Interim Provost Heather Norris' report to Faculty Senate

Interim Provost Heather Norris' report to Faculty Senate Comments

January 25, 2021


Greetings from the Provost’s Office. 

I hope you were all able to take some much-needed time off over the winter break and are feeling rejuvenated in the new year.  While the start of 2021 certainly brings some of the challenges we faced in 2020 forward, there were bright spots along the way, and there is much hope for our future.

Through surveys and direct conversations last semester, we learned how critical face-to-face engagements are.  We look forward to welcoming students back February 1 for a return to more face-to-face interactions. 

Last week, I met with the Faculty Senate Agenda Committee to discuss our upcoming spring F/S meeting, which will be held Friday, February 5. Although she does not typically speak at the Spring meeting, Chancellor Everts will provide a COVID-19 update and speak to some key university priorities and accomplishments.  Be looking for the agenda and Zoom link in the coming days.  

 As a reminder of some of our ongoing work:

 

1.    BRIDGE STRATEGIC PLAN (led by Lee Ball)

Recognizing our world was disrupted in early 2020 and likely won’t look the same any time soon, Vice Chancellor Paul Forte and I formed a bridge strategic planning group, with membership from the University Planning and Priorities Council (UPPC) and UPPC writing committee.  The strategic planning group collected input from campus last summer/early fall and shared its draft plan for campus feedback late last fall.  I met with the group earlier today to receive their latest draft, which incorporates campus feedback, for consideration by the Chancellor and ultimately the BOT in March. The bridge plan is intended to bridge between our last 5-year plan and the upcoming 5-year plan that so many of our colleagues spent time developing in the weeks and months prior to the pandemic.  I want to thank all the members of the UPPC, UPPC writing committee, and bridge strategic planning group, for their commitment to this important work.

 

2.    GEN ED REVIEW (led by Ted Zerucha)

The Gen Ed Review steering committee, composed of nine faculty colleagues representing each of our colleges and schools, along with representation from the Student Government Association, and the General Education Program, began gathering input from groups and individuals this past fall.  They will continue gathering input from groups and individuals this spring, with upcoming Zoom sessions scheduled for Thursday, January 28, from 12:00-1:00 pm and 6:00-7:00 pm.  Additional sessions will be held in February, March, and April.  The Listening Sessions are recorded and the recordings will be available on the General Education website. The steering committee has also developed brief surveys for those who cannot attend the scheduled listening sessions and/or would prefer to share their thoughts confidentially.  

At the conclusion of their work this semester, they will submit a report from which another representative group can develop recommendations.

 

3.    BUDGET

As I shared in my December Faculty Senate report, the Chancellor asked Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs Paul Forte and me to create a Cost Savings Task Force, which consists of one representative from each division (Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Business Affairs, Advancement, and Chancellor’s), to collect ideas from divisional constituents on cost savings measures. 

 Talana Bell, our AA Task Force representative, collected input from the faculty through the Faculty Senate Budget Committee chair (Tanga Mohr) and the Provost Council membership in November/December. 

We will be forming working groups this semester to study, quantify, and implement those initiatives reviewed by each Vice Chancellor and approved by the Chancellor.  Working groups will include both faculty and staff.

 

 4.    SACS-COC

In less than 3 years, our Full Decennial Review report (the “Compliance Certification) will be due for off-site review, and in just a little over 3 years, we will have our On-Site Decennial review.

SACSCOC High Level draft schedule for upcoming years:

  • Spring 2021 or Fall 2021 identify a faculty lead/director for the review
  • 2021-22: Select QEP (Quality Enhancement Plan) topic
  • 2022-23: Write Compliance Certification full draft report, and draft QEP proposal, send to external reviewers by summer
  • 2023-24: Fall off-site report due, response in winter, spring campus site visit


5.    Other Initiatives

  • I met with the Faculty Senate Chancellor’s Advisory Committee in December and sought their input on the UNC System’s common course numbering initiative. There will be a core group of faculty and staff across all UNC System constituent institutions laying the groundwork this spring, followed by faculty working groups this summer.  More to come on this.
  • Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts in Academic Affairs and across the university continue in earnest.  During our retreat on January 15, the Provost Council members heard an update from Jamie Anderson, Greg McClure, and Elizabeth Bellows, who are leading the effort in our Inclusive Excellence work and have recently developed an inclusive teaching lab to assist faculty and departments in their ongoing work to ensure inclusive class experiences.  We also heard from Jennifer Burris on the Advance Appalachian NSF grant, a program being led by Jennifer Burris, Claudia Cartaya-Marin, Willie Fleming, Brooke Hester, and Andrew Bellemer. The program is designed to promote gender equity in STEM fields at App State, with an emphasis on women from underrepresented populations.  Finally, we heard details of the Aspire Alliance iChange Network, which Appalachian recently joined through the leadership of Tracie Salinas and Susan Colby.  The Aspire program focuses efforts on increasing the diversity of STEM faculty through inclusive recruitment, hiring, and retention practices, and ensures all STEM faculty engage in inclusive teaching, advising, and research mentoring.  The IE team, Advance grant, and Aspire iChange Network, will work hand in hand over the next three years.  As part of their work the Advance Appalachian team will be focusing on work life balance for faculty and staff at Appalachian.
  • As we look to our future, the deans and provost council members and I have been in ongoing conversations about innovation.  We have a long history of responding well to the needs of our state and region.  As we look to the changing demographics and student profiles ahead, we will continue to broaden our program levels and arrays, as well as strategically diversify our delivery modes to support student access to key academic programs.  I’m also excited about our ongoing conversations about growing our cross-disciplinary, project-based teaching and learning opportunities, to further enhance our students’ readiness and success for their future. 

 

In closing, as I look back at my 2020 calendar, I reflect on the many hours we have all collectively and individually spent on responding to the extraordinary events of our time.  Just in terms of my interactions with the Faculty Senate alone, in addition to the 22+ hours of time I shared with you in full Faculty Senate meetings last spring and summer, I also held 21 scheduled meetings with the Faculty Senate chair over the course of the year. I participated in 3 scheduled meetings with the Faculty Senate’s Chancellor’s Advisory Committee, 9 with the Faculty Senate Budget Committee (some jointly with the FS Exec Committee), an additional 2 with the FS Executive Committee, 2 with the ad hoc Faculty Salaries Committee, and 1 with the ad hoc Online Committee.  

In addition, the Faculty Senate chair has a seat on the Provost Council, which spent over 30 hours together last year, including 1 day-long retreat in August and another ½-day retreat in early January, to discuss our planning for the present and our aspirations for the future.

I look forward to the ad hoc Shared Governance Committee, led by Sandie Gravett, and its recommendations to the Chancellor and our Board of Trustees, as we work to develop a common understanding of shared governance and a set of rules of engagement to allow for productive interactions moving forward. 



Published: Jan 25, 2021 5:01pm

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