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College Council Meeting Minutes: December 1, 2020

Present

  • Lorraine Acker
  • Mike Andriatch
  • Mike Furness
  • Andrea Guzzetta
  • Cathy Houston-Wilson
  • Rodmon King
  • Alex Leonty
  • Elaine Leshnower
  • Heidi Macpherson
  • David Mihalyov
  • Lesli Myers-Small
  • Ken Pink
  • Scott Turner
  • Jim Wall
  • Bridgette Wiefling
  • Chris Wiest

ABSENT

  • Lauren Kelly

GUEST

  • Amy Guptill

I. Chair’s Report [Mr. Turner]

WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS

  1. Mr. Turner convened the meeting at 4:43pm
  2. Mr. Turner welcomed everyone to the meeting. He shared information on former President John Van de Wetering, the fourth president of the college, who passed away recently. College Council shared a moment of silence in his memory.

II. President’s Report [President Macpherson]

  1. President Macpherson thanked everyone for being present today and thanked them for their continued support. She said the College is leading in a time when there is no rule book, and she shared how appreciative President’s Cabinet is of College Council.
  2. President Macpherson discussed the success of the fall semester, and how the College never went on pause, and was able to complete the semester. She said she has never been prouder to be the President, and she is extremely proud of the College community. She discussed the students who were in quarantine over Thanksgiving, and provided information on those who are staying on campus over the break. She provided information on testing protocols for the campus community between now and January.
  3. President Macpherson discussed the plans for the opening of the year that are at SUNY for approval and therefore cannot be finalized. She identified the safety plans for when students return for in person classes on February 8. Until then, the current plan is for all classes to be online. She shared information on how the spring semester will look, with no spring break, course scheduling, and quarantine procedures, should they be necessary. She said there is a committee that will be looking at potential commencement activities. Dr. Myers-Small asked about commencement, and asked if the College is waiting to hear from SUNY or the County. President Macpherson said SUNY has told them that there is very little opportunity for a regular commencement, and she discussed the virtual commencement that is happening for the 2020 graduates this Friday.
  4. President Macpherson said the College is still operating under budget restrictions, and there has been almost no travel approved. She said the College is tracking the cost of COVID, and she identified the costs to date. She said there has been a reimbursement for hosting the study abroad students in the spring, and thanked local legislators who assisted in the College being reimbursed for expense associated with this effort. She said the team learned a lot from this experience.
  5. President Macpherson said the College is ranked 26th in the U.S. News and World Report for mobility. The College took part in the United Way 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge, and she shared information from the 10/28 Day of Giving.
  6. President Macpherson said the faculty have been extremely busy, and she shared information on grants and other activities.
  7. President Macpherson shared information on gifts and giving, to include the Joey Jackson Multicultural Center. She said she is very grateful to all those who donate and continue to give to the College.
  8. Mr. Pink asked for additional information on the U.S. News and World Report, and asked if this includes all the Colleges in the area. President Macpherson said the list is for regional universities. She said the campus community is very proud of the difference they make to students’ lives. Mr. Mihalyov said The Port, which will be out on Thursday, will include a remembrance piece on former President Van de Wetering. He said the issue will also include an article about how the College helped to support those affected by the recent fire at the Viking Apartments. Dr. Wiefling applauded the College for all their work on the COVID response. President Macpherson said it was the result of a lot of people coming together and working very hard. Mr. Wiest said there was a lot of surprise that the College was so successful, and that they were able to go the whole term until Thanksgiving, and he said there were many who didn’t think they would make it.

III. Academic Affairs Report

  1. Dr. Heyning shared her thanks for Dr. Guptill, and said she is representative of a team of people who are working very hard to get the College ready for Middle States.
  2. Dr. Guptill said there are over 100 people working on Middle States report, and she said she is appreciative of the thanks from the Provost.
  3. Dr. Guptill provided an update on the current overview of what accreditation is about, and shared the College’s accomplishments, and information on what to expect.
  4. In closing, Dr. Guptill said the College’s Strategic Plan, Building a Better Brockport, has been enormously useful and they have been able to connect goals to outcomes, and the second thing is that the College has been very intentional in connecting assessment results to planning, and it is really paying off.
  5. President Macpherson thanked Dr. Guptill for her hard work, and said she is very thankful. She said it is good to hear that the Strategic Plan has been so helpful.
  6. Mr. Turner thanked Dr. Guptill for her work and said he is looking forward to further updates.

IV. Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Report

  1. Dr. King thanked Mr. Turner for inviting him. He said this will be the last time he will be meeting with College Council, as his special assignment ends this month.
  2. Dr. King provided a narrative about where the College was when he joined the campus in March, and identified where they are now at the end of his assignment. He said that in nine months, tremendous work has been done, across campus, but mostly by President Macpherson and her Cabinet.
  3. He expressed his concern for those who want to weaponize processes, and his worry that they do not want to move forward or hear about or participate in the good work that has been done.
  4. Mr. Turner said Dr. King’s remarks are good to hear, and he thanked him for everything he has done, and said he will be missed. Dr. King said it has been a pleasure to work with the President and Cabinet, and there is much to be proud of on this campus. Mr. Turner said there is always an open door for him at Brockport, as Rochester is his hometown.
  5. Mr. Leonty asked Dr. King how he sees the future of Brockport. Dr. King said because of the structural changes, as that work continues, the institution will be the one that everyone wants it to be. The hardest thing for every institution is to get in and make changes to the structure. Dr. King said this is happening, but the hardest part is getting everyone to actualize this and want to make a change. The potential for Brockport is there, and the change has begun, but whether or not the change continues depends on whether those in the wider community will change from anger and wanting to punish, or if they want to move forward.
  6. President Macpherson thanked Dr. King for everything he has done, and she said the work he has done on appreciative inquiry is substantial. He has been a wonderful partner for Dr. Acker as she fills in an Interim role as CDO. She said the ongoing goal is to build a better community for all.
  7. Dr. Houston-Wilson thanked Dr. King for his work, and she asked if there is any way to get this information out to the rest of the campus community, and not just to this group. She feels that what he said is so crucial, and a voice from outside the campus sharing this would be so beneficial. Dr. King said much of this information has been published, and he said there are more opportunities to change. Dr. Houston-Wilson asked him to address the campus at the upcoming College Senate meeting.
  8. Dr. Wiefling asked what the next step is, and how do we not lose momentum. President Macpherson said the search for the next CDO has commenced, and she said what is really important is to not isolate the work of EDI under one person. She also identified other ways the campus is incorporating EDI into other structures, such as College Senate.
  9. Mr. Turner thanked Dr. King for his work, and he emphasized how important it has been for our campus and community.

V. Next Meeting

The next College Council meeting is scheduled for February 23, 2021.

VI. Adjournment

 

The meeting adjourned at 5:47 pm.