Social Media Feedback SUNY Strategic Planning September 3, 2009 thru January 13, 2010 Table of Contents General Feedback 4 SUNY Athletics Feedback 5 Ensuring Economic Vitality and Quality of Life Feedback 6 Education Pipeline Feedback 7 Arts and Culture Feedback 11 Diversity in the World Feedback 12 Introduction Social media has begun to play a new, key role in how we communicate in our daily lives. SUNY's social media brand, Generation SUNY, has been a major element in gathering support and input for SUNY's strategic planning process and spreading awareness on the issues currently facing New York and the SUNY system. Tools such as Twitter and Facebook have allowed for us to gather feedback from multiple stakeholders from wherever they might live. A majority of our feedback is from faculty, students and staff from the SUNY family. Social media has allowed those unable to be physically present at our strategic conversations to participate and still feel that their voices have been heard. We will continue to interact with our stakeholders throughout the planning process using these tools, and beyond as a key method in telling the SUNY story to the world. General Feedback Joanne Mamjo Freeman: I think this site info should be added to every income student's info packets along with info on SUNY Student Assembly. Florence Diana Hunt: I answer a higher calling. I teach at SUNY. I'd like to continue. How about using some of your "scale and ambition" to see that I can. Good, caring faculty is hard to come by - but apparently easy to let go. Zohar Freiberg: If, according to the 1st amendment to the U. S. Constitution, and according to the principal of academic freedom, anti- Israel students at SUNY have a right to invite Cynthia McKinney to the university, to speak against Israel, why do Israel's supporters at the university, according to the same principals, have no right to distribute leaflets to counter McKinney's criticism? Julie Anne Gorman: Community Colleges continue to get treated like they are worth something. Transfer credit continues to be more of a reality and less of a dream. David Jonza: I believe it would be in the best interest of the lower Hudson Valley to make SUNY Orange a four year institution, providing much opportunity for the region's diverse population to earn a bachelors degree. With its fantastic teaching staff and school leaders, this transition from being a two year school to a four year school would significantly benefit the futures of many students, at a reasonable cost and prime location. Joanne Mamjo Freeman: Have ALL 64 SUNY Colleges have ID cards that they can use at any SUNY campus for all items they need like library, dining hall, bus transportation, campus book store, so they don't have to carry cash with them and know they won't be short when getting something to eat or have to walk to campus because they are 50 cents short for the bus fare. Margaret Allen: Have SUNY Downstate's Master's in Medical Informatics program accredited by AHIMA. I understand the Bachelor's program was accredited, but Downstate was unable to support both programs and I suppose the decision was made to let the Bachelor's and the accreditation go! Loretta Driskel: Can we develop a policy for easy (easier?) cross registration throughout SUNY? Let's make it a dream come true instead of a nightmare for students who just need a class or two! Luisa Marino: oh ty. Networking with former alumni is a good way to connect with people in the field and to broaden your horizons, whether to just discuss what's going on in the work place, learning new and important innovations & strategies or to look for employment. Let me know if you do! Thanks :) SUNY Athletics Feedback Bill Grau: Athletics play an important part in higher education and not just for those who participate. There should be no question that athletics need to stay and those with D1 programs should keep them. They also need to participate in the cuts. Nancy Schlegel: Absolutely it's a very valuable part of college life. Whether you play sports or just support your college teams, it's a primary factor in making the campus a community!!! This is a no brainer!!! Monte Trammer: Every line item in every budget has a constituency that will argue persuasively for its continuation. To that group all the other line items constitute waste. Schools are to impart knowledge first, foster entertainment later. Barbara Breitsch Moore: What is the central mission of the University system? What do our athletic programs contribute to that central mission? What is the net cost? What is the value added? You cannot have this discussion in isolation from other competing initiatives. Paul Schacht: Are athletics important? Sure. Do they have to be Division I? No. Orszag's comment in the Times article says it all: "If the intangible benefits were significant enough, 'you should expect some of that to be reflected in the financial data.' An increase in school spirit or heightened visibility should translate to higher application rates, for example. 'And during the period that we're studying, we didn't observe it,' he said." Caitlin McAuliffe: hmmm interesting, school emphasis on sports can lead less focus by the administration on more academic parts of the system, I don't think athletics should be very important to SUNY. Anthony Mazzeo: Big YES....most schools with a strong academic reputation, have amazing sports teams. I think it augments academics, creates unity and spirit. Having a good athletic program also brings in money. Patrick Flandreau: New York should be on par with every other state university. As a MBA graduate of Albany, I'm sad to see we don't have the facilities that many high schools do. Why should we have nothing and other states have so much? Ensuring Economic Vitality and Quality of Life Feedback Monte Trammer: The SUNY BHAG: By 2015, every SUNY campus will be a full partner in the vitality and development of its host community. That means taking a leadership role when appropriate, a supportive role when possible, and a participatory role always in the community's educational, cultural and economic life. The responsibility extends beyond the presidents to include faculty, staff and students. Our campuses must shake off any vestiges of being a spectator or tenant; we must be players. Education Pipeline Feedback Monte Trammer: The Buffalo conversation was excellent. It followed the tone of the earlier session in Troy in which it was concluded that SUNY can be a multipurpose engine, driving excellence in arenas such as, but not limited to economic development, arts, K-12 education, environmental conservation, literature, transportation planning etc. We'll keep the momentum going 12/1 at FIT. Boodie Bullis: As a New York taxpayer and proud alumnus of three State University campuses, I believe the role of the University in the education pipeline should be primary. That is to say that the State University should function as the major public higher education gateway and economic development catalyst by offering broad (if not complete) access to high quality study programs that result in one of two outcomes - 1) well educated graduates with high-level critical thinking, research, and creative capabilities, or 2) highly trained graduates armed with specific professional or technical skill sets demanded by New York based business and industry. Dian Frankson: If fiscally possible I would like to see SUNY participation in local high-school career fairs. SUNY has many great career opportunities that the communities they surround may not be aware of. Or at least I was not aware of until I began working for SUNY. I would like also to see SUNY DOWNSTATE re-explore a four year Nursing program and other four year education opportunities in Brooklyn. I would like to see the facilities information system be interfaced with the school and other departments, similar to the VA's VISAT A program reducing opportunity for medical error, standardizing documentation and strengthening the education. There is also a need for positions like dialysis, EKG, and other in patient unit and ambulatory service technicians. I would like to see SUNY explore these schools of opportunity that can generate revenue and staff the medical facilities they run even offering promotional education opportunities to the staff broadening the work experience of the staff so that they can be more cost efficiently employed. As the country's economy attempts to rebuild I would like to see SUNY'S explore real-estate acquisitions for facilities that would offer construction opportunities and as a result stimulate construction expand education and medical facilities and further offer education and employment opportunities to the state. I believe that careful market research on the Medical services that the communities SUNY serves would help the University better understand the types of educational opportunities and jobs they can develop to generate revenue and strengthen the job market. Then the university will be charges with developing four year and certification programs that meet the needs of the community and recruiting through their employee's base, high school fairs, working closely with the local unemployment offices, commercial advertising, and Public housing facilities. The University can invite a diverse student base that can aspire to the programs developed and already in place, further, having real job opportunities for these students as the market has shown a need in the promising fields of study. Success can be measured in the diversity of the student body, the diversity of disciplines offered, as well as the way this will changed the moral of the community. There is something about education that lifts people up and I think that SUNY should take a closer look at the opportunity for growth in its inner-city downstate component. - Dian Frankson THII Staff assistant Alexandra Pickett: Proposal: SUNY - Blended Learning Initiative Online Blended Learning Programs Proposal According to the National Report Card on Higher Education, Measuring up 2008, (http://tinyurl.com/ncs9st) "College opportunities for New York State residents are poor. The likelihood of enrolling in college by age 19 is only fair, and a very low percentage of working-age adults (4 in 100) are enrolled in higher education. Among young adults, 29% of Hispanics and 34% of blacks are enrolled in college, compared with 50% of whites." In addition, "The enrollment of working-age adults, relative to the number of residents without a bachelor's degree, has declined in New York... The percentage attending college in New York is well below the U.S. average and the top states." According to the report, "if all racial/ethnic groups had the same educational attainment and earnings as whites, total annual personal income in the state of New York would be about $60 billion higher. NYS is failing to adequately meet the education needs of poor and working class NYS families, earning a dismal D+ in participation and a resounding F in affordability according to this report. Blacks and Hispanics in our state are particularly affected. While the issue of affordability clearly appears to be the significant factor in these statistics, the State University of New York can attempt to increase participation by making improvements in degree and certificate program options offered, specifically, targeting convenience. Studies by Eduventures confirm that convenience dominates consumer perceptions of online/blended learning. According to an Eduventures survey (June 2006 and confirmed in 2007) almost 50% of consumers prefer an online-dominated / balanced option for their educational delivery mode - about 70% prefer some online content. The report also found that 46.3% want to speed the time to their degree/certificate/course completion. Offering the option of "blended" degree and certificate programs, may remove significant barriers, such as travel costs, time/scheduling, and other inconveniences, to better afford the opportunity for education to NYS poor and working class adults. By specifically targeting selected degree and certificate programs aimed at working class adults, a SUNY blended learning initiative will contribute to the university's ability to be more efficient, "green" and effective at providing educational options for those that need it most. According to Eduventures, when considering an online program about 60% of consumers care about geography, suggesting that the majority of the online market is local/regional. And yet, Eduventures estimates that more than 60% of New York State residents studying online are studying online out of the state. If localness is such a significant consumer preference, and the majority of New York's online students are going outside the state for their education, then effort should be made to leverage SUNY local presence and reputation to attract and keep online education consumers in state. As part of this SUNY blended learning initiative, and to best address student consumer needs and preferences, an analysis of the geographical distribution of the SUNY online student body should be conducted including variations by campus/program in an effort to assess and align blended/online degree and certificate programs with supply gaps at local levels and to identify missed opportunities. An analysis of demographic/occupational/industries data in NYS, as well as in targeted metropolitan areas, may also assist us to gauge the demands/needs for specific degree and certificate programs. Alignment with state and regional occupational needs for maintaining certification, and an analysis of regional workforce needs should also be conducted. Areas with high concentrations of working class adult populations would be targeted with blended degree and certificate programs from local SUNY campuses that match the identified workforce needs. SLN will work with SUNY campuses to "blend" selected degree and certificate programs. Incentives will be provided to encourage inter-institutional collaborations that partner SUNY community colleges with near-by 4-year SUNY institutions in the creation of regionally-based degree and certificate programs to respond to the student consumer preference for local/regional education. The course development focus will be on the ANGEL Learning application. Campuses may opt to import the courses into other Course Management Systems such as Blackboard or Moodle. Faculty members developing and teaching these courses in each selected degree/certificate program must participate in the SLN Faculty Development Program prior to developing their course and teaching it. This will ensure that any faculty member has received instruction in how to develop an effective blended course and will be prepared to teach effectively in a blended learning environment. Impact These degree programs will assist the university in keeping green and thrifty by reducing the gas required by students travel to campus, and by resulting in campus operating cost efficiencies - students save on gas; campus gets more out of each classroom. In addition, significant conveniences realized for students may increase the ability for working class adults to participate, and the campus can extend their reach/access to potential "new" students for whom convenience is a significant barrier. Students in remote, rural, distant geographic areas might be more able to begin or complete degree programs, if travel to the campus were minimized. Making it more convenient for the student by cutting time spent traveling to and from the campus, and by minimizing seasonal travel issues and schedule juggling, the student will be more likely to complete a course, take more courses at a time, and perhaps even speed time to degree completion. Analyzing and matching the development of specific blended degree and certificate programs at SUNY institutions with both the regional/local demand/needs and with targeted populations of local/regional working class adults is a formula for success and impact. A SUNY blended learning initiative is good for the university, good for the economy, good for the environment, and good for people of the state of New York. Thanks for the opportunity to contribute to this conversation. Alexandra M. Pickett Associate Director SUNY Learning Network Arts and Culture Feedback Michael J Cokkinos: Art and Culture are not made up of institutions. Our institutions are just vessels for them. Culture is ever evolving, feeding on human energy and interaction. It is the role of our educational institutions to potentiate this energy and facilitate interaction so that they can power the evolutionary process of Art and Culture. The Arts and Culture forum on December 1st at FIT was a dynamic demonstration of this responsibility. As an educator, I always felt that the role of the Arts was to collectively shape our culture and help us explore other cultures. In an economic climate that has forced many educational institutions to lose site of the value of Art and Culture in broadening and rounding out our student's educational experience, I think that SUNY should provide stewardship of programs in the Arts and Culture and highlight importance of the Arts in both education and in life. I think that the Arts and Culture Conference on December 1, 2009 at FIT is a positive step in revitalizing that role. Jonathan Andrews: As a student attending SUNY Purchase pursing a degree in Creative Writing, I can vouch that continuing to maintain a school's arts program (be they visual, performative or otherwise) is of the utmost necessity. As a witness to the sad transformation of my school from a proud center of the arts to a more liberal arts oriented institution, I can only imagine that the changes at other colleges that haven't historically treasured their arts programs to be even more drastic. Despite the fact that there may be more financially profitable programs out there for schools to follow, the capacity of a SUNY school to offer a decent arts education at an affordable price is not something one should merely pass off. To squander such creative potential as our schools continue to cut back on these programs is a crime. A strong artistic community can bring much needed dynamic energy to a campus, and can really help the student body come to life. In the face of all these changes now taking place, I can tell you it will be a sad day to see the arts programs in SUNY schools finally fade into the back ground. When we consider art and its role in daily life, let us not forget the necessity of continuing to treasure it in our schools. Carol Yeager: Learning more about and within the arts offers us greater critical thinking and creative problem solving skills that are often obscured by global and local political and economic expediency. Knowledge of the arts also enhances our understanding of math, science, business, history and political domains. Greater integration and support of partnerships and explorations in the arts by all SUNY arenas and communities can only enhance the educational experience and community involvement/contributions. What are all the ways in which these goals might be accomplished locally and globally? Diversity in the World Feedback Hope Windle: I think it's time to seize the day and put SUNY on the map as a major player to foster and develop a strategic plan for international educational collaborations. We are doing it with COIL, and with the SUNY Levin Institute and Globalization 101. AND It's time to acknowledge and show-off all the amazing collaborations and connections that our ... See More students and faculty are making in classes that are connecting with students in online courses taking place in cyberspace engaging people all over the world. Obama mentioned this international online opportunity and this is the moment to seize the day and share with the world that SUNY is doing this and will continue to reach out and collaborate internationally. We at SUNY Ulster just finished an amazing collaboration about the media with the Levin Institute and students from EHU in Belarus and SUNY Ulster. Rick Sebastian: Today's conversation was a great loop closer to the opening session, especially about the issue of poverty and how we can close the gap between those who can afford an education and those who may not. Let's increase our diversity awareness so that we can decrease our poverty rate. 1%...think about the magnitude of that in this state. JW Wiley: I thoroughly enjoyed yesterday's conversation and only hope that SUNY Administration actually takes the lead and makes diversity a SUNY strategic goal that is inclusive of social justice, for without the social justice component attached to diversity the goal is only about numbers. Additionally, as a SUNY strategic goal all constituencies (... See more students, staff, faculty, and community) must be educated on its meaning, as well as the depth and breadth of its impact. If SUNY wants to be an educational leader amongst university systems, this could truly be not just a Big Hairy Audacious Goal, but one of the most provocative initiatives ever explored. Mechthild Nagel: The following is submitted by the Center for Gender & Intercultural Studies at SUNY Cortland. For further information, contact Prof. Mecke Nagel Director, Center for Gender and Intercultural Studies (CGIS) SUNY Cortland Phone: 607-753-5784 E-Mail: Mecke.Nagel@cortland.edu Fax: 607-753-4114 We were recently pleased to host Chancellor Nancy Zimpher at the conference held last semester at SUNY Cortland addressing the question of women in higher education. The Conference was sponsored by Cortland's Center for Gender & Intercultural Studies (CGIS). In her keynote address, Chancellor Zimpher delivered some telling home truths for us. She advised that we in SUNY have our work cut out for us if we wish to promote SUNY, tell the SUNY story far and wide and make of SUNY a national role model. In terms of the work of our Center, we are mindful of her words. Our goal for SUNY and for SUNY Cortland is to attract and retain a diverse work force as well as a diverse student body. For a university serving New York - among the most diverse states in the union - SUNY can do no less. This is not only a professional commitment: it is a moral commitment as well. We appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the strategic planning process. We are gratified that the process is open. We are very pleased and encouraged to see that diversity is a priority for the SUNY system. In what follows we want to share some recommendations from the Cortland conference on women in higher education. This will be the focus of this Position Paper, although our overall concerns cover a much wider field. We wish to acknowledge the assistance that Dr. Pedro Cab�n provided from his Office of Diversity and Educational Equity (ODEE). Our conversations on this and other issues were also informed by a number of SUNY administrators, faculty, and students, and we are most grateful to them as well. We acknowledge the ideas of another of our nationally renowned keynote speakers, Dr. Sarah Fenstermaker (UC Santa Barbara). [Abstracts and webcast videos can be found at CGIS's website: Cortland.edu/swhe.] Yes, we believe that SUNY can become a national role model. We look forward to the time when SUNY attracts visitors from institutions around the country. We believe that others will want to learn from us as they work through gender and diversity issues. We anticipate the day when the Chronicle of Higher Education and the higher education press - as well as the national press - will report on SUNY's work, as it did a few years ago when Princeton announced a family-leave plan for its tenure track faculty or when The Chronicle highlighted Mitch Leventhal's innovative strategies in global education. We look to the day when SUNY Cortland and SUNY will showcase particular projects. We anticipate creating projects and practices that will be institutionalized and sustainable. We cannot do this work alone, campus by campus. This is why we regard the Chancellor's strategic planning process as such a serious and important step forward for the State University. We believe that SUNY Cortland's Center for Gender and Intercultural Studies (CGIS) can now serve as a model for SUNY campuses for bringing women's & gender studies and other interdisciplinary diversity studies under one umbrella. We note that CGIS has a track record for professional faculty and staff development on gender/diversity issues. Thanks to a recent Joint Labor-Management Committee (JLMC) campus grant, for example, we have trained almost 60 faculty across three SUNY campuses. [We also acknowledge the support of SUNY Cortland and ODEE.] CGIS's Diversity Institute has trained faculty to serve as consultants for any campus willing to provide diversity workshops. Our own workshop was based on an intensive "training the trainer" model. We are pleased that we have now been asked to assist in training at other public university systems. We mention this because it provides context for the proposals we now offer for the Chancellor's strategic planning process. These proposals are based on a number of premises. (1) That SUNY would benefit from a system-wide strategic approach that would draw on the work of individual campuses while benefitting from the synergies to be gained by bringing SUNY colleagues together to share ideas, develop collaborative projects, network with each other, and the like. We look for work at the campus level and for leadership and support from the Chancellor and DPEE. (2) That the time is now for an overall strategic approach to gender and diversity issues. FIRST, we propose consideration of a five-year strategic plan for gender and diversity issues defined broadly (e.g., gender, LGBT, ethnicity, international and immigrant groups, groups based on national origin (e.g., Asian-Americans), etc. SECOND, we propose that SUNY System Administration - Dr. Caban's Office, the Chancellor's Office - encourage individual SUNY campuses to establish diversity related centers or projects. CGIS at SUNY Cortland is one model, but there are many others. Such centers would serve as a clearinghouse for ideas and initiatives, as an institutional basis of support for diversity related service, scholarship and teaching-learning, a basis for external grant applications and the like. THIRD, we believe it would valuable to convene a meeting once a year under the aegis of the Chancellor's office/University Senate/UUP to report on ongoing work on gender climate issues. We see this as an organized but informal meeting for SUNY colleagues. We do not see it as a major conference but more as a university-wide working session for conducting common business and learning from and networking with one another. FOURTH: we propose creating a system wide organization composed of directors of centers and programs, diversity officers, and other appropriate faculty, professional staff and administration. One model would be the Council for International Education (CIE) Directors across SUNY, with a standing elected board and SUNY System administrators attending their meetings to provide guidance, information, etc. Another model would be SUNY Librarians Associations. Conclusion: We believe these proposals would do much to advance SUNY as a national model. We are ready to assist the Chancellor in this process. Please do call on us: we're from SUNY Cortland and we're always open for business. Please review the Appendix for specific strategies that were discussed at the recent CGIS's conference "Succeeding as Women in Higher Education" at SUNY Cortland. APPENDIX While this paper is concerned with diversity in general, we wish to highlight in this appendix issues arising from the Women in Higher Education Conference at SUNY Cortland. The recommendations stand on their own; they may also suggest initiatives and avenues in other areas of concern. PART I - BROAD AREAS OF CONCERN & RELATED PROPOSALS We wish to highlight four areas: 1. Leadership-addressing the pipeline issue a. Mentor women to seek department chair position to prepare for senior administration b. Establish SUNY ACE fellowship program and send women faculty to prominent leadership workshops (such as Harvard and Bryn Mawr). c. Establish a "grow your own" faculty program to diversify departments and to establish a campus leadership program for women (in conjunction with ODEE) d. Administration (Provost, Deans, President) establishes program for tenured faculty to serve short-term administrative appointments (to develop administrative skills) either FT or PT (50% release time). e. The provost's office, in conjunction with Women's Studies Program, establishes a mentorship program for all new women faculty. f. Create climate of cooperation through examining leadership. g. Establish a women's forum on campus 2. Work-life balance a. Create a climate conducive for work-life balance b. Work with UUP's Family Leave Committee to strengthen family leave provisions by creating a uniform paid family leave policy that provides adequate time off for birth, adoption, sick relative care, and elder care incidents, requires administrative responsibility for covering a person's work assignments during an approved leave, and supports temporary continuing/permanent appointment (tenure) clock suspension at the employee's request. c. Adopt a paid family leave policy similar to CUNY's. d. Establish gender equity and LGTB resource centers 3. Career, Tenure and Post-tenure a. Promote pre-tenure Drescher awards. b. Set up post-tenure sabbatical leaves for women (to address the gender gap in promotion to full professor) c. Establish a career equity review d. Professional development addressing civility, diversity across the curriculum, and conflict resolution 4. Pay Equity/Comparable Worth a. Review UUP's research on salary inequity ("Gender Inequity Study: A Salary Analysis for seven SUNY Campuses," Dr. Jamie Dangler and Dr. Kathleen Burke, SUNY Cortland) b. Address salary compression and glass ceilings c. Work with UUP to conduct a study of pay equity based on race/ethnicity d. Review study on "Declining Faculty Wage Premiums: An Analysis Over time by Gender in the Public and Private Sectors" (Dr. Frederick G. Floss, Vice President for Academics, UUP) PART II - Recommendations at a Glance: A - Representation in service and validation of service: * Term limits for academic administrators (dept chairs) to ensure diversity * Formally include service in personnel evaluations * Systematic equitable representation on all search committees (particularly for administrative searches) * Gender equity across the institution-particularly in faculty senate (30% female next year; 50% the year after) * Establish a forum for all women-not just faculty (include professional staff) B - Addressing Chilly Gender Climate: * Mandatory mentoring/professional development training for the management responsibilities taken on by new dept chairs * Institute exit interviews for departing faculty * Include departmental critiques-share these with depts. and maybe also with faculty senate * Use these critiques for departmental change * Establish a college-wide common hour (no classes scheduled to allow for meetings, workshops or mentoring sessions) * Encourage reflective accountability-support it with the necessary time and space * Lessons in civility-offer professional development for chairs; address issues of bullying * Make visible invisible constituencies and ally ourselves with them, e.g., working class women outside the academy * Transform teaching-make teaching student centered and have teachers who are trained in avoiding gender biased behaviors such as letting men dominate discussion * Mentoring circles (include female students in mentoring, leadership training, etc.) * Encourage and nominate women to apply for the next level of leadership * Document and publicize the accomplishments of women * Recognize and reward those who work on "women's issues" and other "subversive studies" * Establish a Women's Center * Articulate transformative institutional values * Create climate of cooperation through examining leadership: values of empowerment, equity, social action and collaboration PART III - NOTEWORTH ACTION ITEMS: FROM THE SUNY FROM THE SUNY POTSDAM GENDER TASKFORCE, 2001-02 Invited an outside gender consultant from AAUW to write an independent report. Some of the recommendations are: * All academic departments have clear and regular procedures to establish personnel committees and support non-tenured faculty with professional development plans. * All academic departments adopt departmental "Guidelines for Tenure and Promotion" * The provost's office offers regular workshops on tenure and promotions * The provost's office establishes a formal mentorship program for untenured faculty. * The provost's office, in conjunction with Women's Studies Program, establishes a mentorship program for all new women faculty * The president's office establishes annual mentor merit award for senior faculty * In order to encourage women to be department chairs, the following are action items to address underrepresentation of women as chairs: * Procedure of electing a chair is made more consistent across campus * Term limits: 3 year/term, limited to 2 terms; chair terms be staggered to prevent complete turnover * Standardized training for all incumbents and prospective chairs * Clear explanation and description of chair's duties to faculty * Periodic evaluation of chair by appropriate personnel committee (formal evaluation instrument includes: performance on formal mentorship to non-tenured faculty, recorded efforts to diversify dept; help dept become more responsive to new trends in the discipline; effectiveness in curricular changes Recommendation for recognition system: * Competitive awards established for curricular transformation, mentorship, and new trends in scholarship; also separate current award on scholarship into 3; separated by rank to better equalize competition * HR to monitor gender balance on Awards Committee and that term limits are instituted (serve for 2 one-year terms and do not serve for next 3 years) * Process of awarding merit be clarified in writing, specifying criteria used * Administration (Provost, Deans, President) establishes program for tenured faculty to serve short-term administrative appointments (to develop administrative skills) either FT or PT (50% release time) (see above I1d). If you have any questions about how SUNY is using social media to engage more stakeholders in the conversation, contact Dave Belsky, Special Assistant for Strategic Communications, at david.belsky@suny.edu. 18