Presidential Task Forces

President Alison Byerly emailed the following message to the campus community today:

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to report that many colleagues expressed interest in serving on the Presidential Task Forces that will be charged with helping us to move forward on a number of important issues. I am very grateful to all those who submitted their names for consideration.

Working with the Faculty Governance Committee, I have chosen at-large members for each group who complement the members already appointed by virtue of their role on one of the elected committees.  In addition to the information colleagues provided about their own interest in a task force topic, we also considered divisional representation, rank, and similar issues in an effort to ensure balance in all of these areas.  As there are only two at-large slots on each task force, it is unfortunately the case that many interested faculty could not be appointed.  However,  the task forces will be encouraged to reach out to the broader community and involve as many faculty, staff, and students as possible in their discussions, and  I am confident that interested colleagues will find many opportunities to offer their suggestions and perspectives.

Complete membership of these committees is as follows:

Task Force on Curricular Innovation and Technology
Chair:  Larry Malinconico, At-Large Member
John Meier, Associate Provost for Faculty Development and Research
Michelle Geoffrion-Vinci, Faculty Academic Policy Committee
Kristen Sanford Bernhardt, Faculty Academic Policy Committee
David Brandes, Information Technology and Library Advisory Committee
Pat Donahue, Teaching and Learning Committee
Chawne Kimber, Curriculum and Ed Policy Committee
Jason Alley, Director of Instructional Technology
John Kincaid, At-Large Member
Terese Heidenwolf, At-Large Member

Task Force on Enrollment Size and Program Capacity
Chair:  Jamila Bookwala, At-Large Member
Mary Roth, Associate Provost for Academic Operations
Greg MacDonald, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid
Rebecca Kissane, Faculty Academic Policy Committee
Andy Vinchur, Faculty Academic Policy Committee
D.C. Jackson, Faculty Academic Policy Committee
Angelika Von Wahl, Enrollment Planning Committee
Arthur Kney, Enrollment Planning Committee
Louis Zulli, Enrollment Planning Committee
Kari Fazio, Assoc VP for Finance and Business Operations
Larry Stockton, At-Large Member

Task Force on the Integrated Student Experience
Chair: Yih-Choung Yu, At-Large Member
Paul McLoughlin, Dean of Students
Erica D’Agostino, Dean of Academic Advising
Elizabeth Suhay, Faculty Academic Policy Committee
Stephen Kurtz, Faculty Academic Policy Committee
Michael Butler, Student Life Committee
Alessandro Giovanelli, Student Life Committee
Julia Nicodemus, Curriculum and Educational Policy Committee
Roger Ruggles, Diversity Committee
Markus Dubischar, At-Large Member

As I have noted, the Task Forces will be asked to work in a focused manner over the next several months, meeting weekly as a group and organizing open meetings, presentations, and other forums for community discussion. They will be invited, along with the Faculty Academic Policy Committee, to a special Board of Trustees Retreat on January 30, for discussion of a number of broad issues, and will have the opportunity to engage the Board on the topics of each task force, with final reports expected in April.

I think that these will be terrific groups, and I thank Jennifer Talarico and Governance for their assistance in putting these task forces together.  I look forward to working with these colleagues, and with the community as a whole, to explore these important issues. Thanks to all for your support of this effort.

Alison Byerly