FPC Meeting- September 16, 2024

Part 1: Fall Faculty Kick-Off

Welcome

Chair & Chair Elect:

Dean’s Office: Glenn Good, Thomasenia Adams, Erica McCray, Elayne Colon

HDOSE: Sara-Jean Philippe

SESPECS: Katie Maki, Katy Chapman, Nelson Brunsting, Alisa Hanson

STL: Angela Kohnen, Sara Smith, Anthony Botelho

Absent:

Elizabeth Washington, Lindsay Byron, Jinnie Shin, Chris Thomas, Sondra Smith, Alice Kay Emery, Caitie Gallingane, Magdi Castaneda, Vicki Vescio

Welcome Activity

Associate Dean Erica McCray

Attendants move about conference center writing on poster paper and discussing with colleagues what they think students, faculty, and staff are feeling, hearing, seeing, saying, and doing.

Deans’ Reports

Associate Dean Thomasenia Adams

Updates from the Office of Educational Research

  • 34 awards in external funding so far this fiscal year, for a total of 5.4 million dollars
  • Colleagues are very active this fiscal year and we anticipate this will continue
  • 74 proposals so far this fiscal year
  • OER has a new research administrator in pre-award office – totaling three pre-award research administrators
  • There are currently three active awards, two have been announced and the final one will be announced this week
    • International Educator of the Year Award (announced)
    • Superior Accomplishment Award (announced)
    • Research Opportunity Seed Funding Award (not yet announced)
      • This award is unique in that:
      • Sponsored by UF office of Research
      • Number of people that can submit awards from each college is based on the funding level of those colleges
      • We currently have 8 slots for this position
      • Hoping to have 8 applications and fill those 8 slots.
      • Will be reaching out to some of you directly asking for your ROS application
      • Support will be provided
  • Several events happening sponsored out of OER
    • Announcements will be sent out regarding things like:
    • All things tenure and promotion
    • All things pre and post award
    • All things post tenure review
  • Tenure and promotion
    • Questions were asked regarding the Seed Funding Award asking when applications were due and who can apply
    • Applications are due Nov. 20th
    • All eligible PIs in the college are eligible to submit for the award, and then others who are not can also collaborate on the award

Associate Dean Elayne Colon

Introduction of EduGator Central

  • Elayne Colon – Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs
  • Aaron Ganas – Assistant Director for EduGator Central – Serves as the program coordinator for the Ed Sciences program and also facilitates the college scholarship process
  • Chris Cook – Online Education Services Coordinator College – Curriculum Committee Secretary; Non-degree applications and enrollment;​ Enrollment authorization requests for online courses​; Academic program reporting
  • Marcy Davis – Academic Program Specialist – Graduate School liaison​; Graduate Petitions & Transfer of Credits​; FLDOE and institutional data reporting; Awards: Students, teaching and mentoring for faculty
  • Nathan Hanson – Data Analyst – Student data management and analysis; US News and other stakeholder reporting
  • Dr. Kim Roberts – Coordinator, LiveText, Assessment and Accreditation – Data collection/reporting for continuous program improvement and meeting state/national accreditation requirements; Oversee LiveText and college assessment/accountability systems
  • Dr. Lori Dassa – Director, Clinical Experiences and Partnerships – Collaboration with partner schools and community agencies​; Oversee placement process; Clinical Educator Training for Mentors
  • Sarah Nassoiy – Field Experience Coordinator – Internship Orientation and Applications​; Practica and Internship Placements & Evaluations; Professional Educator Certification process and questions
  • Lyndsey Espinosa – Academic Advisor – Program admission and advising: Early Childhood (online)​; Postbaccalaureate admissions and advising​
  • Earl McKee – Academic Advisor – Education Sciences Bachelor’s ​(PaCE and UF Online); Undergraduate and transfer admissions – BA in Education Sciences (PaCE and UF Online)
  • Robin Rossie – Academic Advisor – Program admissions and advising: Elementary, Secondary Education, EPI Programs; Minors Advising: UF Teach Math and Science, FL Teaching Minor
  • Kat McGuire – Admissions Officer I – Application supports and processing for graduate, postbaccalaureate, and certificate programs
  • Coming Soon! – Admissions Officer I – Application support and processing for graduate, postbaccalaureate, and certificate programs; College recruitment and scholarships; International liaison
  • Elisa O’Malley – Office Manager – Day-to-day office operations; General inquiries; Supervise student assistants ​
  • Sarah Sicheri – Student Assistant
  • Jaiden Oliviera – Student Assistant

Associate Dean Erica McCray

Welcoming new faculty

HDOSE

Counselor Education

  • Deaetta Grinnage
  • Melissa Mariani
  • Laura Shannonhouse

Educational Leadership

  • Jennifer Kent
  • Tuuli Robinson

Higher Education Administration & Policy

  • Zyrashae Smith-Onyewu
  • Jue Wu

SPHE (part-time)

  • Mary Kay Carrodine
  • Melanie Marshall

Research & Evaluation Methodology

  • James Salvo
  • Jasmine Ulmer
  • Eric Wright
  • Scheduled individual check in meetings with new faculty
  • The new Broward Hall is open, did a walk and talk tour that went there and they offer plenty of option such as Vegan and other treats
  • Working with work related PTR
  • Will be working with the school directors and the new faculty on mentoring as well as supporting our more senior faculty and those will be supporting graduate students to think about mentoring in a very holistic way
  • A lot of the work that we do as faculty we weren’t taught to do we just either learn good examples or non-examples on the way we were mentored, or the way we see others do it, so I’d like for us to continue to be intentional about that, so that we are able to recruit and sustain both students and faculty colleagues
  • There has been movement with staff, exciting for some and sad for others, while others are returning
  • Strive to make this a place where people want to be

Welcoming new faculty in SESPECS & STL

SESPECS

Early Childhood Studies

  • Elyssa Geer

School Psychology

  • John Cooley (joining us spring 2025)

STL

Teachers, Schools, & Society

  • Blake Beckett
  • Briana Bivens

English Education

  • Brady Nash

Math Education

  • Melissa Soto

Ed Technology/IALT

  • Avery Closser
  • Daryn Dever

CS Everyone

  • Meize Guo
  • Nicole Hutchins
  • Trying to think about how I can be more outward facing
  • Feedback from survey at the end of last year suggests that I only do searches, this is a lot of what I do but also thinking about how not only do we get folks here, but how do we keep them here. There’s also a lot of transactional work that happens with the human resources team as a small but mighty team.
  • Most importantly to me is the relationship building. So along with those transactions are people and they matter. And I want them to know that they matter beyond the transactional.
  • International Education Week is in November, look out for those activities
  • Pick back up with AD Pace updates later this month
  • Recess once or twice a semester, hopeful that people will be able to join
  • Introduction of Assistant
    • Kristen Stilwell

Empathy Mapping Activity from beginning of meeting

  • It’s about how to build teams, how to keep teams moving, how to get teams to think differently about the work so that they’re moving collectively.
  • Hopefully you all saw this as an opportunity to think outside of your own spirit influence, your own work, your own program, your own projects. Because once we sort of step outside we can see there are other folks doing either similar work or doing other forms of work that allow me to do the things that I do.

Dean Glenn Good

  • We have a new and familiar administration, who are big proponents for the College of Education
  • Deans are all happy to be returning to more predictable and normal operations at UF
  • This is a very good time for the College of Education at UF
  • Kent Fuchs is back
  • Provost Joe Glover is back
  • Angela Lidner is back
  • The transition to getting the new people back in is taking them a while to figure out what of all the initiatives were underway or which ones are worth keeping, which ones should be modified in some way and doing some employment termination of some people that were hired in the previous administration.
  • 4% merit pool – the highest it’s ever been in one year that I’ve been here
  • Strategic funding and think by think proposals are not dead, they are being reviewed as one group funding proposals and part of what’s taking the administration a little while is they need to evaluate the merit of those and to form a new committee to evaluate them rather than a group of three that had very limited experience to do that.
  • Once they figure out what the quality and how extensive those are do they fund them for a total of 20 million 40 million or 60 million? So, there is some significant money that will be put into those initiatives once that decision is made
  • I believe Kent made the comment that he thinks this new RCM budget model is really great for making sure that funding is not kind not residing excessively in centers and in colleges, but he says it’s not very good at making sure it doesn’t reside excessively in the central administration. And his view is that it might shoot back out in the colleges, so some degree of what’s left over will probably come back out to the colleges, which makes me happy.
  • Among the best colleges at UF in terms of fiscal situation
  • The current model has the college as picking up all promotion expenses and all merit expenses which compound from year to year
  • Some colleges are saying they will do no hiring not even replacement hiring unless there’s more funding coming to them
  • We’re not in that situation. We can work on replacing our critical faculty that are departing and we’re seeing if we can do additional hiring
  • Plenty of evidence that the college is very well regarded on campus
  • Research dollars are steadily climbing
  • IFAS worried we are surpassing them despite their larger size
  • We are doing fabulous work with the faculty with you, and then the university is recognizing that.
  • We’re now the third largest, among colleges, we’re the third -most external funding generated, bigger than Engineering, and bigger than CLAS
  • We’re negotiating with VP Norton and DSP to get a better rate for our IDC return that would help all of you directly. So, when you have a grant, you get more of that back to you.
  • Invited to be represented in the new fiscal budget model
  • Invited to be one of the leaders in the colleges that are involved with the new course management system that UF is going to roll out
  • In terms of advancement, we have record fundraising
  • Two people leaving the advancement team – Marissa is going to performing arts and Elsa McKenzie is leaving to look after ailing family member
  • My ask:
    • Please do all you can to increase tuition paying student enrollment

PKY Report – Dr. Brian Marchman

  • PK Yonge is off to a great school year
  • We’re at a record size in terms of student enrollment
    • 1435 students
  • Opened a Pre Kindergarten – not the first time that we’ve done it but it will be the best time because we will sustain it
    • 20 kids that come from all walks of life and backgrounds under the care of two professionally certified teachers
    • Invites faculty to come and see it
  • Students at the heart of everything done at PKY
  • 81% of parents surveyed at PKY want their child to be university prepared, and have selected PKY as a school of choice for university preparation
  • Therefore, we take that as our charge
  • We cannot be comprehensive and be all things to all students
  • So we’ve devised some pathways, we’ve got seven different pathways into the world of university and work and they’re all centered around mastering the state standards
  • We really promote community those of you that are associated with us know how important our community is that our diversity and our inclusion is our strength that being a majority minority school is something we celebrate
  • We’re small enough that every student has akin to an IEP whether you’re needing some extra support or accommodation because of disability or whether you’re a gifted student
  • What we call PEP, a personalized education plan

Three schoolwide goals

  • Achieve 80% of each graduating class qualifying for Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program by 2029 (Current state: 42%)
  • Earn FDOE “School of Excellence” distinction via FAST student performance – grades 3-10 by 2025 (Emphasis on performance of students with disabilities and Black males)
    • Covid was tough on PKY and some of the distinction and luster that we had dropped off, but we’re gaining that back
    • In particular subpopulations, students with disabilities and black males, our performance rates have really skyrocketed in the last couple of years
    • Currently ranked 64th high school among 1169, which puts us in the top three or four percent
    • Board of trustees want us in top ten of those schools
  • Rise to the USN&WR Top 5% of schools in Florida – Elementary, Middle and High – by 2027
    • Achieve 100% student participation rate on AP exams by 2025
    • Exceed Florida AP course qualifying rates in each course by 2025
  • On a trajectory to have half of the graduating class receive Bright Futures award this year
  • Put a lot of resources into this goal
    • Invested in test prep
  • People are staying at PKY. PKY is a destination school. Teachers don’t leave PKY to go to other districts or other teaching opportunities, public or private schools
  • We do lose teachers to instructional designer jobs, and to advisor jobs, and to jobs and sectors other than education, but we lose them very infrequently

We set a record in terms of promotions

  • Dr. Jon Mundorf (University School Associate Professor)
  • Dr. Carla-Ann Brown (University School Associate Professor)
  • Dr. Mayra Cordero (University School Associate Professor)
  • Peggy Roach (University School Assistant Professor)
  • Kevin Fabulich (University School Assistant Professor)
  • Michael Poole (University School Assistant Professor)
  • Lisa Fabulich (University School Assistant Professor)
  • Jalea Turner (University School Assistant Professor)
  • Dr. John Bell (University School Assistant Professor)
  • Dr. Kristina Bevin (University School Assistant Professor)
  • Megan Koppitch (University School Assistant Professor)
  • Mario Toussaint (University School Assistant Professor)
  • Right in the middle of collective bargaining
  • $12 million budget
  • University takes first $796000 from our budget
  • Activity based cost paying RCM model

New PKY Initiatives

  • Opened Pre-Kindergarten
  • Florida Senate’s Healthy Living ($500K/yr.)
    • Started programs in health and human performance and our students will benefit by having choices in health related professions for a long time
  • “Leader in Me” Program
    • Focusing more on leadership and student autonomy and engagement and students being empowered to chart their own course. And so we’ve partnered with the Stephen Covey Foundation
  • International Experiences
    • Our kids went to the Galapagos this summer
    • Went to Panama
    • Robotics group went to Japan, Kyoto, Tokyo, and all through the manufacturing sectors of those cities to learn more about robotics and AI machine learning
  • Balanced School Year
    • We were a pilot district and embraced by the DOE to take our 168 days and use them a little more wisely
    • We’ll start school next year on July 28th with students
    • Our summers instead of being 10 weeks will eventually be six and then we’ll build those breaks into the school year
  • New Gymnasium Updates
    • The gym somehow got conflated in this selective admissions conversation
    • It’s hot and kids are not happy and parents are not happy
    • Funding seems to be resolved and want to ensure we get gym built
  • Invitation to PKY research day
    • Friday October 11th – 8:15 am – 3:15 pm
    • On PKY campus
    • Coffee, lunch and snacks provided

Guest Speaker – Jacob Clore, Partnership for Strong Families

  • Lead child welfare agency as contracted by the Florida Department of Children and Families
  • Serves 13 counties in north central Florida
  • Child welfare in Florida is privatized, this was voted into law in 1998
  • Founded five years later in 2003 and took over child protective services in 2004
  • This means we are an independent agency nonprofit that covers this specific area in Florida
  • We have offices in Gainesville, Lake City, Live Oak, Perry, Starke, and Trenton
  • Placement department is responsible for working with children and placing them in the appropriate homes
  • So these terms get thrown around a lot in the media or just an average everyday life, foster care versus adoption. It’s very important to talk about what each of those mean because they can often get mixed up
  • Foster care = temporary living
    • Children are awaiting permanency either through reunification with their biological parents for adoption. Reunification is our first goal.
    • We work to safely reunify the children with their biological parents whenever it’s appropriate and safe to do so
    • Then, if unfortunately, in that situation a child is not able to reunify safely with their biological parent, we move to adoption after their biological parents’ rights have been terminated
  • Adoption = forever home
  • We have a prevention network of four family resource centers throughout the 13 counties we serve
    • Library Partnership Resource Center
    • SWAG Family Resource Center
    • The North Star Family Resource Center
    • Tri-County Community Resource Center
  • We follow a specific model called the Protective Factors Model
  • Our resource centers would not be possible without one, community partnerships and donors, and two, our grassroots organizations that are on the ground helping us to operate these resource centers. These include:
    • Alachua County Library District
    • SWAG Advocacy Group
    • Richardson Community Center
    • Tri-County Resources
  • These last couple years, Sustainability has been the name of the game for us to keep these running, and we are really grateful for partnership with organizations like the Children’s Trust of Alachua County

How donations help local families

  • Education incentive program
    • works to provide kids with that extra motivation that they deserve because of the situation that they’re going through and so we reward them financially every quarter based on their grades and their grade improvement
    • 107 kids served in the 2023-2024 school year
  • Normalcy program
    • Provides kids with funding for extracurricular activates such as school clubs and sports
    • 114 kids served in 2024
  • Resource centers are the prevention aspect of our work, we have a lot of great programs that are geared towards families and communities
  • Emergency food pantry in the SWAG Resource Center
    • Used by 38 individuals in May alone
  • Financial literacy workshops
    • Partner with different banks, lenders, and financial advisors to provide workshops that teach families how to stretch their money farther
    • Encourage families to come in with a $100 utilities bill incentive
  • Job re-entry and community scholarships
    • Will have different workshops, and usually takes place in April, that are geared towards helping families learn how to make that next step into finding a job
    • Job fair in May -109 people attended
    • Community scholarships available to individuals that they’re ready to start the job They just need a little extra help getting the materials ready to have that foot in the door – Utilized by 145 people
  • Encourage donations and thanks the university for all they do
  • UF highest donors in SEC by $1 million

Other ways to engage

  • Foster parents or adoptive parents
    • 732 children in out of home care
    • Only 144 foster homes for them
  • Donation drive (Wish Upon a Star Holiday Toy Drive)
    • Encourages signing up to sponsor a child’s wishlist
  • Superhero 5K at Westside Park November 3

Conclusion of faculty kick-off. All are invited to stay for the regular FPC meeting.

Part 2: FPC September 2024 Meeting

Approval of Agenda

Meeting called to order at 3:26 pm. Motion to approve by Nelson Brunsting at 3:26 pm. seconded by Anthony Botelho with consensus of the group. Minutes stand approved at 3:27 pm. No abstentions or objections.

Approval of Prior Meeting Minutes (April 22, 2024 & August 26, 2024)

Angela Kohnen noted that April minutes have already been approved and transitioned to August minutes. Motion to approve by Angela Kohnen, contingent the addition of Sara Jean Phillippe to HDOSE. Seconded by Sara Jean Phillippe and approved by consensus of the group. Minutes stand approved at 3:29 pm.

Main Agenda Items

  • FPC Parliamentarian – Dr. Katy Chapman
  • Agenda Committee member – Dr. Tara Mathien
  • Third agenda committee member should be Chair Elect – if you know anyone that wants to be chair elect please encourage that
  • All committees have been set but we need to get chairs as soon as possible
  • We will do away with committee reports
  • If involved with committee we need to get those meetings rolling (FPC member should be organizing the first meeting)
  • Need Ad Hoc Elections Committee members 2024-2025 (one from each school)
    • Mostly drawn from FPC to create that committee
    • Involves getting ballot together and helping your colleagues hat want to run and putting them on the ballot
  • Remaining item from last year
    • Updated proposal guidelines for LSAT
    • Communicate with your school if you have someone of interest for a lecture or seminar, the primary criterion is that it’s of interest to faculty

Discussion Items

FPC DEI Committee Discussion – Associate Dean Erica McCray

  • Standing DEI committee no longer allowable
  • How do we comply with state law while also doing what we can to be consistent with the COE mission?
  • There are some elements of our mission that speak to unallowable language, which is curious
  • Values from the DEI committee that was in place
    • Recognizing the value of all faculty to promote action-oriented initiatives to foster an inclusive environment, support all faculty’s professional development and promotion, and develop online strategic planning with a focus on sustainability and cross committee collaboration
  • I’m hopeful that the committee chairs will think about how they can integrate this into the other standing committees. This does not necessarily have to be a part of a standalone committee
  • Question regarding award that acknowledged faculty in that committee
    • One of the awards that anybody could apply for
    • Potentially move the award to lectures, seminars, and awards so it doesn’t just disappear
  • Question asking if any of the other colleges across the enterprise looking at using donor or non-state funds to keep these committees going, can’t use state funds for the law but what about non-state funds?
    • The challenge with that is faculty are state paid for the most part and state paid employees cannot advance actively the work of DEI and there was an inquiry into faculty who were members of this committee, so that also created vulnerability for them

PK Yonge UF Faculty Senate Discussion – Associate Dean Erica McCray

  • Part of the reason Elizabeth wanted the Ad Hoc elections committee to begin their work sooner is we have an unwritten history of PK Yonge Faculty Senate seats or representation
  • And so the elections committee will also be asked to make a recommendation on some guidance related to PK Senate representation
  • They currently have one senator, but there’s no documentation to say it’s proportional, it’s this many seats and they are part of our college generally, but very specifically to the UF Senate. So, we need to have something in place and that Ad Hoc elections committee would be asked to make a recommendation on that process
  • What do faculty want to focus on this year?
    • Take this thought to your next departmental meeting and solicit input from your colleagues to find out what they want this body to do
  • Question: is there any PKY representation on the Ad Hoc committee?
    • No there is not. This is internal and as we discussed, they’re going to look through our history and then we want to communicate with yours. We found out today that Gabe Lee is in charge of your FPC, so he’ll be getting an email from our side

Adjournment

Motion adjourned by Angela Kohnen at 3:39 pm. Anthony Botelho seconded with no objections or abstentions. The motion passed unanimously.