Steering Committee Monthly Reports
September 2019
The Steering Committee welcomes the Academic Senate and entire college back to QCC for Academic Year 2019-2020, and we welcome new SC member Dr. Zivah Perel Katz to the committee.
This month the Senate receives annual reports from Committee on Academic Development, Committee on Budget Advisement, Committee on Bylaws, Committee on Committees, Committee on Computer Resources, Committee on Continuing Education and Workforce Development, Committee of Cultural and Archival Resources, Committee of Curriculum, Committee on eLearning, Committee on Environment, Quality of Life, and Disability Issues, Committee on Food Insecurity, Committee on Library, Committee on Vendor Services, and Committee on Writing in the Disciplines/Writing across the Curricula. The Steering Committee thanks the chairs of these committees Dr. Tirandai Hemraj-Benny, Dr. Phil Pecorino, Professor Ben Murolo, Dr. Helmut Loeffler, Mr. Darryl Williams and Professor Tim Keogh, Professor Philip Nelan, Dr. Cary Lane, Dr. Todd Holden, Dr. Kevin Kolack, Dr. Sara Danzi Engoron, Dr. Peter Bales, Dr. Agnieszka Tuszynska, Professor Janet Franzese, and Dr. John Talbird for utilizing new online templates that facilitate transparency, ADA compliance, and consistency in reporting committee activities. The Steering Committee thanks Jannette Urciuoli and Dave Moretti for creating the templates, which also simplify the process of submitting monthly reports and minutes and agendae of committee meetings.
The Environment, Quality of Life and Disabilities Issues Committee has tentatively established a subcommittee to address issues of accessibility regarding teaching and learning at QCC, the establishment to be formalized at the next EQLD Committee meeting. Jannette Urciuoli has served as interim chair from when it was a sub-committee of the Steering Committee and a final report will be found on the Steering Committee webpage under monthly reports. This proposed sub-committee will report to the Senate at least once a semester on the committee’s activities.
The Steering Committee has revised the Religious Observance Proposal that came before the Senate in May 2019. The Student Government Association and the Office of Academic Affairs is now considering the proposal, and it will be ready for a Senate vote in October. The revised proposal should address the issues of clarity regarding the law on which the proposal is based, alignment of student requirements with the law, and faculty action requirements that were raised at the meeting.
President Lynch has accepted Steering Committee’s request to maintain at 2018-2019 levels (24 hours) yearly reassigned time for specific Academic Senate Standing Committee officers. The distribution will be as follows: SC Chair, four hours; SC Vice-Chair, four hours; SC Secretary, four hours; Committee on Course and Standing Chair, three hours; Committee on Committees Chair, three hours; Curriculum Committee Chair, six hours. A change in distribution of hours among officers occurred this year owing to the election of Dave Moretti as Senate Technology Officer. Moretti’s appointment at the college does not allow for reassigned time, so those three hours were distributed equally among officers of the SC. This decision was taken after careful consideration of the duties of all officers who receive reassigned time. An enumeration of all officer duties as rationale for reassigned time allocation has been distributed to faculty, and will be posted on the Steering Committee webpage.
President Lynch has reported to the Steering Committee that acquisition of the new building on Cloverdale Blvd. has been delayed until 2020.
The Steering Committee wishes everyone a good year of shared governance at QCC!
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
