Review Committee Minutes
September 5, 2018, 9:30 am-11:30 pm, Room A-310
Present: G. Barabino, D. Cintrón, M. Driscoll, D. Jeruzalmi, K. Foster, E. Koch, G. Gebert, F. Lam, T. Liss, J. Mercado, T. Scala, C. Stewart, M. Strzeszewski, M. Trevisan, L. Zinnanti
Guests: L. Mars, E. Medina
Excused: G. Barabino, R. Menon, D. Mozeleski, V.P. Nair, W. Thornton, K. Witherspoon
Approval of August 1 Minutes
The meeting commenced at 9:35 am and the Minutes of the meeting of August 1st, 2018 were approved as submitted.
Budget Update
Felix Lam presented an update of the College's FY18 budget and the CUNY's allocation letter for the preliminary budget for FY19. The projected deficit for FY18 shrank significantly in the 3rd and 4th quarters to under 3M, due to factors such as greater energy savings, planned spending reductions and the pilot repeal of a fee for administrative services by the Development Office.
However, based on the preliminary budget allocation, the projected deficit for FY19 will exceed 17M and increase to over 19M over the next three years. This increase is mostly the result of mandated savings by CUNY (effectively cuts), increased personnel costs, and expenses that cannot be delayed such as IT infrastructure maintenance. The preliminary allocation does not include the Medical School's budget, but the Medical School will share in the mandated savings. Felix will present this information at an upcoming Faculty Senate meeting. It was pointed out that the significant reduction of the projected deficit for FY2018 may create some skepticism about the deficits projected for FY19 forward that should be addressed.
The Role of the Review Committee in College Budget Decisions
Interim Provost Liss led a discussion of what personnel related decisions should be vetted by the RC going forward, including faculty and staff hiring requiring new resources, and which items might be made without RC vetting, due either to urgency or lack of budget impact, such as retention packages and SABs funded by a division's budget. The committee concurred with the Provost's suggested criteria.
Salary increases for promotions will continue to be limited to one step barring exceptional cases in which two steps might be given. Divisions especially hard hit by cuts may need additional funding support for these pay increases to ensure equity across the College
Additional suggestions included:
- requesting that CUNY review the Tech Fee policies to permit these to be used for IT maintenance and upgrades that are not covered by capital funding.
- asking CUNY for a system-wide, attractive early retirement package
- discussion in RC of where any future cuts will be made (ie OTPS or adjunct funds)
The Provost said that the RC should be working to develop a budget model for when the College is out of crisis, in coordination with the President's strategic planning process.
Workshop on Cultural Competency
Cris Cullinan, who has worked with both GSOE and Science, will be leading a workshop on hiring for `cultural competency' on October 5, from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm, in Shepard 350. Representation from all search committees is required; Deans are strongly encouraged to attend. The workshop is limited to 50 participants and other interested members of the College community may participate if enrollment allows. Contact Teresa Scala for more information. Note after meeting: a second workshop has been added from 2:00 to 5:00 pm on October 5 to accommodate more people.
Student Services Changes
In response to a crisis in Financial Aid, Celia Lloyd led the Enrollment Services team in implementing a proto-One Stop at the front of the Wille Administration Building to triage students and collect FAFSA verification paperwork for processing. This pilot was so successful that that student complaints have virtually stopped escalating to the President and Provost. As part of the President's strategic priorities for Student Success, the College will build on this momentum to initiate creation of a permanent One Stop by requiring that new hires in the enrollment offices be generalists and through cross training of existing staff.
Campus Research Council (CRC)
The new Campus Research Council is in operation, with faculty leadership by Ronnie Ghose, Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry; a representative committee of faculty and administrators; and staff support provided by Jennifer Lee.
In conjunction with the Provost, the CRC will set policies and procedures for the research operation on campus and the CRC Chair will work with funding agencies and faculty to raise the profile of research and creative works of CCNY faculty.The CRS will not be responsible for administrative offices previously in the portfolio of the Associate Provost for Research, such as the Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs. The Provost will be responsible for the vivarium.
It was suggested that in the interest of transparency and participation, the CRC should have public minutes posted on the Provost's web site and there should be a mechanism for faculty to get items onto the committee's agenda.
The Plenary session adjourned at 11:00 am and the Personnel Subcommittee portion of the meeting commenced. Going forward, the plenary sessions will be help in A-310 and the Personnel Subcommittee meetings in A-201.
Last Updated: 11/05/2018 13:19