President’s Advisory Team
Minutes
October 29, 2015
President’s Advisory Team Members in attendance:
Diane Allen, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Stephen Blankenship for Simeon Ananou, Chief Information Officer
Jennifer Barnes for Humberto Aristizabal, Associate Vice President of Institutional Equity
and Title IX Coordinator
Aaron Basko, Assistant VP for Enrollment Management
Carrianne Cicero, President, Graduate Student Council
Jeffrey Downes for Eric Berkheimer, Associate Vice President for Administration and Finance,
Capital Planning and Construction
Betty Crockett, Vice President, Administration and Finance
Jason Curtin, Deputy Director, Advancement and External Affairs and Assistant Vice President of
Development and Alumni Relations
Janet Dudley-Eshbach, President
Susan Eagle, Assistant Vice President, Marketing and Public Relations
Dane Foust, Vice President of Student Affairs
Tyler Gibson, President, SGA
Clifton Griffin, Dean of Graduate Studies and Research
Susan Griisser, University General Counsel
Bea Hardy, Dean, Libraries and Instructional Resources
Amy Hasson, Chief of Staff
Mentha Hynes-Wilson, Associate Vice President, Student Affairs
Edwin Lashley, Chief, Salisbury University Police
John Lee for Karen Olmstead, Dean, Henson School of Science and Technology
Kelly Fiala, Interim Dean, Seidel School of Education and Professional Studies
Creston Long for Maarten Pereboom, Dean, Fulton School of Liberal Arts
Darrell Mullins, President, Faculty Senate
Greg Prince, Vice President, Advancement and External Affairs
Valerie Randall-Lee, Dean of Students
Robert Sheehan, Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of Government and Community Relations
Kara Siegert, Special Assistant to the President, Institutional Effectiveness & Assessment
Wendy Denny for Nancy Siegert, Associate VP Admin and Finance for HR
Brian Stiegler, Director, International Education
Melissa Thomas, President, Staff Senate
Christy Weer, Dean, Perdue School of Business
Guest: James Buss, Director, Honors Program
1.
Changes in USM and State Administration – President Janet Dudley-Eshbach
o
Dr. Dudley-Eshbach opened the meeting by welcoming everyone and introducing
those who were attending on behalf of absent members. It was noted that Dr.
Creston Long who attended on behalf of Dr. Maarten Pereboom would be heading
the Nabb Center beginning fall 2016.
o
Dr. Dudley-Eshbach remarked on the several visits to the Eastern Shore and to SU
in particular that the new Chancellor, Robert Caret, has made in the past few
months. His leadership promises to be both energizing and forward thinking.
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October 29, 2015
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Some of the initiatives he proposes are equitable funding among institutions, new
marketing strategies, increasing research on all campuses, and taking an active role
in emergency preparedness.
2.
o
An update was provided on the unfortunate death of a Parkside High School
student on campus property.
o
Fall enrollment statistics were discussed. Following a nationwide trend in
demographics, the freshman class, combined with transfers, was down 82 students.
While enrollment management is not an exact science, it was noted that keeping
these numbers up while maintaining high standards in GPA and SAT scores is a
top priority moving forward.
o
The Academic Commons building is progressing as well as the new stadium. The
stadium is slated to open spring 2016 and the Academic Commons building will
open fall 2016.
o
Faculty and staff are encouraged to contribute to the Maryland Charities
Campaign.
University Governance
o
Faculty Senate – Dr. Darrell Mullins
i. The Faculty Senate is concentrating on examining General Education. Data
has been collected and is now being analyzed. Faculty response to a survey
request was impressive. A student survey and alumni survey are currently
being conducted. An extra meeting day is dedicated each month to this topic.
ii. The faculty is currently in the process of evaluating administrators. More
information will be provided at a later time.
o
Adjunct Faculty Caucus – Dr. Darrell Mullins on behalf of Tim Robinson
i. Mr. Robinson offered his appreciation for the opportunity to express the
adjunct faculty caucus’s concerns on salary during the earlier PAT meeting
with Chancellor Caret.
o
Staff Senate – Melissa Thomas
i. Nominations for the Board of Regents Staff Award are open. Please consider
submitting a one-page dossier stating how a staff member qualifies by
providing one of the following three categories:



Exceptional contribution to the institution and/or unit to which
the person belongs.
Outstanding service to students in an academic or residential
environment.
Extraordinary public service to the university or the greater
community. This includes voluntary campus citizenship and/or
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October 29, 2015
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dedication to public good through volunteer activities with
outside groups.
The Staff Senate will contact those nominees whose nominations will be
forwarded for more information.
o
Student Government Association – Tyler Gibson
i. Tyler thanked the campus community for helping to make Homecoming a great
success.
ii. Upcoming events this fall are Recycle Madness; the 8th Annual I Love Salisbury
clean up event; and Fill the Square, a clothing drive coordinated with the Conflict
Analysis and Dispute Resolution Club.
iii. The SGA has restructured their committees to facilitate more student
involvement. The University Affairs Committee is committed to campus
improvement, and is conducting a student survey to obtain feedback. The
External Affairs Committee is dedicated to student safety, both off and on
campus. The Sustainability Committee is dedicated to making environmental
consciousness a priority among the campus community.
iv. Tyler remarked that the SGA is questioned about SU’s need to raise tuition while
new construction is happening on campus. The concern is that construction
should be halted if it would bring down the cost of tuition. It was noted that the
President asked that the SGA and all others work to disseminate the message that
funds for construction are separate from operating funds and that any capital
funds that do not come to SU will go to another campus’ building needs – not to
SU’s operating budget.
o
Graduate Student Council – Carrianne Cicero
i. Carrianne noted that the first meeting of the year for the Graduate Student
Council (GSC) was very well attended. To encourage participation in Council
meetings, the GSC has combined professional development with regular
meetings. Modeled after TED Talks, members of the community speak on topics
important to graduate students.
ii. The GSC is becoming more involved with helping the community by combining
efforts with the SGA in events such as I Love Salisbury.
iii. The topic of tailgating at sporting events was discussed and will be explored by
the administration.
3.
Fulbright Experience: Japan – Aaron Basko
o
Aaron spoke about his participation in the Fulbright International Education
Administrator program. The Fulbright Program coordinated by the U.S. Department
of State Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs was initiated by J. William
Fulbright in 1946 to increase bi-national partnerships for mutual understanding.
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October 29, 2015
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Participation in the program was based on the potential to represent U.S. higher
education in the promotion of exchange and mobility. Aaron was selected to go to
Japan.
4.
5.
o
The Japanese higher education system presented some challenges in the effort of
enrolling Japanese students in American institutions of higher education. Different
academic calendars, prohibitive costs, two-credit versus three-credit systems, and
English language proficiency were the most concerning.
o
U.S. institutions, in trying to address these obstacles, have created a program that
would facilitate the exchange of students, and strengthen relationships between the
two countries at the educational level. Separate international admissions, a focus on
short-term programs for revenue, global training center models outside of traditional
structures, and partnering with institutions and companies are being implemented.
o
Partnering with higher education institutions in Japan would provide opportunities
for Salisbury University to increase our internationalization efforts.
Self-Study Initial Visit by Dr. Carol Long – Kara Siegert
o
Kara provided an update on Dr. Carol Long’s visit to Salisbury University on
November 5, 2015. Dr. Long, the chair of the Evaluation Team, is visiting the
University prior to the full team visit to discuss readiness for the team and to
review logistics and preliminary scheduling. Dr. Long has received the draft
self-study report.
o
The full team visit is scheduled for February 29 through March 2, 2016. Members of
the campus community will have an opportunity to review the final report before that
visit.
Transitioning Bellavance Program to an Honors College – James Buss
o
Dr. James Buss provided an update on Salisbury University’s Honors Program’s
transition to an Honors College.
o
There has been tremendous growth in the Honors Program over the last few years.
The demographics include a broader representation of the overall student body,
including a larger number of Henson School students. The retention rate of current
honor students has improved, and the SAT and GPA statistics have risen.
o
The Honors College model would be more encompassing overall in the institution
and embody a more interactive environment from all schools and departments, rather
than remain an isolated program. By providing more navigable curriculum, a more
uniform experience across disciplines, and a broader sense of inclusion, this would
create the enriched experience SU would need to attract more students.
Recorded by: Tracy Hajir