Governance Meeting of Friday, April 10, 2015, 9:30 a.m.
Little Theater, Roosevelt Hall
I.
Minutes of March 6, 2015 approved.
II.
Report of the President, Dr. Hubert Keen
A. Mission Change for Graduate Degree Programs and First Master’s
Degree: The SUNY Board Committee and full Board approved our
proposal to expand our mission to offer master’s degrees, and approval
was given for the first master’s degree program. The Provost and
President received very positive feedback, both in the formal bodies as
well as individually from Board members and System staff. Both
documents have been forwarded with the Board’s positive
recommendation to the State Education Department for Regents approval.
Thanks to: Provost Cepriano, John Fiorillo, Marjaneh Issapour, Serdar
Elgun, Vicki Janik, and Dean Kamal Shahrabi for their extensive and
excellent work on the Mission Change proposal. And thanks to the team
of faculty who assembled the first master’s degree proposal: Hazem
Tawfik, Adam Filios, Mohammed Zoghi, Amit Bandyopadhyay. Further,
throughout the work of both groups Barbara Serr has been an
indispensable partner.
B. State Budget Overall Summary: A state budget was adopted by April 1,
including the SUNY budget for 2015-2016. For the System it included
$18 million in the Investment and Performance Fund, $4.7 million for
salary support (which will fall far short of covering the expense, but the
increments will be met by other funds), restoration and addition to the
EOP budget, and some addition to the EOC budget. The Capital Budget
contained $200 million for “critical maintenance” which does not cover
new major construction, and thus funding for the new social sciences
building was not allocated.
C. Alternative Channels of Funding: The state, as well as the federal
government, have for years been scaling up funding through alternative
channels to meet needs determined by the governments. An example
currently under way is that $59 million is being allotted under the SUNY
2020 program. Two proposals are under development on campus (by
D.
E.
F.
G.
III.
Dean Lou Reinisch and Robert Coleman, and by Moustafa Ardakani and
Nazrul Islam), and we are partners with other Long Island SUNY’s on
another. Such funding sources require a special effort and expertise to
prepare a fundable proposal, but the payoff can be significant.
Campus Construction Projects: A number of projects are underway or
will begin shortly after Commencement on the campus. A description of
the projects will be sent for the information of faculty, staff and students.
By-Laws on Faculty Promotion: We have consulted with legal counsel
on permitting the process to proceed without having followed the by-laws.
We undertake some risk, but we will permit the process to proceed.
Accepted Students Day, Today, 1-3 p.m.: We expect 800 students and
their parents, with workshops for students on academic programs and
services and a session for parents with staff resource persons. It is a
critical day for retaining and enrolling the students who have been
admitted. Thanks to all of the faculty and staff who are contributing.
Open House Tomorrow, 10 am to 1 pm: We expect over 2000
prospective students and parents. Thanks to faculty and staff, especially
the Admissions staff and extended committee, for their work in preparing
for this event.
Report of the Provost, Dr. Lucia Cepriano
A. Master Plan amendment: In addition to the Masters Degree, we are
looking for ways too expand our mission. We will amend our Master Plan
to include different types of Bachelors Degrees. BLA (Bachelor of
Landscape Architecture), BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts). Faculty has been
working on program proposals.
B. SUNY High Needs Program: We are submitting 3-4 proposals to
SUNY’s high needs program. These are programs designed to educate
students in high needs areas. Students are granted about a year of funding.
C. Activity Hour, due to demand, will be moved to Tuesdays and Thursdays
10:50 a.m. -12:05 p.m. beginning in the Spring 2016.
D. Bookstore Faculty Enlight is now operational so you can order textbooks
and materials online.
E. Faculty Resource Network: The college belongs to the Faculty Resource
Network, membership is expensive but worth it. We want faculty to
participate as much as possible. There are opportunities for professional
development, collaboration and networking with peers in your field. Full
use of NYU’s library is included as membership. A great way to explore
other programs. An institution as significant as NYU is a good
opportunity. National Symposium proposals are due on April 17. Topic is:
Advancing Social Justice from Classroom to Community. A full list of the
opportunities for the FRN will be sent to all Chairs.
F. Additional report by Assistant Provost, Dr. Laura Joseph
 There is a campus-wide assessment initiative to strengthen our
assessment and increase our communication. We reconstituted the
Assessment Advisory Board supported by four subcommittees (not
directly involved with academics):
 College Planning & Resource Allocation Committee will remain a
primary group and is responsible for linking assessment budget and
planning informed by the Assessment Advisory Board of campus-wide
requirements.
President
Senior Vice
President for
Admin. / Finance
Executive Assistant
to President
Provost and Vice
President for
Academic Affairs
Vice President for
Institutional
Advancement
College Planning and
Resource Allocation
Committee
Vice President for
Student Affairs
Chief Development
Officer
Assessment Advisory Board
Co-Chairs Laura Joseph & Pat Lind-Gonzalez
(Serve as ex-official members of subcommittees)
Assessment Liaisons:
School of Business
School of Arts & Science
School of Health Science
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School of Engineering Tech
CPRA Member
CPRA Member
CPRA Member
Chair, FEC
Chair, Subcommittee Gen Ed.
Chair, Subcommittee, Academic Programs
Chair, Subcommittee, Functional Areas I
Chair, Subcommittee, Functional Areas II
Subcommittee
Gen. Ed
Subcommittee
Academic Programs -
Subcommittee
Functional Areas I
Subcommittee
Functional Areas II
Chair
School of Business
School of Arts & Sciences
School of Health Science
School of Engineering Tech
Chair
School of Business
School of Arts & Sciences
School of Health Science
School of Engineering Tech
Chair
Division Academic Affairs
Division Student Affairs
Chair
Institutional Advancement
Administration & Finance
Development & Corporate
Relations
Subcommittee Gen Ed is focusing on student learning outcomes at the
college level.
Subcommittee of Academic Programs focuses on programmatic
outcomes.
The other 2 subcommittees focus on assessment for operation
effectiveness and assessment for accountability.
They will work with departments and offices to facilitate that the
assessment process are data driven. This process is not fully
operational. Two subcommittees have been developed and members
appointed. They are in the process of developing their responsibilities.
Planned to be in place for January 2016.
A website is being developed with Pat Lind-Gonzales to provide
campus-wide assessment resources.
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April 17 is an Assessment Workshop through the CTLT. Jodi Levine,
the Institutional Research Officer and Assessment Officer for Temple
University will be here. She will speak on closing the loop, which is
part of the assessment piece that we need to strengthen on our campus.
She will also be back in the Fall to discuss assessment in all practice
areas and provide updates.
Periodic Review Report for Middle States Accreditation underway.
The committees are:
Middle States Steering Committee
Co-chairs: Dr. Laura Joseph and Dr. Charles Adair
Dr. Susan Conforti
Dr. Karen Escolas
Ms. Marguerite Fagella-D’Alesio
Dr. Jeff Gaab
Ms. Karen Gelles
Dr. Michael Goodstone
Dr. Jonathan Lehrer
Dr. Michelle Miranda
Prof. Donna Proper
Prof. Frank Rampello
Ms. Janice Rivera
Prof. Orla Smyth-LoPiccolo
Ms. Jeanne Soto
Prof. Socrates Thanasas
Dr. Richard Vogel
Ms. Ellen Weber
Assessment Sub-Committee for General Education
Chair, Dr. Michael Goodstone
Dr. Yu Chen
Dr. Stephen Patnode
Dr. Nancy Winters
Dr. Bahar Zoghi
Assessment Sub-Committee for Academic Programs
Chair, Dr. Susan Conforti
Dr. Adam Fillios
Dr. Hanna Horowitz
Dr. Sayeed Islam
Dr. Sheryl Schoenacher
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We have been working diligently to provide responses to
recommendations made by the committee and the recommendations
given to us by Middle States Committee.
The report will be ready for Campus review in March 2016
June 1, 2016 final submission is due.
IV.
Reports of Standing Committees
A. FEC, Ms. Karen Gelles.

Several volunteers have been placed to fill vacancies on
committees. As of the date the election was announced if you did
not get a spot on a committee you can add yourself to the volunteer
list for next year. This is an effective way of getting on a
committee. There are a few vacancies so please nominate yourself
if interested. Standing committees should do a check of your
bylaws to see if there is any spring housecleaning required in terms
of finishing up your charges.
B. Promotions Committee, Bylaw on Blind Review, Prof. Sharon
Struminger. (2/3 majority required)
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A reminder of two motions from the last meeting, one forgave the
lack of a blind review, which passed unanimously for the current
promotion cycle. The second, a motion was a proposed promotions
procedure that was not unanimous, so it requires discussion at this
meeting and requires a 2/3 majority.
10.15.5 New Proposed Promotions Procedure
a. Optionally, one year before a prospective candidate files
for promotion to Full Professor, the candidate may submit
a draft application to his/her department chair or one or
more senior tenured full professors for review. The
function of this reviewer is to examine the draft application
and to advise the candidate on how to strengthen his/her
application.
b. Each candidate's dossier must contain an Executive
Summary, regardless of the rank, which the candidate
seeks.
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A friendly amendment is suggested to change the word “can” with the
word “may”. The motion passes unanimously.
C. Elections Committee, Prof. Jennie Thwing, Nominations from the
floor.
 Today is the last chance to nominate someone for a standing
committee, there are some openings. Nominations from the floor were
taken and included in the document.
 There was some discussion at FEC about changing the bylaw that
allows membership on a standing committee to serve more than once.
D. Calendar Committee, Dr. Bryan Field
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Handout of the Fall 2017/Spring 2018 calendar. There was a
comment that the calendar listings should be sequential by date.
Concern about the spring calendar, there are 2 study/make-up dates
in the Fall but none are included in the Spring. This was by design
because the calendar cannot support any study days. There was a
discussion about terminology: if a school declares a make-up day
and you need it, you use it. If you do not need one, you use it as
your discretion.
Calendar was approved.
E. Admissions and Academic Standards, Dr. Jonathan Lehrer.
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The Committee has been busy working on two main changes.
The course withdrawal form has been improved to alleviate
confusion for classes that have both lecture and lab components.
One withdrawal form now includes language clarifying the use of
the form to drop both sections of the class.
Redo the semester withdrawal process. Seek signatures from
multiple instructors to withdraw from all their courses. Working
with the Provost Office we revised this process so a student can
withdraw by getting the signature of the Dept. Chair. We
synchronized the form with the updated text from the College
catalog so that a clear demarcation of what needs to happen at
different times during the semester is clear. After the ninth week
SUNY has more stringent guidelines. The registrars office will
solicit final dates of attendance of the class which a student will be
withdrawing from.
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There was a supplementary form as they must give a reason as to
why they are withdrawing from the semester. This has been
incorporated into a single form.
There is discussion regarding regulations and possible changes to
be made to the form. The registrar’s office will address this.
Students must have official documentation for any medical or
emotional reason that may make them withdraw. With this
documentation they can maintain their financial aid status. Without
it, they can lose their financial aid.
F. Planning and Budget, Ms. Theresa Zahor, Bylaw change
concerning bylaw maintenance.
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V.
Planning & Budget & CPRA Committee completed work that
combines the existing strategic plan covering the years 2014-2016.
The plan is finalized, approved by Administration and posted to the
Internet.
In the Nov 2014 Governance Meeting she reported that the CPRA
modified and updated the completed objectives document to call an
annual assessment document to better meet Middle States document
that needs additional work to be done. That document has been
competed and posted to the Internet.
We are in the process of developing a new format for the next 5-year
strategic plan covering 2016-2021. Considering hiring a strategic
consultant, to give advice on formatting and linking the college goals
to the strategic goals. Identified 5 external consultants with experience
in 5-year plans, now narrowed down to two. Preliminary interviews
were held. Presentation to the President and Provost will be made
shortly. They learned during their research of interviewing consulting
firms that academic institutions should be holding open sessions for
academic input. President Keene started holding these sessions
already.
Old Business- None
VI.

New Business
Dr. Beverly Kahn announces recipients of 2015-2016 Student First Grants as
listed below.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING RECIPIENTS OF 2015-2016 STUDENTS
FIRST GRANTS:
Teaching
PI/Co-PI Name
Brathwaite,
Noel Holton
Howell, Aaron
Chen, Dandan
Department/Division
English/Humanities
Feng, Jing
Business
Talib, Saman
Professional
Communications
Sociology/Anthropology
History & Political Science
Project Title
Exploring the Impact of Cultural Ecologies on
Individual Culture Identity (Two-course Learning
Community)
Encounter, Nationalism, and Trade in Modern
History
Develop Inter-cultural Effectiveness through
Reflective Learning
Integrating Digital Citizenship in Culture and
Communications Curriculum
Co-Curricular
PI/Co-PI Name
Miao, Lei
Salnave, Elizabeth
McAleese, Angela
Kubin, John
Katz, Susan
Graham, Joanne
Hung, Jeff
Simonson, Jack
Geremia, Justina
Jasur, Angela
Kim, Doug
Ryu, Yeong
Department/Division
Electrical & Computer
Engineering Technology
Academic Advisement &
Information Center
Chemistry
Nursing
Mechanical Engineering
Technology
Physics
Residence Life – Student
Affairs
Electrical & Computer
Engineering Technology
Mechanical Engineering
Technology
Project Title
Engaging Students in Microcontroller Based Real-Time
Sensing and Control
AAIC Moving Forward with Mobile Technology
Student research project in vanadium redox flow batteries
Promoting Nursing Student Civic Engagement through
National Certification as Child Passenger Safety
Technicians
Campus-wide student poster presentation competition in
Energy and Sustainability
Manufacture and Assembly of a 360° 3D Scanner Platform
The First Year Residential Experience (FYRE) program
Fixture Design and Creation to Supplement Machining and
Fuel Cell Education
Assessment
PI/Co-PI Name
Proper, Donna
Department/Division
Visual Communications
Mussa, Abeba
Zhang, Xu
Economics
Project Title
Assessment of the Senior Project Capstone Courses of
the Farmingdale State College Visual
Communications: Art & Graphic Design
Baccalaureate Experience
The Assessment of Senior Students in Applied
Economics Program of Farmingdale State College
ALSO: MARK YOUR CALENDARS, SAVE THE DATE, & PLAN TO ATTEND – FRIDAY
OCTOBER 16TH 2015:
DAY-LONG TITLE III CONFERENCE CELEBRATING 5 YEARS OF STRENGTHENING
FARMINGDALE AS A LEARN-CENTERED INSTITUTION. COME HEAR FROM YOUR FSC
COLLEAGUES WHO HAVE RECEIVED TITLE III FUNDING OVER THE PAST 5 YEARS.
LEARN ABOUT – AND BECOME INSPIRED BY – THE CREATIVE THINGS THAT THEY
HAVE DONE TO IMPROVE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT, RETENTION, AND LEARNING
AT FARMINGDALE STATE COLLEGE.
Title 3 funding ends Fall 2015. Faculty Survey of Student Engagement, funded by
Title 3, a survey to learn how hard our students work, how engaged they are in
activities inside and outside of the classroom, and what you want them to do such
as more research or studying abroad, etc. We want to compare what was learned in
the survey previously with what you want now as well as with the SUNY National
survey.
VII.
Reports of Other Committees and Organizations
A. Faculty Senate, Prof. Louis Scala
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Next UFS meeting April 23-35 At SUNY Plattsburgh.
Requires the Boards of Trustees of SUNY and CUNY to each pass a
resolution by June 1, 2015 in favor of developing a plan to offer
approved experiential applied learning activities to students.
Peter (UFS), Tina Good (FCCC) and Terry Martell (CUNY) advocated
for the following concessions: 1.) no mandated graduation
requirement, 2.) Faculty Government involvement in estimated
opportunities for applied learning, 3.) Local campus decision on
whether to establish a graduation requirement
The concerns: a potentially dangerous precedent with legislative
invasion into the curriculum requiring a resolution
He expects the Senate to address this concern in Plattsburgh
B. Bargaining Unit, UUP, Ms. Yolanda Segarra.
April 23 will be the last meeting of the spring. All statewide officers
will be present.
C. From the floor.
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The Faculty Student Research Conference will be held April 24 from
9:00-3:30.
Elections will be held via Blackboard. Everyone has a Blackboard
account but you are not required to attend training in order to vote. If
you need to know how it works please speak with someone on the
Elections Committee.
April 14 is Equal Pay Day. To celebrate, the Social Science Research
Institute is holding Equal Pay Day from 2-3:30 at the Campus Center.
They will hand out Pay Day candy bars.
April 15 7:00 pm the University Club will be sponsoring a Classical
Music Concert performing Beethoven’s “1811.”
The Job Fair will be held on April 23 3:00-6:00 pm. 50 companies will
attend to evaluate Farmingdale Students for potential employment.
Meeting adjourns at 10:30 am.
Minutes prepared by Assistant Professor Jack Harris, Visual Communications.