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HomeAbout CommunicationsMay 2023 senate report

May 1, 2023: University Senate Report

Office of the Provost

Updates

Executive Searches and Leadership Updates


Undergraduate Education:

Rachelle Germana was named Interim Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, effective May 1. Germana will serve in this role as we search for a replacement for Elizabeth Newman, who has accepted a deanship at University of Texas at Arlington. Germana has nearly 10 years' experience in the Division of Undergraduate Education at Stony Brook, and has worked professionally in higher education for 22 years. Click here to read the full announcement.

Graduate School:

The search committee has selected three candidates to advance as finalists for Dean of the Graduate School/Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education. Each finalist will deliver a public presentation and meet with a variety of university stakeholders. Finalists will be named on May 1. 

Continuing, Professional, and Executive Education:

The search committee has interviewed with a group of semi-finalists and is evaluating candidates to invite for a campus visit. More information will be shared as it is available. 

Vice Provost for Academic Affairs:

The application period for this position closed April 24, and the search committee is reviewing candidates. Finalists will be invited to give public presentations and meet with various university stakeholders. More information will be shared as it is available. 

Initiatives


Strategic Planning:

The Provost’s Office hosted two community forums, April 27 and 28, to share updates with faculty, staff, and students. The forums included a review of feedback on the vision and values that community members submitted through a survey in April. The strategic planning committee and university leadership will begin working next on signature initiatives and success measures, as we continue on pace to complete the plan this summer and launch it in early fall.


Simons STEM Scholars:

The first cohort of students for this program has been finalized. A group of 25 students will join Stony Brook this summer as Simons STEM Scholars. The class was selected from 800 applicants and 98 semi-finalists who attended selection weekends held in February. Simons STEM Scholars will attend their Summer Bridge program June 25 through August 6. In this program, Scholars will take six credits and visit labs, as well as engage in social activities and cohort building. The majority of students are from the New York City area and New York State, and represent a broad diversity of race and ethnicity.

News and Events


SUNY Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence:

Twenty-one faculty and staff at Stony Brook have been recognized with SUNY Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence. The awards acknowledge the dedication and accomplishments of instructional faculty, librarians, and professional staff across SUNY campuses and encourage the ongoing pursuit of excellence.

  • Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities
    • Surita Bhatia, Chemistry
    • Elisabeth Hildebrand, Anthropology
    • Nick Nikiforakis, Computer Science
  • Excellence in Teaching
    • Maurice Kernan, Neurobiology & Behavior
    • Tara Rider, SoMAS
  • Excellence in Professional Service
    • Philip Altiere, Journalism
    • Dominique Barone, SoMAS
    • Jacqueline Castaldo, VP for Administration
    • Sheri Clark, Research Administration
    • Pamela Matzner, EOP Administration
    • Susan Nastro, Electrical Engineering
    • Robert Schamberger Jr., Physics and Astronomy
    • William Swain, School of Medicine Office of Faculty Affairs
    • Thomas Wilson, SoMAS
    • Soraya Zabihi, College of Arts and Sciences
  • Excellence in Faculty Service
    • Giuseppe Gazzola, European Languages
    • Andreas Koenig, Anthropology
    • Aprajita Mohanty, Psychology
    • Kevin Reed, SoMAS
  • Excellence in Librarianship
    • Victoria Pilato, HSC Library
  • Excellence in Classified Service
    • Theresa Terracciano, Department of Physician Assistant Education

 

Academic Programs

Recently approved programs

  • Communication BA (New Program)
  • Social Welfare PhD (Revision)
  • Journalism MS (Revision)
  • STEM Education PhD (Revision; previously titled Science Education)
  • Science Communication MS (Revision)
  •  Science Communication Advanced Certificate (Revision; previously titled Communicating Science)

 

Faculty Affairs

Promotion and Tenure

The faculty committee jointly launched by University Senate and the Provost’s Office has completed its work and made recommendations regarding potential modifications to the promotion and tenure processes. We have begun to review these recommendations with university leadership including deans and the Senate Executive Committee. More details will follow as we begin to identify which recommendations we plan to address in the coming year.

COACHE Faculty Survey

The Provost’s Office has begun to share results of the latest COACHE Faculty Satisfaction Survey (administered in 2022) with university leadership and the Senate Executive Committee. The Provost’s Office will convene in the next few weeks a working group to review the survey results and consider opportunities to address the findings. The working group will conduct its work in Fall 2023. The Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) at the Harvard Graduate School of Education surveys faculty members at different colleges and universities across the country to explore issues that contribute to faculty satisfaction.

Faculty Accolades:
Distinguished Faculty Rank Programs (SUNY): Created by the SUNY Board of Trustees, the Distinguished Faculty Rank programs recognize and reward SUNY’s finest and most accomplished faculty. The new cohort of SBU faculty joining this program
includes:

  • Dr. Susan E. Brennan, Distinguished Service Professor, Psychology;
  • Dr. Bettina C. Fries, Distinguished Professor, Microbiology and Immunology;
  • Dr. Christopher Gobler, Distinguished Professor, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences;
  • Dr. Sharon Applebaum Nachman, Distinguished Professor, Pediatrics;
  • Dr. Richard T. Mathias, Distinguished Professor, Physiology & Biophysics.

Outstanding Mentoring Awards

The Provost’s Outstanding Lecturer Award recognizes the University’s appreciation of a faculty member’s significant and ongoing contribution/s to the missions of the University. The Provost’s Outstanding Lecturer Award shall be considered an accolade granted to a full-time Faculty Lecturer at Stony Brook University, based on significant contributions to the university, as evidenced by the quality of the individual’s teaching, service, and related professional development.

  • This year Dimitris Samaras from Computer Science (College of Engineering and Applied Sciences) is the recipient of this award.

Navigating SBU

The Office of the Provost continues to run this orientation program for junior assistant professors. A wrap up workshop run by the Career Center and the Center of Learning and Teaching (CELT) was offered on April 21, 2023. This session was open to lecturers in addition to junior assistant professors.

More details about this program are available on Faculty Pathways. We keep on encouraging our assistant professors to take advantage of this opportunity not only to learn about resources and best practices but also to connect with peers.

We note that these workshops are open to any faculty member interested in participating. For more information, please contact faculty_affairs@stonybrook.edu 

Emerging Leaders

Emerging Leaders is a program for associate professors at Stony Brook University who have been nominated by the Deans of Colleges and Schools from West and East campus. The program is designed to support the next generation of highereducation leaders in research, education, and administration. Discussions and workshops are part of the program and revolve around various themes including strategic thinking and decision-making, teamwork, career pathways, and managing conflicts. A wide range of topics are addressed through a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens to further our institutional pathway towards equitable success. At the end of this three-semester program, participants will complete a leadership project under the guidance of the university leaders.

Next offerings of this program will be a retreat on May 23, where sessions about career pathways as well as discussions on leadership projects will be included. 

Chairs Retreat

The annual Chairs’ Retreat will take place on May 24. This retreat presents an opportunity for current and future chairs to get together, discuss best practices 5 about managing departments and programs, learn about university policies and procedures, and participate in several training activities. This year's retreat will also include sessions on budgeting and advancement, among other topics. 

  • Reminder of awards nominations:
    • Trustees Awards: Stony Brook Trustees Faculty Awards support promising earlycareer faculty, and provide research, scholarship and art-making funding opportunities. Five Stony Brook Foundation Trustees Faculty Awards of $20,000 each are competitively available. Please see additional information.
      • New deadline: May 15, 2023.
    • CELT Celebration of Teaching Awards: These awards acknowledge the efforts of Stony Brook educators who use exceptional teaching practices, dispositions, and proficiencies. Awardees demonstrate outstanding passion for teaching; personal concern for students; and a devotion to inspire and nurture a learning desire in their students. Email celt@stonybrook.edu with any questions. For additional information or if you would like to nominate an educator, visit: CELT’s Celebration of Teaching Awards
      • Deadline: Friday, May 12
    • Outstanding Lecturer Awards: The Provost’s Outstanding Lecturer Award recognizes the University’s appreciation of a faculty member’s significant and ongoing contribution/s to the missions of the University. The Provost’s Outstanding Lecturer Award shall be considered an accolade granted to a full-time Faculty Lecturer at Stony Brook University, based on significant contributions to the university, as evidenced by the quality of the individual’s teaching, service, and related professional development. Visit the Outstanding Lecturer Awards page for additional information or if you would like to nominate a Lecturer.
      • Deadline: Friday, May 12

 

Enrollment Management

Leadership Updates

Enrollment Management is welcoming our new Executive Director of Admissions Mark Cortez who is joining us from The Ohio State.

Registrar:

  • Registration continues for Summer/Fall 2023.
  • Major/minor/specialization/concentration declaration adjustments at peak for Fall 2023.

Spring 2023 Deadline dates:

  • May 5:
    • Undergraduate Leave of Absence/Term Withdrawal for Spring 2023. Students can process via SOLAR.
    • Graduation Application: Last day for Spring/Summer degree candidates to apply for graduation via SOLAR. Applications submitted after 4/12/23 will not appear in the commencement publication.
  • May 6:
    • Last day of classes
  • May 9 - May 17:
    • Finals
  • May 17:
    • Official End of Spring Semester
  • May 19:
    • Commencement
  • June 2023
    • Final grade collection, academic standing review and degree conferral review will begin.

Other updates

  • Fall 2023 - Course scheduling/room assignment: finalization and adjustments in progress.
  • Fall 2023 (through Fall 2028) Fall Break date changes: Fall 2023 Break- to take place Monday, October 9 - Tuesday, October 10
    • *School of Dental Medicine, School of Medicine, School of Health Professions (*Classes in session. Please contact the program for additional information.)
  • Winter/Spring 2024 - Course scheduling preparation underway.
  • Time Vectors - Course Time Vector discussion and adjustments under review by committee - changes to be implemented effective Fall 2024
  • We have hired three new staff members and are in the final stages of hiring three more which will bring us back to full staff with all of our vacancies being filled. As we bring new staff on, we appreciate the support of the Provost’s Office in addressing our staffing needs.

Financial Aid

In addition to our awarding endowed funds through our existing scholarship process, we continue to move forward with the deployment of our new scholarship system. We have awarded 98 students scholarship funds through Scholarship Universe in the amount of $280,231.00. Financial aid will continue to partner with academic units to bring all SBF funds into Scholarship Universe over the next 12-18 months.

Domestic UG Admissions

  • Admissions hosted two NYC Admitted Student Events at the SUNY Global Center collaborating with alumni and staff from Undergraduate Colleges, Campus Residences, and New Student and Transition Programs.
  • Admissions assisted in hosting an EOP Admitted Student Reception on campus during the April 15th Admitted Students Day.
  • In addition, we are coordinating “The Experience Stony Brook" event on April 22 which is an admitted student’s event for diverse students. This event will discuss all the ways diversity is included at the heart of what we do at Stony Brook.
  • Admissions hosted weekly information sessions for prospective and admitted transfer students. In addition, we hosted one-on-one admissions advising days at our local feeder community college (Suffolk CC).
  • Developed and launched a "New Admitted Student” portal, centralizing the steps for students to enroll at Stony Brook.
  • Admitted Students Day-Admissions hosted an Admitted Students Day on April 15th and April 22nd with over 6000 students and families registered to attend between the two days. Students and families were greeted by the Spirit of Stony Brook marching band, and had an opportunity to meet with faculty, staff and students from across the academic departments. Guests participated in tours of campus, art studios, and science and engineering labs. In addition, guests attended workshops, including: Financial Aid, Undergraduate Colleges, International Academic Programs/Study Abroad, as well as showcases of the College of Arts & Sciences, College of Business, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Health Sciences, and the School of Communication and Journalism.
  • Spring recruitment  is well underway. Nearly 500 in person and virtual college fairs, private visits, transfer visits and information sessions are being conducted across the country.
  • Our out of state counseling team is utilizing new individual websites to attract and connect with students to impact yield. These websites allow for a centralized location for the counselors to connect with the students in their home state, on campus or virtually. Throughout the spring semester, the students are contacted via text, email, video messaging and phone calls to create close connections with each other.

International Admissions

  • Hosted admitted sessions including countries targeted in Nepal, China, Uzbekistan, Brazil, India and Pakistan.
  • Presented to the Cambridge Center in India on the use of A levels at Universities in the United States
  • Hosted college counselor from International School Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • Associate Provost Richard Beatty traveled to India to recruit while Dr. Yu-wan Wang spent time in Brazil.

Graduate and Health Sciences Admissions

  • Continuing to process admits and helping students matriculate into their programs for summer/fall.
  • Finishing up CAS integration. We are in the final testing phase of DICAS (Dietetic Internship and the new Master’s program in Professional Nutrition Practice), and CASPA (Physician Assistant). The project is set to conclude once testing has been completed in mid-April
  • Continuing to process admits and helping students matriculate into their programs for summer/fall

 

Graduate School

  • The Distinguished Doctoral Colloquium will be held on Monday, May 15, from 10:30- 12:30 in the Center for Inclusive Education. Come hear short talks by the winners of the President's Award to Distinguished Doctoral Students.
  • The Graduate School Awards Ceremony will be held on Tuesday, May 16, from 11-2 in the Student Union Ballroom. Please join us to celebrate the achievements of our graduate students, faculty and staff! RSVP here

 

Global Affairs

  • IAP is preparing to send students to approximately 13 countries for study abroad experiences.
  • For the 22-23 academic year, IAP awarded approximately $65,000 in IAP-funded study abroad scholarships.
  • While the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) program has not yet confirmed enrollment requirements for the Fall 2023/Spring 2024 academic year, based on the Feb. 14, 2023 Federal Register Notice, we anticipate requirements to return to “normal” for the fall semester. A detailed email on what this means was sent to students, and relevant SBU staff. Any questions can be directed to Visa and Immigration Services.

 

Institutional and Educational Effectiveness

  • Middle States Accreditation Reaffirmation. Guided campus conversations were held with over 100 faculty and staff between April 10 and 21. Video recordings of these presentations and discussions will be available on the Middle States website at https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/middlestates/.
  • Academic Program Assessment Report Collection In the fall, OEE started working with Assessment Coordinators to design and implement assessment plans. Assessment Coordinators were asked to measure one program learning objective. Of the 199 reports required, we have received 167 (86% collection). Assistance to complete reports is available from the Office of Educational Effectiveness (OEE): educationaleffectiveness@stonybrook.edu
  • General Education Assessment Initiative: Guided Conversations OEE has been working with Assessment Coordinators and faculty in their departments to participate in 45-minute assessment conversations to assist in assessing our Stony Brook Curriculum (SBC) courses. Currently, 47 faculty have participated and 64 courses have been assessed. More information can be found on the OEE website: https://www.stonybrook.edu/oee/