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Meeting Notes
September 12, 2016

In Attendance: Norm Goodman, Roy Lacey, Hanna Nekvasil, Leo Bachmair, William Stanley, Dana Haugh, Kane Gillespie, Diane Bello, Richard Gatteau, Jennifer Dellaposta, Ellen Hopkins, Arlene Feldman

  • Introductions
  • Approval of Minutes from Previous Meeting - Motion Accepted
  • Agenda for the Year
  1. SBC Availability Issues
    1. Tech - difficult learning objectives; core SBCs objectives are not in all the majors
    2. Difficulty meeting SPK, ESI requirements, especially for those nearing graduation
    3. Working on developing courses that will satisfy multiple objectives
    4. Kane - requests suggestions
  2. Recruitment and Support of Veterans
    1. How do we ensure we are recruiting, supporting, and maintaining Veterans
  3. Trigger Warnings and Safe Spaces
    1. Prompted by LGBT community
    2. Student life committee asked to look into safe spaces
      1. Unclear definition of ‘safe spaces’ but generally involves ensuring individuals feel comfortable and respected
    3. No known university policy for trigger warnings
      1. Warning students in advance when controversial issues may be broached
      2. Should faculty use them? Should it be University policy? Are any faculty members already using them? What type of discussion do we want for this?
  4. Improving Graduation Rates
    1. Pressure from SUNY Chancellor to increase number of completions from 95,000 to 150,000 in 5 years
    2. “Degree Works Project”
      1. Seamless transfers among 64 campuses - increase number of students who have degrees.
      2. Using certificates and badges; unclear what this actually means/amounts to
      3. What is the intellectual validity of micro-credentials
      4. What are departments, at a micro level, doing to increase completion/success rates?
      5. Who is tracking it? Who is validating it?
    3. Cross Registration
      1. Able to take courses at other institutions in order to meet requirements for full-time students
        1. Residential requirements? Where is the degree awarded from? What are the costs? What institution acquires the tuition?
      2. Online courses are accepted
      3. Staff support - is there enough to handle the increased course load?
    4. What are the problems? How is SUNY addressing them?
  5. Review of Undergraduate Colleges
    1. Inspired by a student’s dissertation topic
      1. Improved the quality of education, however, support has waned for this program - why?
        1. Ensure there is incentivized participation
      2. Assessment/review of the program is supported
    2. Are the names/focuses of the undergraduate colleges still appropriate and relevant?
    3. Equal participation by academic and student affairs; administrative moral and financial support; faculty buy-in. Dissertation showed that each “leg” was weaker than when the program started.
    4. Let’s look into it!
  6. Other Concerns
    1. Explore the linear relationship students have between college and life-after
    2. Assess how we are changing and evolving to better support students and their careers
      1. Invite the Dean to hear his thoughts and ideas on the issues
    3. Invite the Provost to a meeting to find out about his priorities
    4. Upper Class Advising
    5. Dual Degree Programs - assessment and graduation issues
  • Closing remarks