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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

Faculty Senate Minutes - 1/29/04


MONROE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
FACULTY SENATE

January 29, 2004

PRESENT: G. Anderson, T. Archie, I. Benz, P. Bishop, M. Bower, W. Brewer, D. Brown, F. Burger, S. Cable, S. Callan,
L. Chrzan-Williams (Vice President), D. Cox (President), K. Doyle, C. Gilbert, E. Grissing, M. Harris, A. Hughes,
K. Humphrey, J. Kaufman, T. Keys, E. Laidlaw, D. Leach, A. Leopard, M. Marino, J. McCauley, M. McKinzie,
M. Mendez-Rizzo, S. Murphy, M. Pastorella, S. Ruckert, P. Sarantis, L. Silvers, J. Smith, E. Stewart, M. Timmons,
T. Tugel (Secretary), H. Wheeler, W. Willard, H. Wynn-Preische

ABSENT: T. Digiacomo, J. Ekis, K. Farrell, M. Filozof, R. Kuempel, P. Peterson, G. Toth

STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: C. O'Brien, A. Sharp

GUESTS: C. Abbot, C. Adams, A. Andreu, V. Avalone, A. Baaith, E. Baker, S. Baker, J. Barone, E. Basnayake,
S. Blacklaw M. Boester, M. Brandt, P. Burgess, K. Canfield, J. Case, , D. Cecero, B. Connolly, J. Cottrell, F. Dearing,
R. DeFelice, R. Degus, M. Dolan, C. Downing, B. Dunning, B. Dwyer, B. Embrey, T. Flynn, S. Forsyth, J. Glocker, J. Hill, M. Kendall, P. Kennedy, C. Mahoney, E. Malin, K. Marhatta, A. Morris, J. Nelson, K. O'Shea, S. Perry, F. Rinehart,
R. Rozzi, S. Salvador, C. Schwartzott, C. Silvio, B. Smith, A. Stanton, D. Stewart, A. Stiegel, A. Tippett, N. Thompson,
T. M. Vinci, T. Vinci, H. Williams, M. Young

Meeting called to order at 3:37 p.m.

1. Guest Speakers:
A. President Flynn was welcomed with a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday sung by the Senate and its guests. He remarked on the large turnout for the meeting and recognized the Senate for its continued work to make MCC a better institution. President Flynn provided updates on several aspects of the College.

· College Mission: We are in the midst of a rapidly changing world. MCC must be nimble, taking advantage of the opportunities and challenges provided to fulfill its mission. MCC had plans in place to quickly respond when the recent layoff of Kodak employees coincided with President Bush's announcement of federal money for community college training. Other examples include the creation of "Institutes" in Homeland Security and Construction Management. MCC is also working with area businesses to secure financial resources needed for the implementation and/or expansion of programs (e.g. hospitals and insurance companies have provided resources enabling MCC to increase the number of graduates in nursing). Despite changes in administration, faculty and staff, MCC continues its commitment to respond to community demands.

· Financial State: Although state aid has been decreased by a total of 4.1 million dollars, MCC's credit enrollment is increasing. This, coupled with a strong fund balance, will help offset the loss of funding. President Flynn continues to meet with legislators in attempts to regain portions of this lost revenue. The change in county leadership will not adversely impact the College and President Flynn will continue his job of convincing the county to commit financial support to the College. President Flynn noted the concessions in teaching load made by faculty several years ago have helped match operating expenses with revenue. Accordingly, he does not see teaching load on the table for discussions in upcoming contract negotiations. MCC's foundation is completing a ten million-dollar campaign and he encouraged faculty to contribute, regardless of the dollar amount.

· Downtown Campus: While the official name of the new downtown site has yet to be determined, it will include the name Damon. President Flynn would also include emerging, to reflect its mission of being a dynamic institution, responding to community needs as demands change. He warned the fastest tract for the completion of the new campus is four to five years, so faculty and staff should plan accordingly. The campus will be located in the west end of a facility bounded by Clinton, Mortimer; St. Paul and Main streets that will also house proposed transit and performing arts centers. After looking at several possible sites, this one is less costly and offers numerous positive possibilities.

· Campus Initiatives: President Flynn is pleased with the growth in diversity seen in our programs, student population, and workforce. In the area of assessment, MCC continues to be at the forefront in demonstrating the quality of our academic programs. Dick Degus, Valarie Avalone and Christine Abbott were acknowledged for accepting the task of heading the upcoming Middle States efforts and President Flynn announced MCC will be the first two-year college in New York to have a teacher preparation program. Ultimately, MCC will be judged on how it meets the educational needs of students and their performance upon leaving the college. Surveys show the majority of students are very satisfied with their MCC experience, including the level of instruction received, and stated they would again choose MCC if starting over.

· In response to questions, President Flynn noted the new downtown campus would have the same amount of usable space, if not more, than DCC currently offers. He believes the fast ferry will not have an impact on MCC enrollment of Canadian students. When asked what was being done to address the traffic problems around the Brighton campus, President Flynn remarked we've taken in more students and more cars to add to the problem. He also pointed out the addition of two new parking lots and the fact that an interchange enabling cars to exit (but not enter) Interstate 390 behind the campus is on the top of the list for anticipated roadwork.

B. Dick Degus provided an overview of the upcoming Middle States Study. The focus of the study will be on MCC's educational programs and services, with particular attention to student learning and achievement. The process, occurring over the next two years, will be an analytical one, providing an opportunity for us to examine what we do and how we might improve upon it. Valarie Avalone and Christine Abbott have been appointed co-chairs to lead in these efforts. Additionally, study teams consisting of 8 - 10 members each, will gather information on fourteen different areas of the institution and its educational effectiveness. There will be numerous opportunities for faculty to participate in the process, whether serving on a study team, taking part in focus groups, attending community forums or providing needed information via surveys. Faculty are encouraged to indicate their willingness to serve by contacting either of the co-chairs by February 6.

C. Joan Smith, Communications Network Services, discussed the web-based procedure for faculty to use when a class must be cancelled. This on-line form, located on the employee web page, is accessed through MCC's home page. Once the form is completed and submitted, notices of the cancellation will automatically be sent to students registered in the class through their MCC e-mail accounts, the appropriate department chair, Public Safety (who will also post a notification on the classroom door) and to MCC's phone system. Individuals may call 292-2066 for announcements of class cancellations. Use of the new process should provide a more efficient and secure system.

2. Announcements
D. Cox thanked the Professional Development Committee for the wonderful job with the January workshop. Faculty will want to save the date for the committee's next workshop in June.

3. Approval of Minutes: Minutes of the December 11, 2003 meeting were approved as written.

4. Action Items
Both the 2005 - 2006 and 2006 - 2007 academic calendars were approved unanimously.

5. Standing Committee Reports
Academic Policies (E. Laidlaw):
·The committee has responded to the administration's concerns with the Senate's request to implement a dual GPA in any program inclusion/exclusion policy. The committee's concern with the policy is that it provides an accurate history of a student's work at MCC, not in the number of program changes a student may incur. Therefore, the committee recommends a cumulative GPA for all work undertaken at MCC be reflected in addition to the student's GPA within their current program. Furthermore, the committee acknowledges the limitations of the current SIS+ software to accomplish this, and that the request will need to be worked into the Banner software. The committee's recommendations have been accepted by the Executive Committee and will be forwarded to the administration in a memo from D. Cox.
· The committee will begin to study the current policy on plagiarism. Senators are encouraged to poll their constituents for specific issues or concerns with the present policy.

Professional Development (W. Brewer):
· W. Brewer thanked his committee for helping to make the January Professional Development workshop on Mental Health Issues a success.
· The committee has completed their review of nominations for NISOD awards and has selected Ilene Benz, Anthony Leuzzi, Suzanne Long, Holly Wheeler and Wanda Willard as this year's recipients.
· Individuals wishing to submit requests for professional leaves must do so by Wednesday March 3, 2004.

Curriculum (H. Wheeler):
The committee has given final approval to the following curriculum proposals:
NC10Fall ECE 250 Infant and Toddler Development
NC11Fall ECE 251 Family and Culture
NC12Fall MAR 203 Sports and Entertainment Marketing
CD1Fall MUS 102 Introduction to Music Technology
CD2Fall MUS 103 Vocal Music for Non-Native Speakers
CD3Fall MUS 130 Social and Recreational Music

NEG (S. Cable):
· In light of the many employee positions and titles that have come about since bylaws defining Faculty Senate membership were written, NEG has received a charge from the Executive Committee to study this issue and offer possible solutions to problems surrounding the current bylaw.
· Approximately one-third of the Senate's seats will expire at the end of August 2004. A call for nominations and subsequent elections for these will be held this spring. Tom Cooper has announced his resignation as MCC's representative to the Faculty Council of Community Colleges at the end of this term. A call for nominations and an election for his successor will also be held this spring.

Planning (T. Keys):
The committee is in the process of reviewing applications for strategic planning grants.

SCAA (J. McCauley):
The search for an Associate Dean of Workforce Development is moving forward, with the intent that dates for open hearings with the candidates can be announced at the next Senate meeting.


5. Old Business
D. Cox shared a memo drafted by the Executive Committee stating its position on SUNY-wide campus based
assessment. The memo will be given to Tom Cooper to share with the Faculty Council of Community Colleges. It
states the Executive Committee has reservations with the process until specific questions/issues can be
clarified, but encourages continued discussions.

6. New Business
No new business was brought before the Senate.

Meeting adjourned at 4:57 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,


Donna Cox Terri Tugel
President Secretary

Minutes approved at the February 26, 2004 Faculty Senate meeting.




Faculty Senate
Faculty Senate Office
03/01/2004