August 26, 2024: University Senate Report

Office of the Provost

Initiatives and Updates

Budget Forum:

Provost Carl Lejuez hosted the third annual Provost’s Budget Forum on August 15, 2024. During the forum, Provost Lejuez shared updates regarding the Strategic Hiring Plan approved for the most recent cycle for areas that report to the Provost. As with previous years' presentations, the Provost’s presentation at the forum focused on an overview of all hires approved and more details on the strategy behind hiring decisions. The event was open to all faculty and staff, although the session focused solely on hiring activity and planning for schools, colleges, and units that report through the Provost’s Office. The presentation materials are available on the Provost’s Office website (NetID required). 

CAS Dean Appointed:

David Wrobel was announced as the new dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, with a start date of August 1, 2024. Dr. Wrobel joined Stony Brook from the University of Oklahoma, where he previously served as dean of the Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences. Under Dr. Wrobel’s leadership, he and his team worked on a variety of significant achievements, including navigating from inherited financial debt to a positive fiscal position; securing the largest gift in OU history to name the college, as well as a $16 million gift to found a new quantum research center and two major department naming gifts; implementing a strategic plan; establishing a School of Biological Sciences and a School of Population Health and Human Performance (pending regents’ approval); and creating scholarships and programs to enhance support for underserved undergraduates, attract top graduate students, and support faculty research and creative activity.

Associate Provost for Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Initiatives:

Janet Ward has joined the Provost’s Office in an associate provost role focused on support for the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Previously at University of Oklahoma, Dr. Ward was Brammer Presidential Professor of History and Faculty Fellow for Strategic Initiatives in the Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences. She also served at Oklahoma as the inaugural faculty director of the Arts and Humanities Forum, as senior associate vice president for research and partnerships, and, most recently, as American Council on Education fellow at Yale University. She joined Stony Brook University alongside her husband Dean Wrobel.

Turkana Basin Institute Director:

Noted Kenyan entomologist and evolutionary biologist Dino J. Martins will begin serving as the director of the world-renowned Turkana Basin Institute (TBI) on September 1. Dr. Martins has served as the CEO of TBI (Kenya) Ltd. since August 2022, and has been affiliated with TBI since 2011. In this transition to director across the entire TBI operation, Dr. Martins will lead vision and strategy to build upon the institute’s legacy as a critical site of research and discovery around some of the biggest questions of our time, concerning our origins, our current role and responsibilities and, most critically, our future on a changing planet. Martins will oversee all institute activities including recruitment, hiring and evaluation of faculty and postdoctoral researchers, development of facilities, and fundraising. Dr. Martins will succeed Lawrence Martin, who has served as the director of TBI since 2007. Dr. Martin will be named TBI director emeritus, taking on a new role to support TBI’s fundraising efforts by organizing and leading donor visits to Kenya as well as working on several other projects for the university. 

Stony Brook Foundation Trustees Awards:

To foster and support promising early-career faculty, the Office of the Provost offers the Stony Brook Foundation Trustees Faculty Awards to recognize the exceptional trajectory of research, creative activities, and scholarly achievements of early-career faculty members. This year, five faculty members have been honored with this $20,000 award, highlighting their contributions and potential in their respective fields. This year’s recipients are Stanley Bak, Department of Computer Science; Theodore Drivas, Department of Mathematics; Ruobing Li, School of Communication and Journalism; Carrie Mongle, Department of Anthropology; and Shanshan Yao, Department of Mechanical Engineering. Their work reflects the high standards of research, creativity, and scholarship that the university values, and their contributions will have a lasting impact on their fields and on Stony Brook University. 

Academic Programs

Recently approved programs:

• Anatomical Sciences MS (New from Existing Program; 08/2024)
• Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology MS (New from Existing Program; 08/2024)
• Neuroscience MS (New from Existing Program; 08/2024)
• Oral Biology and Pathology MS (New from Existing Program; 08/2024)
• Physiology and Biophysics MS (New from Existing Program; 08/2024)
• Anthropology BA (Program Revision; 07/2024)
• Finance MS (Program Revision; 07/2024)
• Climate Science BS (New Program; 07/2024)
• Life Sciences Innovations and Entrepreneurship AGC (Program Revision; 06/2024)
• Contemporary Asian and Asian American Studies MA (Title Change; 06/2024)
• Electrical Engineering PhD (Program Revision; 06/2024)
• Computer Engineering PhD (Program Revision; 06/2024)
• Business Administration MBA (Program Revision; 05/2024)
• Science Communication MS (Program Revision; 05/2024)

Faculty Development

Navigating Stony Brook University:

This program offers various activities during the academic year to new faculty to our institution as well as early career faculty.  A remote workshop for new faculty on Getting Connected In and Out of the Classroom, facilitated by DoIT and CELT, took place August 7. The new faculty Orientation took place on August 20 and included welcoming by the Provost and sessions related to the academic landscape of SBU, AI in the classroom, and best practices in student mentoring. Upcoming sessions for this program include topics such as promotion and tenure, teaching at SBU, and faculty mentoring opportunities.

Emerging Leaders:

This program provides development opportunities for the next generation of higher education leaders in research, education, and administration. Nominations from academic leaders have been collected, and the new cohort of participants has been invited. The first event, focused on Career Opportunities, will take place on September 13.

Excellence in Teaching Program:

This program features a series of workshops and hands-on activities centered on teaching and learning. Nominations from academic leaders have been collected, and two new cohorts of participants have been invited. The first events of the series will occur during the week of September 9, focusing on AI in the Classroom. Building on the success of the program’s first cohort, we will also offer advanced modules for those participants, starting with a workshop on Transforming Teaching Through Active Learning on September 23.

Chairs’ Retreat and Activities:

The annual retreat for departmental chairs took place on May 20 and featured sessions on AI tools in the classroom, navigating academic data sets, and engaging discussions among our chairs. This retreat was held in conjunction with the previous cohort of Emerging Leaders, offering a mix of joint and parallel sessions to foster collaboration and focused learning. During the academic year, Chairs will also engage in a number of workshops and activities including discussions on best practices and strategies for faculty searches and networking events.

Office of the Provost – Lectures and Talks:

The Office of the Provost offers three distinct types of talks throughout the year: the Provost's Lecture Series, Provost’s Spotlight Talks, and Provost-Sponsored Talks. Additional details about these programs are provided below. As we finalize plans for the upcoming academic year, we encourage you to visit our website and participate in nominating and inviting experts to our campus for these events.

Academic Affairs

• Academic Affairs introduced the Curriculum Innovation Accelerator, a new initiative to drive innovation and strategic curricular change. 

• Project EDGE provides faculty members and departments with financial and in-kind support to design and implement new courses or adapt existing courses for the Stony Brook Curriculum. The recipients are:

• Jennifer Carter (Philosophy) to revise Politics and Society
• Mei Lin (Ete) Chan (Biomedical Engineering) for Science Fiction or Inclusive Bioengineering
• Katherine Johnston (English/Writing) for Literature in the Age of Big Data
• Kevin McDonnell (Computer Science) for Data Science Principles
• David Taylor (Sustainability Studies) to add a distance education format to Introduction to Sustainability 
• Katheryn Twiss (Anthropology) for Greek and Roman Myth through Art and Technology

• Project Landscape will empower two departments to analyze and review their current curriculum landscape, and develop new program proposals to drive revenue and support student success. The recipients are:

• Clinical Laboratory Sciences (Gloria Viboud, faculty lead)
• English (Susan Scheckel, faculty lead)
• The Accelerator+ Grant supports special projects that meet critical needs in learning and teaching. The recipient is Caterina Reed (University Libraries) to develop the course Critical Information Literacy for Fall 2024
• We made the first round of changes to the Promotion and Tenure process, published and socialized in Spring of 2024, going into effect January 2025. The new guidelines create a single calendar across the campus for each stage of the P&T process, with one deadline for tenure cases and culminating in a celebration of newly tenured and promoted faculty each September, hosted by the President, the Provost, and the EVPSBM. It clarifies and strengthens the requirements for external evaluators and mandates inclusion of a documentation of midpoint review. 
• We hosted a promotion and tenure orientation for new faculty, an Interfolio training, and two workshops for faculty going up for tenure in the coming 2-3 years and their chairs.
• We have clarified and elevated 5 current policies to the University Policy Manual, adding an “Academic” category. In response to changing federal regulations, we collaborated on an International Engagements policy and a Student Location determination procedure.
• We hosted a series of lunches for faculty to discuss current challenges in their classrooms and to share solutions and strategies for engagement and best practices for navigating difficult conversations.

CELT: 

• Join CELT for upcoming eventsonGenerative AI, assessment, inclusive teaching, and more! 
• CELT revamped their website this summer. Now, faculty can access on-demand Resource Guides and access our updated Syllabus Toolkit with our syllabus templates.

Enrollment Management 

Office of Financial Aid & Scholarship Services:  

We have processed more FAFSA applications than in previous years. Aid is ready to disburse and cover the bills that are due August 15th. 

The FAFSA release date for the 25-26 year has moved to December 1st. (hopefully) 

Office of the Registrar:

Mon, Aug. 26

• Semester Start: First day of classes. (Day 1)

Fri , Aug. 30 -  (Day 5)

• Undergraduates: Major Minor Changes End: Last day to submit major/minor changes effective Fall Semester.
• Waitlist: Last day to waitlist a class. Students are responsible for any tuition liability incurred if registered from a waitlisted class.

Mon, Sep. 2

• Labor Day: No Classes in session.

Fri, Sep. 6

• Waitlist Process Ends: Last day to be enrolled from the waitlist process pending seat availability. Students must contact the appropriate academic department after this date.

Mon, Sep. 9 -  (Day 10)

• Undergraduates: Late Registration Ends: Last day to add, drop or process enrollment changes (adds,swaps, credit changes, etc.) via SOLAR. Last day to drop or submit LOA/Term Withdrawal without a "W" (withdraw) recorded on transcript. Full/Part time statuses will be locked in after this date.
• Graduates: Late registration ends for Graduate/SPD Students (includes SPD Online Session): Last day to process enrollment changes such as adds, swaps, credit changes, and drops via SOLAR. Last day to drop/withdraw from the university without a “W” (withdrawal) recorded via SOLAR. Petition to the respective college/school required after this date.

Tues, Sep. 10 to Mon, Sep. 16 - 4:00 PM (Day 15)

• Graduates: Swaps by Petition Only: Graduate School and SPD students must petition to the respective school.

Mon, Oct. 14 to Tue Oct. 15

• Fall Break: No Classes in Session.

Undergraduate Admissions 

Applications for Spring 2025 and Fall 2025 were launched on August 1, 2024. 

Undergraduate program applications for Health Science, Nursing, and Social Welfare have been transitioned from Graduate Admissions to Undergraduate Admissions with the launch of the new application cycle. 

We are hosting four Seawolf Preview Days this fall for prospective students, September 21, October 5, October 14, October 25. Each program will welcome approximately 500 visitors to campus in support of our enrollment goals for 2025. We appreciate the support of faculty and academic program staff in engaging with these programs and students. 

Undergraduate Education

Based on the increase in first-year enrollment, Undergraduate Education has been working with the Provost’s Office, schools, and colleges to provide additional resources to support instructional needs for programs with increased enrollments and high-demand courses. 

Graduate School

• The Graduate School has made available a mentoring guide and plan for faculty and students working together. The guide provides a list of responsibilities for mentors and mentees, and the plan offers a fillable pdf to help both parties align their expectations. The prompts included in the guide are intended to inspire individual self-reflection as well as open-ended conversation for individuals entering a mentoring relationship. 
• New faculty are encouraged to enroll in Optimizing Research Mentoring for New Faculty, a two-part interactive workshop held on September 6 and 13 to build mentorship skills. Grounded in the evidence-based CIMERcurriculum, this training is a great way to establish evidence of mentoring skills for fellowship/grant proposals. Register here. 
• All faculty are invited to attend this semester’s Conversations in Graduate Education seminar. SBU’s own Bonita London will present on “Navigating the Academic Landscape: Using Psychosocial Models for Graduate Education” on Wednesday, September 25 from 3 pm to 4:30 pm. Register here to receive the Zoom link. 

Global Affairs

• International Student Success is excited to announce that we now have a physical space to support international student programming, tutoring, and activities.  Located adjacent to the Commuter Lounge in the Library, this new space will be open effective fall 2024.  More information to come. 
• A new resource, the International Student Handbook, created by our International Student Success team, has a wide variety of useful information for international students - please feel free to share with relevant populations. 
• The Global Summer Institute concluded with approximately 150 international students participating in one of three programs:  Global Certificate, Global Academic, English Language programs.  In addition to their daily classes, students in the program attended a Broadway show, visited the beach, Port Jefferson, as well as special academic lectures from SBU faculty. 
• Study Abroad summer programs were a great success.  With over 100 students studying in 11 countries, our students engaged in dynamic, diverse, hands-on learning experiences throughout the world. 

Institutional and Educational Effectiveness

Middle States Accreditation

• Full institutional re-accreditation for Stony Brook University was approved by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education on June 27, 2024 with no qualifications or follow-up requirements. 
• The team’s site visit report found no areas that rose to the level of a recommendation (a negative finding). 
• The report called out 14 areas for recognition of accomplishments, progress, or exemplary/innovative practices and offered collegial advice in 16 areas. 
• Stony Brook’s self-study found 19 areas where improvements could be realized, and many of these are already underway. 

Academic Program Assessment Report (APAR) Cycle

Degree and Certificate programs without specialized accreditation are required to submit assessment plans and annual reports that include:

• • • Assessment of at least one student learning objective 
    • Measurement Strategies
    • Benchmarks
    • Results 
    • Utilization of results for program improvement

Key Update:

• The Assessment Council voted to shift the APAR submission date to September 30.
• Next APAR is due September 30, 2025, covering the 2024-25 academic year.

• No Report is due in September 2024 or February 2025.

Communication Timeline:

• Assessment Coordinators were notified in May 2024. 
• They will receive a reminder during the week of September 2.

General Education Assessment 

Spring 2023 General Education Assessment: 

• OEE in consultation with the Provost and Assessment Council, assessed all 20 Stony Brook Curriculum (SBC) categories.
• Findings: 80% of students met or exceeded the "Acceptable" level in 16 of the 20 categories.
• Following an Assessment Council vote, we will adopt a staggered assessment of 4-5 categories per year, in line with MSCHE’s sustainable practices.
• We will continue using a mixed-methods, ‘guided conversations’ approach.
• Assessment will be retroactive, and instructors will meet briefly with an assessment consultant during Spring 2025 to discuss Fall 2024 data.

Communication Timeline:

• Assessment Coordinators notified: 9/18 - 10/1
• Selected faculty: 10/1

TheAssessment Councilis currently seeking representatives from the following areas: 

• • College of Arts & Sciences - 2 representatives
  • College of Engineering & Applied Sciences - 2 representatives
  • School of Marine & Atmospheric Sciences - 1 representative
  • Renaissance School of Medicine - 1 representative
    • Council membership term appointments are staggered, lasting anywhere from one to three years. 
    • Participating as a member of a university council is an excellent opportunity to gain university service experience, represent the interests of your academic discipline, and contribute meaningfully to emerging assessment processes and policies. 
    • Interested faculty members are invited to submit abrief self-nomination form by September 2, 2024. The first Council meeting will be held on September 13, 2024. 

Link to nomination form:https://stonybrookuniversity.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9Ty9IDdfrgIH7ro

Communication Timeline:

• August 19: Communication sent out by the Provost
• September 2: Nominations close.