March 2012 Archives
Faculty update 3/21/12
By on March 22, 2012 12:03 AM
To: All Faculty
From: Ben Ford, 2011-12 Chair of the Faculty
Re: Updates; Commencement!!; no drop-in lunch Friday
(All emails posted at www.sonoma.edu/senate/chair/ )
First, no drop-in lunch this Friday 3/23. I didn't realize when I scheduled these lunches that this one was on the Friday before Spring break, and in my polling of a sample of the usual suspects, I discovered that there were likely to be very few attendees.
Lunch schedule for the rest of the semester: All drop-in, bring-your-own-food, noon-1 p.m., in the Faculty Center, Schulz first floor; hosted by Provost Rogerson and me (* indicates that the President plans to attend):
Next, a few brief updates:
Budget in two parts:
1. Internal: The Provost has asked the (augmented) Senate Budget Subcommittee to try to devise "guiding principles" for budget decisions in Academic Affairs. That committee is trying to do this in the context of broader discussions we've been having all year about SSU's academic identity and role. Members of the committee have met with three schools' councils of department chairs so far, and will be using some of the remaining drop-in lunches to try to understand the ways in which our vision for SSU needs to guide budget decisions.
2. External: The State budget situation hasn't become any clearer since my last email, but the CSU has tried to begin to plan for currently-on-the-table possibilities. The Chancellor's office has announced a systemwide 16-unit cap with very few exceptions, closing of admissions for Spring 2013 with very few exceptions, and significant enrollment cuts for 2013-14 (these enrollment cuts are dependent on what happens with tax measures on the November 2012 ballot). Exactly how the "very few exceptions" will be is still being worked out, apparently
Green Music Center:
The GMC has had lots of action lately:
Commencement:
Commencement is fast approaching and our graduating students are clearly excited to be planning their futures after Sonoma State. As Chair of the Faculty, I encourage all members of the faculty to participate in Commencement on Saturday May 12. This is a very special day for our students, made much more special by their teachers' presence.
Let's give our students and their families and friends a strong showing of faculty sitting beside them. If possible please consider participating in both ceremonies because these students are all a product of our instruction regardless of whether they were in our respective Academic Schools, departments or classes. For faculty staying for both ceremonies, lunch is provided in the Commons.
The Morning Ceremony at 9:00 a.m. celebrates graduates of the:
· School of Science and Technology
· School of Social Sciences
The Afternoon Ceremony at 3:00 p.m. celebrates graduates of the:
· School of Arts and Humanities
· School of Business and Economics
· School of Education
Please make every effort to wear your academic regalia and show your respect to the 2012 graduating class. Regalia can be ordered through the bookstore (deadline April 2) - please email bkstrmgr@sonoma.edu for more information. Prices attached in a PDF.
For questions about Commencement please contact Andrea Rodriguez-Jereb at ext. 42018 or andrea.rodriguez-jereb@sonoma.edu.
I look forward to a wonderful day and hope you will be there as well.
From: Ben Ford, 2011-12 Chair of the Faculty
Re: Updates; Commencement!!; no drop-in lunch Friday
(All emails posted at www.sonoma.edu/senate/chair/ )
First, no drop-in lunch this Friday 3/23. I didn't realize when I scheduled these lunches that this one was on the Friday before Spring break, and in my polling of a sample of the usual suspects, I discovered that there were likely to be very few attendees.
Lunch schedule for the rest of the semester: All drop-in, bring-your-own-food, noon-1 p.m., in the Faculty Center, Schulz first floor; hosted by Provost Rogerson and me (* indicates that the President plans to attend):
- Tuesday, April 10 (topic: accessibility to educational materials, encompassing both disability questions and affordability)
- Monday, April 23*
- Monday, May 7 (topic: budget guided by SSU's mission - see below)
Next, a few brief updates:
Budget in two parts:
1. Internal: The Provost has asked the (augmented) Senate Budget Subcommittee to try to devise "guiding principles" for budget decisions in Academic Affairs. That committee is trying to do this in the context of broader discussions we've been having all year about SSU's academic identity and role. Members of the committee have met with three schools' councils of department chairs so far, and will be using some of the remaining drop-in lunches to try to understand the ways in which our vision for SSU needs to guide budget decisions.
2. External: The State budget situation hasn't become any clearer since my last email, but the CSU has tried to begin to plan for currently-on-the-table possibilities. The Chancellor's office has announced a systemwide 16-unit cap with very few exceptions, closing of admissions for Spring 2013 with very few exceptions, and significant enrollment cuts for 2013-14 (these enrollment cuts are dependent on what happens with tax measures on the November 2012 ballot). Exactly how the "very few exceptions" will be is still being worked out, apparently
Green Music Center:
The GMC has had lots of action lately:
- The GMC Board of Advisors had a generally positive response to the proposal from its University Affairs Subcommittee (consisting primarily of faculty members) to place an academic program (a substantially enhanced music and dance program) on the fundraising agenda for the Center. The University Affairs Subcommittee will meet again in early April to consider scaling up the proposal in response to comments from the full Board.
- The GMC Presents first season was announced. You can see it at gmc.sonoma.edu, and ticket packages will be available on Sunday 3/25 (no single concert tickets until June, I believe). Faculty and Staff receive a 20% discount (2 ticket max); students 50% (one ticket). Other GMC presenters are the Santa Rosa Symphony (santarosasymphony.com) and On-Campus Presents (a partnership of Associated Students Presents, Housing, and other campus presenting organizations).
- The President has announced plans to proceed with a search for an Artistic and Managing Director for the GMC. A call for faculty members of the search committee will come out very soon.
Commencement:
Commencement is fast approaching and our graduating students are clearly excited to be planning their futures after Sonoma State. As Chair of the Faculty, I encourage all members of the faculty to participate in Commencement on Saturday May 12. This is a very special day for our students, made much more special by their teachers' presence.
Let's give our students and their families and friends a strong showing of faculty sitting beside them. If possible please consider participating in both ceremonies because these students are all a product of our instruction regardless of whether they were in our respective Academic Schools, departments or classes. For faculty staying for both ceremonies, lunch is provided in the Commons.
The Morning Ceremony at 9:00 a.m. celebrates graduates of the:
· School of Science and Technology
· School of Social Sciences
The Afternoon Ceremony at 3:00 p.m. celebrates graduates of the:
· School of Arts and Humanities
· School of Business and Economics
· School of Education
Please make every effort to wear your academic regalia and show your respect to the 2012 graduating class. Regalia can be ordered through the bookstore (deadline April 2) - please email bkstrmgr@sonoma.edu for more information. Prices attached in a PDF.
For questions about Commencement please contact Andrea Rodriguez-Jereb at ext. 42018 or andrea.rodriguez-jereb@sonoma.edu.
I look forward to a wonderful day and hope you will be there as well.
Faculty Update 3-9-12
By on March 9, 2012 2:03 PM
Hello all --
(emailed to the faculty on 3/9/12)
Apologies for the long gap between communications from your faculty chair! And apologies for the length of this message. You can also read this message, and other musings, at the faculty chair blog, http://www.sonoma.edu/senate/chair/
Lunch conversations about SSU's academic identity: The February 24 lunch was canceled in favor of an open forum with the visiting CSU Faculty Trustee, Bernadette Cheyne of Humboldt. We had a good conversation about challenges facing the CSU in general, and tried to give her a feel for the characteristics that make SSU stand out. She was grateful for all the feedback she received during her 2-day visit.
No drop-in lunch March 12: We had scheduled a lunch for this Monday, March 12, but we are canceling it in favor of the Access and Equity presentation, "Remediation as a Civil Rights Issue," in Schulz 3001, noon-1:30 p.m., Monday, March 12. The Provost and I both feel that this is an important event for us to attend.
Lunch schedule for the rest of the semester: All drop-in, bring-your-own-food, noon-1 p.m., in the Faculty Center, Schulz first floor; hosted by Provost Rogerson and me (* indicates that the President plans to attend):
Budget: The State budget situation continues to be clear as mud. The governor's January budget proposal for 2012-13 includes a flat budget for the CSU (making permanent the $100 million "trigger" cut that happened this year, as well as the original $650 million cut) as a best case scenario; in his proposal, if voters don't approve a tax measure at the ballot box in November, the CSU would be cut by an additional $200 million.
The additional $200 million, on top of the $750 million total cut this year, would be undeniably disastrous. Many of us believe/hope that the governor is trying to focus the pain of the budget mess in areas that people who vote will notice, in order to build the case for fixing the "structural" problems with California's budget.
My understanding, from the President's comments at Senate and Executive Committee, is that all campuses have to submit plans to the Chancellor's office to implement the full cuts - $650m + $100m + $200m - but the implementation of the last $200m would likely begin in Spring 2013. This would mean a Fall 2012 semester roughly similar to Fall 2011.
The legislature is beginning its work on the many pieces of the budget, but it probably won't be in the news much until the governor releases his "May revise" budget, after which the full legislature will take up the budget in earnest.
In the meantime, count on many doom and gloom scenarios being floated. Also count on - and participate in - lots of political action to try to produce a better budget outcome.
The Provost has asked the Senate Budget Subcommittee (augmented by two department chairs) to hold broad conversations and provide him with "guiding principles" to use in making budget decisions in Academic Affairs. The Committee is taking up this task, trying to figure out the type of "principles" that would be most helpful to the University. The first one, of course, is that all decisions should rest on the University's sole mission of preparing students. Watch for and participate in these discussions.
Green Music Center The GMC's opening classical music season was announced at a press event at noon today, and should be listed soon at http://gmc.sonoma.edu/ . Tickets go on sale March 25; students will have a 50% discount, and faculty/staff a 20% discount. Subscription tickets to the Santa Rosa Symphony are already available.
The GMC Advisory Board meets today as well, and the University Affairs Committee has a proposal on the agenda to add substantial support for the academic program associated with the GMC to the Advisory Board's list of fundraising priorities. To date, fundraising has all been aimed at construction and, more recently, operating costs of the Center.
Elections You received notice of the election results in the Spring 2012 faculty governance elections; I'd like to thank those who stepped forward to help guide us all through tough times and exciting re-imagining.
If you haven't voted in the constitutional amendment ballot, please do so! (Sign in to moodle, choose Academic Senate Elections as the course, and it'll be obvious how to proceed.)
Commencement Watch for a separate email about participating in commencement ceremonies. It really means a lot to our students for us to be there on their big day.
If there are topics you'd like to see addressed in these infrequent emails, please let me know!
Ben Ford
2011-12 Chair of the Faculty
(emailed to the faculty on 3/9/12)
Apologies for the long gap between communications from your faculty chair! And apologies for the length of this message. You can also read this message, and other musings, at the faculty chair blog, http://www.sonoma.edu/senate/chair/
Lunch conversations about SSU's academic identity: The February 24 lunch was canceled in favor of an open forum with the visiting CSU Faculty Trustee, Bernadette Cheyne of Humboldt. We had a good conversation about challenges facing the CSU in general, and tried to give her a feel for the characteristics that make SSU stand out. She was grateful for all the feedback she received during her 2-day visit.
No drop-in lunch March 12: We had scheduled a lunch for this Monday, March 12, but we are canceling it in favor of the Access and Equity presentation, "Remediation as a Civil Rights Issue," in Schulz 3001, noon-1:30 p.m., Monday, March 12. The Provost and I both feel that this is an important event for us to attend.
Lunch schedule for the rest of the semester: All drop-in, bring-your-own-food, noon-1 p.m., in the Faculty Center, Schulz first floor; hosted by Provost Rogerson and me (* indicates that the President plans to attend):
- Friday, March 23*
- Tuesday, April 10
- Monday, April 23*
- Monday, May 7
Budget: The State budget situation continues to be clear as mud. The governor's January budget proposal for 2012-13 includes a flat budget for the CSU (making permanent the $100 million "trigger" cut that happened this year, as well as the original $650 million cut) as a best case scenario; in his proposal, if voters don't approve a tax measure at the ballot box in November, the CSU would be cut by an additional $200 million.
The additional $200 million, on top of the $750 million total cut this year, would be undeniably disastrous. Many of us believe/hope that the governor is trying to focus the pain of the budget mess in areas that people who vote will notice, in order to build the case for fixing the "structural" problems with California's budget.
My understanding, from the President's comments at Senate and Executive Committee, is that all campuses have to submit plans to the Chancellor's office to implement the full cuts - $650m + $100m + $200m - but the implementation of the last $200m would likely begin in Spring 2013. This would mean a Fall 2012 semester roughly similar to Fall 2011.
The legislature is beginning its work on the many pieces of the budget, but it probably won't be in the news much until the governor releases his "May revise" budget, after which the full legislature will take up the budget in earnest.
In the meantime, count on many doom and gloom scenarios being floated. Also count on - and participate in - lots of political action to try to produce a better budget outcome.
The Provost has asked the Senate Budget Subcommittee (augmented by two department chairs) to hold broad conversations and provide him with "guiding principles" to use in making budget decisions in Academic Affairs. The Committee is taking up this task, trying to figure out the type of "principles" that would be most helpful to the University. The first one, of course, is that all decisions should rest on the University's sole mission of preparing students. Watch for and participate in these discussions.
Green Music Center The GMC's opening classical music season was announced at a press event at noon today, and should be listed soon at http://gmc.sonoma.edu/ . Tickets go on sale March 25; students will have a 50% discount, and faculty/staff a 20% discount. Subscription tickets to the Santa Rosa Symphony are already available.
The GMC Advisory Board meets today as well, and the University Affairs Committee has a proposal on the agenda to add substantial support for the academic program associated with the GMC to the Advisory Board's list of fundraising priorities. To date, fundraising has all been aimed at construction and, more recently, operating costs of the Center.
Elections You received notice of the election results in the Spring 2012 faculty governance elections; I'd like to thank those who stepped forward to help guide us all through tough times and exciting re-imagining.
If you haven't voted in the constitutional amendment ballot, please do so! (Sign in to moodle, choose Academic Senate Elections as the course, and it'll be obvious how to proceed.)
Commencement Watch for a separate email about participating in commencement ceremonies. It really means a lot to our students for us to be there on their big day.
If there are topics you'd like to see addressed in these infrequent emails, please let me know!
Ben Ford
2011-12 Chair of the Faculty