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Office of the Provost
HomeAbout CommunicationsNovember 2022 Senate Report

November 7, 2022: University Senate Report

Office of the Provost

Presentation

Graduate education updates

Updates

Executive Searches

College of Engineering and Applied Sciences:

Five finalists have been invited to visit campus as candidates for dean. Each candidate will make a public presentation, which will be hosted in-person and on Zoom. 

College of Business:

The university plans to invite finalists to visit campus in late November and early December.  More information will be shared as it is available.

Initiatives

IDEA Fellows:

The application period has closed for these positions and the search committees for each theme are reviewing candidates.

Strategic Planning:

The Provost’s Office hosted four public sessions on strategic planning in late October.  More than 400 faculty, staff, and students signed up to attend the sessions. These were hosted at the Union Ballroom on west campus and the MART Auditorium on east campus. The provost provided a recap of previous Visioning activity from last spring and summer that encouraged public participation and feedback from faculty, staff, and students. He also shared information on how the plan framework is being structured and how it will inform strategic planning in units. Future events are planned for the fall and spring semesters.

Stony Brook Simons STEM Scholars Program:

The program hosted a luncheon on Oct. 19 to share initial plans with faculty, staff, and students. On Oct. 19 and 20, the program also hosted colleagues from the Meyerhoff Scholars Program at University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). The Meyerhoff program serves as a model for the Simons STEM Scholars Program at Stony Brook. Representatives from both programs met for a series of workshops on topics including admissions, undergraduate research, and summer bridge programs.

Assessment and Educational Effectiveness

Assessment Symposium:

The Office of Educational Effectiveness is hosting its first annual Assessment Symposium on Thursday, November 10 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Student Activities Center. The event will give program assessment coordinators the opportunity to acquire and discuss assessment techniques and strategies with experienced assessment professionals and faculty. Faculty, department chairs, and
administrators are welcome to attend. 

General Education Advisory Committee:

The Provost’s Office recently announced membership of this committee, charged with providing ongoing advice about the implementation, evaluation, and assessment of Stony Brook University’s general education curriculum. Information on the committee is available on the Office of Educational Effectiveness website.

Assessment Council:

The Provost’s Office recently announced membership of this council, charged to develop campus-wide policies and procedures for academic assessment, including general education, and to provide ongoing oversight of assessment of student learning. Information on the Office of Educational Effectiveness website.

Academic Programs

Recently approved programs:

  • No new programs were approved

 

Faculty Affairs


Navigating SBU:

The Office of the Provost continues to run this orientation program for junior assistant professors. A panel discussion on Time Managements and Work-Life Balance was offered on October 7 and a workshop on Classroom Issues on October 28. Lecturers were also invited to attend these workshops. Additional sessions of the Navigating SBU program on topics of interest for our junior faculty will take place biweekly during the academic year. A detailed schedule is available on Faculty Pathways. We encourage our assistant professors to take advantage of this opportunity not only to learn about resources and best practices but also to connect with peers.

Emerging Leaders:

Emerging Leaders is a program for associate professors at Stony Brook University. 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 university leaders. The first workshop of the program will take place on November 11 and will focus on leadership styles and skills. To date, 30 associate professors expressed their interest in participating in the program.

Enrollment Management

Federal student loan forgiveness:

Many inquiries are coming in from members of the community and local media regarding federal student loan forgiveness as well as the PSLF/TPSLF. Any members of the university community who have questions are encouraged to reach out to the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships for additional information.

Student onboarding systems:

New systems focused on the onboarding of new students are being created in partnership with academic partners and other student
service offices, which will enhance the new student experience and improve communication.

Staff announcement:

New staff member Richard Beatty, Associate Provost for Enrollment Management, has joined the SBU community. His areas of expertise are in systems integration, communication, and SLATE. He is currently assisting UG admissions as we search to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Judy BurkeBerhannan after almost 40 years of service.

Undergraduate Admissions:

  • Fall recruitment is in full swing, with events occurring around the county and throughout NY.
  • Recruitment for the Stony Brook Simons STEM Scholars program is ongoing, with a selection weekend being planned in February. Undergraduate Admissions is supporting the efforts of Dr. Erwin Cabrera as he builds interest and momentum for the program.
  • Off-campus recruitment events for all new students have increased with the easing of COVID restrictions. The admissions team is scheduled to attend over 1000 events for the fall, with more than 700 in-person high school visits.
  • SBU is participating in new SUNY programs to increase college applications and support higher education enrollment across the state.

International Admissions:

  • International admissions held several in-person and virtual events from October 3 through November 7. Travel remains restricted in some countries, with some only allowing virtual events. During October, over 50 events were completed, which included high school visits, fairs, information sessions, and virtual sessions. Recent country visits have included India and Vietnam to meet with undergraduate and graduate students and other educational professionals.
  • Stacey Acquaro was interviewed by IELTS for a podcast on the admissions process for international students: https://www.ieltspodcast.com/audiotutorials/vocabulary-stony-brook-university/

Graduate Health Science Admissions:

  • Staff have begun attending general graduate recruitment events in collaboration with other programs/departments on campus. Graduate inquiries are being tracked, and our new communication plan has been launched to support applicants at various stages of the process to connect students with our graduate departments.

Office of the Registrar:

  • Monday, October, 31st, advanced registration begins for Winter & Spring
  • Wednesday, November 9th - Graduation Application for Publication: Last day for Fall and Winter degree candidates to apply for graduation and be included in the commencement publication. Students apply via SOLAR.
  • Wednesday, November 23rd - Sunday, November 27th - Thanksgiving Break: No classes in session.

 

Undergraduate Education and Curriculum

  • The Division of Undergraduate Education has begun hosting regular working lunches for undergraduate program directors. All UGPDs have been invited to come and work with our staff on issues related to curriculum, pedagogy, and student success.
  • The Course Evaluation platform has been updated with a more modern look and feel. There is also a new URL, which will be shared in all of the communications sent about upcoming course evaluations to faculty, students, and administrators. Faculty will now have a pool of questions to choose from if they wish to gather additional feedback from their students. They can also submit other questions prior to the start of the administration. Email courseeval@stonybrook.edu with any questions.
  • The new Faculty Fellowship program offers instructors the opportunity to develop and implement creative, innovative, or experimental teaching strategies at Stony Brook. By offering one course buyout per semester (4-semesters, over a two-year period), Faculty Fellows will be able to dedicate time to honing their pedagogical skills and produce a polished, peer-reviewed work of scholarship based on their teaching. Faculty Fellows will have access to a broad range of resources across campus to help them cultivate their literature review, pedagogical strategies, and in-classroom technological support.
  • The First Year Experience Program includes SBU 102 courses for all first-year students. These in-person first-year seminars, capped at 20 students per section, provide the opportunity for freshmen to connect with a faculty member in their first year here at Stony Brook. The topic is up to the instructor, and we encourage creative subjects. Classes meet once a week, for either 1 hour and 20 minutes for 10 weeks, or 50 minutes once a week for 14 weeks. The sections pay $1,500 per section, and we can have instructors teach up to three sections.

 

Graduate School

  • The Graduate School held an orientation for new Graduate Program Directors on October 21, which covered the responsibilities of faculty who take on this role
  • The Graduate Program Directors Retreat on November 18 will focus on holistic admissions and on best practices in graduate student mentoring
  • The Dean of the Graduate School is holding open Zoom meetings with Graduate Program Coordinators to learn about pain points for programs and think about how to mitigate them
  • The GS Office of Student Services has moved to Adobe Sign for theses and dissertations, which will ease the process of collecting signatures on these forms
  • Ashley Staples has joined the Graduate School as Director of Graduate Fellowship Advising & Scholarly Development. We are delighted to once again have a staff member focused on this important role.

     

Global Affairs

 

  • OGA will once again celebrate International Education Week, as designated by the US Department of State, from November 14-18. International Student Success will host a series of events and workshops that week, for a complete listing click here.
  • On Monday, November 21 OGA will host its annual International Thanksgiving Dinner celebration where about 300 international students, faculty and staff will gather to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal and celebrate this American holiday. The dinner is by invitation only.
  • Visa and Immigration Services is hosting its annual Program Director, Coordinator and Advisor update on Thursday, November 10 at 11 a.m. Anyone interested in participating to learn updates and reminders related to F-1 student compliance can register for the Zoom webinar.