Minutes of September 21, 2015

Bristol Community College

Faculty & Professional Staff Senate Meeting

Minutes of Monday, September 21, 2015

Room H129 3:15pm

Senators in attendance:  M. Geary, J. Pelletier, R. Benya-Soderbom, D. St. George, S. Pero, R. Worthington, S. McCourt, J. Boulay, S. Ferreira, J. Flanigan, L. Neubert, H. Tinberg, R. Amarasingham, K. Hiller, T. Grady, L. Delano-Botelho, J. Corven, B. French

Absences: C. Leonard, J. Mbugua, J. Constantine, D. Phillips, J. Jodoin

Excused Absences: G. Leeman

Four guests attended this meeting.

Meeting called to order:  3:16 pm

Minutes:  Minutes from September 3rd were reviewed and approved with no abstentions.

Division Reports

·         Division 1: Getting to know new dean; large division; rumors of reorganization

·         Division 2: Getting to know new dean; eye on gen ed task force

·         Division 3: No updates

·         Division 4: looking for healthcare info management program director and instructor, dental hygiene working on self-study due in fall; clinical lab science is having accreditation visit

·         Division 5: discussion of new academic programs to BHE (e.g., life sciences); middle school visit; increase undergraduate research opportunities; planetarium programs; accessibility of services at other campuses

·         Division 6: No updates

·         Other Divisions: No updates

Senate’s Strategic Goals for AY 2015-2016

The strategic goals for the academic year 2015-2016 were reviewed and approved with no abstentions by the Senate.

·         Governance:

o    Senate President Tinberg and Secretary Boulay have begun meeting with BCC President Sbrega and Chief Academic Officer Sethares on a monthly basis.

o    The Executive Committee has been invited to attend the full Vice President Council (VPC) meetings.

o    The General Education Task Force will utilize the Academic Initiative joint governance document (the form may also be used for a new Title III grant to foster inclusion from all sectors).

o    The Senate will vote on changes to by-laws and provide input to NEASC groups.

·         Sustainability:

o    A nominations committee will be formed and new Senators will be mentored.

o    A question was raised whether Senate membership satisfies committee membership (like MACER does).

§  Division 4 treats Senate membership as fulfilling committee work and Senators have the opportunity for monthly reporting at division meetings (visibility and inclusiveness of governance).

§  Senators noted the importance of preserving independence and some concerns were raised over being viewed as a committee for college service.

·         Student retention & support:

o    An ad hoc task force with clear timeline will be formed, consisting of Senators and constituents. They will be charged with creating a data report on student retention and support to be shared with college.

o    A spring summit on academic support and retention will also be planned.

General Education Competencies

·         The task force will hold their first meeting on September 24, 2015; they will discuss the charge, established timeline, and committee makeup.

·         Five Senators are represented on the 17 member group and Secretary Boulay will co-chair it with Holly Pappas.

·         The Academic Initiative joint governance document will be piloted by the task force and information will be shared publicly.

·         A discussion followed regarding the importance of faculty-driven outcomes assessment; questions were raised about the impetus for creating this group and whether it was a reaction to NEASC.

NEASC Working Groups

Questions were raised about the status of the NEASC working groups.

·         Senators indicated that none of the working groups received notice of upcoming meetings for this academic year.

·         Senators on the governance group questioned whether they would oversee the new academic initiative process.

·         Senators on the outcomes assessment group weren’t sure whether their charge was fulfilled by making recommendations to form a general education task force.

·         The advising group met twice in spring, but are not sure how new dean advising will impact their charge; the meeting focus consisted of eliminating paperwork during advising and having students meet with the same advisor.

As a result, the Senate will request update on working groups’ charge, accomplishments, and status to send to constituents so it is clear to the entire college community.

Proposed Changes to By-Laws

·         Senate will vote on by-laws at next meeting; quorum is needed.

·         The Senate will explore electronic voting via Office 365 (Central Committee discussed requiring committees to submit electronic minutes to share with community).

·         An amendment will need to be added to the proposed by-laws to reflect representation of Advising in reorganization to Academic Affairs.

Other

·         Senators expressed concern over the number of full-time faculty positions that have not been replaced from last year and the limited office space for full-time faculty who are teaching at other campuses (e.g., New Bedford, Attleboro, Taunton).

·         A discussion about student and faculty equity followed: including the use of contingent labor, the impact of course cancellations due to low enrollment, the feasibility for students to complete programs of study at any BCC campus (e.g., integrity of programs and access to resources for satellite campuses) and how this information is communicated to students.

Meeting Adjourned:  4:16 pm

Respectfully submitted, Jennifer Boulay, BCC Faculty & Professional Staff Secretary