Packet Section & Sub-Section

Packet topics, including links, as applicable. Motions to send to IFO FA Council

Voting Documentation

Action Items

Action Item 1of 9, Section V –Action Items, item A, on page 3 of 23

Recommendation to extend April Council. Given that this will be our second last Metro IFO Council meeting I would like to preemptively extend the meeting until 12:30. I would entertain any motions about this from units.

UED faculty support this action.

Action Item 2 of 9, Section V – Action Items, item B, on page 4 of 23

 Please note we are also currently voting for RF and CF VPs for next year. Check your email for your ballot.

Candidates for Board. Candidate statements for the IFO Statewide Board (1 position). To be voted on in council this month. Discuss the candidates at your unit meeting so your representatives are prepared to vote at council. This position will replace Nantawan Lewis as her term is ending. We thank Nantawan for her service.

The candidates are as follows:

Kathleen Cole

Please note we are also currently voting for RF and CF VPs for next year. Check your email for your ballot.

UED faculty support this action.

Action Item 3 of 9, Section V –Action Items, item C, on page 4 of 23

PDP/PDR Deadlines: In May 2022, the FIC was asked to review the timeline for PDP and PDR deadlines. They have analyzed the data and are recommending no changes at this time. See their documentation here.

UED faculty discussed the importance of these dates and documents and have noted calendar entries.

Action Item 4 of 9, Section V – Action Items, item D, on page 4 of 23

Academic Advising Reorganization. The Provost has stated that we will have a new advising model going forward. This will centralize advising from a managerial standpoint. However, colleges will retain the same number of advisors and support staff.

• See the plan here
• *president’s note-- there is a motion about this under new business*

UED is concerned with the new advising model. The plan excludes language would prohibit administration from slowly chipping away at the advising privileges of the faculty and the units. Action Item 4 of 9, Section V –  Action Items, item D, on page 4 of 23

Action Item 5 of 9, Section V – Action Items, item E, on page 4/5 of 23

2023-2024 Council Representatives. According to the membership lists as of 3/1/2023 unit representation will be as follows:

Action Items:

1. In each academic unit/caucus, the election of representatives, in the numbers indicated above, must occur
2. Include in the meeting minutes of the April 2023 academic unit/caucus the names of faculty IFO members elected

UED supports the action: UED elected Nadine Haley to represent the UED.

Action Item 6 of 9, Section V – Action Items, item F on page 5 of 23

Commencement

Parking. One comment was about parking or the use of a shuttle. The shuttle was discontinued due to expense but there is a bus from MCTC. As for parking— Check this link to learn about options for parking ​. Note there is a bus to the convention center from our Minneapolis campus. ​

• Refreshments. We are working on a plan with admin to offer refreshments for faculty and staff who attend commencement
• Regalia. Please note, that the university will rent regalia for you if you do not have it. Make sure you fill out their form if you need regalia. They often prefer us to register to attend the event, but they are not in the practice of prohibiting participation of those who do not register and come anyway.
• Name readers needed please volunteer for the AM or PM ceremony.

UED discussed the action and: 1. Continue to request adequate options for parking, refreshments, and other accommodations. 2. Will provide regalia for the ceremony, and 3. Do not any volunteers for name readers.

Action Item 7 of 9, Section V – Action Items, item G, on page 6 of 23

Program revision approval

MIS is reducing the required credits from 44 to 36 for the masters in MIS. This makes it similar to other programs within the system.

UED supports the action.

Action Item 8 of 9, Section V – Action Items, item H on page 6 of 23

Statewide Volunteer Opportunities-- Statewide academic affairs is looking for volunteers to fill several roles with a 2 year term. The roles are as follows:

• Graduate Education Committee
• Global Education
• Standards of Effective Practice
• 2Yr Equity and Inclusion Coordinator (50% FTE)

Locally appointed candidates will be affirmed at the April 27th IFO board meeting. If you have questions, please contact Aureliano Desoto (desoto@ifo.org)

UED faculty members will examine the positions to determine best fits.

Action Item 9 of 9, Section V – Action Items: item I on page 6 of 23

FPM Draft Available for Comment: In response to our motion about FPM. This is a draft of Faculty Personnel Matters for next year. Please look at it and provide feedback. We are aware some updating is needed for travel, tables indicating department chair information, and some links

See the provost’s memo here

See the draft here send comments to Alec Sostenby or Cindy Harley. We hope to have this approved by the end of duty days.

UED request more time to conduct more thorough review of the action. The document has great depth, breath, and deep implications for a rush agreement.

Motions

Motions 1 of 7, Section VIII – Motion Items, item A, on page 11/12 of 23

CIS Motion: We strongly oppose the reorganization of academic advising, and specifically the proposed move away from a college-based advising model and into a centralized model under a new executive director. We ask the administration to withdraw these plans, and consult during the 2023/2024 academic year with faculty, professional advisors, support staff, and the Academic Advising Leadership Council to create a solution that identifies and alleviates existing problems with academic advising. See the reorg document here

Rationale:

- This decision was made without consultation with professional or faculty advisors

-  This decision runs counter to motions already passed by the IFO (in April 2020, and again in December 2020) following a similar reorganizational effort by administration, after which the administration agreed to keep advising with the colleges and instead hire a non-supervisory advising coordinator.

UED supports the motion (see above).

Motions 2 of 7, Section VIII – Motion Items, item B, on page 12 of 23

FIC Motion: That Faculty Council waive the second reading and adopt the following language changes to the Faculty Issues Committee’s charge in the FA’s operating procedures.

Rationale for proposed changes (below):

1. The first two additions (related to PDG) codify actions taken by Faculty Council at its February 2023 meeting, specifically these two motions:

1.   “That administration simplify the Professional Development Grant (PDG) application process language outlined in Faculty Personnel Matters so that PDG applicants submit their applications directly to their dean.”
2.  “Faculty Issues committee act as a consultant on the PDG process for faculty[.]”

2. The third addition (related to Faculty Personnel Matters as a whole) codifies action taken by Faculty Council at its March 2023 meeting, specifically this motion:

1.  “IFO supports that the Faculty Personnel Matters document is updated and approved by the Faculty Issues Committee annually with detailed updates of the changes going through the IFO FA packet process.”

Note that FIC recommends that it be allowed to delegate its review of FPM to a small subcommittee or to other members of the FA, depending on committee members’ experience or engagement with (or knowledge of) faculty personnel processes. For example, it may be that members of the Executive Committee or Grievance Committee are better positioned to engage in a review of FPM with the Provost.

UED agrees and support the reduction in redundancy in the process.

Motions 3 of 7, Section VIII – IFO Motion Items, item C, on page 14 of 23

CCSPA motion from the floor: We oppose mandatory parking fees. Seconded. Motion Carries Unanimously.

Rationale: Parking fees cannot be made mandatory or as a condition of employment. 

UED support the motion.

Motions 4 of 7, Section VIII – Motion Items, item D on page 14 of 23

• CLA Motion: CLA IFO reaffirms that the term of CLA's current LAM Director will expire at the end of spring 2025 and also clarifies that a faculty member with responsibility for the LAM and corresponding reassigned time per the 2010 LAM Governance doc is elected by CLA-IFO.
• Rationale A vital major within the college, residing in no single department, the LAM has a long history within CLA (formerly CAS) and clear operating procedures (see LAM Governance docx).

UED Supports

Motions 5 of 7, Section VIII – Motion Items, item F, on page 14 of 23

DLIP Motion: DLIP recommends hiring of at least two additional Instructional Designers to support online learning in Metro’s classes.

Rationale: Instructional designers support all of our courses providing valuable service across all modalities (hybrid, online synchronous, online asynchronous and hyflex). Our present instructional designers are overtaxed. We are increasingly teaching with online ancillaries. For example, in spring 2023 Metro offered 426 online asynchronous sections and only 155 on-campus sections. This shift in course modality warrants more support.

UED strongly supports the motion.

Motions 6 of 7, Section VIII – Motion Items, item G, on page 15 of 23

DLIP Motion: DLIP recommends that administration give faculty at least three weeks’ notice to change modality on a course and/or to create a new online course from scratch. Additional compensation is appropriate, especially if the faculty instructor is expected to do this work on non-duty days.

Rationale: To create a completely online course with sufficient instructor presence and quality content and assessments requires many days of full-time work. To create a course on short notice can erode the quality of education for our students, minimize accessibility to course materials, and adversely impact diversity, accessibility, equity, and inclusion in course design. A poor-quality online course can alienate students and impact their retention. Faculty need adequate training and support to create online courses quickly.

UED supports the motion.

Motions 7 of 7, Section VIII – Motion Items, item H, on page 15 of 23

Career Readiness Project Update

The concept of career readiness is inclusive and acknowledges the roles that outcomes of education play in making stronger more conscientious citizens while empowering social and economic mobility. While it is called "career readiness"...it more comprehensively is FUTURE readiness, particularly at Metro State.  However, to be consistent with nationally recognized initiatives and terminology as well as potential future grants, we opted to retain the concept.

UED supports this initiative and would like to see its continuation.

Adjournment

1:30pm