College of Arts and Sciences

Dean's Council and Interdisciplinary Program Directors Meeting

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

3:30-5:00 Alumni House

 

Present: J. Borycka, C. Bucki, M. Carolan, K. Cassidy, M. Coleman, N. Dallavalle, D. Downie, G. Giu-Egui, D. Greenberg, E. Hohl, M. Im, D. Keenan, P. Lane, J. Leatherman, D. Li,

D. McFadden, J. McCarthy, L. O'Connor, L. Porter V. Rosivach, G. Sauer, J. Simon,

M. Sourieau, K. Steffen, E. Umansky, B. Walker, J. Weiss, M. Wills, D. Winn

 

Not Present: D. Schmidt, R. White

 

The meeting convened at 3:30 p.m.

 

Minutes

Approval of Minutes from Chairs and Program Directors Meeting—Dr. Mary Ann Carolan moved to approve the May 6, 2009 minutes and Dr. Phil Lane seconded the motion. All were in favor of the minutes.

 

Dean's Opening Remarks

• The Dean thanked the department chairs for their participation in the August 2009 Chairs' Retreat.

• There was a lot of action over the summer relative to the budget climate and enrollments. The Dean appreciated the department chairs responsiveness to an unusual number of University and Dean's e-mails. She reiterated the importance of their leadership, as it is the engine of the College of Arts and Sciences and an inspiration to her.
• The Dean mentioned that the October Dean's Council meeting will focus on College business for this academic year. In the meantime, she will continue sending
• e-mail announcements as business unfolds. She invited chairs to communicate if there is a need for her to send memos more broadly to the College faculty that would support them in managing resources and personnel within their departments.
• The Dean reminded chairs to prepare introductions to new faculty for Friday's General Faculty meeting. If chairs are not available to attend, they should forward the name of their colleague that will be introducing. She reminded them to be brief with their introductions, as there is a lot of important faculty business to be discussed.
• Program Review Orientation—The Dean is working out a date for a Program Review Orientation for Philosophy, Math & Computer Science, and Sociology & Anthropology. All faculty members in each of these departments are expected to attend the orientation with the exception for those who are teaching or out of town for professional reasons.
• The Dean read the annual reports, which were useful in putting together her College-wide report. She will be forwarding comments to the chairs regarding their reports that may form the basis of ongoing conversations this year. The Dean's annual report will be posted on the College webpage for public consumption, so as to have access to the accomplishments of the College. This will offer chairs a greater perception on the types of information she is being asked to report and how they could help report the great work of the College.

 

 

 

Introduction of Paul Fitzgerald, S.J., Sr. Vice President for Academic Affairs

Dean Robbin Crabtree introduced Paul Fitzgerald, S.J. our new Sr. Vice President of Academic Affairs to the Dean's Council. Dean Crabtree shared Fr. Fitzgerald's academic and administrative experiences, as well as some of his personal interests.

 

Fr. Fitzgerald was asked to share his reflections as to what attracted him to Fairfield University and what vision, plans, and priorities he has for the academic division in general and for the College in particular.

 

It is important to note that Fr. Fitzgerald offers a wealth of relevant experience on initiatives similar to those at Fairfield. The Dean emphasized that, by his scholarly record and by virtue of his status as a tenured faculty member in Religious Studies, the Sr. VP is a CAS faculty member. The Dean's Council welcomed their new colleague.

 

Remarks by the Sr. VP

Fr. Fitzgerald thanked the Dean's Council for the invitation to meet with them. He extended thanks to the faculty who took the time to introduce themselves to him. This gave him the opportunity to get acquainted. He would like to get to know the faculty as scholars, as teachers, as well as their interests beyond the University.

 

Fr. Fitzgerald was with Santa Clara for thirteen years. He was interested in moving to another community to join a group of faculty and staff colleagues who focused on great Jesuit projects and who learn and contribute to these projects together. It is a way for him to be a novice again giving him an opportunity to learn and grow. Fr. Fitzgerald shared his compassion for teaching. If it was just about him, he probably would be interested in teaching full-time as that is the most enjoyable experience for him.

 

While at Santa Clara, he was in the Dean's office for five years. At that time, he taught one course per year. He would like to teach at Fairfield. He enjoys scholarship; his particular interest is the overlapping between sociology and theology -- How Catholics live out their faith and what they actually do and the theological reflection based on this.

 

Fr. Fitzgerald's experience in the Dean's Office at Santa Clara was enjoyable. He felt that being in a position of academic leadership was both a privilege and a burden. The privilege is to be able to draw colleagues together for substantive conversation around important initiatives. There is a need for deeper listening to our colleagues when things are not going well both in the classroom and personally. Fr. Fitzgerald recognized the role of chair as one of the hardest jobs at the University. The role of chair can be difficult in terms of making judgment calls. The burden is simply the tedium of routine tasks and paperwork that simply have to be done.

 

In relation to current challenges at Fairfield: What drives the passion as educators? Relationships with each other are professional and around a professional project but spending a lot of time with each other forms a web of friendship. The University is worth as much or more in terms of the affections, loyalties, and relationships among the community of scholars as it is to fair, just, and transparent rules, protocols and procedures.

 

 

 

 

 

Questions and Discussion

 

What attracted you to Fairfield University?

Fairfield has an attractive reputation from a distant. It is a fine Jesuit institution. It is the right size. BC and Georgetown are prestigious institutions but they are the victims of their own success in that they grew so large and prestigious that they often cannot discuss the things they care most about. The right size allows colleagues to get to know each other. It was Fairfield's reputation that attracted Fr. Fitzgerald, and his first encounter with the search committee was very impressive; he was pleased to be invited back.

 

During Fr. Fitzgerald's interview, he had the opportunity to ask faculty questions. He asked faculty why they came to Fairfield and why they stayed. The answer to why faculty stayed at Fairfield was always consistent—the values of the individual and the values of the Community cohered. There was an intangible intuitive sense of being at home. People over time had created an enviable community. This strongly attracted Fr. Fitzgerald to Fairfield.

 

Fr. Fitzgerald mentioned that the mission was about young people coming to the institution for help in developing their skills, potential, and knowledge. The goal was to assist students in finding confidence in themselves, a sense of integrity where their intuition and their reason develop into a coherence of who they are and a growing sense of their own integrity. A Jesuit school is a platform where the town is invited to engage in this same type of learning through venues such as a lecture or performance to gather a sense of what it is to be human. The idea is for the University to be a direct contributor for the common good of the Community at large through scholarship, lecture series, the Quick Center, etc…

 

Professor Mary Ann Carolan—How is Fairfield Different then Santa Clara?

• He was very pleased that Fairfield had a School of Nursing and that we did not have a law school. He felt that there were plenty of law schools but a shortage of nursing and engineering schools.
• He was attracted to the size of Fairfield. It is smaller than Santa Clara offering the opportunity to get to know faculty from all of the schools.
• Santa Clara's freshmen class was very strong and diverse with thirty-eight percent European American. Fairfield does not reflect this, but we are moving towards the diversification of our faculty, student population, curriculum and pedagogy. He senses the excitement as Fairfield is becoming more catholic in a sense of becoming more universal.

 

Professor Kraig Steffen—What challenges have you experienced?

• While Fr. Fitzgerald was aware of the sensitivity of the Faculty Governance issues prior to coming to Fairfield, he has been a bit surprised about the intensity.
• First year enrollment did not reach the University's goal of 875 - 900. The minimum was not obtained; Freshmen enrollment is at about 850 students. On a positive note, the University reached their goals in terms of obtaining students with strong academics, gender balance of 45/55, and the proper distribution among schools. We accomplished the target in terms of diversity. Six years ago nine percent of our students were receiving Pell Grants; in this first year class that figure is 14.6%. Thus we have greater socio/economic diversity.
• The graduate programs helped with the University's tuition budget this year, moving from 1,118 graduates last year to an enrollment of over 1,200 in the current year.
• Fr. Fitzgerald mentioned that there is more room to grow. He thought it would be nice if twenty-five percent of our students were graduate students and faculty had the opportunity to teach a graduate level course on a regular basis.
• The University's undergraduate population is currently at 3,155; however, base budget is an enrollment of 3,125. Typically the University has a net loss of 105 students per academic year. He asked all of the chairs and program directors to work hard on the retention of our students. If students come to faculty to discuss the possibility of leaving Fairfield, Fr. Fitzgerald encouraged them to send the student to Financial Aid. Given the current economic downfall, the University is renegotiating packages in hopes to retain these students.
• The University will engage in new processes this year to welcome transfer students at the semester.
• A decision was made (as part of the Strategic Plan) to increase the socio/economic diversity of our student population to make Fairfield more attractive to more people. This initiative comes with a certain costs— including institutional financial aid. Budget models were built to accommodate these costs, along with annual increases in tuition and fees. Last year there were many rising/returning students whose families were faced with new financial hardship. Criteria were set up and situations were dealt with on a case by case basis. There was a lot more financial aid awarded to retain our current students. (300 students went through this process; all but four returned to Fairfield.)
• The University is approximately 2.8 million dollars over in its Financial Aid budget. Between a surplus from last year, some reserves, the painful round of lay-offs in June, along with our strong graduate population, the University will be OK in fiscal year 2010.
• The University will have a lean year, but Fr. Fitzgerald assured the chairs and directors that items essential for teaching will be accommodated through his joint effort with Dean Crabtree to support the essential functions of our academic mission.
• In the round of budget cuts last year, the Academic Affairs Division was largely protected because we were already very lean. We cannot cut much more without affecting academic quality, and we need to be sure that our pre-tenure colleagues advance towards tenure and promotion.
• The budget process this year will be an important one, and Fr. Fitzgerald would like to engage everyone in this process. He would like to make this process as transparent as possible. Priorities need to be clearly articulated with their justifications.

 

Fr. Fitzgerald asked the Dean to closely monitor course enrollments, assessing under-enrolled courses and determining what courses could be combined. He understands the necessity of running some courses with low enrollments, which may relate to the number of majors in a given area. If a student needs a particular course in a particular term with a low enrollment, and if there are no reasonable alternatives for that student, it is the University's responsibility to run the course. Sometimes small sections are simply the cost of doing business of offering certain majors at the University.

 

Professor Ceceila Bucki— How do you envision the interdisciplinary programs within the College of Arts and Sciences, thus within the Institution?

• He mentioned that the CAS is the heart and soul of a Jesuit university as it houses the core disciplines needed by all University students.
• The Interdisciplinary curriculum is a new normal of how people function in society.
• Dr. Kathy Nantz and Fr. Fitzgerald are engaging faculty leaders who will invite faculty to workshops on the further integration of the core. In order for our students to develop as interdisciplinary thinkers, faculty need to model the idea of integration for our students, helping them understand, for example, the difference between multidisciplinary and integrative inter-disciplinary approaches.
• Team teaching is a great experience. It is more work to team teach but a good experience for both the faculty and the students. We should find ways to support this.

 

Bucki expressed her concern with the College being faced with meeting the constant needs of the other schools.

 

Professor Leo O'Connor—Will you be the chair of the budget committee?

O'Connor asked the Sr. Vice President if he would be the chair of the budget committee. O'Connor is not favorable of the traditional budget procedures. Through the current budget process, when the increase percentage is determined, the Vice Presidents at the University take the percentage on their existing budgets. This is not examining the base principle or priorities of the University. After so many years of this policy, the academic division experienced a shortage in terms of their needs. O'Connor's hope is that with the authority as Sr. Vice President, Fr. Fitzgerald would be able to address this serious problem during the next budget cycle.

 

Fr. Fitzgerald assured the Council that he will try to gain a larger budget. He noted that with the economic crisis it allows us to evaluate what the University is truly about and where we need to place our limited resources. O'Connor mentioned that people need to be reminded that the institution exists because of students and faculty.

 

Nancy Dallavalle asked about Living and Learning initiatives and the role for faculty and academic focus.

Fr. Fitzgerald mentioned that he experienced this at Santa Clara, where they moved towards 100% learning communities for all undergraduates. There was always stress for the faculty director, who handled the curriculum and overarching learning goals, and received only one annual course release for ten to twenty hours worth of work per week.

 

Fr. Fitzgerald mentioned the new initiative facilitated by the partnership of Drs. Elizabeth Boquet and Deb Cady Meltzer who will be working to improve the advising of students holistically. They will reach out to faculty, making them aware of high impact ways to engage students. Our faculty are key actors in accomplishing this and some first steps would be as follows:

• How to structure and coordinate different types of advising in a fair and manageable way.
• Living and Learning—There are some inexpensive ways to assign students to classes linked to living arrangements. First year students could be grouped into two of their five fall classes and then be assigned living arrangements on the same floor. Studies show that many of the most significant college friendships are made during the first few weeks of Freshman year. By having students engage in courses and live in close proximity, these friendships will develop around their studies. Their studies and their intellectual interests will be part of their conversation from the beginning of their college experience. We will talk about the proper role of faculty in all this.

 

Dr. David McFadden shared that he is involved with Living and Learning through the sophomore IRC Program. He agreed with Fr. Fitzgerald in terms of this program missing transition from the students' first year experience. Although advising is a problem, McFadden did not think it was the key problem we are facing. The question is how to move towards a bonafide first year experience that offers connections with students and their classes.

 

Fr. Fitzgerald mentioned that he would like the freshmen Living and Learning initiative to be up and running by next fall. He characterized the first year as arriving at the University and making connections. At the end of the year, there is a sense of being at home and a sense of ownership. The second year is about reaching out into the surrounding community through such initiatives as Community-based learning. The third year is about reaching out internationally. Ideally, every Fairfield undergraduate should have some international educational experience, whether through an immersion trip or a summer or a semester study abroad experience. Santa Clara's 100% Living and Learning Communities did not, alas, change binge drinking, but it did help with retention and dramatically reduced vandalism within the dorms as students came to feel that this was their home.

 

Dr. James Simon mentioned that research suggested that the richness of first year experiences are connected to having full-time faculty members teaching students. He shared that in the English Department there are 18 full-time professors and 32 adjunct faculty. Given the budget climate, Simon asked about the prospects for changing these ratios. Fr Fitzgerald agreed that the ideal would be a faculty mostly made up of full-time faculty, though some part-time adjuncts were superb and really helpful. He mentioned that Fairfield was fortunate to conduct searches last year, while most institutions did not, and the faculty recruited are fantastic. The College will conduct tenure-track searches this year; we just have to be sure that we are hiring new colleagues who want to join Fairfield for the right reasons and not just because of the economic climate. The goal is to hire someone that wants to engage in our initiatives and is interested in what the University is doing.

 

Dr. Liz Hohl—How are you planning to help part time faculty become part of the institution's strategic initiatives? There are many part time faculty who have worked at the University for numerous years.

Fr. Fitzgerald shared that he was a visiting professor last spring at Seattle University. The term "visiting" in many universities means that a faculty member holds an appointment at one institution and then "visits" another for a short period of time before returning home. At Fairfield, we have "visiting" faculty, but Fairfield is really their home. He expressed concerns with the classification of these faculty. Faculty engaged in teaching at the University for a length of time should be classified differently, perhaps as a lecturer or assistant professor without tenure. He questioned how proper categories for these different models could be determined. It is important to honor and value all faculty who contribute to the University.

 

Dr. David Downie mentioned that we need to deal with the reality that Fairfield is compared to other schools, where other institutions have more faculty with terminal degrees. This can be unfair to faculty, who may be stronger teachers than those with terminal degrees, but we need to be strategic in terms of how to be increasingly competitive within the market place in relations to tenure-track, part-time, and adjunct faculty.

 

Fr. Fitzgerald mentioned that chairs should talk to full-time faculty and determine a clear formula to develop a system where full-time faculty teach foundational courses. There is a need offer a solid foundation in learning outcomes relative to methodology, core knowledge, and practicing essential learning outcomes for specific areas of study. If students build a weak base at the start of their college career, there is greater difficulty when they need to use the foundational knowledge and skills for the upper level courses. He asked chairs to schedule a large portion of their full-time faculty to foundational courses. Ideally he would like to see all courses taught by tenure track faculty with the exception of approximately 20% adjunct teaching for our faculty during sabbatical or pre-tenure leaves or to fill-in for retirement, while a search is being conducted. He would like to see our student population grow to a population of 3,200 undergrads and 1,600 graduate students.

 

Dr. Mary Ann Carolan—Is there anyway to create a balance in areas where there is not enough full-time faculty?

Fr. Fitzgerald would like to engage chairs and directors in a conversation to identify strategic hires. He agreed that in Modern Languages there is a structural imbalance. He mentioned that this situation holds at similar institutions.

 

Dr. Phil Lane—What are your three major goals for the next five years?

Fr. Fitzgerald highlighted the following:

• Further Integration of the core
• Living and Learning
• Diversity—More accessibility for students with a variety of learning styles, different philosophical points of view, etc…

 

Dr. Danke Li—What are your thoughts on globalizing Fairfield?

Fr. Fitzgerald listed the principle goals of the Society of Jesus world-wide:

• Dialogue between religions and cultures.
• Dialogue of faith and reason, religion and science.
• Geographical priorities for special attention—China and Africa

 

Ideally Fr. Fitzgerald would like Fairfield students to feel like they are a member of our community and a member of the human race. They have certain duties to their peers—care and attention. It is important for them to experience the community at Fairfield activating a sense of belonging and generosity, and later focusing their generosity outward.

 

The group thanked Fr. Fitzgerald for his openness and time.

 

The meeting adjourned to a reception with light refreshments.