Academic Senate Agenda—December 12, 2011—Attachment B
Queensborough Community College
of The City University of New York
Report of the President
to the
Academic Senate
December 13, 2011
Pathways:
On December 1, The CUNY Pathways Task Force submitted to Chancellor
Goldstein its recommendations on the structure of the 30-credit Common Core.
Those recommendations are available at http://www1.cuny.edu/mu/academicnews/?p=197. In a document included on this site, Dean Michelle Anderson,
Chair of the Pathways Task Force, explains how the Task Force considered and
processed the feedback it received in response to its draft proposal. Over the
next year, department faculty, the Academic Senate Committee on Curriculum,
The Special Committee of the Academic Senate, and our Office of Academic
Affairs will be engaged in a review/revision/development of courses and degree
programs along with learning outcomes for individual courses in light of the
Pathways initiative.
Enrollment:
Freshman and Transfer Admission: The University deadline for Spring 2012
admission of new freshman and transfer applicants was September 15th, 2011.
Admission for Transfer students is officially closed. First time freshmen wishing to
attend Queensborough for the Spring semester may still apply (through the
University Application Processing Center) with the understanding that admission
will be on a “space available basis”. Please urge such students to do so as soon as
possible.
Direct Admit: Because of our high enrollment for the Fall 2011 semester, the
college will not host a Direct Admit period for the Spring 2012 admission cycle. If
you should receive calls from prospective students, please refer them to our
webpage and urge them to apply for Fall 2012 admission before the February 1,
2012 deadline.
Academic Senate Agenda—December 12, 2011—Attachment B
Readmits: The admission deadline for returning students (readmits) in good
academic standing remains open. However, this may change as we approach our
enrollment goals for Spring 2012.
As of December 5, over 1300 students have registered for 2012 Winter Session
classes, and almost 8400 students have registered for our Spring 2012 semester.
ASAP:
As announced by Chancellor Goldstein and Executive Vice Chancellor Logue, CUNY
is moving forward with an expansion of the ASAP program. CUNY’s goal is to
reach an enrollment of just over 4,000 students by fall 2014, beginning with a new
cohort of 1,500 students in fall 2012. For Queensborough, this means 300 new
ASAP students in Fall 2012, 350 in Fall 2013, and 400 in Fall 2014, reaching a
projected total enrollment at Queensborough of 850. The University has asked
each community college campus to establish a local ASAP planning committee to
help determine the best way to deliver the key services the program provides,
with minimal staff expansion. At Queensborough, we are working to coordinate
ASAP specific strategies with the Freshman Academies to mutual advantage.
Faculty members serving on this committee are Ted Rosen, Peter Bales, Zivah
Perel, and Azita Mayeli. Key criteria for student acceptance in ASAP: Students
must be New York City resident, must apply for and receive at least some needbased financial aid (Pell or Tap), and they may have one to two outstanding
developmental course needs at time of application. (Fully skills-proficient
students with financial need may be admitted, but should not exceed more than
half of a college’s entering ASAP cohort.) Students with two developmental needs
must agree to begin at least one of their developmental course requirements in
the summer prior to enrollment with ASAP. Continuing or transfer students with
15 or fewer college credits may be eligible, as long as they are in good academic
standing. All students must commit to attending full-time (at least 12 credits).
The QCC Award for Excellence in Faculty Scholarship
is awarded to tenured faculty, and recognizes a “sustained and distinguished
record of scholarship or creative performance, evidenced by publications,
professional presentations, and/or creative works.” Nominations from academic
departments or directly from faculty members who wish to nominate themselves
should include a one-page statement, a current curriculum vita, copies of
Academic Senate Agenda—December 12, 2011—Attachment B
publications, and evidence of professional presentations and creative works. This
year’s selection committee (elected by all the department chairs), includes Dr.
Linda Reesman, Professor Bob Rogers, and Dr. Sasan Karimi. Dr. Karen Steele,
Vice President for Academic Affairs will preside without a vote. The selection
committee will evaluate the nominees based on a sustained and distinguished
record of scholarship and/or creative achievement as evident in the supporting
documentation. Nominations, along with supporting materials, should be
submitted to the Office of Academic Affairs by Friday, December 16, 2011.
Grants Update:
Congratulations to faculty and staff who have been awarded grants for their
research and programs: Dr. Roland Scal (Biological Sciences and Geology), in
collaboration with Dr. Hugh Rance (Biological Sciences & Geology) and Dr. Cheryl
Bluestone,(Social Sciences), received $165,904 from NSF-TUES--Transforming
Undergraduate Education in STEM--to develop a studio gemology course with the
aim of getting non-science majors more interested in the earth sciences; Dr.
Simran Kaur (Biological Sciences) and Dr. Joan Petersen (Biological Sciences)
received a new STEP grant from the New York State Department of Education in
the amount of $69,257 to support middle and high school students underrepresented in the sciences and health-related professions; Dr. Monica Trujillo
and Dr. Andrew Nguyen both from the Dept. of Biological Sciences and Geology
(in collaboration with a Hunter College faculty member) received a $15,000 CUNY
Community College Collaborative Research Incentive grant for “Biological
characterization of a Streptomyces strain isolated from NY soil” for the time
period of Sept. 30, 2011-June 30, 2012; Professor Marge Reilly and
Queensborough’s Nursing Department received $20,000 in Workforce
Development Initiative (WDI) funding for a project entitled, “Technology
Education to Enhance Skills in Simulation, Electronic Health Records and TeleHealth for RNs”; Faustino Quintanilla and the QCC Art Gallery received $34,000
from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to support the exhibition
Shangaa: Art of Tanzania and accompanying catalogue; Dr. Amy Traver (Social
Sciences) received a $3,000 award from the American Sociological Association for
her project entitled The Social-Psychological Benefits of Volunteerism for
Adolescent Girls: A Case Study of Believe Ballet; Professor Sandra Marcus
(Library) received a $3,000 award from the American Library Association/National
Endowment for the Humanities for the project Let’s Talk About It: Making Sense
of the American Civil War; Faculty from QCC’s Nursing Department received grant
Academic Senate Agenda—December 12, 2011—Attachment B
awards from the CUNY Office of the University Dean for Health and Services:
Professor Jim Bentley for Faculty Fitness Training; Dr. Patricia Burke for
Prescription for Success-Creating a Virtual Learning Environment to Improve
Information Literacy; and Professor Bernadette Amicucci for Integrating TeleHealth Technologies into Community Nursing Clinical Education.
The PSC-CUNY Grant Program
provides support for faculty research and creative activities through competitively
awarded grants in all disciplines. Under a three-year pilot program agreed to
between CUNY and the PSC, faculty can apply for one grant each year at one of
the following levels:
Traditional A: Grants of up to $3,500
Traditional B: Grants ranging from $3,501 - $6,000
Enhanced: Grants ranging from $6,001 - $12,000
The application deadline is January 15, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. However, all
applications must be reviewed and approved by grants offices at each college,
which set their own deadlines for internal review. Due to staffing limitations in
QCC's Office of Sponsored Programs, this year the internal deadline will be
Monday, January 9, 2012, at noon. Applications submitted before then will
receive a detailed review by the Director or Assistant Director of Sponsored
Programs. To receive feedback on your proposals, please plan to submit before
the internal deadline.
Walk to Aspire:
Rainfall did not dampen the enthusiasm of 21 teams of students and faculty
who participated in this annual fundraising event for student scholarships on
November 16. Almost $15,000 was raised through donations, and a variety of
activities such as raffles, flea markets, bake sales, etc. Donations for scholarships
will be accepted at the Office of Institutional Advancement in A 508 through
December 31!!
Budget outlook:
The Queensborough budget for FY 12 remains stable and consistent with the
Financial Plan we submitted to the University in September. New York City did
implement a mid-year budget reduction (PEG); however, CUNY was exempt. We
remain under a City requirement to identify two vacant positions for each
position we fill, with the exception of faculty, health and safety and revenue
producing positions. New York State has recently announced a current year
Academic Senate Agenda—December 12, 2011—Attachment B
budget shortfall of $350 million and a projected deficit of $3 billion in the next
fiscal year. The University has been exempted from a mid-year reduction from
the State this year; however, next year's budget could prove challenging. We are
fortunate that the maintenance of effort provision enacted in the last budget will
protect CUNY somewhat, and will ensure that increases in revenue from tuition
will remain with CUNY and not be used to close a State budget shortfall.
Workplace Violence Prevention:
CUNY has advised campuses that the Department of Labor’s Public Employee
Safety and Health Bureau (referred to as “PESH”) is requiring all campuses to
provide campus-specific workplace violence prevention training.
Members of the campus community, as well as union representatives were
invited to participate in a site evaluation last March. In addition, members of the
community were asked to take part in an on-line Workplace Violence Prevention
Training in May. Representatives of PESH have recently met with CUNY and
advised them that, in addition to the training we already provided, it is necessary
to provide supplemental training that focuses on potential workplace violence
risks that are specific to each campus.
During the next week, all employees will receive an email from our HR Office (or,
for those who do not have access to computers, a hard copy letter) with a
document attached called “Workplace Violence Prevention Campus-Specific
Training Supplement.” Please note that, although it is referred to as a “training
supplement,” it is actually an informational document. It contains information
regarding identified risk factors specific to our campus, including potential risks
observed during the March 23, 2011 Walk-Through; as well as corrective actions
taken by the College to address those risks. In addition, it contains contact
information and links to provide you with additional information and assistance.
We are committed to maintaining a safe environment for all our students, faculty
and staff. To that end, you are asked to review this document (CUNY has advised
campuses that the Department of Labor’s Public Employee Safety and Health
Bureau (referred to as “PESH”) is requiring all campuses to provide campusspecific workplace violence prevention training.
Upcoming events:
Academic Senate Agenda—December 12, 2011—Attachment B
THE COMFORT WOMEN OF KOREA: AN INVITATION
In 1937, the Japanese Imperial Army occupying Korea began a systematic
roundup of teenage girls to serve as sexual slaves to their soldiers. More than
200,000 such women were forcibly taken from their homes to serve as Comfort
Women. At the end of the war many had died. Upon returning to their homes,
these survivors found that those who were the perpetrators of these crimes
denied any responsibility. To date, these women have sought justice. None has
been offered.
The Harriet & Kenneth Kupferberg Holocaust Resource Center and Archives
(KHRCA) in conjunction with the Korean - American Voters Council (KAVC) has
initiated an exhibit, Come from the Shadows : The Comfort Women, which tells
the tragic story of these victims. The exhibit is made up of a series of paintings
and photographs created by a group of Korean - American artists.
On Tuesday, December 13, 2011 at 6:00 PM, the KHRCA will be hosting two
women who were forced into becoming Comfort Women. These women will be
arriving from Seoul, Korea to tell their stories. As part of the program, they will
be meeting with men and women from our Holocaust survivors’ group as a means
of sharing their experiences and expressing solidarity in their search for justice.
The program will be broadcast live via television hookup to South Korea. RSVP:
718-281-5770
Faculty and Staff are invited to the annual College Holiday Luncheon on Tuesday,
December 20th in the Student Union. There will be two seatings: at 12 noon and at
1:00 PM. In the holiday spirit of giving, attendees are asked to bring a nonperishable food item to be donated to a local organization.
The annual College Convocation for faculty and HEOs will be held on Thursday,
January 26 at 9:00 a.m. in Medical Arts, Room 136.