Minutes
Bristol
Community College
Faculty and
Professional Staff Senate
Monday April
7, 2014
3:15 p.m. –
4:15 p.m.
B102
Senators
in attendance: Tom Grady, Jeanne Grandchamp, Sandy Lygren, JP Nadeau, Howard
Tinberg, Alan Rolfe, Martha Williams, Robyn Worthington, Rebecca Clark, Sil
Ferreira, Cecil Leonard, Sharon Pero, Deb St. George, Jim Corven, Susan
McCourt, James Pelletier, Kelemu Woldegiorgis, Ron We4isberger, Cindy
Poore-Pariseau.
Excused Absences: Jen Boulay, Betsy
Kemper-French, Jim Constantine, Gina Heaney, Paul Robillard, Sally Gabb
Absences:
T. McGarty, J. Duponte, D. Warr, J. Myles,
GUESTS:
5
The
meeting was called to order by President Susan McCourt at 3:15 p.m.
MINUTES: March 10, 2014
were discussed and passed with one abstention.
NEASC
VISIT: One
Visiting Team member charged with examining the Governance Standard of the
college’s NEASC Report for the team met with Senate President Susan McCourt who
detailed continued difficulties with communication, transparency and shared
governance using recent changes to the Tutoring and Writing Centers to
illustrate the difficulties stakeholders continue to have obtaining
opportunities to consult with administration regarding planned changes to
matters related to students and the teaching/learning environment.
At
Tuesday’s forum, Senators Susan McCourt, Sharon Pero, Howard Tinberg, and
Jeanne Grandchamp all spoke with NEASC Team member Professor Robinson from
Gateway Community College in New Haven, CT. Additionally, Senators Howard
Tinberg, Sharon Pero, and Jeanne Grandchamp spoke publically about difficulties
with transparency and shared governance and highlighted many of the initiatives
of the college that are improving or strong (Advisement, with its new Dean and
outreach to first year students, etc.)
Among
the items noted at the Wednesday April 2nd exit meeting during the Team’s
review of strengths and weaknesses: the college collects data but doesn’t
always analyze or act upon it; an examination of college financials produced no
concerns (a look at line-items indicated the college was spending where it said
it was spending).
It
was noted that the visit was carefully orchestrated, in large part according to
NEASC guidelines, and the Team asked the questions it wanted to ask and saw the
areas it wanted to see in order to confirm the contents of the college’s written
NEASC Report.
SENATE/ADMINISTRATION
SHARED GOVERNANCE INITIATIVE: Pres. McCourt indicated her
discomfort with the Senate’s voting on changes recommended by Administration to
the document drawn up by the special joint committee for a closed-loop academic
decision-making process/policy. The Senate’s general consensus followed the Senate
President’s reasoning: that the Senate’s own stakeholders, Senate constituents,
should be given a chance to discuss the proposed document/changes and offer
feedback.
Pres.
McCourt will request that the document and its proposed changes be discussed at
the full Academic Area portion of the upcoming Division meeting and that it be
recommended this discussion carry over to individual Division meetings
afterward. Any points gathered from individual Division meetings should be
forwarded to Pres. McCourt by Senators present at those meetings.
Elections: Pres. McCourt
asked that seated Senators let her know if they are planning to run again and
to forward names of constituents in their divisions who are also interested in
running.
OTHER:
1.
The
college is looking into changing eLearning formats and no Senator knew if
stakeholders were being consulted. Pres. McCourt indicated she would contact
April Bellafiore for clarification. Discussion next revolved around whether the
SMARTHINKING online tutoring system was or was not put into use without input
from stakeholders. Senators indicated that a discussion was held at one meeting
and drawbacks were raised to the plan to use SMARTHINKING, but no feedback was
given regarding what, if anything, was done about concerns and drawbacks raised
before the online tutoring package was purchased. One Senator wondered if there
was no plan to evaluate its efficacy, and there doesn’t appear to be, from what
we currently know. Senators again discussed the need for mechanisms for
assessment and timelines when initiatives like this are undertaken. Shouldn’t
the college look at what the cost of something like SMARTHINKING is vs. the
cost of the original online tutoring system we had? Shouldn’t students be
surveyed as to their thoughts once they have used SMARTHINKING?
2.
After
a brief discussion of the new first-year advising program, it was decided that
Dean Steven Viveiros will be invited to speak with the Senate about his first
year at BCC, and the initiatives underway and how these dovetail with the joint
Administration/Senate recommendations.
3.
The
Senate’s annual Grandchamp Lecture will be held on April 30, 2014 in room H129
at 2 pm. Senators are asked to volunteer to supply refreshments. Speakers, at
the request of retiring Senator Jeanne Grandchamp will be Dr. Ron Weisberger
and Dr. Howard Tinberg, their topic their experiences in teaching the honors
course Remembering the Holocaust and in writing their new text, Teaching, Learning, and the Holocaust:
An Integrative Approach.
4.
Prior
Experiential Learning (PEL) is now Prior
Learning Assessment
(PLA) and as this and other changes in the system that evaluates real-world
experience for credit are underway, the subject was raised as to whether
stakeholders from departments and programs have been asked to give input as to
how credits should be approved. What will be the process, what will constitute assessment,
who will be involved, and who will assess the student for credits? Debra
Anderson who is on the activity right now will be contacted by Susan McCourt.
Meeting
was adjourned at 4 pm
Respectfully
submitted, Jeanne Grandchamp, Secretary, Faculty and Professional Staff Senate
