General Faculty Meeting September 13, 2019 Minutes of Meeting

These minutes were approved by the General Faculty on October 18, 2019. 1. Announcements GFS Susan Rakowitz called the meeting to order at 3:33 pm. She introduced the President’s appointment for Chair of the General Faculty 2019-2020, Prof. Mousumi Bhattacharya. Chair Bhattacharya invited Christine Siegel to emcee the introduction of new faculty. 2. Introduction of New Faculty Prov. Siegel said there were 39 new full-time faculty after 19 left or retired last year. At 303, the General Faculty is the largest it's ever been and she is thrilled with our new colleagues. She then invited Dean Richard Greenwald to introduce the College of Arts & Sciences chairs who would introduce their new departmental colleagues. Prof. Shelley Phelan began: The biology department welcomes Dr. Navin Maswood, our new Visiting Assistant Professor. Navin received her undergraduate degree in Zoology from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, and her Masters in Biology and in molecular biology from Texas Woman’s University. Her research expertise is in behavioral neuroscience, and she is now teaching in our anatomy and physiology sequence. Navin does many things in her spare time, one of which is volunteering for a non-profit organization called Distressed Children and Infants International, working with children in underdeveloped countries to provide education and health care, and prevent child labor. Prof. Sean Horan said that the Department of Communication was pleased to welcome three new faculty: Ayanna Eastman is completing her PhD at the University of . Her teaching and research interests include Health Communication and Public Relations. She is originally from Trinidad and Tobago. In her free time, she enjoys singing, exercising, and volunteering with her church. Bo Ra Yook received her Ph.D. degree in Communication at the University of Miami. Her area of scholarship/research/applied practice is Public Relations and Crisis Communication. In her spare time, she likes to explore new cuisine, visit museums, and attend live performances and opera. Wen Zhao received her Ph.D. degree in Communication at Washington State University. Her area of scholarship/research/applied practice is Public Relations (Corporate Social Responsibility Communication). In her spare time, she likes to read, go for walks in nature, and visit museums and cultural landmarks. On behalf of the English Department, Prof. Bob Epstein welcomed five new faculty: First, we have two new Assistant Professors of the Practice of Core Writing. Mary Laughlin received her PhD in Rhetoric, Writing and Culture from North Dakota State University in 2016. Her scholarship focuses on first-year writing and collaborative authorship. In her spare time, she says, she is learning to cook. Kendra Andrews received her PhD in Communication, Rhetoric, and Digital Media from North Carolina State University. Her scholarship focuses on critical digital pedagogy, Writing Across the Curriculum, and empirical approaches to composition research. In her spare time, Kendra likes to attend live performances of theater, music, and comedy. We also welcome a Professor of the Practice of Fiction Writing, Phil Klay, who is teaching mostly in the Master of Fine Arts Program but will also be teaching undergraduates. After serving in the US Marines, General Faculty Meeting September 13, 2019 Minutes of Meeting Page 1

Phil received his MFA from Hunter College. His collection of stories, Redeployment, won the National Book Award. In his spare time, Phil likes to collect accolades and royalties. Also joining us as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Professional Writing is Joel Beatty. Joel received a PhD in Rhetoric, Theory and Culture from Michigan Tech. His main areas of study are professional writing, scientific and technical communication, and the history of technology. In his spare time you can find him bicycling and hiking around Connecticut, taking photographs, and catching local theater. And finally, we welcome Sebastian Perez as a tenure-track Assistant Professor of English. Sebi earned his PhD in American Studies from Yale. He focuses on Cultural Studies, Latinx Studies, and Ethnic Studies. In his spare time he likes to cook, hit the gym, and cuddle with this dog Oliver. Prof. Patricia Behre introduced her new colleague: The History Department is pleased to welcome Dr. Shannon King, who is teaching right now, and who joins us as an Associate Professor. His field is African American History, with a research specialty in Black Freedom struggles. He has his Ph.D. in History from Binghamton University. In his spare time he likes to visit friends, watch film, and drink coffee, which makes him an excellent fit with our department, with the possible exception of the reference to film, which seems rather higher toned than the rest of us are involved with. Please join me in welcoming Dr. King, in absentia, to Fairfield. Not to be outdone by the English Department, Prof. Irene Mulvey welcomed five new faculty in Math: Christopher J. Casement joins us as a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Mathematics. He has a BA in mathematics and economics from Skidmore, an MA in mathematics from Wake Forest, an MS in Statistics from Virginia Tech, and a Ph.D. in Statistics from Baylor University. Within Statistics, he works on Bayesian statistics, prior elicitation and graphical inference. Chris left a tenure-track position at Drew University to join the mathematics department at Fairfield and we could not be more excited! Chris is situated in Joe Dennin’s former office, he’s a huge sports fan and, in particular, a huge Red Sox fan. Nick Kapoor joins us full-time after teaching part-time for the last four years. He has a BS in mathematics and Government & Politics from Sacred Heart, an MBA in Finance from Sacred Heart and an MS in mathematics from Fairfield. He is currently working on a Doctorate in Education in Higher Ed Administration at Northeastern, focusing on part-time faculty development and retention. Nick served two elected terms on the Town Council of his hometown of Monroe, and served one term as Democratic Party Chairman (where he was the youngest local state leader in our state’s history) and he is currently running for the Monroe Board of Education. He is a Commissioner on the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (appointed by the CT Speaker of the House), a state agency in charge of eliminating discrimination and prejudice in the state. You might remember Nick in the news after he bought a Powerball ticket to illustrate the real-life example of the odds of winning to his Fairfield statistics class when that ticket won $100,000. I encourage you to google the words “Kapoor and Eric Reid,” and you’ll find a Sports Illustrated article that includes Nick’s detailed assessment of the odds of Eric Reid getting randomly drug tested six times in 11 weeks (during the time that he happened to be engaged in an acrimonious grievance with the NFL). It’s an excellent article. One more thing: Nick serves on our Faculty Handbook Committee on NTT; he was elected by Fairfield’s part-time faculty. Kimberly Barba joins us as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics, and she is teaching right now. She has a BS in mathematics from Fairfield (where she won nearly all of our undergraduate departmental awards and was a Presidential Scholar), an MS in Pure Mathematics from King’s College London, and a Ph.D. in mathematics education from Teachers College at Columbia. She’s commuting from New York and we are thrilled to have her back livening up our department. Vincent Madera, unable to be here today, joins us as a full-time Visiting Instructor. Vinny has a BA in mathematics and statistics from UConn and a masters in mathematics from Fairfield. He has a wealth of experience as a teacher (students beg to get into his classes) and as an entrepreneur. Vinny is the sole founder and developer of a very successful multi-state business called Test Prep Wizards that focuses on SAT and ACT prep and academic tutoring; it has hundreds of clients every year.

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Patricia Cunningham joins us as a full-time Visiting Instructor. Patty has a BS in applied mathematics and economics from Brown, a JD from Harvard Law School, an LLM in taxation from NYU School of Law and, in 2013, an MS in mathematics from Fairfield. Patty has taught part-time for a number of years and her students adore her – petitioning the Chair to schedule Patty to teach the next course required for their program. Patty uses her considerable expertise and talent in a variety of ways serving the community. To mention one: for over 15 years, she has served in a variety of roles on the Executive Board of The Tiny Miracles Foundation, a non-profit that assists families of severely premature infants in Fairfield County. Prof. Jiwei Xiao said that, "the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures is pleased to welcome Luis Rodriguez Cortes. He received his PhD degree at The University of Kansas. His area of research practice is US Latino Studies and Latin American Literature and Cinema. In his spare time, he likes to spend time with Oscar, his 5-months-old son, and watch a movie if Oscar allows him to do so." Prof. David Downie offered the following remarks, "the Department of Politics is pleased to welcome Adam Howe as a Visiting Assistant Professor. He received his PhD at from Florida International University where he also won teaching awards. His current research focuses on state-society relations, particularly in Asia. Aaron is an avid outdoor enthusiast and sports. Originally from Port Jefferson, NY, he is excited to return to the Northeast." On behalf of Psychology, Prof. Margaret McClure introduced two new faculty: Jessica Karanian received her BA at Fairfield University and her PhD at . Her area of research is the cognitive neuroscience of human perception and memory. In her spare time, she likes to travel. Katie Tomlin received her doctorate at Princeton University. Her areas of scholarship are industrial/organizational and social psychology. In her spare time, she likes to sail, ski, or play golf, depending on the season. Prof. Scott Lacy said, "The Department of Sociology and Anthropology, is pleased to welcome and introduce to you Mehmet Cansoy, our new tenure track, assistant professor colleague. He received his Sociology PhD at Boston College. His research focuses on technological change and inequality, particularly in the sharing economy. His work and methodological skills will be a tremendous resource for the new CAS Innovation Lab. In addition to his research and teaching, Mehmet likes to hike with his dog Scrappy and sail." Dean Zhan Li then invited Dolan School of Business Chairs to introduce their new colleagues. Prof. Rebecca Bloch offered these comments, The Department of Accounting is pleased to welcome Kristen Tharrington, CPA. She received her Bachelor of Business Administration (concentration: Accountancy) degree at the University of Notre Dame. Her area of applied practice is financial reporting for both public and alternative asset organization. In her spare time, she likes to spend time with her family, play tennis, and encourage/support her children as they pursue their passions (including ballet, swimming and Star Wars)! Prof. Carl Scheraga introduced his new colleague in Management as follows: As an experienced Human Resources executive Lisa Stafford has over 30 years in the banking, insurance, healthcare, and academic industries, providing leadership coaching to top executives on change management and HR strategy. Her forte is working with organizations initiating and implementing large scale change. At Aetna for over 20 years, Lisa held positions as VP of Human Resources, Head of Recruiting, Director of Training and Development and led companywide Consulting and Organizational Development teams. Along with her business experience, in the past 10 years, Lisa has also designed and delivered graduate, and undergraduate, management and leadership classes for leading universities. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Babson College in Investments and Finance and an MBA from Bryant University. She holds certifications and/or licenses in MBTI I and II, Greystone 360, Lominger 360 and a Master Trainer DDI certification. General Faculty Meeting September 13, 2019 Minutes of Meeting Page 3

Prof. Yasin Ozcelik offered the following introduction of two new faculty: Lin Lu joins the Information Systems & Operations Management (ISOM) Department as an Assistant Professor. She recently got her PhD in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Auburn University, where she also got her Master of Science in Information Systems. Her current teaching and research interests include business analytics, data visualization and human factors. She feels she belongs to the large family of Fairfield University as her last name “Lu” stands for “Deer”, like our Mascot “Lucas”.

Philip Maymin is joining the ISOM Department as an Associate Professor of Practice and Interim Director of the MSBA Program. He received his Ph.D. from UChicago under Richard Thaler in behavioral finance, and also got two degrees from Harvard in a combined 3.5 years (master’s in applied math and bachelor’s in computer science). He runs and edits two journals: Algorithmic Finance and the Journal of Sports Analytics. He has been an analytics consultant for NBA teams and the chief analytics officer for Vantage Sports. He is the Chief Technology Officer of the Esports Development League. He is also an insight partner with Essentia Analytics. He is a former hedge fund trader: he traded equity derivatives for Long-Term Capital Management, Ellington Management Group, and his own hedge fund. He has also won numerous awards for analytics and programming: he was awarded a Wolfram Innovator Award in 2015. He won the Wolfram Live Coding Challenge in 2016 and second place in 2018, and he won the Wolfram One-Liner Competition in 2015, 2016, and 2018. He was a finalist for the Hackathon and won the Grand Prize for Best Research Paper at the 12th Annual MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in 2018. He has published 30 articles and one textbook. He also has a JD and is an attorney- at-law in California. Dean Meredith Kazer coordinated the introduction of new faculty in the Egan School of Nursing. Prof. Linda Roney introduced three new colleagues: The Nursing Program at the Egan School is pleased to welcome Dr. Pamela Barnwell-Sanders. She completed her Ed. D from Southern Connecticut State University, and an MSN and MBA from . Her research focuses on the relationship among Health Education Systems, Inc. progression and exit examination scores, day or evening enrollment, final grade point average and NCLEX success. In her free time, she is usually found volunteering or spending time with family. We also welcome Dr. Dorothy Vittner who completed her doctoral degree at UConn. Her research focuses on examining bio-behavioral mechanisms in modulating premature infants’ behavioral, autonomic and stress responses utilizing individualized developmental care strategies to better understand and support parent engagement. In her free time, she may be found in her flower garden. Finally, we welcome Ms. Erica Wuchiski who has been in the Egan School for the past five years as our Clinical Placement Coordinator. Having recently completed her Master of Science Nursing Leadership, she joins our nursing faculty. Her background is in pediatric nursing where she worked as a bedside nurse in both the hospital and homecare settings for almost 20 years. In her free time, she likes to hike with her kids and dogs. Prof. Kim Oliver offered the following introductions: The Department of Undergraduate Social Work is pleased to welcome Mr. Joshua Neitlich. He received a BA in Psychology from the University of Connecticut and an MSW from Columbia University. His areas of specialization include child and adolescent mental health, and clinical social work and therapeutic models of education. In his spare time, he plays the guitar and drums, loves to cook, read, and watch movies The Department of Undergraduate Social Work is pleased to also welcome Dr. Tanika Eaves Simpson. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Fairfield University and a PhD from UConn. Her area of scholarship includes the role of individuals and organizations in work-related stress management amongst child and family oriented social service practitioners. Tanika loves yoga, traveling General Faculty Meeting September 13, 2019 Minutes of Meeting Page 4

to new places (with and without my kids!), watching Netflix with my daughters, and reading anything about Henry the VIII and his six wives! Prof. Joyce Shea said, "the Graduate Division in the Egan School is pleased to welcome the Director of our New Doctorate in Clinical Nutrition. Ms. Janet Hiser completed her Masters in Adult and Occupational Education from the University Of New Hampshire and a B.S. in Clinical Dietetics from UConn. She has experience as a Food Service Director and Dietitian in Long Term Care and as a Pediatric Research Dietitian. She enjoys swimming, biking, skiing and hiking. " Dean Bob Hannafin oversaw the introductions of new faculty in the Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions. Prof. Pierre Orelus said, "it is my distinct pleasure to introduce to you Dr. Nicole Fletcher. Dr. Fletcher earned her Phd from Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research interest is Elementary Math Education. In her spare time, she enjoys going to her Spin class and traveling to Italy to visit her family. She also enjoys drinking her coffee. On behalf of the newly named Department of Family Therapy and Social Work, Prof. Rona Preli introduced two new colleagues: Dawn DeBiase received her BA from Holy Cross 1991 and her MSW from Boston College in Massachusetts in 1996. She is licensed in the state of Connecticut as an LCSW. Ms. DeBiase has a full- time faculty appointment as a professor of the practice and is serving in the capacity of program director for our newly inaugurated MSW program. Ms. DeBiase has demonstrated exceptional leadership throughout her 14 years at Fairfield University. She has been an assistant dean at Fairfield University working directly with undergraduate students and faculty since 2004. Ms. DeBiase has presented nationally on her research in the area of Motivational Interviewing and its utilization for retaining at-risk students. In her spare time she is an avid Patriots fan as a former Patriots cheerleader and she loves hanging out with her family in Boston. She is also passionate about being a foster mom. Jay Taylor, LCSW, received his Bachelors from Bluffton University, and MSW from Ohio State University in 2013. He is licensed in the state of Connecticut as an LCSW. Jay Taylor has a full-time faculty appointment as a professor of the practice and is serving in the capacity of clinical director in our MSW program. He has been working as an adjunct faculty member at Fairfield University for several years and has invaluable clinical and supervisory experience and expertise in the Narrative model of therapy. Jay is a trainer with Call to Men where he engages groups of men and boys from professional athletes to school-age children to corporate professions in redefining masculinity and challenging gender inequity. In his spare time Jay is an avid athlete and Crossfit enthusiast and enjoys creating interesting cocktails and mixology. Prof. Tracey Robert introduced her new colleague as follows: The Counselor Education Department welcomes Dr. Jocelyn Novella, Ph.D, LPC, NCC, ACS, BC-TMH, as an assistant professor. She holds a B.A. in English from Johns Hopkins University, a master’s in community counseling from Fairfield University, and a Ph.D. in counseling from Oregon State University. Before coming to Fairfield, she was a counselor at Sacred Heart University for 24 years and director of counseling for 3 years. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Connecticut, an Approved Clinical Supervisor, and Board Certified in Telemental Health. Her clinical expertise is in the area of emerging adult issues, including eating disorders, anxiety disorders, and trauma related to gender violence. Her research interests focus on the efficacy of online counseling for emerging adults, as well as gender and social justice issues. In her spare time she practices yoga, plays piano, and is a Mom. Dean Richard Heist invited Prof. Uma Balaji to introduce three new colleagues in the Department of Bioengineering and Electrical Engineering: Dr. Susan Freudzon received her PhD degree at Columbia University. She received the Adjunct professor of the year award for excellence in teaching last year. Her area of scholarship and research is in

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medical devices and design. In her spare time, she likes to spend time outdoors with her two lovely children. Dr. Isaac Macwan received his Ph.D. degree at . His area of scholarship and research/applied practice is Bio-nano-fabrication and Molecular Dynamics. In his spare time, he likes to read history and travel new places. Prof. Jamie Cavallo received his Masters degree at Carnegie Mellon University. His area of applied practice is Digital Electronics. In his spare time, he likes to go fishing. Dean Heist closed out the introductions with, "the Department of Computer Science and Engineering is pleased to welcome Dr. Murray Patterson as a Visiting Assistant Professor. Dr. Patterson received his PhD degree at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. He comes to us from his most recent position at the University of Milan. His research interests include Algorithmic and Artificial Intelligence Methodology, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology including the modeling of cancer progression. In his spare time, Murray enjoys studying different spoken languages, trying new restaurants, skiing, and snowboarding." Prov. Siegel noted that we had missed one new faculty member who will be introduced at the next meeting. 3. Remarks by Provost Christine Siegel After a round of applause to welcome all of the new faculty, the Provost took the podium again and offered the following remarks: Last Thursday, I received an e-mail with the subject line “What’s keeping Provosts up at night? Top 10 Issues in Academic Affairs.” As I clicked the message open, I was half-hoping for a Letterman-style inventory ranging from – #10: Decades of working on college campuses have ingrained time-management strategies that include pulling all-nighters to finish the accreditation report, budget spreadsheet, or address to the General Faculty that is due the next day – to the #1 reason Provosts are up at night? They’re watching episode after episode of The Good Place on Netflix, rationalizing that the show’s satire on what it means to be human and what we owe to each other can be used to justify this behavior as not so much bingeing but research for our liberal arts core curriculum. Alas, not from the producers of Late Night, the email was sent by EAB, a higher education consortium and research group of which Fairfield is a member; and the list was not meant to provoke laughter but call to attention the primary academic affairs concerns across our industry. As I scanned the list – presented in the ever-popular infographic format - I indeed recognized topics that have been central to discussions this summer as the President, Executive Vice President, and I began thinking about strategic planning for the University beyond Fairfield 2020. The infographic reminded me of the looming “demographic cliff” – the term census watchers use to describe the abrupt decline in the college-age student population that will occur 18 years after the 2008 economic recession – which resulted in a significant decrease in births, especially here in the Northeast. The infographic also warned of the impending disruption to both the workplace and the traditional system of higher education caused by the advent of new technologies in a world of augmented intelligence. Finally, it highlighted the need to change institutional budget models, re-examine traditional assumptions about faculty career tracks, and scale-up pedagogical innovations to respond to these shifting market forces. None of these issues were really new to me, nor do I suspect is their inclusion news to you. Since 2014, when we began the Fairfield 2020 process, we have been hearing about these academic affairs concerns and we have been working to address them. So, frankly, I found the content of the infographic less than illuminating. Over the following days, as I thought about it further, the whole premise of being “kept up at night” was also off-putting. It suggested that more than concerns, there are threats to our existence worthy of sleepless nights. The very phrasing and framing seemed designed to provoke fear. General Faculty Meeting September 13, 2019 Minutes of Meeting Page 6

Organizational behaviorists have long recognized that fear is commonly used as a motivator in the workplace, especially when institutional change is required. These same behaviorists, however, point out that fear leads to dysfunction in organizations. In their 1998 book, Driving Fear Out of the Workplace, Ryan and Oestreich explain: “fear does not motivate toward constructive action. On the contrary, it nourishes competition within an organization, fosters short-term thinking, destroys trust, erodes joy and pride in work, stifles innovation, and distorts communication.”

In the educational context, fear as a motivator is particularly destructive. Educational theorists recognize that fear compromises learning, as it undermines self-confidence and prevents openness to new ways of thinking. Fear obstructs intellectual curiosity, disrupts human development, and interferes with the search for truth. As such, fear and fear mongering have no place in our scholarly community. Indeed, when I think about the setbacks we’ve faced in the past year, it was in large part fear that undermined open communication about the Academic Commons project; it was fear that prevented certain departments from fully embracing faculty colleagues in non-traditional roles; it was fear that delayed budget decisions - and fear fueled anxiety about moving into new physical or virtual spaces. Most problematic is that fear signals what should be avoided. It prompts us to create distance, slow down, not act. Fear directs us away from but not toward anything. In contrast, love – the psychological opposite of fear - is a motivating force that can guide our work in positive directions. Behaviorists point out that love, rooted in trust, can foster creative thinking, authentic dialogue, respect between colleagues, and justice within organizations. While fear is motivating, only love can be inspiring. Indeed, it was love--in the form of our passion for learning, dedication to our students, concern for each other, and commitment to our institution - that inspired some of our greatest accomplishments over the past year. • Love brought about the implementation of the new core curriculum for the first time in 40 years, and the development of the signature elements that make our new core worthy of the title Magis – meaning more or greater. • Love inspired the launch of 10 new and/or revised graduate programs – including those in Applied Data Science, Educational Technology, Social Work, Dyslexia Intervention, Pre-Health, Interior Design, Management, and Business Administration. • Love helped us reimagine our center for career development, with certain aspects of this student support service re-deployed to Deans offices where they can more strategically serve specific student need. • Love contributed to the success of our revised Innovative Research Symposium, which was so large it spilled out of the Oak and Dogwood rooms and into the hallway around the Tully staircase. • Love supported the collaboration with colleagues in Admissions that brought us nearly 1200 first year students (we stand at 1184 today)– not just the largest but the most qualified first year class in Fairfield’s history. • Love enhanced the development of new and forward-thinking strategic plans in the College and the Dolan school. • Love created the design and opening of new labs for cybersecurity, the natural sciences, and innovation in the humanities and social sciences; and the design and opening of a new Dolan School. • Love inspired our Human Library project that connects people from similar and dissimilar backgrounds across campus in ways that promote human connection and deeper understanding. • Love shepherded us successfully through the temporary and then permanent move of over 200 faculty and academic staff into newly designed spaces for teaching, learning and service to our students. General Faculty Meeting September 13, 2019 Minutes of Meeting Page 7

• Love encouraged the development Preferred Plus international programs that link academic tracks to specific study abroad locations in Provence, Florence, London, and Galway. Across our division, love fuels our scholarship, creativity, teaching, and engagement with the community. Love forms the basis of radical hospitality as it opens our hearts and minds to challenge notions of home and other. It is this love orientation that likewise provides the foundation for the apostolic preferences outlined by the Superior General of the Society Jesus, Father Arturo Sosa just last February. With these preferences, Father Sosa calls us to four essential urgencies. We are called: 1. to show the way to truth through Ignatian spirituality, 2. to walk with the marginalized and dispossessed, 3. to accompany young people in the creation of a hope-filled future, and 4. to care for our common home, the earth in all its lived variety. Discerned through a process of communal reflection by members of the Society, these urgencies will animate all Jesuit works over the next decade. In many ways, they place our University’s founding mission in the current context as they are works Jesuits identify as vital to the world today. Our task at Fairfield will be to define the specific ways in which we will enact these four preferences as the work of a University set to bridge our strategic plan past 2020.

In the upcoming academic year, we will explore a range of opportunities to meet the horizons of the 21st century in generative ways; to marry the work the world needs from Jesuit-institutions with issues facing academic affairs across the higher education sector in means that build on Fairfield University’s unique position and calling. In order to do so, members of the University community will be invited into a number of collaborative conversations through which we will identify and build on the successes of Fairfield 2020; we will respond to President Nemec’s call for us to be more national in scope, global in outlook, and unbounded in approach; and (as we heard from the President last week) we will specifically attend to the reconceptualization of Fairfield 2020’s goal to grow and diversify as an ambition to extend and innovate. In many ways, your passion has led you, collectively and individually, to begin this work already – with novel programs and projects occurring across all parts of the Academic Division. • New graduate programs, including Data Analytics in Dolan and Applied Data Science in the School of Engineering, as well as new collaborative projects like the Fredriksson Innovation Lab for the College of Arts and Sciences demonstrate Fairfield University’s early response to the advent of Big Data across all fields of inquiry. This year we will consider ways to position the School of Engineering as the nexus for big data questions as we also search for the School’s next Dean. • The development of an honors-track within Dolan’s undergraduate Finance program, as well as GSEAP’s development of a certificate program for Dyslexia Intervention, are just two examples of how academic departments are engaging industry and community partners to shape student learning experiences. This year, we will explore how to extend this type of engagement in ways that can bring national stature to our programs in communication, arts and media. • The establishment of strategic partnerships show how forward thinking you have become; we have seen partnerships between the Egan School and to bring to bring mid-wifery training to the Midwest; between the College and Florence University of the Arts that will bring our Bachelors of Liberal Arts degree to students in Italy; and between the Dolan School and Golden Education that will bring our Finance Masters to China. These partnerships represent our early forays into geographic expansion. In the coming year, we will consider additional opportunities to extend Fairfield’s nationally ranked nursing education to locations facing nursing shortages across the United States • The success of our unique approach to on-line education, evident in the high retention and completion rates of students in GSEAP’s Educational Technology certificate and degree programs, show that the General Faculty Meeting September 13, 2019 Minutes of Meeting Page 8

Fairfield teaching and learning experience can be brought forward through new modalities. This year, we will ideate on ways to scale our unique approach to reach new populations of students. Aware of the issues facing academic affairs, you have responded with your energy and passion, and pointed the way to strategic directions that the University will continue to pursue throughout the academic year – preparing for the advent of big data; engaging industry and community partners to shape student learning experiences; expanding our geographic footprint; and pursuing new modalities for teaching and learning. This important strategic work will be buttressed by the on-going conceptual and logistical work of the General Faculty, as we simultaneously engage in projects that articulate our purpose and build the organizational capacity to carry it out. For example: • The work of the Provost’s Task Force on Free Expression will continue as we collaboratively engage partners across campus – in Student Life and areas of Operations – to review and revise University policies related to free speech. • The President’s Working Group on Inclusive Excellence, as one stream of its work, will undertake a series of critical conversations to further explore the construct of radical hospitality and its meaning for our scholarly community. • The Academic Commons Working Group that was established by the Academic Council in late spring will carry on its efforts to define the Academic Commons at Fairfield University and identify ways in which that definition can be realized. This group has already made great strides in their efforts, and I invite all to save the date for an Academic Commons open house on Friday October 4th. • The Non-Tenure Track Committee and the Ad Hoc Subcommittee of the Academic Council charged with examining the distribution of non-tenure track faculty will continue their collaborations with the Academic Deans to further define roles and responsibilities for our increasingly varied faculty labor force. • A transition team for the Office of Sponsored Programs has been established to make recommendations for the restructuring of the Office in order to advance support for our faculty research and other projects that enhance our teaching and learning community • A new multi-disciplinary Working Group on Arts and Culture is being developed to reaffirm Fairfield University’s commitment to the arts and develop a comprehensive vision that builds upon the strengths of our performing arts center, our University museum, and our excellent arts curricula in the College. • A subcommittee of the Academic Council, collaborating with a Working Group in the Division of Student Affairs, will explore the impact of impending Title IX revisions on our student code of conduct and employee behavior policies and due process procedures. And in Handbook Committees, Working Groups and Task Forces, you will continue to make improvements and introduce efficiencies to our academic operations - including course scheduling, the management of student information, and the appointment of new faculty. When the Senior Leadership Team met for retreat at the end of August, Vice President for Mission and Identity, the Rev. Gerry Blaskcyzk, SJ, gave the opening prayer. With this prayer, he acknowledged that while many in the world labor in jobs they don’t enjoy, we at Fairfield have the opportunity to do work we love, among colleagues we care about, at an institution to which we are committed. The following day, President Nemec reminded us that above all, our singular purpose is to help students find their calling and be successful at it; to engage our and their passions in ways that contribute to our collective human flourishing. The hopefulness and urgency outlined in both Father Sosa’s call and President Nemec’s strategic focus reflect back to us the love we know to animate our ongoing mission here at Fairfield University. There is no place for fear where love is our motivation. As Martin Luther King Jr said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.”

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So, if we are kept up at night, let’s make sure we’re awake with the urgency of our calling; excited with the anticipation of all the opportunities a new academic year affords, and mindful that we are fortunate to take up that call toward a new year in loving community together. Thank you. At this point the floor was opened to questions. Prof. Eric Mielants asked whether the Provost would comment briefly on the administration's goals regarding online courses. Are they specifically for students not on campus? For students studying abroad? Prov. Siegel said that one of four strategic foci is to identify new modalities for teaching and learning. This is connected to the initiative to grow new graduate programs. Graduate students are interested in fully or partially online graduate programs like the new MSW. Currently we have a little over 4000 students on campus. We can't take more than 5000 full time students. We need ways to reach graduate students who can't be here on campus. There were no further questions. 4. Adjournment A motion to adjourn [Bowen/Scheraga] was uncontested at 4:31 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, Prof. Susan Rakowitz Secretary of the General Faculty

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