TAGG Meeting Minutes
March 1, 2016
12:00 PM (EST)
Participants: Kathleen Provinzano, Paul Thomas Clements, Patricia Riccio, Karyn Holt,
Kay Swartzwelder, Brenda Douglass, Elizabeth Tomaszewski, Fredricka Reisman, Allen
Grant, Bruce Levine, Kristine Mulhorn, Kathy Geller. Rocky Rockstraw, Kristen Betts,
Connie Lyttle
Housekeeping:
An email will be sent every month as a TAGG meeting reminder—it will be coming from
Hyacen Putmon and will be sent to faculty university-wide. The Zoom information for the
meetings will remain the same:
https://zoom.us/j/687524322
Meeting Minutes:
Because we are trying to overcome some negative stereotypes associated with faculty who
work from a distance, Paul made the request that meeting participants turn their video on.
Paul announced the hiring of Dr. Janet Fleetwood in the Provost’s Office- we believe her
work will be focused on the access, awareness, and visibility of online faculty (though we
have not had an opportunity to engage in conversations with her yet). Paul invited her to
participate in the March meeting and will continue to extend the invitation as we move
forward so she can learn more about the work we are engaged in and share her
vision/goals as they relate to her new position.
The group discussed three recent email invitations regarding special University
events/meetings; the announcements did not include access for faculty who work from a
distance. The group agreed that this was not done intentionally; rather, it demonstrates the
scope of our work in creating a culture shift across the University to include opportunities
for faculty working from a distance to participate.
Update on current subcommittees:
Video Vignettes:
Paul announced that Dr. Aldridge will be covering the cost for the videographer; the group
is meeting with the videographer on 3/2/2016 and will develop four short vignettes
focused on participating in meetings online. Kay Swartzwelder provided an update on the
content of the videos and the suggestion was made to include issues related to camera
angles when participating in a meeting online.
Position Paper:
Kathleen announced that she will be working with Diane DePew, Bruce Levine and Kristine
Lewis Grant (and anyone else interested in joining this work) on the development of a
position paper to submit to the OLC regarding the importance of including all faculty in all
meetings (committees, meetings, events etc.). Comments were made that the paper has to
be bold and convey the point that this type of work is the new face for all universities so it
is important for Drexel to get on board. We are seeking to create a culture shift across the
University regarding (1) how faculty engage in their work, and (2) how faculty participate
in meetings, events etc.
This subcommittee will meet on Friday, March 4, 2016 at 3:00 PM via Zoom. If you are
interested in participating, here is the Zoom link:
https://www.zoom.us/j/2747689316
Paul and Kathleen announced that a new subcommittee focused on developing best
practices for (1) participating in online meetings, and (2) facilitating meetings with online
participants will be formed. The charge for this group is to identify successful strategies for
faculty to engage in when they are participating in a meeting online, and to identify
strategies/protocols for those hosting meetings that include online participants. The
phrase “best practices” was discussed and it was deemed that the subcommittee will
determine the most appropriate name. Beth Tomaszewski agreed to lead this
subcommittee; Kathy Geller, Rocky Rockstraw, Brenda Douglass, and Patricia Riccio agreed
to serve on this subcommittee.
There were some comments in the chat box that were not addressed because of time (1)
Scholar Sip, (2) use of video when participating in online meetings, and (3) potential fears
by some that this work might result in everyone choosing to participate online. These
comments will be discussed at the next TAGG meeting.
Next Meeting: Tuesday, April 5, 2016 (12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EST).
Submitted by Kathleen Provinzano, March 1, 2016