FA Project Status Report 4/15/04

Click below for acknowledgements to the overwhelming majority of the faculty (& I fear that the lists are not complete!) who have worked to bring about the many accomplishments listed below during 2003-2004 -- not to mention the multiple personnel actions during this year.

College Service List 2003-2004

CLA (Unit Plan) Phases I & II: Concept, flex unit, and class schedule have all passed FA. The BOT Academic Affairs committee passed the Resolution on Unit Plan which was then passed by the full board on Apr. 28.

Web: Established and maintain FA website; FA homepage design recently revised and improved; developed electronic communication discussion options; established regular announcements via emails. Luminis/Banner introduced to faculty. (See Luminis Guide). About 1/3 now using/trained on Luminis.

Faculty Governance: Bylaws Revision to create permanent single academic/curricular standing committee: the Academic Review Committee (ARC) to replace the former FA academic and curricular committees: Academic, Curriculum, General Education, and Senior Seminar. See ARC site.

ARC Manual: developed by ARC committee and passed by Faculty Assembly: Academic & Curricular Guidelines Manual ( Word Download ); Course Request
Instructions and Form ( Word Download ) ( PDF Download ); Program Proposal Review
and Approval Process ( Word Download )

Evaluation of the President: Procedure and form developed by President's Evaluation Committee, evaluation conducted and reported on to the Board of Trustees

Winter session: Analysis of Winter session conducted by ARC and resolution to keep Winter session passed by FA.

Study Abroad: Task Force Recommendations accepted by ARC; all course syllabi under review by ARC

Academic Integrity: Survey completed and analyzed. Distributed for review. New Academic Integrity Policy approved by Faculty Assembly.

Grading: Task Force conducted extensive data collection and analysis and published the Grading Task Force results to the faculty. Changes in grading language as recommended by the Task Force and endorsed by ARC was approved by Faculty Assembly; Change in Withdrawal date recommended by the Task Force and endorsed by ARC was approved by FA. Units, convening groups, and individual faculty are reviewing among themselves general grading patterns to consider whether changes are in order at these levels.

Sustainability: The SBGC has presented a detailed recommendation re: the Sustainability Center to several BOT committees, and report on landscaping and campus "cleanup" also presented to a BOT committee. Resolution re: Arboretum concept and then a detailed Arboretum report/design for the Arboretum were both approved by the FA.

Presidential Search: Some initial work will be done this spring but the bulk of the work on the search will take place in the fall when applications have arrived. The campus as a whole will probably be involved in the spring as on-site visits from final candidates would be scheduled.

Minority/Diversity Task Force: Provost Pfeiffer has just announced the establishment of this new group and details will be forthcoming later.

Planning Process: The new planning process goes into place with July 1 and the new All College Planning Council will be meeting in the fall. Information on the Planning Process, the Planning Calendar, groups involved, etc. as well as links to the College's Strategic Plan can be found at http://guide.ramapo.edu/content/StratPlan/index.html

CIRCUIT (Coordinating Implementation of Restructure & Curriculum into Units Interim Task Force. This item is in reserve for the moment.

CLA (Unit Plan): Phase III & IV. Gen Ed program and school core revisions under analysis and discussion. Ditto for majors and minors. See CLA Gen Ed 5/5 report re: proposed revisions to General Education/School Core and the subsequent: Chart with updated language for Gen Ed/School Core Courses/Categories posted on 5/7. Discussion took place at May 12 meeting followed by decision by CLAII committee to continue discussions and return with formal resolution on Gen Ed/school core either at a special added meeting in the summer or in Fall 2004. The next area of emphasis needs to be on graduate programs and the implications for these curricula of the Unit Plan.

Student Evaluations: The Student Evaluations Task Force issued their report and then brought a motion to FA this past year which was ultimately withdrawn and is now back under discussion and refinement. A new resolution is expected to be brought to the FA in the fall.

Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC): The WAC program issued a report at the end of this year (see WAC at 3/ Report ) which is being reviewed by the ARC and resolutions to enhance and strengthen WAC are expected to be offered early in the Fall semester. An earlier version of those resolutions was withdrawn at the last FA meeting to allow further discussion and development on this.

Academic Building and Sustainability Center: Work on designing, developing, and moving forward these two buildings key to the academic area of the College will be continuing and the SBGC will be continuing its involvement with the Capital Projects staff and its close attention to both of these projects as well as to the other construction projects currently underway and projected to begin shortly. Other ongoing SBGC projects will include continued work toward the Arboretum concept and improved landscaping at the college.

Enrollment Planning: Work needs to continue at convening group and unit levels on appropriate enrollment planning for each major, minor etc. This discussion necessarily will be shaped by whatever curricular and structural changes have been agreed to.

Luminis: Goal to train virtually all faculty on Luminis/Banner (See Luminis Guide) and begin maintaining electronic discussion on issues and FA items through Luminis so faculty can post their own commentaries etc. in a secure site.