[Academic-Affairs] Academic Affairs Newsletter: Nov/Dec 2024
Marcus Tye
mtye001 at plattsburgh.edu
Tue Nov 26 23:08:17 UTC 2024
Academic Affairs Newsletter: Nov/Dec 2024
To: Academic Affairs Faculty and Staff
From: Marcus Tye, Provost & SVPAA
We are closing on the end of the semester, our final stretch for our
students and one another and a hectic time, so I’ll try to keep my comments
under 1,000 words (not including the many highlights sent in from our
community, below the fold!).
ABOVE-THE-FOLD
-
The Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) and Technology Enhanced
Learning (TEL) visioning task force
<https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1spZ6hf2c414VrBDviEKu8ZHyIOYlVdOTMkefeiRpNR0/edit?gid=0#gid=0>
has met and is looking at how we can leverage resources to better support
program development (including graduate, and online) while continuing the
current work of the CTE and TEL. I asked the task force to consider models
at other universities for how these are organized, if we should reorganize,
and if so, what would be the best skill set for the one hire (to replace
the former full-time CTE director) especially with an eye to future program
development. The taskforce hopes to reach recommendations in early
February. The link has the taskforce membership, areas selected after
consultation with faculty senate leadership and provost’s cabinet. We’ve
approved a Spring 2025 trial of a CTE faculty fellow focused on humanities,
at the suggestion of Interim Director of CTE Dr. Kelly Theisen.
-
Per SUNY Administration requirements, Chief Academic Officers (CAO) have
to submit a Credit for Prior Learning policy by December 31. I called a
small taskforce that forwarded recommendations in October to the Academic
Policies Committee, which has sent their recommendation to the Faculty
Senate for a December vote.
-
A new policy from the Academic Policies Committee encouraging all
faculty to have a syllabus online in Brightspace, for in-person and online
courses, is moving forward to the Faculty Senate. I do hope this best
practice will be fully adopted by everyone.
-
I took the Equity Advocates training and was truly impressed with the
depth of our DEI training. I encourage you to take this if you haven’t yet.
-
We are doing well as an institution. Retention rates at regional
comprehensive universities for all students were 74.5% in 2023-24
(Clearinghouse Research Center), ours was 82.4%. First year fall to
sophomore fall retention was 68.2% at RCUs in 2023-23 nationally, and ours
was 72.8%. We clearly have more to do and Kylie King has a new data analyst
to help assist with insights that we in Academic Affairs can use. Our
non-residential students have some of the greatest needs for support, and
thinking of them as you develop student engagement events (such as
async/streaming) can help with belongingness for those who do not live on
campus and may see less of our supportive community. Earlier this month I
attended the fall SUNY CAO meeting; we are doing very well fiscally and in
enrollment compared to most of the comprehensives, and far better than many
private non-profit institutions of a similar size. Much to be grateful for!
-
If you are thinking of a new academic program please consult with your
Chair and Dean. The Dean can ask me to outreach for professional market
analysis to SUNY system administration. Neither Marketing nor Admissions
on campus has access to market research tools at the moment due to the
expense of these.
-
I’ve shifted to a bimonthly format for the newsletter (two a semester)
to be mindful of your time and my bandwidth limits!
-
The Faculty Senate is conducting a study on service study; I will be
very attentive to the results of this senate created and led initiative.
-
I’ve added a section in the lengthy highlights below on new programs
underway. I truly hope we can collaborate across departments and Schools to
maximize resources, possibly sharing teaching across divisions where
appropriate and cross-listing courses, in addition to true
multi-disciplinary programs and certificates. This will only help
support each other and enhance enrollment.
-
Academic Advisement and Director Elizabeth Bernat have been doing
enhanced outreach to hundreds of students with holds as well as those with
no holds who hadn’t registered on schedule, with intensive follow-up for
support resources where appropriate and individual outreach. This has
resulted in substantial increases in registrations.
-
The Learning Center has been continuing professional STEM tutoring, this
is now funded internally after a pilot with one-time monies were exhausted.
-
I have been consulting with the President’s cabinet and Provost’s
cabinet on areas/divisions/teams to be included on the 2025 Strategic
Plan Committee and the 2025 Guiding Academic Plan Committee, and to
inquire as to who we might approach to join. Open nominations should occur
early in spring semester (both for people and for areas) with a clear
timeline for work throughout calendar year 2025. Separately, Kylie King is
leading the Accountability Partners on an analysis of our current strategic
plan, which will occur concurrently with development of our next strategic
plan. The Guiding Academic Plan committee may best be a subset of the
strategic planning committee with a bolstered faculty presence given the
centrality of the faculty in our academic mission and future; I welcome
backchannel thoughts on all of the above.
-
We have so many fantastic artistic, musical, theatrical, academic,
scholarly and other events across our many programs, departments, Centers
and Institutes. Our web team needs advance notice for updating your web
page, I do hope you’ll use Cardinal Link and update events in time to
publicize these events in addition to listing on the digest. ITS is
exploring platforms that may better allow students and others to subscribe
to programming that may be of interest to them.
-
Provost’s Academic Council
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ed0pf-ftWMil_3ZKMqAmqRAsRIVcLPc0a2vUTdfgVuY/edit?usp=sharing>
is now meeting monthly and our discussions include how to expand support
for graduate programs and graduate program policies, and cross-team
cross-division approaches for boosting retention and student success.
Please take a look at the link for membership: this long-standing Provost’s
resource works alongside shared governance to draw together a smaller group
of engaged colleagues to bolster collaborations and share information.
- Academic Affairs is working with Faculty-Senate Executive on
bolstering support for development of graduate studies policies.
-
My best wishes to all for a happy and peaceful holiday season—I hope to
extend these wishes to you in person when we see each other at
Commencement on Saturday, December 14, 10am!
Kind regards – Marcus
Marcus Tye, PhD [he,him]
Provost & SVPAA
------------------------------
A small subset of the many accomplishments and announcements from our
community:
STUDENT AND RECENT ALUMNI RECOGNITION, ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Pictured from left: Amanuel Adefris, Biruk Assefa, Rida Saleem, Jana Bar,
Lucero Rojo, Dr. Nancy Church (Faculty Advisor), Mrudangi Trivedi, Michael
Kodysh, Arshita Pandey.
Several SUNY Plattsburgh students and faculty advisor, Dr. Nancy Church,
recently attended the Collegiate Entrepreneurs' Organization (CEO) conference
in Tampa, FL. Mrudangi Trivedi was among the top 100 finalists in the
business pitch competition.
Church states SUNY Plattsburgh has a very active chapter with three field
trips, two guest speakers, and a fundraiser this semester. The club will
hold its annual Business Plan Poster Competition on Thursday, November 14,
at 6pm in the Cardinal Lounge, with $500 in prize money and four local
businesspeople as judges
Six students from the Music Arts Management program have been invited to
attend the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) conference in
January as Lamond GenNext Award recipients. The NAMM show is the largest
gathering of music forces of all kinds: brands, industry leaders,
cutting-edge products, social media influencers, music production
professionals, and of course music education. The NAMM show is more than
just an event, it's an immersive experience that will ignite new ideas, and
strengthen your place in the industry through networking opportunities and
hands-on experience
Lamond GenNext Awards are highly competitive scholarships, with rigorous
guidelines. They include a cash stipend as well as free admission to the
NAMM show and to NAMM U sessions and events. The six students are: Gio
Choi, Isabella Lambert, Sebastian Kuhn, Alex Rudnick, Luke Gerhardt and
Ngozi Permaul. The students will attend the conference in Los Angeles, in
January 2025, with faculty supervisor and Department Chair Karen Becker.
THE CENTER FOR TEACHING EXCELLENCE (CTE)
>From Interim Director CTE and Assistant Professor Dr. Kelly Theisen: There
has been a frustrating amount of change in the teaching world starting even
before the pandemic and continuing today. It's important to recognize this
is not the fault of faculty or students, but the result of changes to
society and K-12 instruction during the pandemic. To continue capitalizing
on the Black Solidarity Day energy and charge: to be the change we wish to
see, I hope you will consider adding more structure
<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1r7TPhB79q6zyV7B4gANKGw0ZoJ3LCIqV/view?usp=sharing>
to your course(s). One way to show we care about our students, especially
our underrepresented students, is to use effective teaching methods that
are backed up by research, and adding structure to your course improves
student outcomes and reduces equity gaps. There are lots of ways to add
structure to a course, so you can choose one (or several) that works best
for your course and your unique teaching style. Feel free to reach out to
the Interim Director for more assistance with course planning as well (
cte at plattsburgh.edu).
FACULTY & PROGRAM / DEPT. RECOGNITION, GRANTS AWARDED
Dr. Monica Ciobanu's (Criminal Justice) co-edited book (with Dr. Mihaela
Serban from Ramapo College, NJ) titled Between the Memory and the
Post-Memory of Romanian Communism: Fluid Memories was accepted for
publication by Routledge Press and will be out in print in Spring 2025.
Dr. Rajesh Sunasee (Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry): Book Chapter
titled "Hydrogels Modification", Part 1, Chapter 6 of the book "Natural and
Synthetic Hydrogels: Rational Design, Synthesis & Biomedical Applications",
Ed by R. Narain, Nov 2024, Elsevier, ISBN: 9780443161681. "Hydrogels are
three-dimensional networks of cross-linked polymers or particles that
contain a large amount of water. They have received tremendous attention
for applications in biomedicines, which has led to significant progress in
the design and engineering of the hydrogels to meet the needs for such
applications. Readership includes upper level undergraduate and graduate
students, researchers, and professors teaching fundamental and applied
aspects of hydrogels."
Center for Neurobehavioral Health: One of the 6 Center for Neurobehavioral
Health (Center) programs, Nexus, that serve the North Country Community,
received a new 5-year contract totaling $461,469 (Contract Term: 01/01/2025
– 12/31/2029). The project directors for the Nexus program are Dr. Laci
Charette, Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of the School
Psychology MA/CAS program and Dr. Suzannah Chatlos, Assistant Professor of
Psychology. This is a renewal of the prior 5-year contract that totaled
$375,729 (Contract Term: 01/01/2020-12/31/2024). Nexus is a social
competence program for children with autism spectrum disorders, ages 5 to
16 years. The program meets on weekends during fall and spring semesters,
and on weekdays during the summer, at the Center located in Sibley Hall.
Since academic year 2015-2016, the program has provided 366 experiential
opportunities for SUNY Plattsburgh students. As always, the Center
appreciates the hard work of Michael Simpson, Director, Sponsored Research
and Programs, Yvonne Lott, Associate Director/Human Resource Coordinator,
and their staff in supporting the Center programs. And we thank the
President's Office, Administration and Finance, and Academic Affairs for
their continued support of Center programs.
Dr. Disa Seymour, Assistant Professor in the Department of Nursing, has
been selected for an inaugural Nursing Simulation Fellowship by SUNY
Administration. Congratulations!
SUNY PLATTSBURGH AT QUEENSBURY
SUNY Plattsburgh at Queensbury has a 31% increase in enrollment for Fall
2024 from Fall 2023, including Plattsburgh Online (PON) programs that have
historically been in person at Queensbury and the MSW! The new HDFR program
is doing well and 26% of students have a minor. A full enrollment report is
here
<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uxrBGGr37BQZJTBTGDa1RlKXTPBoivjp/view?usp=sharing>
.
STAFF RECOGNITION / ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Sara Schaff Awarded a New York State Council on the Arts Support for
Artists Grant
Sara Schaff (Assistant Professor in English) received a Support for Artists
grant from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) to support her
creative work. Sponsored by Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts, this
award will fund the completion of Sara’s novel The Devil Is a Gentleman.
Through New York State’s continued investment in arts and culture, NYSCA
has awarded $82 million this year to 509 artists and 1,497 organizations
across the state.
“As the unparalleled leader of arts and culture, New York’s creativity and
innovation inspires the
world,” Governor Hochul said. “Our continued investment in our dynamic
creative sector will further boost tourism, strengthen our local economies
and continue New York’s success as a rich and vibrant place to live, work
and visit.”
Executive Director of NYSCA Erika Mallin said, “Artists are our
changemakers, our thought leaders and one of our greatest resources for a
brighter future. On behalf of the Council, congratulations to Sara Schaff
and all our FY 2025 grantees. We are proud to support the critical work
that you do.”
About the New York State Council on the Arts
The mission of the New York State Council on the Arts is to foster and
advance the full breadth of New York State’s arts, culture, and creativity
for all. To support the ongoing recovery of the arts across New York State,
the Council on the Arts will award $162 million in FY2025, serving
organizations and artists across all 10 of the state’s regions. The Council
on the Arts further advances New York's creative culture by convening
leaders in the field and providing organizational and professional
development opportunities and informational resources.
Created by Governor Nelson Rockefeller in 1960 and continued with the
support of Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature, the Council
is an agency that is part of the Executive Branch. For more information on
NYSCA, please visit arts.ny.gov, and follow NYSCA's Facebook page, on X
@NYSCArts and Instagram @NYSCouncilontheArts.
NEW PROGRAMS IN DEVELOPMENT / UNDERWAY (some have yet to hit SUNY)
Microcredential: Teaching Assistant Apprenticeship
New Certificate Program: Online Certificate in Becoming a Social Media
Influencer
Degree Revision: Childhood Education (Grades 1-6), M.S.T. (Online)
Degree Revision: Special Education - Birth to Grade 12, M.S.Ed.
ANNOUNCEMENTS / POLICY UPDATES FROM AA TEAM
A New, Semester-long Professional Development Opportunity from Technology
Enhanced Learning (TEL) premieres over the January Break
Over the Winter break, TEL will debut a new workshop entitled "Humanizing
Your Online Course." This 4-month workshop kicks off on Monday, January 13
with an hour-long synchronous Zoom session, and three monthly, asynchronous
modules from February through April. Participants will explore how to lay a
foundational tone of inclusivity and warmth from Week 0, utilize digital
tools to foster instructor and social presence, and design activities that
build a thriving community of learners. The aim is to transform the online
educational space into one where students feel valued, connected, and
motivated to engage with the course content and their peers. Whether this
is your first time teaching online, or your fiftieth, you're encouraged to
participate and share your experiences with co-participants throughout the
semester. For more information and to register, visit the TEL workshop Web
page. <https://facweb.plattsburgh.edu/workshops/>
Conversations in Disciplines (CID) program for 2025-2026
SUNY Administration is restarting the Conversations in Disciplines (CID)
program for 2025-2026 academic year with Conversations on student success,
or research and scholarship. The deadline is Friday, January 31, 2025 and
guidelines are at: www.suny.edu/cid/ - note that a single faculty Lead
Project Director is needed, to ensure coordination. If you are interested
in this, please reach out to Sue Bartlett by December 1 to let her know of
your interest, and she will then share the names of all interested faculty
with each other so that the interested faculty can themselves arrange a
meeting, select a director, and coordinate an application. The proposal
goes directly from faculty to SUNY and I am happy to consult should the
faculty group want my input; my only request is that you keep me informed
of what you submit.
Student Success Dashboard Update
The Office of Institutional Effectiveness is excited to share a number of
newly available Student Success Dashboards
<https://plattsburgh.successdashboard.org/>! The Equity Gaps Dashboard now
includes pages about Course GPA Equity Gaps
<https://plattsburgh.successdashboard.org/equity-gaps/achievement-gaps-gpa>,
Equity Gaps in Achieving Junior Status
<https://plattsburgh.successdashboard.org/equity-gaps/earning-junior-status>,
and a summary of potential Actions to Take
<https://plattsburgh.successdashboard.org/equity-gaps/actions>. The new
Plattsburgh by the Numbers Dashboard provides information about Historical
Persistence and Graduation Rates
<https://plattsburgh.successdashboard.org/by-the-numbers/historical-grad-rates>
as well as general information about Equity Gaps
<https://plattsburgh.successdashboard.org/by-the-numbers/equity-gaps>. With
any questions about the dashboard pages, or to schedule individual or group
sessions to learn more about how to use this tool, contact OIE (
OIE at plattsburgh.edu).
A note from Information Technology Services
Banner Oracle Linux7 to Oracle Linux8 Upgrade
After nearly a year of work which involved upgrading/rewriting almost 1000
programs and completely replacing other backend Banner solutions, the
upgrade to our entire Banner technology stack was completed on October
30th. The upgrade was completed prior to the 12/31/24 deadline which will
enable us to receive and implement future banner updates for business
functions like financial aid. This upgrade would not be possible without
the hard work and dedication of the IT professionals in our Computer
Information Systems department. Banner 8 to Banner 9 application upgrades
are in process.
University Faculty Senate Plenary Meeting Oct 24-26th
SUNY Plattsburgh hosted the Fall University Faculty Senate Plenary
meeting. ITS coordinated with Campus Facilities to design a setup with
most services hidden to enhance the visual layout of the meeting spaces.
ITS staff were tasked to “run” all technical aspects (microphones,
speakers/sound, video switching, Zoom, broadcasting presenter materials,
and connectivity) of this major event. A full complement of high tech
setups were completed in the Warren Ballroom, ACC meeting rooms, and Myers
Hall. Feedback received by all accounts was an extremely successful event.
Zoom Phone System Migration
ITS is building out procedures to migrate campus phone services to Zoom
Voice. A soft launch for the migration has been completed for the Branch
Campus at Queensbury, Accessibility Resource Office, Career Development
Center, Human Development & Family Relations
<https://www.plattsburgh.edu/academics/schools/ehhs/hdfr/index.html>,
Information Technology Services, Human Resources, Payroll, and Emergency
Management. ITS is currently planning to migrate phone services for
offices relocating as part of the Clinton Community College relocation.
Clinton Relocation in progress
ITS completed an assessment of existing IT conditions for all spaces
involved with the Clinton relocation. The condition reports were shared
with local teams, Clinton Community, and SUCF. We also continue
coordination with Campus Facilities to document and track the movement for
all the campus relocations over the next 3-5 months. ITS also developed
and distributed an IT shared services bundle to Clinton Community College
for consideration.
Information Security
Our annual campus Information Security Penetration Test is scheduled from
November 7th-December 19th. The SUNY Security Operations Center (SOC) will
be performing these tests to ultimately assess our campus security
infrastructure and defenses. We are also actively working through the
process to renew our Breach insurance, assess the new SUNY Information
Security Policy, and attend engagements for the new Payment Card Industry
(PCI) 4.0 compliance standards.
A FEW IMPORTANT DEADLINES IN NEXT 2 MONTHS
The Final Week of the semester is December 7-13, 2024
It is required that classes meet or have other substantive activity during
this week to comply with NYS educational mandates, Middle States
accreditation requirements, SUNY policy, and the U.S. Department of
Education definition of credit hours. Faculty who administer a synchronous
final exam should do so in accordance with the Final Week exam schedule
<https://www.plattsburgh.edu/about/offices-divisions/registrar/final-exam-schedule.html>.
Faculty offering coursework in an asynchronous format must provide some
type of exam or other class activity during the Final Week in order to
comply with the definition of credit hours. Keep in mind that students
should be provided with adequate time to prepare for any culminating
assessments; thus, final exams and projects should not be due to faculty
prior to exam week. The deadline for entering final grades is noon on
Wednesday, December 18, 2024. To allow processing of final grades, it is
critical that grades be submitted prior to this deadline. For students who
will receive an incomplete, the entire course roster of grades must be
submitted including “Incomplete” where appropriate and completion of
an Incomplete
Grade Form
<https://www.plattsburgh.edu/_documents/registrar/fillable-incomplete-work-form-04-2020-ada.pdf>.
Leaving a grade blank in anticipation of a student submitting work shortly
after deadlines, is not compliant with policies.
SUNY Undergraduate Research Conference (SURC) 2025 is Monday April 25 at
Binghamton, abstracts due January 13 <https://cpd.suny.edu/surc/>.
Please join us for the joy of celebrating our students and our efforts at
Commencement on Saturday, December 14, 10am!
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