April 19,2022

ACADEMIC SENATE MEETING

Minutes

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

ZOOM MEETING

2:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Attendance:

 

 Absences:

 

Guests:

 

GUEST PRESENTERS: Carleen Mandolfo, Andrew Roderick

 

OPEN FLOOR PERIOD:  2:00 - 2:05 p.m.

CALL TO ORDER: 2:05 p.m.

1. Approval of the Agenda for April 19, 2022

Approved 2:06

 

1. Approval of the Minutes for April 5, 2022

Approved 2:07

 

1. Announcements from the Floor

None.

 

1. Reports
   1. Chair Report

• May 10, will welcome new Senate, then host a reception on the President’s Patio (ADM 5^th Floor) around 3pm, gathering incoming and outgoing Senate, others in the campus community (and anyone you find at the bus stop ;-).
• Thank Mirna for counting the vote.  Will share Senate election results in weekly Chair’s report.

 

1. President Report

• Struck by the confusing news that no masks are required on airlines and BART; however, they are still required on CalTrain.  One of the experts of epidemiology have been commenting on the pandemic assessment process.  Hard to make consistent decisions for the uncomfortable period we are in, especially when it comes to masks. Our mask mandate remains on campus for now. 
• Lots of despondency still reported among students. Need extra- and co-curricular experiences.
• Our retention rate for juniors and seniors has dropped. It is a tragedy when students who have been here for a few years decide not to finish with us.
• Selected quotes: “There's enormous opportunity for us to really engage in a new form of educational equity and make space for folks returning.”  “we're not going to get it right, it's going to be an iterative process as we evolve” “I have become more and more convinced that are our best interests, and certainly the best educational interests of our students, is that we return to a mostly face to face campus.”   “I continue to urge folks to use the same patience compassion and grace with which we've handled the last two years, as we handle this transition out, it will be there will be periods of great discomfort.”  “We have to be mindful of, we have to be very intentional about what we fund how we fund and how we prioritize our resources.” 
• We need to review the plan for making the Romberg Tiburon Center self-sustaining, using a consortium approach, as well as input from the Chancellor’s office, both in government relations and on the finance side, including Brad Wells, Associate Vice Chancellor for Business & Finance.  Will share the plan once confirmed.
• Open discussion period:
  • Sen. Howell: Considering Hyflex option, 15% of students attend in-person, 25% participate synchronously online, and 60% only watch recordings. 
  • From chat: As educators, we should certainly acknowledge that the online course experience should be much more than just watching videos. We know a lot about online quality and what works well. 
• Pres. Mahoney: Reference to an epidemic of disconnectedness in chronicle of Higher Ed.  https://www.chronicle.com/article/a-stunning-level-of-student-disconnection.  Regularly only 20% of students show up to face-to-face classes.  It is right to identify a problem; however, we need a conversation about how to ‘reconnect’ students to in-person experiences.  “we have to have a conversation about how do we disconnect our students, how do we reconnect them.”
  • Sen. Stowers: Two-stage process.  We have had a two-year period of stress from pandemic modes of teaching. That is now being followed by a period of what we want to curriculum to be.  Some departments will start to have face-to-face events for their students.  
  • Sen. D’Alois: In my case, about same engagement with students online as in-person. 
  • Sen. Goldman: The new normal may be 75% in person which is really an in-person experience.  Currently we are at 50%, however it will take a couple of years to figure out.  We could be at 70-80%, however unlikely it is to return to 95%.

• Pres. Mahoney: I don't have an answer your question, other than you’re right to identify the problem, and so, something I might recommend is that we think about this as we go into the fall and think about a retreat.

 

1. Provost Report

• Underscore president’s point about having a mostly face-to-face learning experiences.  Living in ‘amphibious times’ (e.g., living both in water and on land) neither one way or the other.  Terms such as hybrid or hyflex are the analogous terms.  We are going to need to continue asking basic questions (e.g., How is the student writing doing?).  We need to have student learning be our North Star which will orient us towards our mission of what really counts.  Just as teaching online has evolved, so will our return to in-person teaching.  Hybrid will probably be a touchstone for us.  Lots of experimentation and assessment as we move forward. 
• We need to be asking, how can we make in-person count and think hard about what is the special benefit of being in person?  What about civic engagement with the life of our city and as a way to value the place of SF State?  How may we think about student success from graduate courses where students may best be served by various modalities?  We need to applaud faculty who are surveying students and finding out their needs.

 

• Invite attendance at UBC budget committee, from 10-12 on Friday, April 22.
  • https://adminfin.sfsu.edu/sites/default/files/documents/UBC%20Presentation%20March%2017%2C%202022_0.pdf

 

1. Standing Committees
   1. Curriculum Review and Approval Committee

Proposed Revisions to the Doctor of Physical Therapy—second reading

Proposed Certificate in Migration and Refugee Studies—first reading.

Proposed Minor in Early Childhood Development

 

CRAC discussing MA in Asian American Studies and MS in Accountancy

 

1. Faculty Affairs Committee

Proposed Sabbatical and Difference in Pay Leaves Policy to replace S20-18 Revision to Leaves with Pay Policy – second reading.

 

1. Strategic Issues Committee

Proposed Resolution to Condemn Discrimination, Harassment, Sexual Misconduct, Sexual Exploitation, Dating Violence, Domestic Violence, Stalking and Retaliation—first reading

 

SIC discussing having one point of contact for Staff council and for Senate committees as well as employee morale more broadly, both for staff, administrators, and faculty.

 

1. Student Affairs Committee

Proposed Resolution on Canceling Student Loan Debt—first reading.

 

1. Academic Policies Committee

Proposed New Policy S22-XXX Graduate Curriculum Policy—second reading.

Proposed Changes to S03-224 Designation Policy for Community Service Learning Courses—first reading.

 

APC discussing CWEP writing designation of (WI) for writing intensive courses. 

 

OLD BUSINESS

1. Recommendation from Academic Policies Committee (APC): Proposed New Policy S22-XXX Graduate Curriculum Policy—second reading.

 

Developed new policy related to three other policies. 

Took comments and resolved them in some way. 

Need to have a policy in place for the WASC review.  Thanks to Dean Clavier and Associate Dean Price.

 

Approved: 45/0/2, Y/N/A

 

1. Recommendation from Faculty Affairs Committee (FAC): Proposed Sabbatical and Difference in Pay Leaves Policy to replace  S20-18 Revision to Leaves with Pay Policy – second reading.

 

Disaggregates policies for Sabbaticals and, Leave with Pay. 

 

Approved: 41/1/5, Y/N/A

 

1. Recommendation from Curriculum Review and Approval (CRAC): Proposed Revisions to the Doctor of Physical Therapy—second reading.

 

Approved: 43/0/2, Y/N/A

 

NEW BUSINESS

 

1. Recommendation from Academic Policies Committee (APC): Proposed Changes to S03-224 Designation Policy for Community Service Learning Courses—first reading.

 

2003 policy that needed updating.  Removed outdated procedures so the policy now comes into compliance with the Chancellor’s office directives (e.g., community ‘engaged’ learning as well as community service learning.).

 

1. Recommendation from Curriculum Review and Approval (CRAC): Proposed Certificate in Migration and Refugee Studies—first reading.

 

Moved to floor.  Support for proposed certificate.

 

1. Recommendation from Curriculum Review and Approval (CRAC): Proposed Minor in Early Childhood Development—first reading.

 

Moved to floor.  Support for proposed minor.

 

 

1. Recommendation from Strategic Issues Committee (SIC): Proposed Resolution to Condemn Discrimination, Harassment, Sexual Misconduct, Sexual Exploitation, Dating Violence, Domestic Violence, Stalking and Retaliation—first reading. (Time approximate – 3:30pm)

 

Moved to floor.  Campus resolution vs. systemwide resolution.  Ensure safe and welcoming environment for all. Comments about Title IX 50^th anniversary and the   need a to have a campus as a place that is safe for researching and teaching.  Comment that discrimination and harassment can be 100 times worse outside of the campus.  Question about whether students who leave for another campus are covered by this policy?

 

1. Recommendation from Student Affairs Committee (SAC): Proposed Resolution on Canceling Student Loan Debt—first reading.

 

Moved to floor.  Comments that the student debt is the largest loan sector in U.S.

 

1. Recommendation from the Executive Committee: Proposed Resolution In-Memoriam for Dr. Nina Roberts—first reading.

 

Moved to floor.  Contact Vice-Chair Wilson with further Whereas and Resolved clauses.

 

PRESENTATIONS

1. Carleen Mandolfo, Associate Vice President for Faculty Affairs and Professional Development, “Updates on Faculty Diversity Initiatives” (time approximate: 2:45-3:00 pm)

• Presentation on iLearn.  https://sfsu.box.com/s/01gwz4kkovprjpq9cy6xt4d5irbhizbu
• Announced that AVP Maggie Beers will be leaving.  Universal congratulations followed in the chat.
• Comments and questions included: How has the balance of faculty diversity changed over the period?  Not much. 
• Mostly faculty leave for positions with more resources (e.g., a ‘structural issue).  Very few leave for other reasons.
• Training is starting to cover retention issues related to intersectionality of race/ethnicity/gender.
• Are data available by college?  Of the faculty who have stayed the longest, is there a success formula?  Do we understand the value of long-term faculty? Will continue to look more at the data.
• Will considerations of the balance of faculty race/ethnicity/gender be central to hiring decisions or will decisions primarily focus on enrollment?
  • Prov. Summit: Even in departments that have historically been less diverse and have been authorized to hire faculty have made progress to diversify.
  • Guest Mandolfo: Chairs work incredibly hard, and mentoring is a best practice, so future training can incorporate plans not only for hiring diverse faculty, but also for mentoring those faculty.  We recruit amazing people who get other offers with more resources so can retain more effectively through mentoring. 

 

1. Andrew Roderick, Assistant Vice President of Academic Technology, “LMS Transition” (time approximate: 3:00-3:15pm).

• Presentation on iLearn.  
• Comments and questions included:  

• What will porting over functionality from iLearn to Canvas look like?  Likely, the core of functionality will be ported over.  Structured courses get easily ported. 
• We will transition Senate iLearn sites as well.

 

1. Adjournment no later than 5:00pm

 

POST-PLENARY FLOOR PERIOD: until 5:00pm (if time allows)

The Post-Plenary Floor Period provides an informal opportunity for senators and guests to meet, exchange information, or follow up on items or questions emerging from the meeting.

 

Post-Plenary discussion covered project planning processes, with a reference to:

https://www.pmac-agpc.ca/project-management-tree-swing-story