CAS Dean’s Council Meeting

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Draft of Minutes

Attendees

Dr. Peter Bayers, Director of American Studies

Dr. Angela Biselli, Chair of the Department of Physics

Ms. Jean Daniele, Manager of CAS Operations
Dr. Dina Franceschi, Professor of Economics, On behalf of the Chair of the Department of Economics

Dr. Richard Greenwald, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences

Dr. Terry Ann Jones, Director of International Studies

Dr. Dennis Keenan, Professor of Philosophy, On behalf of the Chair of the Philosophy Department

Dr. Janie Leatherman, Chair of Department of Politics

Ms. Andrea Martinez, CAS Assistant Dean
Dr. Margaret McClure, Director of School of Social Sciences
Dr. Eric Mielants, Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology

Dr. Irene Mulvey, Chair of the Department of Mathematics
Dr. Laura Nash, Chair of the Department of Visual & Performing Arts & Co-Director of the Honors Program
Dr. Nels Pearson, Director of the School of Humanities
Dr. Elizabeth Petrino, CAS Associate Dean

Dr. Shelley Phelan, Chair of the Department of Biology and Director of the School of Natural & Behavioral Sciences
Ms. Sandy Richardson, Program Coordinator

Dr. Katherine Schwab, Director of the School of Communication, Media and the Arts
Dr. John Slotemaker, Chair of the Department of Religious Studies

Dr. Gary Weddle, Chair of the Department of Chemistry

Dr. Jiwei Xiao, Chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures

Dr. Tommy Xie, Chair of the Department of English

Dr. Qin Zhang, Chair of the Department Communication

Regrets
Dr. James Biardi, Director of Environmental Studies
Dr. David McFadden, Chair of the Department of History and Director of Russian, E. European and Central Asian Studies
Dr. Kathryn Nantz, Chair of the Department of Economics
Dr. Curtis Naser, Chair of the Department of Philosophy
Dr. Judy Primavera, Chair of the Department of Psychology

Dr. Glenn Sauer, CAS Associate Dean

Guests
Ms. Darlene Dunn, Purchasing Assistant

Dr. Jerelyn Johnson, Associate Director of the School of Humanities

Mr. Peter Perez, Purchasing Manager

Mr. Patrick Russell, Director of Development

Approval of October 4, 2017 Minutes

Dr. Shelley Phelan moved to approve the October 4 minutes with a second motion from
Dr. John Slotemaker. The majority approved the minutes. There was one abstention.

Egencia Questions/Concerns

Mr. Peter Perez, Purchasing Manager, attended the meeting to explain and answer questions regarding Egencia:

·       Senior Management’s objectives for a travel management tool are:

1.     To collect information on travel spent so that Fairfield can negotiate contracts with travel companies, airlines, hotels, etc. (Enough information has been collected to start negotiations.)

2.     The tool must be configured to meet with Fairfield’s travel policy requirements and to ensure compliance.

3.     The tool must have one over approval for each travel request.

4.     The tool must assist travelers with duty of care.

·       Egencia was never meant to be the lowest cost. They do not publish heavily discounted fares for non-leisure travel and do not provide flexibility for less desirable types of flights.

·       When you search for a flight, it will come back with in policy and out of policy flights. It’s possible to book a flight out of policy but the reason needs to be provided.

·       Peter asked that everyone look at Egencia as their first option. If a more discounted price is found or a better option, contact Peter for an exception approval. A print screen of the travel request should be provided for Peter’s approval.

·       Training sessions are offered to assist with using Egencia. Webinar training sessions are posted in Today at Fairfield announcements. Peter will also look into the possibility of recording a training session.

·       We need to revisit the travel program and see what works well and what does not, the way it is structured and what can be done to improve the program.

·       Other travel management tools are being researched but they are similar to Egencia and all operate the same. Other options may be possible but we need to work with Egencia for the time being.

·       Peter reached out to Airbnb regarding their corporate travel program. However, Risk Management is not comfortable with this option since many of these locations do not have safety and security for employees.

·       Peter understands budget restrictions, including presentation/conference requirements for Rank & Tenure, and is willing to work with all. He asked everyone to submit travel requests to him in a timely manner.

·       It is important to let Peter know if you are having issues with Egencia. Dialogue and communication are essential to making decisions and finding a solution.

·       Don’t invest too much time and effort with Egencia. Send Peter screenshots as opposed to being on the phone for hours. Make the effort but, if unsuccessful, contact Peter.

·       For any questions, concerns or issues, contact Peter at peterperez1@fairfield.edu

Humanities Institute Grants

Dr. Nels Pearson, Director of Humanities Institute and Dr. Jerelyn Johnson, Associate Director of Humanities Institute, updated the Council on Humanities Institute grant proposals:

·       Jerelyn Johnson distributed the Humanities Institute Call for Proposals.

·       The Humanities Institute reviews program grant proposals three times annually. Dates vary pending weekends and holidays, but are generally:

o   October 15 (late fall and spring programs)

o   February 10 (late spring, summer and early fall programs)

o   August 1 (early fall programs)

·       Another option is to apply for a streamlined “Quick Grant” for up to $250. These are due the first of each AY month that does not have a program grant deadline: Jan. 1, March 1, April 1, May 1,
Sept. 1, Nov. 1 and Dec. 1.

·       Applications and call for proposals are available at www.fairfield.edu/humanities.

·       There is $50,000 available per year to fund grants.

·       The Institute is not receiving as many grant proposals as they would like. More applications are encouraged.

·       There is only one type of grant to apply for at present but eventually there may be two grant types: programming and individual research travel/expenses.

·       A seminar may be held on how to present a successful grant proposal.

·       The grant does not pay for conferences or time involved. The budgeted item must be related to the project.

·       As far as how much of an intersection there would need to be with the Humanities, the Dean suggested looking at the Mellon Foundation for a discreet definition of humanistic social sciences.

·       Quality of proposal and relevance to humanities on campus and in general are important.

·       Titles of previous awards can be viewed on the Humanities website.

·       Feel free to contact Nels Pearson at npearson@fairfield.edu or Jerelyn Johnson at jjohnson@fairfield.edu for assistance and advice.

Discussion with Directors of CAS Schools

Directors:         Dr. Margaret McClure, Director of the School of Social Sciences
                        Dr. Nels Pearson, Director of the School of Humanities
                                    Dr. Shelley Phelan, Director of the School of Natural & Behavioral Science & Mathematics
                        Dr. Katherine Schwab, Director of the School of Communication, Arts and Media

All four directors of the schools shared ideas, issues and experiences on internships, job career placement, student resources, marketing and recruitment.

Internships:

·       It is best to keep internships in the department because of relationships that have been established over time with partners as well as having control over internships and how they relate to the curriculum.

·       A central location would be beneficial for marketing and advertising. There is a real need to get the word out on internship opportunities. All internships should be posted with career planning so there is a full list.

·       Summer internships are an issue since either departments are not able to offer them and/or faculty is uncompensated for overseeing them. Mentoring students in labs is also not compensated.

Job Career Placement:

·       More awareness is needed at the career and internship fair about CAS student opportunities. Contact Cath Borgman to have more companies represented.

·       Host alumni or career panels on a semi-regular basis.

·       Ways we can get success stories from our alumni into student profiles on the website.

·       Cultivate an interest in the Professional Development Series in the College and how it may relate to preparing students to go into the work force.

Student Resources:

·       There are inadequate resources for students who do research projects to travel and present at academic conferences. There is no mechanism in place for funding. Many students who present at conferences only have funds if they have scholarships or if faculty have grants which may cover a portion of the cost.

·       Funding is needed to support student resources for working in a lab, conducting research, doing creative work and presenting at conferences.

Marketing and Recruitment:

Dr. Shelley Phelan:

-       Sciences share calendars so faculty can see what the events are within the school.

-       Science Chairs work with Admissions (Alison Hildenbrand) for targeted recruitment strategies and new ways to change the format, such as at our April Admitted Students Day. Shelley Phelan highly recommended working with Alison.

Dr. Margaret McClure:

-       Marketing, recruitment and branding information can be found on their website, in addition to information on internships, student resources and research opportunities.

Dr. Nels Pearson:

-       Panels for recruitment, for example Humanities careers. A well-known expert on the panel would draw more attention.

Dr. Katherine Schwab:

-       SOCAM is in the early planning stages of hosting their own undergraduate conference at Fairfield next September. The current working title is “Converging and Emerging Media.” This conference could be rotated among other schools in the College in the future.

Announcements from the Dean

·       The Dean and Patrick Russell are developing a case of support for the College that will encompass all of the College’s needs. These will be put in one package with multiple buckets.

·       As a College, we need to address major priorities and need for strategic planning. The Dean will begin the process soon and an actionable document will be created. More discussion will take place with the Dean’s Council to establish priorities for this year and next.

·       Regarding facilities issues in the College, the Dean meets with Mr. David Frassinelli, Vice President of Facilities Management, regularly to review the College’s list of critical needs and long term planning projects. Upcoming projects include:

o   Renovating Donnarumma Hall

o   New building for Communication, Arts, Performing Arts

o   Expanding and modernizing Bannow Science Center

o   Renovating back offices on third floor in Canisius Hall

David will attend the Dean’s Council meeting in the spring to discuss these issues and what the College needs to do for funding.

·       The Dean will forward a report on the yield rate of students who apply and choose to come to Fairfield. We need to recruit those students who are accepted to Fairfield and choose not to come. Every department should have a point person and a separate email address created so that parents and students can ask questions directed to faculty and know who to contact. It is important to invite admitted students to yield event experiences, possibly collectively, including an alumni career panel. The Dean is working with Admissions to make sure they highlight the College’s new programs. Patrick advised that yield events are currently being done on a University level.

·       Elizabeth Petrino requested feedback on what works well with internships in each department. With this information, Elizabeth can identify what these best practices are and actually grow the internships within the college.

·       CAS students recently participated in a NBC tour and connected with alumni who work there. We have relationships with alumni in many places. This should be centralized at Fairfield. A point person should be designated to work with departments and identify alumni connections.
Cath Borgman is establishing a LinkedIn workshop with freshmen bio majors so they can informally interact with our alumni online.