September 6, 2022 Minutes

Council of Department Chairs

In attendance: Curtis Bennett, Margaret Karteron, Prashanth Jaikumar, Maryanne Horton, Allie Puz, Lijuan Li, Will Murray, Lora Stevens, Jim Kisiel, Jesse Dillon, Babette Benken, Barbara Taylor, Krzysztof Slowinski.

NOTE: THESE MINUTES REFLECT DISCUSSIONS THAT HAPPENED ON THE DATE OF THESE MINUTES.  DUE TO THE COVID-19 SITUATION, THINGS ARE RAPIDLY CHANGING.  FOR OFFICIAL POLICY PLEASE WAIT FOR DOCUMENTS FROM THE APPROPRIATE OFFICES.      

  1. Approve Agenda (10:00)
  2. Approve Minutes from May 30
  3. Announcements
    1. Operations Update
      1. All scholarships have been awarded with no undue complications.
      2. Commencement Debrief
        1. CNSM had a successful and smooth commencement ceremony.
        2. This year’s commencement location is to be determined.
      3. RTP
        1. RTP actions and cases vary by department.
        2. RTP evaluators will be invited to a meeting with the Dean.
        3. Candidate Deadline to Upload files to Interfolio is September 26, 2022.
        4. Margaret will be working with RTP committees to determine a due date for peer reviews.
          1. Class Visit Peer Review Timeline TBD to allow candidate review & response/rebuttal time.
            1. Reappointment, and Tenure & Promotion peer reviews will need to be completed somewhere by October 15.
            2. Promotions to full peer reviews will be due around November 1.
      4. RSCA – Reassigned Time and FSG Awards
        1. College Council will approve CNsM application at their next meeting on September 16, 2022.
        2. RSCA committee members nominated via College Council.
      5. MGSS is due to college committees on November 4, 2022.
      6. Lecturer review process committee members should meet with Kris as soon as possible.
        1. Files likely due February 7, 2023. (*I know I said 2/7/23, but I have since found out the correct Date is February 6, 2023 – it might be helpful to just put in the correct date.)
    2. Communications Update
      1. Provost Messages are starting up again for the semester.
      2. Chair Resource files are in the CDC Teams channel; physical wall calendars being handed out today.
    3. Dean’s Report
      1. Early RTP
        1. Provost reports an uptick in early RTP requests.
          1. Departments need to think about standards in regards to early RTP.
          2. Need outside letters of recommendation.
          3. Timeline is much preferred in the Spring.
      2. Data for Position Requests
        1. Dean’s Council discussed college’s need for more data driven decisions in the college.
        2. Be thoughtful about issues that might come up (e.g. completion).
      3. Email Protocols
        1. Please don’t cc reports on discussions with us about reports.
        2. Please do not forward private messages without checking.
      4. Staff Vacation Approval
        1. You should approve vacations when there is not an operational need for staff to be present; you do not need to approve every vacation request.
  4. Associate Deans
    1. Academic Programs
      1. Admissions and Placement
        1. Below goal for transfer students.
          1. May have an economic cause; community college enrollment is also down.
        2. Freshmen admissions for the college have been steady.
          1. May need to pay closer attention to freshmen.
        3. Mathematics Placement for Incoming Freshmen
          1. Record number of students (3,200) took ALEKS PPL over the summer
          2. Large number of students submitted AP scores for calculus AB or BC and received calculus credit
        4. Chemistry Placements
          1. Lower chemistry placement; process needs optimization.
        5. Equity Implications in Cohort Enrollments
      2. Academic Advising Calendar
        1. Mandatory Advising Caseloads
        2. NACADA visit in October 2022
        3. Advising campaigns:
          1. Early Alert Dates
          2. Mandatory Major Advising Declaration
          3. Mandatory Transfer Advising
    2. Research & Graduate Programs
      1. Hyflex Classrooms
        1. Should we retrofit power outlet for podiums that ATS missed?
          1. Discussion; Consensus is no to the retrofit.
          2. Some other issues and missing items with Hyflex rooms across the college.
      2. Phishing Surge
        1. Remind faculty and staff to be mindful.
        2. More issues with IT security might force campus to move to more strict multi-factor authentication procedures.
      3. IT/Shop Service/Resource Survey
        1. Deferred to a later date.
      4. ORED: Research at the Beach
        1. Want names of faculty and students who do research on climate change topics.
      5. RS-funded Assigned Time Update
        1. Research stimulation changes/additions passed by vote:
          1. “…one award that will garner at least 26% F&A,…”
          2. “In special cases, at the discretion of the Dean, a faculty member may fulfill their requirement for applying for external funding by applying for an award with at least 26% F&A.”
    3. Graduate Programs
      1. N/A
  5. Telecommuting Discussion
    1. Keep in mind the differences between hourly and exempt staff.
    2. Equitable division of schedules.
    3. List of jobs/items that can be completed remotely and what must be completed in in-person (e.g. operational need).
      1. Create clear expectations within the university telecommuting guidelines.
      2. Base telecommuting on job description.
      3. Division or staggering of schedules.
    4. Discussion will continue at a later date.
  6. Lecturer Discussion
    1. Professional Development/Onboarding Updates

Updates from MATH, PHYS, and college-wide programs (Beach Mentor, Ascend) were presented

    1. S-factor Discussion
      1. Deferred to a later date.
  2. Topic of First Deep Dive?
    1. Space/Space Audit Results.

Upcoming Dates: N/A

Meeting Minutes were APPROVED on Tuesday, September 20, 2022

*Note: This reflects discussion on the date of the CDC meeting about policies, not actual policy. Faculty and staff should wait for official communication on each subject before acting.