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Provost Lyman’s Report to Faculty – September 2020

Andrew Bruso

This report was shared with faculty and staff on Sept. 1, 2020.

Dear Colleagues:

I take this opportunity to welcome faculty returning for the new school year and to welcome those joining our community this fall. Having met our newest colleagues for the first time at new faculty orientation, I was reinforced in my sense that their arrival portends enriching synergies for an already vibrant and dynamic campus community. Thank you to all of our returning faculty for welcoming, supporting, and interweaving new colleagues into the life and work of New Paltz not only at the point of their arrival but throughout the semester, academic year, and times ahead.

In this report, I will provide announcements and updates as well as call your attention to faculty awards, honors, and publications.

Acknowledgement and Thank You – Teaching Faculty

I want to acknowledge and say thank you to faculty for your diligence in preparing for the fall semester. Whether you are teaching seated, hybrid, or entirely remote courses, current circumstances, including changes to the academic calendar, have required reconsidering and reshaping of course organization, content, and pedagogy. Knowing the high value that New Paltz faculty place on the quality of teaching gives me tremendous confidence that when you see opportunity embedded in the many challenges, you take advantage where you can to heighten that quality.

Acknowledgement and Thank You – Staff and Faculty

Meeting the pandemic’s challenges calls for increased support for faculty. Many staff and faculty members have stepped up and added to that support. I want to acknowledge such work and express appreciation for it. Helping to refine this support has been Megan Ferguson, chair of chemistry, who joined the Academic Planning (COVID-19) Group once we entered the implementation phase of our fall reopening plan, New Paltz Forward. I also thank the faculty and staff members comprising the Committee on Educational Technology for their recommendation to develop an online faculty fellows program. That program has launched as the 2020 Peer Instructional Design Mentor Teachers, following selection of the inaugural group of faculty serving in this role. SUNY New Paltz’s Peer Instructional Design Mentor Teachers are:

  • Helena Costakis (Business)
  • Martine Green-Rogers (Theatre Arts)
  • Andrew Higgins (English)
  • Caroline Hoppenwasser (Teaching & Learning)
  • Blair Proctor (Black Studies, Teacher Mentor for New Faculty)
  • Rachel Rigolino (English)
  • Kevin Shanley (Engineering)

Each week during the fall semester, one of these seven faculty mentors will be available during virtual drop-in hours, offering peer-to-peer advice to other instructors on a wide range of topics related to online and hybrid teaching. Finally, I thank staff colleagues from Information Technology Services, in particular Kate Bohan and Rich McElrath, who have provided extraordinary support ever since COVID-19 shifted our academic offerings to remote platforms. Support they have provided includes a Blackboard short course on developing a blended learning course in which all faculty were automatically enrolled last May 1 and the recently launched student orientation to Blackboard. Of course, Kate and Rich are also providing support to our inaugural group of Mentor Teachers.

Priorities in 2020-2021

In future reports to the faculty, please expect to hear more on our collaborative advancement of the following priorities this academic year, building on a great deal of the dedicated and outstanding work previously accomplished by faculty:

  • Middle States Evaluation Visit Spring 2021
  • 2020-2021 Preparations for Academic Master Plan (AMP) Development
  • Equity-minded Review towards Advancement of Curriculum and Pedagogy
  • Continuing to Foster Student Academic Engagement and Achievement in Challenging Circumstances

Recent Faculty Awards, Honors, and Publications/Creative Work

You can find recent recognitions of faculty accomplishments at the following link: https://sites.newpaltz.edu/news/category/research/. This month you will also find there introductory biographies of our newest faculty colleagues and can see what talented and distinguished teachers and scholars have chosen to join us at New Paltz.

Closing

In concluding, I wish to express to you how much I look forward to our continued joint efforts over the next two years in service of our paramount goal of the growth and success of our students so that they, and our society in turn, will be well-served.

Best regards,
Barbara

Barbara Lyman
Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs