Steering Committee Report May 2020
Though the technological side of it presented challenges, April’s online Senate meeting went very well. Thank you, senators, for your active involvement and for your patience. Steering Committee also thanks Professor Ben Murolo, chair of Bylaws Committee; Dr. Stephen Hammel, chair of Committee on Committees; and Dr. Todd Holden, chair of Curriculum Committee for delivering their monthly reports thoroughly and efficiently. Two members of the Steering Committee team have done yeoman’s work recently: Dr. Zivah Perel Katz has interpreted the initially-unclear April poll results to create an accurate accounting of all of April’s votes, and Dr. Jannette Urciuoli learned the Webex Meeting Platform and conducted training sessions to bring interested senators up to speed. Heading the effort has been Dave Moretti, Senate Technology Officer, who gave generously of his time and expertise to ensure a smooth online operation. I’ve put in a call to Mother Nature to lay off the tornadoes during meeting times, so we’ll hope for cooperation in that area, too. Thank you, colleagues! We all work together to make QCC governance run.
Thanks also go to all Senate Standing Committee chairs and secretaries for their work in learning Webex to conduct online elections for new committee officers. All committees have faced the challenge of fulfilling their charges in an online environment, and SC is grateful for that.
The Senate will consider the list of June 2020 graduates at the May meeting. SC thanks Doreen Fox-Herron for her work in compiling this list, and we know the entire QCC community will join us in congratulating and offering warm wishes to these graduates, who persevered during a challenging time.
On May 4th QCC received from the CUNY Chancellery a directive that the college should send a Substantive Change Request to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education by June 1st. The request is necessary because QCC is not officially accredited to offer Distance Education, and Distance Education may yet be a primary teaching modality in the Fall, as it was for much of the Spring. A substantive change to the delivery of instruction should go through college governance processes. Steering Committee proposes that it vote to approve such a change on the Senate’s behalf after the request form is complete and has gone through Curricular review, which should be complete by late May.
Steering Committee welcomes new senators who begin their service for the May Senate meeting: Dr. Azaden Aalai, Assistant Professor, Social Sciences (presumptive); Professor Marvin Gayle, Associate Professor, Engineering Technology; Dr. Clarence Jefferson Hall, Jr., Assistant Professor, History; Professor Alfred McDonald, Jr., Assistant Professor, Business; Dr. Andrew Nguyen, Associate Professor, Biological Sciences and Geology; Dr. Joan Petersen, Associate Professor, Biological Sciences and Geology; Professor Mary Ann Rosa, Associate Professor, Nursing; and Dr. Laura Sabani, Associate Professor, Foreign Languages and Literature.
The May Senate meeting brings the academic year and another year of shared governance to a close. The Steering Committee is grateful to have wonderful colleagues to work with as we move forward.
Be well, friends.
Academic Senate Steering Committee (AcademicSenateSteeringCommittee@qcc.cuny.edu)
Dr. Steven Dahlke, Chair SDahlke@qcc.cuny.edu
Dr. Jannette Urciuoli, Vice-Chair JUrciuoli@qcc.cuny.edu
Dr. Zivah Perel Katz, Secretary Zkatz@qcc.cuny.edu
