黑料吃瓜网

Faculty Meeting Minutes

April 4, 2025

Murray Aikins Dining Hall, 2nd Floor

Dorothy E. Mosby, Dean of the Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs, called the meeting to order at 3:32 p.m. 

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Dean Mosby notified the faculty of a change to the pre-circulated minutes of the Faculty Meeting held February, 28, 2025.  A faculty member had requested a correction, and the change was made based on that request and the transcript of the meeting. 

The initial language of the minutes read:

鈥淎 faculty member asked about the timeline with regard to the potential production of a report from Huron. Professor Junkerman said that there will be a report, and that they expect to share the majority of the output with the faculty.鈥�

The corrected version now reads:

鈥淎 faculty member asked if Huron will produce a report with recommendations, and whether or not faculty and staff will have access to it. VP Konstalid said that they expect a report to be produced and to share it with the faculty, but that some findings and recommendations may be withheld.鈥�

She asked if there were any further corrections to, or comments regarding, the minutes of the Faculty Meeting held February 28, 2025.  Hearing none, she moved to approve the minutes; the motion was seconded and they were approved.

Dean Mosby then notified the faculty of a change to the order of business from the pre-circulated agenda. President Conner鈥檚 report will now come immediately after the approval of minutes.

PRESIDENT'S REPORT

President Conner opened his remarks by sharing some of what has inspired pride for him in 黑料吃瓜网 over the last month.  He recognized the Honors Forum 鈥淒ialogue Across Differences鈥� Lecture delivered by Ross Douthat and the responses given by faculty members Joseph Cermatori, Pushkala Prasad, Kate Graney, and Jennifer Delton.  He noted that these are the discussions that colleges should be holding, and that it鈥檚 in keeping with the proud 黑料吃瓜网 tradition of approaching difficult conversations head on.  President Conner then acknowledged the work of Professors Rachel Roe-Dale and Barbara Black on the memorial lecture and service held in honor of Jackie Elmquist 鈥�22, with Ms. Elmquist鈥檚 family and friends attending, along with alumni and other community members.  The Humanistic Inquiry Symposium organized by Professors Barbara Black and Jason Ohlberg was another point of pride for 黑料吃瓜网 in the last month; scores of faculty participated in a rich array of presentations. 

黑料吃瓜网 is also currently hosting the annual students-of-color symposium of the Consortium on High Achievement and Success (CHAS). This symposium was the work of almost two years, led by Dean of Students and VP of Student Affairs Adrian Bautista and his team.  The keynote speaker will be Angel Perez 鈥�98, the CEO of the National Association for College Admissions and Counseling (NACAC), who is also an Opportunity Program alum.  The theme will be 鈥渋ntersectionality: grappling with multiple, overlapping, and sometimes opposing truths.鈥�  President Conner shared that he extended invitations to the CHAS symposium to the other NY6 institutions, many of whose presidents were happy to share that their schools will be attending. 

President Conner noted that all of these events exemplify 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 principles and who we are as a community.  The Strategic Plan, which also works to identify and highlight our principles, has been shared in its final draft to the 黑料吃瓜网 community this week.  This has been a multi-year, deeply collaborative process.  We are close to the conclusion of this, and should be collectively proud of the product.  The Strategic Plan is a decisive and community-wide statement of our values and principles; highlighting the liberal arts, our distinctive curriculum, career preparation, thinking and doing, being a community of care, inclusion and diversity.  It also articulates our commitment to freedom of speech and expression and academic freedom.  黑料吃瓜网 has emerged in recent years as a national leader on this front.  Other college presidents regularly reach out to confer on these issues, as our stance has served us extremely well in recent years. 

President Conner shared that he met this week with the Committee on Academic Freedom and Rights (CAFR) and with IPPC to discuss these matters, and to think about the related pressures and tensions.  It would be useful for 黑料吃瓜网 to review the University of Chicago principles of free expression, and consider endorsement of those principles by our student senate, faculty, and Board of Trustees.  This would send a national signal about our commitments, and would come from the entire community.  President Conner said he will be thinking about this over the summer and would like to come back in the fall and discuss further what its implications would be for our policies and principles.  He said that he looks forward to these conversations, as these moves are not about keeping our proverbial head down, but about taking a stand on the fundamentals of liberal education and democracy. 

With respect to internal anxieties about budget challenges and financial constraints, President Conner shared that he has been having and will continue to have straightforward communications with the faculty participating in the work of the Huron Consultancy Group.  The engagement of this external consultancy seeks to support our financial stewardship responsibilities.  The projected deficits in the $12M range require responsive action.  We have had a real deficit of $4 million this year, and we have successfully balanced that budget through measures such as: no new initiatives, reducing supplies and services budgets, and program cuts.  These have not been easy reductions, and President Conner acknowledged that they have yielded some struggles.  Continuing to deliver a balanced budget remains, however, a necessary task.  He explained that Huron does not make decisions: they give us information, and information relating us to our peers and our industry overall, in a complete package and in a short amount of time.  This kind of work would take us years to complete as a wholly internal project.  The hope is that we will look back in five years and see an institution that is well-managed, and that has made hard choices in a thoughtful and strategic way, with the community involved in the process.  These decisions will not be secrets.  Everyone will know both how we arrived at them and what they are, because they will all move through the same shared governance processes and protocols. Making these hard choices now, and with intention, will hopefully save us from having to make drastic choices, in a non-strategic way, five years from now. 

President Conner then answered a question that had come up about revenue generation.  There are two primary sources of revenue for a liberal arts college: enrollment and fundraising.  There is also auxiliary revenue, but those streams are not scalable.  We are working on optimizing our net tuition revenue and enrollment goals constantly.  The 黑料吃瓜网 Fund, which is our annual fund and yearly allocation of fundraising, aims to raise $7.5 million per year.  We are currently in year three of five of increasing that annual amount to $10 million per year, which would add $2.5 million to our annual operating budget.  In the next year or so, we will also launch the most ambitious campaign in 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 history.  Additional auxiliary revenue streams that have been discussed, such as renting out facilities, would also require additional staffing and overhead costs.  It鈥檚 important that we hew to our primary mission, which we excel at 鈥� educating undergraduate students.  Foundation 3 of the Strategic Plan includes fundraising to build the endowment for financial aid, and attaining and maintaining financial equilibrium.  This is the heartbeat of an institution that鈥檚 going to thrive into the next century.

President Conner concluded his remarks with a reaffirmation that any decision-making that comes out of the work with the Huron Consultancy will follow our usual shared governance processes.  We are approaching these findings is the same way we have been doing our work for at least the last five years.  He asked the faculty to not make more of the Huron work than what it is: an informational input from national experts.  We will use it along with all of the other inputs that we have as we make these challenging choices.  He then invited questions from the faculty. 

A faculty member asked about any policies that exist or are under consideration to safeguard faculty members鈥� freedom of expression, given the current political climate.  President Conner invited General Counsel and Vice President for Human Resources Sarah Vero to contribute her expertise.  VP Vero reviewed 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 current policies and commitments, and added that there is a lot that the college can and does do internally, but that external targeting of faculty based on visa status is not an area that 黑料吃瓜网 can exert a great deal of influence on, besides providing guidance and advice.  

A faculty member said that tenure is a mechanism that helps to safeguard academic freedom and also the quality of education that our students receive.  He said that we鈥檝e learned from non-tenure track colleagues that the working conditions at 黑料吃瓜网 are their students鈥� learning conditions.  He stated that he didn鈥檛 see that reflected in the Strategic Plan, and is wondering if President Conner might comment on the college鈥檚 material commitment to tenure-track faculty as we face this season of difficult choices.  He also noted that the Federal Government is withholding hundreds of millions of dollars from college campuses across the country in the name of freedom of speech, but apparently for their own freedom from criticism.  The faculty member asked if there is a way to be more oppositional about the false and hypocritical terms of the debate about freedom of speech on the national stage, without inviting undue and potentially dangerous scrutiny of 黑料吃瓜网. President Conner said that he had not wanted to highlight one constituency of the college over others in the Strategic Plan, but that tenure is crucial for academic freedom and a rich concept to which the college remains committed.  The rapidly changing political climate has made it difficult for higher education as an industry to make a cohesive stand on a single issue, as the primary issues at play continue to metamorphose quickly.  However, conversations amongst college leadership across the country will continue and they remain open to collective action.  

There being no further questions, President Conner closed his report. 

OLD BUSINESS

On behalf of Promotions Committee, Associate Professor Kendrah Murphy read the following motion, which was introduced at the last faculty meeting.

MOTION: Timeline to Promotion to Full: We propose adding a statement to the Faculty Handbook that  faculty will normally stand for promotion after spending at least five years at the rank of Associate Professor.

There being no questions or comments, the motion was voted on and passed by the faculty.

Professor Murphy then read the second motion brought by Promotions Committee, which was also introduced at the last faculty meeting.

MOTION: Clarification of evaluative criteria: We propose revisions to clarify the evaluative criteria for promotion to Full. Our proposal also includes new language stating that candidates may differ in their balance of scholarship/creative work and service, while reiterating that teaching remains paramount and that there must be achievement across all three areas.

There being no questions or comments, the motion was voted on and passed by the faculty. 

On behalf of the Committee for Academic Freedom and Rights, Professor Bill Lewis read the following motion, which was introduced at the last faculty meeting.

MOTION: Changes to our Faculty Handbook pertaining to the Review of Negative Tenure  Decisions and the Tenure Review Subcommittee, a sub-committee of CAFR. 

There being no questions or comments, the motion was voted on and passed by the faculty.

NEW BUSINESS

Dean Mosby asked the faculty if they had new business to introduce. Associate Professor Pat Hilleren moved to present a nonbinding motion to the faculty.  Professor Hilleren stated that in 2001-2002, approximately 86% of full-time faculty at 黑料吃瓜网 were on the tenure track.  The number of full-time faculty has grown from 196 in 2001 to 330 in 2024, which is analogous to the increase in student body.  The percentage of tenure track faculty has declined to 64% of full-time faculty.  Professor Hilleren posed the question of the significance of this change, and of the significance of institutional or departmental favor for tenure track faculty over non tenure track, or vice versa. She stated that this question ought to be a substantive component of the Strategic Plan, and that she has introduced this motion as a mechanism to survey her colleagues as to their opinion on this matter. 

The motion was seconded.  As it is non-binding, it did not lie over until the following faculty meeting.  Discussion preceded the vote.  A faculty member thanked Professor Hilleren for introducing the motion.  He then suggested that faculty visit the 黑料吃瓜网 Faculty Forward website and read the December 20th, 2024 minutes.  Towards the end of the minutes of that session, there is documentation of a discussion about the comparative job protections and securities of tenure and non-tenure track faculty that suggests that non-tenure track faculty members may have more substantive employment protections than those outlined for tenured and tenure track faculty in the Faculty Handbook. He then expressed his support of the motion.

A faculty member asked for clarification as to what the alterations to the Strategic Plan would consist of: would an acknowledgment of the changing composition of the faculty be sufficient? He then asked for further detail on the subtext of the motion. Professor Hilleren answered that she was suggesting a reflection on the changing nature of faculty positions.  She clarified that she is not seeking to make a value judgement on either tenure-track or non-tenure track positions, but believes that the differences between the two types of faculty positions have become muddied. 

A faculty member stated that this type of motion, procedurally, sets a bad precedent, as it opens up the possibility of any faculty member using a large portion of Faculty Meeting time to survey the opinions of their colleagues. Additionally, this faculty member noted that pie charts are frowned upon in Political Science, and seen as potentially deceiving.  He pointed out that, using the same years and numbers as Professor Hilleren, the tenure track faculty at 黑料吃瓜网 has gone up by 25%.  This shows that the same numbers can be used to make oppositional points about the changes in the faculty over the years. Professor Hilleren noted that Robert鈥檚 Rules of Order allow for a faculty member to introduce new business in order to have a discussion on matters affecting the faculty body. She reiterated that the question she is posing to the faculty is consequential, and that introducing this motion was not a decision that was made lightly.  

A faculty member identified themselves as a current member of the Faculty Executive Committee.  They agreed that this is a very important issue, and that it has been discussed by the faculty through open forums, surveys, letters, and Committees of the Whole for some years. He affirmed that it is not an inconsequential matter, and went on to say that this motion is insufficient to the task at hand.  Continued engagement in and advocacy on behalf of tenure at 黑料吃瓜网 is crucial in the years ahead. 

President Conner noted that the Strategic Planning process has been carefully organized over the last two years to ensure that all community members can participate equitably, and that the language in the motion would not have a clear place in the document as it is normally structured. 

The motion was voted on with 45 votes in favor, 30 against, and 25 abstentions. 

OTHER

Dean Mosby invited Jess Ricker, Vice President of Enrollment and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, to the podium to provide an enrollment update to the faculty. VP Ricker shared that: 

• We reviewed the second largest applicant pool in 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 history, with a 23% admit rate
• Decisions were released on Saturday, March 15, and students have until May 1 to respond to our offer
• The goal is to have 705 in the class when we hit census next fall, once all the summer melt is over
• With the last colleges having released their decisions over the past week (Georgetown was the last and released yesterday), we're now entering the most intense phase of yield season as students make their final choices 鈥� this is where we hope the previous efforts that I shared in earlier updates will come to fruition and bring in a fabulous class.

With regard to admitted student engagement, we're seeing extremely strong interest in our YES! Day open houses: 

•  Our Saturday open house on April 12 is already at capacity
• And the Friday, April 18 and Monday, April 21 events are nearly full

These dates were strategically selected: 

• The Saturday option was selected based on feedback from families, and allows students to attend without missing school, and outside the traditional work week for many parents 鈥� we鈥檙e received a tremendous response and appreciation from families
• April 18 aligns with New York state school vacation week and is Good Friday for many others -
• April 21 is a holiday in Massachusetts due to the Boston Marathon

VP Ricker thanked the faculty for their participation; many are assisting with these on-campus events, as well as numerous virtual sessions, or are connecting with individual students who have questions about your academic areas. Director of Admission Janessa Dunn has been working closely with the associate deans and faculty to coordinate these efforts and the team is deeply grateful for your involvement, as faculty connections are often the deciding factor for students

Our financial aid team, skillfully led by Beth Post, is experiencing a significant increase in appeals and inquiries this year, which is actually a positive indicator of student interest. The FA team is also personally calling every student with a lower need level, as enrolling more of these students would be beneficial for 黑料吃瓜网. These outreach efforts are generating strong interest, though they've certainly increased the workload for our financial aid team. 

We鈥檙e seeing many promising signs so far, and we鈥檙e tracking daily progress toward our goals, but much will come down to the critical 48 hours before and after the May 1 reply deadline.  VP Ricker will share additional updates at the final Faculty Meeting, which falls after the May 1 deadline, on May 14. 

Faculty members participating in the Academic Portfolio Leadership Group work with the Huron Consultancy Group then provided an update on that effort. Associate Professor Dominique Vuvan exhorted the faculty to value some of the data that鈥檚 being generated from the process, and to think about ways to help the institution to continue to collect data, connect systems across campus, and to talk to one another so that we can continue to learn these things about ourselves. Professor Vuvan acknowledged the work of Amy Tweedy, Director of Institutional Effectiveness, and the work of her office in providing this crucial information.  Associate Professor Nick Junkerman shared that the focus of the Huron work is currently on opportunities for cost savings.  As faculty representatives, the members of the APLG do not see themselves as deciders, but as stewards of the collaborative process.  He stated that there seems to be a way to move forward through shared governance to help make these decisions, and for these processes to be sustainable in the future. 

Dean Mosby thanked Associate Professors Vuvan, Junkerman, and Maggie Greaves and Professor Tim Harper for their continued involvement with Huron.  She reiterated the importance of faculty involvement and shared governance in creating a collaborative process of decision-making.  She thanked Kelley Patton-Ostrander, Assistant Vice President for Financial Planning, and Associate Dean of the Faculty Corey Freeman-Gallant for their work on the information gathering and data generation aspects of the Huron work as well. 

The Faculty Executive Committee agreed to let their announcement of a change to the governance cycle lie over until the next Faculty Meeting in the interest of time.  

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Director of the First Year Experience Program, Professor Rachel Roe Dale announced the class of 2029鈥檚 summer reading book: Stay True by Hua Hsu.

On behalf of the Faculty Development Committee, Associate Professor Tim Wientzen announced the 鈥�25-26 winner of the Edwin M. Moseley Faculty Lectureship as Professor Barbara Black.  Please find the full citation here. The announcement was greeted by the faculty with resounding applause. 

DEAN OF THE FACULTY AND VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS' REPORT

Dean Mosby opened her report by congratulating Professor Barbara Black and Associate Professor Jason Ohlberg on the success of the recent Humanistic Inquiry Symposium.  She then drew attention to the ongoing exhibition 鈥淎 field of bloom and hum鈥� at the Tang and this weekend鈥檚 CHAS Conference and Sustainability Fair. 

The work of the office of the Dean of Faculty continues to move ahead, with the Middle States reaffirmation of accreditation making significant progress, and the implementation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement beginning.  The first meeting of labor and management will occur later this month.  

Dean Mosby provided an update on the search for a new Associate Dean of Faculty, expressing her gratitude to the eight candidates who have stepped forward, throwing their hats in the ring and step up into leadership at such a critical moment. The office of the DOF is also moving forward with filling the NY6 Mellon Fellow position.  Next month, Dean Mosby will make an announcement about the tenure track lines that have been allocated, and will notify the chairs and program directors at the beginning of next week.  She thanked Professor Lisa Jackson-Schebetta, Associate Professor Aurelia Ball, Professor Mimi Hellman, and Professor Xiaoshuo Hou for their careful reading and thoughtful discussion with the DOF team; they were instrumental in the Office鈥檚 decision-making. 

With regard to meeting the current moment, Dean Mosby emphasized that her office intends to remain responsive, even in the face of more disheartening news.  The most recent being the termination of National Endowment of the Humanities funding, which has been so vital to the thriving of humanities in this country.  We will continue to monitor and advise on changes regarding federal funding and sponsored research opportunities.  Associate Dean of Faculty Oscar Perez Hernandez and Director of Sponsored Research Mary Hoehn will continue to work with faculty to address concerns regarding federal funding changes. 

CAFR met with Cabinet members earlier in the week to talk about academic freedom and how best to support it on campus at this particular time, and Dean Mosby looks forward to working with the committee to develop programming and responsive ways to address the concerns of the 黑料吃瓜网 community.  Dean Mosby and Vice President for Human Resources & General Counsel Sarah Vero will be holding open office hours next Friday, and are considering forming a task force to help support faculty and provide guidance through this moment.  She reminded the faculty that all protocols regarding recent executive orders can be found in this week鈥檚 黑料吃瓜网 Weekly Bulletin. There will also be a listening session next Friday at 1pm in Bolton 281 for international faculty.  

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:07. 

Respectfully submitted,

Nora E. Graubard

Senior Administrative Coordinator