Steering Committee Report December 2022
Since the November Senate meeting we have received final word on requirements with regard to Senate meetings and videoconferencing options for Senate. Under the Open Meetings Law, until June 2024, provided in-person quorum is achieved, senators with “extraordinary circumstances” may fully participate as senators, including voting, via videoconference. According to the law, Senators needing to participate remotely must notify Steering Committee in writing four business days before the meeting. The provisions of the law as they pertain to the Senate, including procedures regarding requesting to use the videoconference option, will be put before the Senate at the December meeting as a Resolution for Senate Meeting Videoconferencing, per OML requirements. We appreciate that an in-person quorum and more has made themselves readily available for Senate meetings, and we thank senators who have needed a videoconferencing option for making their requests in a timely way. We have also been grateful for the patience of the whole body as we have received evolving guidance on Senate procedure; the requirements seem now to have reached a final iteration! Finally, we thank Lois Florman for her advice in crafting the Senate Resolution.
It has been a busy semester for the Committee on Committees as several vacancies have recently occurred in Senate Standing Committees. We thank Danny Sexton, chair, and Julian Stark, secretary for their prompt work during this period, and we thank department chairs for their assistance in finding candidates for vacancies.
The Faculty Executive Committee brought its Governance Plan changes to fruition by a faculty vote – we thank Phil Pecorino, chair and Beth Counihan, elections officer for their work. It’s a good time to appreciate all FEC members: Parisa Assassi, webmaster; Joel Kuszai, secretary; Pete Mauro, events manager; Ted Rosen, parliamentarian; and Julia Rothenberg, treasurer. We and the college thank you for your roles in shared governance!
One of the tasks of the Senate is to work for the “general welfare” of the college, and student engagement is key to that welfare. The recent Undergraduate Research Day is an outstanding example of students connecting with each other and their learning. On behalf of the college and the Senate we thank Sharon Lall-Ramnarine, Sarbani Goshal, Urszula Golebiewska, Meg Tarafdar, Zhou Zhou, James Nichols, Andrew Bulawa, and Rommel Robertson for making the event happen. We also thank Aviva Geismar and Joan Peterson for their efforts in bringing the work of students from the performing arts disciplines into the fold.
Among the materials for the December meeting is the Annual Report from Committee on Course and Standing. There now remain only three committees who have not yet submitted their reports. As always, we thank all committee officers for their service.
At the December Senate meeting, Ian Beckford will present his report on Gen Ed Assessment for Fall 2019, Fall 2020, and Spring 2021. We thank Ian Beckford and the General Education Working Group for their work: Parisa Assassi, Timothy Keogh, Jasper Lin, Virginia Masterson, Robert McAlear, Neeraj Mehta, Neera Mohess, Kathleen Pecinka, Jody Resko, Christopher Roblodowski, Monica Rossi-Miller, David Sarno, and Rex Taibu.
As we continue to work to raise retention, please remember to encourage students in your classes to register for Spring 2023, and I know we all are supporting each other as we help our students to successfully complete our courses.
Many of us are likely feeling the fatigue of completing an important semester. We wish you the best as the semester closes, and as we look forward to a restful and inspiring Holiday Season.
Academic Senate Steering Committee ([email protected])
Dr. Steven Dahlke, Chair [email protected]
Dr. Zivah Perel Katz, Vice Chair [email protected]
Dr. Scott Litroff, Secretary [email protected]
