The Psychology Department endorsed this:
Whereas, on March 3, 2021, President Fritz put forth a proposed new college governance plan with no input from current college governance committees.
Whereas, the President provided no evidence that the current Governance Plan was ineffective or inadequate in its three year history
Whereas, the original timeline for the College to consider the new plan was extremely short limiting even the possibility of democratic deliberation.
Whereas, the content of the proposed governance plan greatly circumscribes the possibility of future participation of faculty, staff, and students in college governance.
Therefore, be it resolved, the Psychology Department calls on President Fritz to withdraw the proposed new governance plan.
The Department of Curriculum and Instruction passed this resolution on Monday, March 8th:
Resolved: The faculty of the Department of Curriculum & Instruction hereby censures President Fritz for the process he has employed to replace the current CSI Governance Plan. Further, the faculty rejects the governance plan he has proposed.
The Department of Educational Studies
We the faculty of the Department of Educational Studies do hereby strongly oppose President Fritz’s unilateral proposal to replace the current CSI Governance Plan.
March 16th, 2021 statement by the Department of Performing and Creative Arts
We, the faculty, HEOs and CLT of the Performing and Creative Arts Department, oppose the proposed imposition of changes in governance structures. It is a document in which many proposed changes remain underdeveloped and it fails to detail how they would be implemented; it was created without due process of consultation with faculty and other stakeholders such as the standing By-Laws Committee and without the democratic process of approval by a majority of instructional staff; it diminishes faculty leadership; its abrupt and short timeline provides little opportunity for productive response. Therefore, we reject the proposal issued by the Office of the President on March 3, 2021.
The Council of Chairs voted on this statement
We, the Chairpersons of the academic departments of the College of Staten Island, meeting as the Council of Chairs, object to the process through which the governance proposal has been presented without thorough consultation. We have strong concerns about the diminishment of the faculty role in academic decisions. We recommend a revised timeline that allows for careful consideration of every aspect of this plan and input from an array of stakeholders.
The Nursing Department
We, the faculty of the Department of the Nursing, object to the proposed governance plan for the College of Staten Island announced by the Office of the President on March 3, 2021, and the process by which it was introduced. This governance proposal has been presented without any consultation. The department of Nursing supports three Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) accredited programs all which mandate active participation in governance. According to ACEN Standard 1.2 “The governing organization and nursing education unit ensure representation of the nurse administrator and nursing faculty in governance activities; opportunities exist for student representation in governance activities.” The faculty in the department require additional time to consult with the accrediting organization to determine the implications to our existing accreditation and future candidacy. Furthermore, our graduates’ eligibility to take national licensing exams is predicated on this accreditation. The faculty and the College have a responsibility to make a thorough and measured evaluation of the implications of this proposed governance plan for both the programs and the students whom we serve.
The HEO Steering committee presented this pdf in a discussion forum held March 19th.
The Department of World Languages and Literatures issued:
The full-time faculty of the Department of World Languages and Literatures objects to the proposed change in the governance plan for the College of Staten Island announced by the Office of the President on March 3, 2021. This unexpected announcement constitutes an imposition that disregards due process. Moreover, both the proposal and the process by which it was crafted undermine faculty leadership and marginalize the vital contribution of faculty knowledge and expertise. March 5, 2021
[I will continue to post more here as they come]
A statement from the Department of Computer Science
We the faculty of Computer Science do hereby strongly oppose President Fritz’s unilateral proposal to replace the current CSI Governance Plan. We find the current process followed in order to replace our current governance has produced a plan which is vaguely defined with respect to roles, committees, and interdisciplinary interactions. The replacement plan is not inclusive with respect to representation of Faculty, Staff, HEO’s, Adjuncts and Students. We ask that the President rescind his plan and enter into dialog with all constituencies.
A statement from the Political Science and Global Affairs Department
We, the faculty of the Department of Political Science and Global Affairs, strongly oppose President Fritz's proposal to replace CSI's Governance plan. We object to both the process and content of the proposal, as it has been presented in a hasty, unilateral manner with little consideration for established consultative procedures. Furthermore, the proposed governance structure would eliminate nearly all faculty-led leadership bodies and replace them with committees directed by the president and acting in an advisory capacity. We ask that the President rescind the plan immediately and initiate a reform process in accordance with CSI's bylaws and current governance parameters.
Passed by UCC on 5/7/2021
The Undergraduate Curriculum Committee agrees that the proposed changes to the existing governance plan are not consistent with our shared goals of inter and across disciplinary collaboration, and may undermine our stewardship of student success.
2:30PM - 4:15PM
Introduction: Thanks to the PSC members for re-scheduling their standing 2nd Thursday meeting to next Tuesday;
A history of governance changes (Cindy Wong)
A comparison of the replacement plan with the current plan (John Verzani)
Discussion.
We will follow Robert's rules of order. Accordingly,
the chair will call on each speaker
each speaker will have a maximum amount of time. This time will be monitored by a time keeper.
We will have someone monitoring the chat. Comments or questions raised there will periodically be brought to the discussion by the chat monitor.
The Psychology Department endorsed this:
Whereas, on March 3, 2021, President Fritz put forth a proposed new college governance plan with no input from current college governance committees.
Whereas, the President provided no evidence that the current Governance Plan was ineffective or inadequate in its three year history
Whereas, the original timeline for the College to consider the new plan was extremely short limiting even the possibility of democratic deliberation.
Whereas, the content of the proposed governance plan greatly circumscribes the possibility of future participation of faculty, staff, and students in college governance.
Therefore, be it resolved, the Psychology Department calls on President Fritz to withdraw the proposed new governance plan.
The Department of Curriculum and Instruction passed this resolution on Monday, March 8th:
Resolved: The faculty of the Department of Curriculum & Instruction hereby censures President Fritz for the process he has employed to replace the current CSI Governance Plan. Further, the faculty rejects the governance plan he has proposed.
The Department of Educational Studies
We the faculty of the Department of Educational Studies do hereby strongly oppose President Fritz’s unilateral proposal to replace the current CSI Governance Plan.
March 16th, 2021 statement by the Department of Performing and Creative Arts
We, the faculty, HEOs and CLT of the Performing and Creative Arts Department, oppose the proposed imposition of changes in governance structures. It is a document in which many proposed changes remain underdeveloped and it fails to detail how they would be implemented; it was created without due process of consultation with faculty and other stakeholders such as the standing By-Laws Committee and without the democratic process of approval by a majority of instructional staff; it diminishes faculty leadership; its abrupt and short timeline provides little opportunity for productive response. Therefore, we reject the proposal issued by the Office of the President on March 3, 2021.
The Council of Chairs voted on this statement
We, the Chairpersons of the academic departments of the College of Staten Island, meeting as the Council of Chairs, object to the process through which the governance proposal has been presented without thorough consultation. We have strong concerns about the diminishment of the faculty role in academic decisions. We recommend a revised timeline that allows for careful consideration of every aspect of this plan and input from an array of stakeholders.
The Nursing Department
We, the faculty of the Department of the Nursing, object to the proposed governance plan for the College of Staten Island announced by the Office of the President on March 3, 2021, and the process by which it was introduced. This governance proposal has been presented without any consultation. The department of Nursing supports three Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) accredited programs all which mandate active participation in governance. According to ACEN Standard 1.2 “The governing organization and nursing education unit ensure representation of the nurse administrator and nursing faculty in governance activities; opportunities exist for student representation in governance activities.” The faculty in the department require additional time to consult with the accrediting organization to determine the implications to our existing accreditation and future candidacy. Furthermore, our graduates’ eligibility to take national licensing exams is predicated on this accreditation. The faculty and the College have a responsibility to make a thorough and measured evaluation of the implications of this proposed governance plan for both the programs and the students whom we serve.
The HEO Steering committee presented this pdf in a discussion forum held March 19th.
The Department of World Languages and Literatures issued:
The full-time faculty of the Department of World Languages and Literatures objects to the proposed change in the governance plan for the College of Staten Island announced by the Office of the President on March 3, 2021. This unexpected announcement constitutes an imposition that disregards due process. Moreover, both the proposal and the process by which it was crafted undermine faculty leadership and marginalize the vital contribution of faculty knowledge and expertise. March 5, 2021
[I will continue to post more here as they come]
Dear College Community, As mentioned in the special session of the College Council held on March 11th, 2021, should you wish to post to TEAMS anonymously, feel free to send an email to jverzani@gmail.com. I am happy to post for you. As a governance leader I am well aware that many in the community might feel intimidated by speaking your feelings about a proposal the President is personally supporting.
Susan Imberman kindly edited the conversation down into a 20 minute video, attempting to fairly capture the sentiments raised within the meeting. It can be viewed at
https://www.dropbox.com/s/6rtdtt0hs9nmt9k/CC%20meeting%20traileV2.mp4?dl=0 Updated 3/18/2021