Board of Visitors

Academic Affairs Committee Meeting April 26, 2019

Board Members Present

• Brad Hunter, Chair
• Steve Kast
• Judy Wason
• Ella Ward
• Maria Herbert
• David C. Doughty, Jr., University Provost
• Sean Connable, Faculty Senate Representative and Department of Communication Lecturer

Board Members Absent

• Junius Williams
• Lindsey Carney

The regular meeting of the BOV Academic Affairs Committee of Christopher Newport University was called to order at 9:05 AM on April 26, 2019 by Brad Hunter, Committee Chair. As the previous meeting minutes were presented to everyone prior to the meeting, they were not read or voted on.

Topics for discussion:

1. Faculty Searches
   1. 281 faculty this year – 204 tenure-track (TT) and 77 Lecturer and Instructors (NTT). This means that 27.4% of our faculty are not on tenure track (our long term goal has been 25%).
   2. On target to reach 288 faculty next year, an increase of 7 over this year. One was already in the budget, two are normal growth positions, and four are a result of funding by the state for STEM degree production.
   3. Five of the seven positions are tenure-track and two are non tenure-track. Four NTT positions are being switched to TT positions, and three faculty have been converted to TT positions.
   4. With the searches we have already finished, if the few remaining searches are successfully concluded, we will begin next year with 216 tenured and tenured-track and 72 lecturers and instructors. This will yield 25% NTT faculty, reaching our goal.
2. Community Captains
   1. Provost Doughty presented the article from the Daily Press on the visit of our first cohort of 83 NNPS sophomores accepted in the program from Warwick, Heritage and Achievable Dream high schools.
   2. The day included various speeches, an extensive campus tour and lunch at Regattas.
   3. On April 27, 2019, CNU will be hosting parents of the potential students for a similar 2 hour event.
   4. We have begun the transition of the program for the students from the Office of Admission to the Office of the Provost, which will oversee their junior year experiences, including the Peer Mentor program, enrichment visit days and fun activities.
3. Study Abroad
   1. Numbers dropped a couple of years ago across the board due to trip cancellations for terrorist threats. To counter that, we increased the salary paid to faculty leading these trips and we funded “exploratory trips” for faculty proposing trips for last summer.
   2. Study abroad rebounded due to those initiatives last year from 273 to 315 and the increase continued. This year the number will be just over 400, which includes almost 40 students in the wind ensemble who went to Cypress and did a one -credit study abroad class in conjunction with that trip. We have trips rangingfrom Fiji to India and South Africa to Iceland.
   3. For next year, optional one-week “lab” study abroad courses will be introduced which can be taken for supplemental credit during spring break.
   4. Summer courses next year include Ecuador, Italy, Vietnam, Greece, Spain and Morocco, among others.
   5. We didn’t have any students who opted to spend the upcoming fall semester in Barbados. We will however, send some students in the spring and, if we reach 10, we will send a faculty member with them.
4. Service Distinction
   1. This year we have over 300 undergraduates graduating with Service Distinction, out of just over 1100 total undergraduates. This is an increase of nearly 50% over last year and puts us a bit under 30%.
   2. Thanks to Interim Director Vanessa Buehlman and her assistant Jessica Deal for making this happen.
5. Research
   1. Nine Provost’s Grant Incentive Awards were awarded last year and this year, fifteen have been awarded. Our faculty have received$2.57 million in external grant awards, with over $1 million pending with the NSF.
   2. Our Summer Scholars program has 55 students this summer who will be working with our faculty research up from 51 last year, and 26 just four years ago.
6. Tech Talent Pipeline
   1. Initiative designed to create 25,000 more BS and MS degrees in Computer Science and Computer Engineering over the next 20 years. Part of Virginia’s pitch to land Amazon (a major portion of their workforce is CS and CE).
   2. The first wave of proposals (Wave 1) is due Friday, May 3, 2019.
   3. Our proposal states we will increase our CS and CE graduate numbers by about 25 students per year. Of this number 15 students will be “new,” i.e. an increase in freshman students and 10 will be “conversions,” i.e. students coming from other intended majors.
   4. We plan to achieve growth by the following:
      1. Targeted scholarships for incoming freshman intending to study CS/CE.
      2. Targeted scholarships for VCCS transfer students intending to study CS/CE.
      3. A new major in Cybersecurity (under the BS in Computer Science).
      4. Hiring four new CS professors this year (two in Cyber Security).
      5. Working with the VCCS to create simplified transfer pathways (LDR).
      6. Working with Virginia tech to create a 4 + 1 MS program at their Northern Virginia Innovation Campus.
      7. Working to enhance the Internship possibilities at NNS (Meeting Monday, April 29, 2019).
7. Emeritus Resolutions
   1. After reviewing the resolutions in the provided Board book, a motion was called for by chair Brad Hunter to accept the resolutions as presented. The motion was made by Ella Ward and seconded by JudyWason. The motion was unanimously passed.
   2. Maria Herbert ask, in reference to Emeritus faculty, what is the benefit to faculty for becoming Emeritus. The Provost answered they get to keep their ID, email address, parking pass and, in rare cases, they get to maintain office space, until such time it is needed for active faculty.

The next meeting will be held at 9:00 AM on May 31, 2019 in the Harrison Room of the David Student Union unless otherwise announced.

With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 10:03 AM by Brad Hunter.