Senate notes: Oct 6 meeting of the Academic Senate (Rep Council):
Public comments: Melanie offered her anti-cancer spiel (Susan B. Komen).
A student rep asked if and how students are informed about Spring’s finals schedule, which, as you know, switches back to the regular weekly schedule for finals week (aka, “no special scheduling”). That launched a lengthy and absurd discussion of that issue, which, of course, we recently discussed and settled in favor of a return to “no special scheduling.” We were reminded that we returned to the “no special scheduling” finals week owing to severe “internal conflicts” that attended the special schedule. We were reminded that our sister college has always had a special schedule for finals week. Perhaps their conflicts are not as severe.
We received a brief report about our efforts to write the Accreditation self-study. We were reminded that, a day earlier, we had all received an email soliciting input re drafts. “Please read for content and tone.”
The Foundation dinner will be at The Cube, March 11. Hot fun.
Re migration of data from Blackboard to whatsit: “everyone should backup all Blackboard courses.” We’ll send out a reminder.
A peevish discussion about Diane Oaks’ crew (marketing, publications) erupted. Things aren’t working out. “We ask her people, ‘Please give us the template; we’ll fill it out.’ –Nothin’ doin’.” Need a timely and efficient process but we sure ain’t got one now. Grumble, grumble.
Bob U, VP, offered a brief “budget update.” We looked at a document. “You can look at the entire budget for the college,” he said. “Read it,” he added. Have any questions? Send ‘em to Bob at the senate site (asenate@ivc.edu).
We looked at a document that offers a five-year budget projection, 2015/16 – 2021/22. Pretty grim. One-time funds need replacement funding sources. We could easily end up short. The “shortfall compounds.”
Revenue is flat but costs are going up. Where can we cut back? Unfortunately, we do not yet have the FON calculation.
There’s been an unexpected drop in non-resident tuition (i.e., a drop in international students).
Golden Handshakes now on the table.
Davit, Glenn’s budget guy, will attend the next Senate Meeting to answer questions.
Brittany raised a question about our embrace of the “Pathways” stuff. She noted that we never voted as a body to “swallow the program whole,” only to participate at a meeting and doing some of the Pathways stuff, not all of it. (She was concerned that college leadership is finagling a commitment to fully participate despite the faculty’s never having agreed to do so. Same old, same old. But worrisome!)
Brittany is working with Bret (?) (they are a workgroup) to advise the senate on this Pathways business. It seems clear that we ought to take a fresh look at the status quo at our college, pathwayswise (small ‘p’). No doubt improvement is possible. We might not want to pursue all of the Pathways (capital P) agenda though. (Look for this issue to come up at the next meeting.)
We need a fresh look at our GE situation.
--Roy Bauer
