFT union representative.\u00a0 Should the BoT decide to move forward without an AFT representative, then the request and their denial of union representation will be entered into the record. <\/span>The FA will be presented with the AFT\u2019s letter regarding the search committee for endorsement.<\/span><\/p>\n The Presidential Search committee candidates include:<\/span><\/p>\n Faculty will be able to cast an up or down vote via Qualtrics survey.\u00a0 The deadline for submitting self-nominations will be extended to Friday, November 1 at\u00a0 11:59 pm. Each nominee will answer to the original questions put forth by the BoT and an additional question that the FA devises. The top three will advance as nominees for the committee and the fourth will be held as an alternate.<\/span><\/p>\n Currently there are no under 10 or under 15 candidates.\u00a0 The FA President has been approached with concerns that service on the presidential search committee could bear implications for non-tenured and promotion-seeking candidates. The AFT ensured that if faculty are harmed by participation in the presidential search committee process that the union will take measures to address and correct any injury incurred as a result of activities during service to the committee\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Presently, RCNJ staff are not represented on the presidential search committee.\u00a0 Staff would have the least autonomy and are the most vulnerable members to serve on the presidential search committee.<\/span><\/p>\n The FAEC also raises\u00a0 concern that the total number of presidential search\u00a0 committee members can can lead to a deadlock.<\/span><\/p>\n The FAEC concurs that the nominees to serve on the presidential search committee must be<\/span> consensus builders that represent a multitude of faculty perspectives and are willing to use their voices in the process.<\/span><\/p>\n The FAEC would like to address the following relative to the presidential search committee:<\/span><\/p>\n 3. Naseem Choudhury (MFSA)<\/b><\/p>\n The BoT has agreed to install a seat for an MFSA member on the presidential search committee.\u00a0 This is the first time that MFSA will have a voting member on a search committee. This is important to the process as MFSA members ensure a broad representation of search committee members.<\/span><\/p>\n MFSA will not appoint the representative but membership has been invited to self- nominate.<\/span><\/p>\n The process involves the initial self-nomination accompanied by the submission of a summary of qualifications and experience.\u00a0 The summary and candidates\u2019 names will be distributed to the membership, the MFSA membership will cast a vote and up to a total of three nominees will be endorsed based on the outcome.\u00a0 The names of the nominees will be forwarded to FAEC. The MFSA will ensure that the nominees that are not selected for inclusion on the committee will serve as MFSA alternate representatives.\u00a0 The MFSA president will deliver the names of the search committee nominee to FAEC by theThursday or Friday following their selection. The MFSA would like to understand how the search firms for the process of forwarding presidential candidates will be considered.<\/span><\/p>\n 4. Martha Ecker (AFT)\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n The AFT recommends that the process for selecting representation on the presidential search committee should be reconsidered and that the process established by the BoT should not be accepted without a review and implementation of feedback from the FA. \u00a0 The AFT suggests that there should be discussion about the process for assembling the search committee and what the committee desires in a presidential candidate.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The AFT asserts that\u00a0 the coordination of the search should not be conducted by members within the President\u2019s cabinet.<\/span><\/p>\n The AFT contends that faculty\u2019s relationship with the BoT\u00a0 is mediated by Brittany Goldstein and that the BoT has a misconception of the faculty as a result of not having interaction with the faculty.\u00a0 <\/span>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n 5. Provost Becker<\/b><\/p>\n The status of the Three Plus One {TPO\u2019s] programs is \u201cpretty close\u201d to an agreement with Passaic Community College. There has been no contractual agreement signed by the provost but MOU\u2019s between the institutions have been signed.\u00a0 Exclusivity has been built into the TPO agreements.<\/span><\/p>\n The provost mentioned that If RCNJ runs TPO\u2019s there would be a projected goal that meets existing graduation rates or higher.\u00a0 He also insisted that the programs must have outstanding adjunct and that net revenues will be allocated to the programs that facilitate the TPO\u2019s<\/span><\/p>\n The number of promotions slots will be known by Friday.\u00a0 Applications are due by November 15th. The Provost will coordinate with HR to ensure that\u00a0 the announcement happens sooner in the future.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Moodle will be migrated to Canvas upon request and the Canvas sandbox feature is available for faculty to begin designing their course pages.<\/span>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n 6. President Mercer<\/b><\/p>\n A portion of the $1 million in funding from the Governor\u2019s office that was sequestered over the past summer has been released to RCNJ.\u00a0 The construction of the Learning Commons is proceeding on schedule.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 7. Three Plus One Programs (TPO\u2019s)<\/b><\/p>\n President Mercer suggested that both the initial curricular development and delivery of TPO\u2019s will involve significant work from respective convening groups and ARC in order to establish a precedent for other convening groups.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n FAEC affirmed that ARC would naturally be involved in the course structure of TPO\u2019s due to the fact that any credit hours changes to RCNJ courses must be approved by the committee. TPO\u2019s that choose to offer 4 credit RCNJ courses as 3 credit courses will be subject to this process.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Direct assessment of anything that is produced in courses that are taught by adjuncts will continue to undergo a review.\u00a0 Programs with directors will deal with adjuncts and in convener programs the conveners will facilitate with it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 8. Faculty Assembly Agenda Notes<\/b><\/p>\n Will open up for Q+A after Provost and President\u2019s report and conclude earlier to commence the Faculty Forum.<\/span><\/p>\n Meeting Adjourned at 12:00 pm<\/b><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Faculty Assembly Executive Council [FAEC] Meeting Minutes Date: Wednesday, October 30, 2019\u00a0 | Location: A 226\u00a0 | Time: 10:30 am to 12:00 pm Attendees: Tae Kwak, Donna Flynn, Roark Atkinson, Hugh Sheehy, Eva Ogens, Kathy Zeno, Lisa Lutter, Christina Connor,\u00a0 Guests:\u00a0 Nassem Choudhury (MFSA), Martha Ecker (AFT), Provost Becker, President Mercer Secretary: Nakia Matthias \u00a01. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
\n\n
\n