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Provost’s Report to Faculty – May 2020

Andrew Bruso

Dear Colleagues:

It is impossible to say enough about the valiant work of the academic and professional faculty to adjust, adapt, and offer the best learning experiences that could be devised in the available time so that our students could continue to advance academically in the latter half of spring 2020 as the coronavirus made its insidious way into our lives. I applaud the generosity of experienced faculty who reached out unasked and offered to help colleagues newer to remote education. To faculty who were new to distance education technologies and who persevered in efforts to employ it post-COVID-19, in spite of technical difficulties of the kind that can strike even the most experienced, there is no doubt that students appreciated your demonstrated investment in their intellectual growth under unexpected and extreme circumstances. I know that our success depended heavily on the contributions of many employees to student support, academic advising, technology and technology support, and other key functions.

To faculty with considerable experience in and ease with online modalities, you modeled what is possible when extensive time and support in instructional design underpin online course development. Relatedly, when we looked at distance education course offerings at the College over time, we learned that over 300 unique courses have previously been offered in an online format at New Paltz. Faculty who have taught or were already teaching courses designed for online or hybrid/blended delivery were no doubt able to make a relatively smooth transition in the sudden shift to all remote education in March. To support all faculty in preparing for the possibility of having to resort to remote instruction, which we cannot rule out, contingency training modules are now being offered, about which more will be said below.

In this report, I will provide updates and announcements as outlined below.

Contents

  • BGS Proposal Internal Approval
  • SUNY Trustees to Consider One-year Extension of Tenure Clock
  • Continued Support of Faculty as a Focus of Contingency Planning
  • Recent Recognitions
  • Out and About the Virtual Campus
  • Summer

BGS Proposal Internal Approval

The passage of the B.A. in General Studies online degree completion program proposal by the Faculty Senate represents a milestone in the College’s history. Designed to offer the adult population an undergraduate distance education program featuring the high quality for which New Paltz is so well known, the proposed program represents a significant opportunity to carry out our social justice mission. Following extensive development, discussion, and consultation resulting in final internal passage, the proposal has been sent forward for System level review. Thank you to all who contributed to moving this forward, providing input, asking clarifying questions, and enriching dialogue along the way.

SUNY Trustees to Consider One-Year Extension of Tenure Clock

At its May 5 and 6, 2020, meeting the SUNY Board of Trustees is set to vote on a resolution that would allow an additional year towards tenure, that is, an extension of the tenure clock by one year for current non-tenured faculty. Faculty are free to opt out of the extension. The resolution comes about in consideration of the disruption to non-tenured faculty’s progress towards earning tenure because of coronavirus pandemic impacts.

Continued Support of Faculty as a Focus of Contingency Planning

As part of contingency planning for the fall semester in the event that seated classes are disrupted due to COVID-19, and in the continuing effort to strongly support faculty, new training is now available. Designed for faculty wanting to progress in conducting online or hybrid courses effectively, training modules were made available late last week and will continue to be accessible indefinitely.

The focus of the online training is creating a blended learning course (with synchronous and asynchronous elements) in an expedited amount of time. Discrete segments of the training explain the necessity for certain design choices and then provide step-by-step instructions so faculty can execute these recommendations in their own respective Blackboard course shells.

All faculty were automatically enrolled in this training course by Friday, May 1, and have ongoing access from that date. To access the short course, you will need to log in to Blackboard (Bb) and look for “Training: Developing a Blended Learning Course” in your Course area. The training will be listed in the section of courses where Bb has you enrolled as “students.”

When Open SUNY learned of our training modules and asked to see them, SUNY ended up being so impressed that they have requested to use modules in the state system’s Center for Professional Development (giving New Paltz credit). Kudos to New Paltz’s expert instructional designers Kate Bohan and Rich McElrath! Their outstanding work that will now benefit not only our faculty but also faculty colleagues throughout the SUNY system.

Recent Recognitions

Congratulations to the College’s winners of the SUNY Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence! As you may already know from the campus-wide announcement and the Report of the President, four members of our campus have been recognized for 2020, including faculty members Heather Morrison (Excellence in Faculty Service) and Narcyz Roztocki (Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activity) as well as Valerie McAllister (Excellence in Professional Service) and Vika Shock (Excellence in Professional Service). These exceptional individuals embody the qualities and accomplishments that make New Paltz an exceptional institution!

Out and About on the Virtual Campus

I had the opportunity to attend virtually the 32nd Graduate Symposium of the English Department on April 30 and came away impressed by the preparation, substance, and confidence evidenced by graduate students in the presentations I heard. I also learned about new writers, including one poet whose work I am especially eager to begin reading this summer.

Summer

In closing, I express my hopes that the summer months provide occasional respite from coronavirus concerns that can consume so many of our waking hours and even invade our dreams. Though it will undoubtedly include steep challenges, I very much look forward to working with the faculty of SUNY New Paltz in the coming academic year.

Best regards,
Barbara

Barbara G. Lyman
Interim Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs