Friday, December 13, 2019

Academic Leadership Team Minutes (9/10/19)


Academic Leadership Team
September 10, 2019
1:00 pm
RH 220

Members Present:     Gayle Arries, Tiffany Blackwell, Jackie Blakley, Ahmad Chaudhry, Jenni Creamer, Rick Cothran, Galen DeHay, Mandy Elmore, Adam Ghiloni, Linda Jameison, Tasheka Johnson, Scott Harvey, Glenn Hellenga, Gabe Hollingsworth, Tom Lawrence, Chris Marino, Bryan Manuel, Mary Orem, Julia Seligson, Brian Swords, Luke VanWingerden

Members Absent:      Tim Bowen, Mark Dougherty, Sarah Shumpert

Other Attendees:       Margaret Burdette, Kristen Lundkovsky, Chris McFarlin, Dorian McIntire, Robert Newton, Jackie Rutledge, Ted Stokes, Julie Vernon

Length of Meeting:    2 hours

The minutes of the August 27, 2019 meeting were approved as presented.

Academic Program Review

Criminal Justice Technology – Chris McFarlin and Robert Newton

·         State of the program
o   Decrease in enrollment.
o   Emphases allow movement which creates deficiencies.
·         Key Numbers
o   Consistent placement.
o   Employers would hire another Tri-County graduate.
o   Well-prepared students.
o   Need to increase enrollment/diversity.
·         Resources
o   Faculty and Advisory Committee.
o   Physical - Classroom/Lab space.
·         Outreach & Marketing
o   Program improvement needs.
o   Traditional and non-traditional students.
o   BPS Academic Recovery Workshops.
o   Reach out to career centers.
§  Students cannot do field service until they are 21 years old – Other positions are available prior to 21.
·         Strategic Plans –Moving Forward
o   Internally
§  Create a culture of professionalism – graded.
§  Representing something bigger than they are.
o   Externally
§  Title 23 – Police Academy is the only entity that can certify – Must change via the legislature.
§  If the law is changed – consider a regional law enforcement training center at Tri-County.
§  Individuals could send themselves to the training center.
§  Eventually tie to a credential to better position students for opportunities/options.
           
There were questions about the marketing plan.  Why market to a population that is not old enough to be a police officer?  The goal is to set up our students for success.  With shift work, it is very hard for this population to return to school, so they are encouraged to work on their degrees now. 

Galen noted that a lot of work is being done to change the code of law.  Success rates are better when the course is held at a community college, so there is a lot of interest.

Associate Degree Nursing – Kristen Lundkovsky

Since many employers require a BSN within three/four years of employment, faculty intentionally advise this way.  Kristen noted the following in her presentation.

·         Health of the Program
o   ACEN accreditation until Fall 2026.
o   Enrollment trends.
o   Completion rates.
o   Nursing Success Policy & Next Steps.
§  Can return after one year, but must start over.
o   Transfer Policy.
§  Evaluate all courses.
§  Students can challenge.
o   NCLEX Results.
§  Tutoring available.
§  ATI – identify at-risk students early.
·         Resources
o   Faculty and Advisory Committee.
o   Student Success & Engagement has been very helpful.
·         Three-year Plan
o   Initiative 1 – Simulation Improvements
§  Full-time simulation coordinator (Recommended by ACEN).
§  Prefer certified coordinator.
o   Initiative 2 – Competitive Clinical Entry Process
§  Change for Fall 2020 applications.
§  No points for the grade of C.
§  Points for medical focus.
§  Points for CNA – AHS 163.
§  Also consider the number of times a course is taken and how long it’s been since the student took the course.
§  Tracking those who do not make it into the program is a challenge.  No solution yet.

It was noted that hospitals with magnet status must have a certain percentage of BSNs on staff.  Satellite hospitals, doctor’s offices, nursing homes do not require the BSN.  While most BSNs move away, our program is community-based and our graduates stay in the area.

This program is core to our mission, but it is too expensive to grow.  In addition, the area is saturated with nursing programs, and clinical placements are difficult to find.

Practical Nursing – Julie Vernon

·         Noted the similarities and differences with the ADN program.
·         Stressed the faces of the program make the program.
·         Outcomes
o   Consistent.
o   Pass rates are as high or higher than state and national averages.
o   Employability is good.
o   Is a healthy program.
·         Plan
o   Faculty credentialing
§  Certification in a specialty before 2022 – Possible areas are
·         Nursing Education
·         Simulation
·         ATI – Online assessment resource; an enhancement to the program, allows us to compare our program nationally.       
o   Expand and Diversify Clinical Opportunities
§  Been creative.
§  Great need for nurses.
§  Expanded to Prisma Health in Greenville acute care and physicians’ offices.
o   High Fidelity Simulation for Clinical Diversity
o   Grow the Program
§  Currently accept 45 in the fall and 24 in the spring. 
§  With one more full-time instructor, could increase spring to 45.
§  Already prepared a feasibility study.
·         Remember the faces
o   One person at a time/one goal at a time.
                                         
                       
The General Engineering Technology APR was delayed and will take place at a later meeting.

PLEAT Discussion    

Luke VanWingerden updated the group on the work of the Physical Learning Experiences Advisory Team.  He noted that the goal of PLEAT is to provide a consistent experience with technology and learning environments across all campuses.  He distributed a handout and discussed the following:
·         Charter
·         Goals
·         Advisory Team
·         Process & Timeline
·         Survey Executive Summary
·         Next Steps
·         Environment Menu
·         Descriptors
·         Room Image/Example – RH 215 is a sample room.
·         Tentative College Investment Over the Next 5 years
·         Proposed Implementation Schedule

Luke noted that this is a framework for making decisions on how we configure rooms.  With a significant college investment, this needs to be sustainable and it needs to be done right.  With building renovations, they are working with Ken Kopera to consider the master facilities plan as the rooms are put into place.  Luke asked to be invited to division and department meetings to discuss this initiative. 

Announcements:

Tiffany Blackwell shared that she has been published in AACRAO.

Julia Seligson reported that voting for the new Faculty Senate president will close on Friday.  The new president will be announced on Monday.

Based on the ADN APR, Jenni Creamer will pull a group together to consider what happens to those students who do not make it into the Nursing program.

Galen gave a brief preview of the President’s Advisory Council meeting, which will focus on the practical vision.  There will be many opportunities for communication and input in the coming months.

With no further business, the meeting was adjourned.

Recorded By:             Anne Bryan

Next Meeting:            Tuesday, October 22 @ 1:00, in RH 220A
           

Friday, December 6, 2019

Faculty Senate Minutes 9/20/19


Tri-County Technical College
Faculty Senate Minutes

Meeting Date: September 20, 2019
Location: SSC 205
Time: 12:30 p.m.
Members Present: Renet Bender, Richard Burton, Deborah DeMino, Meredith Dickens, Corey Evans, Roxanna Ezenekewe, Pam Goodman, Amanda Karaganov, Som Linthicum, Malisa Looney, Gerald Maxie, Jeremy McCracken, Robin McFall, Betty Rogers, Julia Seligson, Doug Stephens, Mia Tensley, James Walker, Rhonda Whitten
Members Absent: Susan Curtis, Jan Gibbs, Foster Sims, Debbie Vance
Guests: Mark Dougherty, Julia Seligson, Luke VanWingerden
Presider: Julia Seligson/Robin McFall
Welcome and Agenda: Julia called the meeting to order at 12:32. She reminded senators to sign the attendance roster and stated that lunch should be arriving soon. She asked senators to sign a thank you card for Galen, showing our appreciation for his willingness to provide our lunch during Senate meetings. At that point, she announced that she was officially turning over the duties of Faculty Senate President to Robin McFall. Robin then directed everyone to the agenda.
1.      Introductions – Robin McFall
Robin welcomed senators and guests to the meeting. She asked senators who were unable to attend the August meeting to introduce themselves and tell what academic area they represented.
Action to be taken as a result of discussion, person(s) responsible, and timeline: Robin will update the attendance information and the list of Faculty Senate members and will submit the list of 2019-20 senators to the College's committee blogspot.
2.      Approval of minutes – Robin McFall
Robin stated that a draft of the minutes from the August 20 meeting had been distributed via email and posted in Teams. She noted that minor changes had been made for typos on pages 1, 2, and 3, and the updated draft had been posted in Teams. She asked if there were other changes that needed to be made. With no other changes recommended, the minutes were approved as posted.
Action to be taken as a result of discussion, person(s) responsible, and timeline: Robin will ensure the approved minutes are posted to the College's committee blogspot.
3.      Potential Medical Issues (Students) – Mark Dougherty
Robin stated a senator had brought forth a concern from a constituent about faculty responsibility and faculty liability when it came to assisting students with medical issues. Mark Dougherty, Dean of Student Development, addressed this concern.
Mark distributed copies of the Personal Emergency Plan students with medical issues are asked to complete and place on file with the Student Accessibility Resource Center. He stated students are not required to share this plan with faculty, but they may do so. Students are directed to keep this plan with them in case an emergency arises. He said his office recommends students keep the plan in their backpacks. Some senators stated they had received these plans and were keeping them on file just as they do Faculty Notification forms for accommodations.

Mark said that faculty are not required to provide aid (such as giving insulin or an Epi-pen injections). However, they are required to follow standard safety procedures such as calling 911 and contacting Campus Police. He also stated that faculty should consider contacting his office for assistance as well.
In addition, he noted that when it comes to liability, South Carolina has a "Good Samaritan" law. Therefore, faculty liability is not an issue.
Action to be taken as a result of discussion, person(s) responsible, and timeline: Mark will share an electronic version of the Personal Emergency Plan with Robin so that it can be shared with senators and faculty constituents. Senators will share this form as appropriate.
4.      PLEAT update – Luke VanWingerder
Luke VanWingerden, CIO and IT Manager, shared information concerning the Physical Learning Experiences Advisory Team and its progress. He noted that senators should have received a PDF of his presentation before the meeting, so he was not going into minute detail concerning the PowerPoint slides. Instead, he wanted to provide background as to PLEAT's creation and update senators on its work.
PLEAT set three goals: 1. Define the desired physical classroom experience; 2. Identify tools and environmental infrastructure, and 3. Ensure standards are selected to provide a consistent experience. He noted this team was not looking for funding or trying to secure funding to create these classrooms.
PLEAT surveyed faculty on what they wanted in the physical classroom. In that survey of 360 faculty, 124 responded to provide input for the team. Specifically, in an executive summary of the responses, he noted the following: "According to respondents, core features that might better enhance the instructional experience would include both digital and physical attributes -- robust connectivity and reliable base-line technology coupled with open, accessible, and flexible spaces.  A concern to solidify foundational infrastructure seemed to outweigh a desire for leading-edge technological tools."  In addition, the executive summary states, "While TCTC faculty do appreciate the promise of technological innovation…they would appreciate more formative opportunities to grow those skills."
Using that faculty input, PLEAT then researched, completed site visits to other institutions, and worked to consistently update its vision. 
Luke encouraged senators and all faculty to go see RH 215 as it provides the best example of what PLEAT is recommending for classrooms across all campuses. He then provided a list of next steps for PLEAT, including open sessions in RH 215 on September 25 and 26. He also offered a tentative cost estimate and a tentative timeline.
Finally, Luke reminded senators a follow-up survey had been sent to faculty concerning PLEAT's work, but the survey has received few responses. He encouraged senators to respond and to ask other faculty to respond. The survey contains only a single question.
Action to be taken as a result of discussion, person(s) responsible, and timeline: Senators will share this update with faculty and encourage them to attend one of the open sessions in RH 215 and to complete the follow-up survey.
At this point, Som recommended that we move the elections of officers ahead of the update on the Faculty Choice Scholarship on the agenda since we were running short on time. All agreed.
5.      Election of Faculty Senate Vice President and Secretary – Robin McFall

Robin opened the floor for nominations for the Vice President's position. Two senators were nominated and agreed to serve if elected: Pam Goodman and Jeremey McCracken.
After voting by private ballot occurred, we had a tie. After consulting the Faculty Senate Constitution and By-laws, we discovered that the section on electing officers does not specify what should happen in the event of a tie. Therefore, one senator asked about getting proxy votes for those senators who were absent to help break the tie. Based on that question, a motion was made and approved to send the nominees' names to all senators and vote electronically.
Once that motion had been approved, another senator noted that under the President's duties, there is a statement saying the President will cast the deciding vote when there is a tie. At that point, Robin stated she had always seen that statement as applying to motions for completing Senate business, not for electing officers. A few senators noted agreement, stating that since we had already decided to send the election to all senators electronically, we should proceed. 
Until that position is finalized, Senate will delay nominating and voting on secretary in case one of the nominees for vice president wishes to also run for secretary.
Action to be taken as a result of discussion, person(s) responsible, and timeline: Robin will create and distribute a poll for voting. Senators will cast one ballot for the candidate of their choice. Once a vice president is elected, Senate will nominate and vote for the secretary's position. Senate will revisit and clarify the Constitution and By-laws sections on electing officers.
6.      Faculty Choice Scholarship – Som Linthicum
Som updated Faculty Senate on the work completed on revitalizing the Faculty Choice Scholarship. He noted the senators who met over the summer recommended using the term "award" instead of "scholarship." He reminded everyone that our focus is on helping a student(s) who might be struggling with "life issues" but showed promise of being successful with some help.  He also shared information concerning the group's work on 1. Initial Criteria, 2. Selection Logistics, 3. Building and Promoting, and 4. Rebranding/renaming. Since we were short on time, we did not have a poll on potential names for the award. Instead, the group will send a poll concerning those names. 
Since the group working on this initiative was somewhat informal, Som noted that the members were willing to continue serving if Senate approved. He stated other senators were welcome to join the group. Amanda Karaganov volunteered to join the group. Betty Rogers asked if only full-time faculty could participate. Robin told her the group was open to any senator who wished to serve/had an interest in serving. A motion was made and unanimously approved for the group to officially continue its work.
Action to be taken as a result of discussion, person(s) responsible, and timeline: The sub-committee will continue to plan and bring information to Faculty Senate. The sub-committee will send a poll of potential names to all senators for input. Senators should share information about the scholarship with constituents in order to help promote it.
7.      Constituent Concerns – various senators
Robin asked if there were any constituent concerns that needed to come before Senate to be addressed. The following were shared

·         Proposed wording to be placed in WIDS syllabi concerning course evaluations
o   Why is it in first person?
·         Wording in Starfish for emails that are sent to students
o   Why do these messages appear to come from faculty when we have never given input to the wording?
·         Need for printers in offices
o   Privacy of documents
o   Leaving students sitting in offices
·         Computer lab space (Ex. FP 301 and PK 140)
o   Students are not always able to access these
o   Are "reserved" with little to no notice for students or faculty


8.      Division and Committee Updates – various senators
Time expired before we could get to this agenda item. Robin noted we will have these at the October 4 meeting.
Action to be taken as a result of discussion, person(s) responsible, and timeline: Senators from each division and committee will give updates at each Faculty Senate meeting. Senators should share the information from each division with constituents.
9.      Adjournment
Since we were out of time, Robin adjourned the meeting at 2:10.    
Respectfully submitted by Robin McFall
Next Meeting:  Friday, October 4 at 12:30 in SSC 205