¿ì²¥ÊÓƵ

The College Senate consists of a maximum of nineteen (19) voting members from identified groups within the College community. 

• Three (3) members shall be elected from the Teaching Faculty
• Three (3) members shall be elected from the Classified Staff
• Three (3) members shall be elected from the Non-Teaching Faculty and Administrative Staff
• Three (3) members shall be elected from the Faculty Student Association
• Three (3) members shall be elected at-large from the above-named employee groups
• Two (2) members shall be elected from the adjunct/contract employee representatives
• Two (2) members shall be student representatives
• Ex-Officio, non-voting members shall include a representative from the President’s Cabinet or Executive Leadership Team

Faculty and staff are elected to two-year terms, while student and adjunct terms of membership are for one year. No one can serve on the College Senate for more than two consecutive terms. 

From the membership, one or more chairs will be elected by the College Senate members to serve a one-year term. A secretary will also be elected for a one-year term. Officer terms are renewable.

The College Senate reviews many of the activities and issues under debate among any committee formed on campus. If policy or any major operational implications are apparent in any group functioning outside of the College Senate, the Chair meets with that group to include that work as part of the College Senate, or a representative of the group is invited to make a presentation to the College Senate at either a regular meeting or, in some cases, at a special college-wide meeting. Any member of the College community may request that an issue be considered by the College Senate. The request needs to be submitted to the Chair at least two weeks before the scheduled discussion. Materials regarding the issue are then distributed to the College Senate members in advance of the meeting, to aid informed discussion.

The Chair(s) of the College Senate write(s) a report or attends meetings of the Board of Trustees, and shares information related to the issues currently under consideration of the College Senate. Policy and operational decision recommendations from the College Senate go directly to the President. The President may return a recommendation with suggestions for modification or, if rejecting the recommendation, must provide the College Senate with a rationale for that rejection. Even in cases when the President disagrees with the recommendations of the College Senate, the recommendations are forwarded to the Board of Trustees for consideration and approval. Policy changes do not become final until approved by the Board of Trustees.

Attending meetings is a great way to learn more about the College Senate and what is happening at the College. Meeting announcements, including special college-wide meetings, are sent via email and posted on employee group bulletin boards. Consider serving on the College Senate! Each spring, the College Senate canvasses for faculty and staff to run for Senate seats. Feel free to contact the Chair(s) with questions or concerns, including interest in serving as a member.

¿ì²¥ÊÓƵ Cortland Community College Senate Unapproved Minutes
Room 201
September 27, 2024

CALL TO ORDER
A. Faben-Wade called meeting to order

Roll Call
Present: A. Faben-Wade, G. Gammage-Sikora (virtual), K. Millman (virtual), S. Paradiso, M. Timonin (virtual), V. Zeppelin, C. Askew, A. Myles, B. Moose

Excused:

Unexcused:

Guests: M. Talwar, P. Tvaroha, V. Raney, S. Molnar

Public Comment
No public comment.

UPDATES
College Senate Chair Updates
The following individuals were voted onto Senate: Sierra Brock (Secretary), Jonathan Walz-Koeppel (PAA), and Maria Barrero (Classified Staff). There are two open seats for students and Amy Faben-Wade will send out the form for their interest. Room 223 is being cleared out in hopes that Senate will have a permanent meeting room. President Kremenek and Amy Faben-Wade are considering whether an Administrator is needed to oversee Senate.

REPORTS
President’s Report
A timeline for the Strategic Plan implementation was proposed with a launch date of July 1, 2025. Carolyn Boone is completing a systematic comprehensive policy review which will be completed by February 2025. April Myles is working as the DEAC liaison to assist the Chief Policy & Compliance Officer with the Comprehensive Policy Manual and there is a request for a liaison from The Diversity Equity Action Council to also work with Carolyn through a diversity lens. A Campus Climate Survey will be sent to students and employees this fall to obtain feedback regarding their stance on diversity,  equity,  and inclusion around campus. DEAC will assess the feedback and give recommendations to the President. The bylaws state that DEAC requires an agenda which will be presented to the Senate. Additionally, their bylaws need to be updated and will be sent to Senate for review and an updated will be given at the December Board meeting. President Kremenek suggested that Vice Presidents across campus (instead of having one Executive Branch Representative) come to Senate to present on specific topics such as: Cybersecurity and Compliance Update, Campus Technology Master Plan, Facilities Master Plan, EDJI Plan, Strategic Enrollment Plan, Academic Master Plan, 2025-26 Budget Update, and Policy & Compliance Update. 

President Kremenek noted that Malvika Talwar is moving to a new position to focus on institutional effectiveness at the college to enhance improving data integrity, transparency, and literacy. Strategic Planning and Middle States Accreditation require dedicated resources and institutional effectiveness will oversee these areas. 

College Senate Advisory Requests:
1. Review on an annual basis the list of current standing committees and corresponding review status (Article 3.7.1.3).
2. Review and make recommendations for the establishment of and procedures for designated councils and committees of the College (Article 3.4).
3. Review of Article 3.7.1, Criteria for establishing a committee, and Article 3.7.2, Criteria for dissolution of a committee, and any recommended updates to these procedures.
4. Consider Article 12.1.1 and the role of the President or College Senate relative to committee charges and provide recommendations to improve clarity.

FCCC Updates
Patty Tvaroha explained that there is a memorandum from SUNY being circulated describing a statewide Information Security Policy that was voted on. The main concern involves SUNY's Chancellor wanting more control over Community College decisions, especially in hiring administration. This has raised concerns, as SUNY doesn't fully fund community colleges, which are sponsored by counties. Committees are working on crafting a response to remind the Chancellor that local control over hiring decisions remains essential. Keith Millman questioned whether another administrator would be hired to fulfill the duties of the policy. Malvika Talwar confirmed that Scott Beekman, TC3’s Chief Information Officer, is already fulfilling these duties. Michael Timonin suggested that we ask SUNY for trainings that are more relevant to us (like FERPA trainings). The fall plenary meeting is scheduled for October 16th, but Patty will miss it and Cindy Whitney will attend as an alternate. 

Policy Liaison Update
April Myles summarized that Carolyn Boone ¿ì²¥ÊÓƵfully worked on a whistleblower policy over the summer, which was approved by the board recently. She's also currently working on a study abroad policy, though it's not clear if that has been presented to the board yet.

Middle States Updates
Malvika Talwar emphasized the Senate’s involvement in the Middle States accreditation process, specifically regarding the structure of working groups tied to the seven standards. She explained that there are seven standards in the Middle States accreditation, and each will have its own working group with two co-chairs. The nucleus consists of herself and the two co-chairs (Kelly Wessell and Victoria Zeppelin) of the working groups, tasked with overseeing the overall process. A steering committee will be formed, made up of the nucleus and the co-chairs from each working group. Each working group will have an executive lead and a faculty/staff lead as co-chairs, promoting balanced perspectives. The Senate will likely play a role in Standard 6 and Standard 7, which cover governance and institutional effectiveness. It was recommended the Senate act as an affiliated committee for certain standards, with an emphasis on maintaining good minutes and written records as the process progresses. Victoria Zeppelin added that the draft structure for the Middle States working groups was largely shaped by feedback from Travis Vande Berg and his group during the last Middle States assessment. The
main goal is to learn from past experiences and create a balanced approach that ensures both transparency and inclusion.

ACTION ITEMS
1. Review on an annual basis the list of current standing committees and corresponding review status (Article 3.7.1.3).
2. Review and make recommendations for the establishment of and procedures for designated councils and committees of the College (Article 3.4).
3. Review of Article 3.7.1, Criteria for establishing a committee, and Article 3.7.2, Criteria for dissolution of a committee, and any recommended updates to these procedures.
4. Consider Article 12.1.1 and the role of the President or College Senate relative to committee charges and provide recommendations to improve clarity.
5. Report to Malvika Talwar how the Senate would like Middle States updates.
6. Update Senate website
7. Create Senate Microsoft Teams

ADJOURNMENT
A. Faben-Wade made motion to adjourn the meeting at 1:27 p.m.

¿ì²¥ÊÓƵ Cortland Community College Senate Unapproved Minutes
Room 201
October 11, 2024

CALL TO ORDER

A. Faben-Wade called meeting to order

ROLL CALL

Present: A. Faben-Wade, G. Gammage-Sikora (virtual), K. Millman, M.Timonin (virtual), V. Zeppelin, C. Askew, B. Moose, J. Walz-Koeppel, M. Barrero, S. Brock

Excused: A. Myles

Unexcused:

Guests: S. Molnar, S. Paradiso (ex-officio)

PUBLIC COMMENT

No public comment.

DISCUSSION ITEMS

Chancellor’s Awards

Timeline for Chancellor’s awards

Campaign for the upcoming Chancellor’s awards, especially within the student
community

Brainstorm ways to simplify the nominee form with still obtaining all required
information.

Establishing a Committee

There is a charge document that should be filled out for creating a committee to
outline the structure, meeting times, chairman, agenda, etc.

Dissolving a Committee

Number of committees on campus compared to the number of bodies able to
participate

Current Committees

In the bylaws, there are guidelines for current committees to establish a written
report once a year and to be reviewed every three years. Every active committee
presented to the College Senate last year for their three year review.

Marketing Senate Meetings

Students do not have access to Senate meetings

Are there licenses to create a campus group?

Should there be a calendar in the Student Activities Center?

UPDATES

Sandor Molnar was voted into College Senate as a student representative. The remaining Senate meetings were assigned to VP reporting and working meetings with goals for each working meeting: 

October 25th- Rob Palmieri- Strategic Enrollment Plan* & Adjunct Chancellor Award Nominations

November 8th- Senate working meeting (Review of Article 3.7.1, Criteria for establishing a committee and any recommended updates to these procedures) 

December 6th- Joe DeHart- Academic Master Plan 

January 31st- Senate working meeting (Article 3.7.2, Criteria for dissolution of a committee and any recommended updates to these procedures.)

February 14th- Dennis Panagitsas- 25-26 Budget Update

February 28th- Senate working meeting (Consider Article 12.1.1 and the role of the President or College Senate relative to committee charges and provide recommendations to improve clarity.)

March 14th- John Geer & Nic Dovi- Facilities Master Plan 

March 28th- Senate working meeting (Middle States & FCCC rubric) 

April 11th- Scot Beekman- Cyber Security & Campus Technology Plan

April 25th- Senate working meeting (outstanding items)

May 9th- Carolyn Boone- Policy & Compliance Update

REPORTS
No reports.

ACTION ITEMS
No action items.

ADJOURNMENT
K. Millman made motion to adjourn the meeting at 1:29 p.m.

¿ì²¥ÊÓƵ Cortland Community College Senate Approved Minutes

Room 201

Call to Order

A. Faben-Wade called meeting to order

Roll Call

Present: A. Faben-Wade, G. Gammage-Sikora (virtual), K. Millman, M. Timonin (virtual), A. Myles, B. Moose, S. Molnar, S. Brock, J. Walz-Koeppel, M. Barrero

Excused: C. Askew, V. Zeppelin

Unexcused: 

Guests: P. Tvaroha, R. Palmieri, S. Paradiso

Approval of Minutes 

September 27, 2024

Motion to approve: A. Myles

Second: M. Barrero

Vote: aye 10 nay 0 abstain 0

October 11, 2024

Motion to approve: G. Gammage-Sikora

Second: M. Timonin

Vote: aye 10 nay 0 abstain 0

Public Comment

No public comment.

Updates

College Senate Chair Updates

A. Faben-Wade attended the last FCCC plenary and highlighted that key campus governance issues discussed included concerns about potential Chancellor overreach in presidential selections, which was also addressed in a recent Board of Trustees meeting. The Chancellor downplayed these concerns, assuring that it wasn’t an issue. Additionally, there was a focus on strengthening partnerships between the FCCC, Community College  presidents, and the New York State Board of Trustees to address shared concerns across campuses statewide.

Reports

FCCC Updates

P. Tvaroha introduced three FCCC resolutions for campus approval. The first, from the Academic Committee, addresses the concern of policy changes during summer when most faculty are unavailable, urging SUNY administration to allow a minimum of three months within the academic calendar for faculty input. The second, from the FCCC Executive Committee, advocates for revising the SUNY funding model, which currently relies on onethird contributions each from counties, SUNY, and students, to create a more equitable structure. The final resolution, from the Governance Committee, addresses the lack of clear definitions and policies for temporary administrative roles across SUNY Community Colleges. Titles like "administrator in charge," "interim," "acting president," and "officer in charge" are often used interchangeably without consistent guidelines or definitions, creating
confusion around role expectations and limitations, such as term length and eligibility to apply for permanent positions.

Motion to approve all 3 policies: J. Walz-Koeppel

Second: K. Millman

Vote: aye 10 nay 0 abstain 0

Policy Liaison Update

A. Myles introduced the Study Abroad Policy and the Involuntary Leave of Absence Policy that C. Boone will be putting forth to the Board of Trustees. She emphasized the importance of reviewing these policies since they are scheduled for Board submission on November 8. The committee agreed to review these policies electronically and utilize the Team chat for any open discussion to avoid the need for an additional meeting and allows the board submission to reflect the group’s recommendations accurately. The committee will vote electronically for recommendations.

Strategic Enrollment Plan

R. Palmeri, Vice President for Enrollment Management, introduced the new Strategic Enrollment Plan and updated the group on recent changes. He encouraged feedback on the draft report, which outlines strategies for achieving enrollment, retention, and graduation rate targets, drawing insights from college data and external expertise. The plan, supported by about 40 members across various departments, includes collaboration with the enrollment organization, Ruffalo Noel Levitz (RNL) and takes a comprehensive look at strategies through an extensive dataset analysis. The Strategic Enrollment Plan has been distilled into 10 strategies organized under four main goals, with a strong emphasis on SMART goals drive focused, actionable outcomes. The plan's focus is to hone in on specific, high-impact actions rather than spreading efforts too thinly across a lengthy list of initiatives.
Palmeri highlighted the "North Star Goal" of returning enrollment to pre-pandemic levels, translating to approximately 400 more full-time students each year—a transformative target given the decline some schools are experiencing. The work groups assessed data on student pathways, including insights on where students from Cortland and ¿ì²¥ÊÓƵ County and Adjacent (Donut) Counties are enrolling, which sheds light on capturing more of
these local students. 

One major focus is on increasing the "capture rate" of local high school graduates, particularly in Cortland and ¿ì²¥ÊÓƵ County. Currently, about 15% of these graduates enroll at TC3 immediately after graduation. The goal is to raise this to 25%—a challenging but essential target. Strategies to achieve this include strengthening academic programs aligned with labor market demands, improving segmented communications (especially
targeting groups like parents of prospective students), and increasing TC3’s visibility and engagement within local high schools. Additionally, the college is leveraging advanced data tools, such as CollegeApp, to map and quantify potential adult learners within the region. This data provides insight into where these prospective students are located, helping the team to better target recruitment efforts. For the college, the key retention challenge lies not just in keeping first-time, full-time students, where retention rates are close to the community college average, but in maintaining continuity from spring to fall. To address this, the team is diving deeper into early momentum metrics to identify predictors that affect student retention early in their college experience. These metrics include whether students are first-generation (now a question on the application), as these students may require additional support with onboarding, financial aid, and acclimating to campus life. 

Adjunct Chancellor’s Award 

The committee discussed the nominees that were put forth by the campus community. The committee will anonymously vote electronically to select a nominee. 

Action Items

Electronic vote for recommending or not recommending the Board of Trustees to adopt the Study Abroad Policy and the Involuntary Leave of Absence Policy. 

Electronic vote for recommending the nominee to receive the Adjunct Chancellor’s Award.

Adjournment

K. Millman made motion to adjourn the meeting at 1:39 p.m.