Academic Affairs Committee Meeting February 4, 2022 - Christopher Newport University

Board of Visitors

Academic Affairs Committee Meeting February 4, 2022

Present from the board

  • C. Bradford Hunter, Chair
  • Regina P. Brayboy
  • Sean D. Miller
  • Lee Vreeland, Ed.D.

Present from the University

  • David C. Doughty, Jr., University Provost and Lead Staff for Committee
  • Johnny Finn, Chair and Associate Professor of Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology and Faculty Senate Liaison
  • Nannette Washington, Executive Administrative Assistant to the Provost

Board Members Not Present

  • Steven S. Kast

The regular meeting of the BOV Academic Affairs Committee of Christopher Newport University was called to order at 10:00 AM on February 4, 2022 by Bradford Hunter, Committee Chair. Chairman Hunter turned the meeting over to David Doughty, University Provost.

Topics that were discussed by the Provost are as follows:

1. Bragging Points

  1. CAH
    • An alumna, Chelsea Blake made national news with Governor Northam as she revealed artifacts found in the base of the Robert E. Lee Monument.
    • Margot Lee Shetterly, bestselling author of Hidden Figures, will be on campus for a visit in March of this year.
  2. CSS
    • The Center for Crime, Equity, and Justice Research and Policy has been created.
    • They have contracts created totaling $40K and another $200K in the negotiation phase.
    • They have submitted grant applications totaling about $500K.
  3. CNBS
    • Faculty have received grants totaling almost $1.4 million over the first half of the year.
    • $3.2 million in proposals is being reviewed and awaiting funding.
  4. LUTER
    • Rated by Poets and Quants at 65th among undergraduate business schools.
    • Ranked in the category of alumni opinions at 31st, 13th among all publics

2. Community Captains

  1. Cohort 1 has finished their first semester at CNU.
  2. Cohort 2 (who are now seniors) are taking either MATH 125 or ENGL 123 at CNU this semester.
  3. Cohort 3 will be on campus tomorrow for our Open House. They are a little behind schedule because of COVID.
  4. Cohort 4 will be selected later this semester.
  5. Governor Northam included funding for Community Captains in his final budget, and we believe our new governor and legislators will support this program.

3. Faculty Searches

  1. We began this Academic Year with 10 searches and, with a series of different events, we are now at 13.
  2. Five searches finished interviews before Christmas. We had offers and acceptances for all five searches before the break.
  3. We finished two more searches in January – both in psychology – and landed our two top candidates.

4. Curriculum

  1. We have several curriculum initiatives underway:
    • Geography minor – approved
    • Journalism minor – Working its way through the curriculum process. Collaboration between English and Communication
    • Health, Medical and Wellness Studies – Working its way through the curriculum process. Collaboration between all colleges
    • Global Commerce and Culture – Still in development – submitted soon
    • B.A. in Art and Art History – Anticipated approval before the end of the academic year
    • For next year – Data Analysis Certificate, Technical Writing Certificate and B.A. in Performing Arts

5. Study Abroad

  1. Last year our summer programs were again canceled, with the exception of our Oxford trip with the Presidential Scholars which normally goes to Oxford. Since they couldn’t get into Oxford, the trip was re-routed to Rome and went as scheduled.
  2. This spring we resumed our semester-away program with the University of Glasgow, with ten students and one faculty member.
  3. We have one spring break trip for our MAT students and 14 other short-term summer trips, giving students opportunities to study in several locations.

CNU Summer Scholars and the RAP (Research Apprenticeship Program)

  1. Summer Scholars program was able to continue normally during COVID, although most of 2020 were done virtually.
  2. The student stipend has increased from $3200- to $4160 this year, and we anticipate funding about 50 students.
  3. The Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP), along with Summer Scholars is part of our Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) submitted to SACSCOC. Faculty are encouraged to participate in the RAP by awarding tokens for engaging in significant research with undergraduates.
  4. Pauley Heart Center at VCU Health – Each year two students are selected to not only be mentored by faculty here but to spend the summer in Richmond working with physicians and researchers.

A vote was held to approve the previous minutes. A motion to approve the minutes was made by Regina Brayboy and seconded by Sean Miller. The minutes were unanimously approved.

It was decided it wasn’t necessary to go into closed session to review and vote on the resolutions. The following resolutions were presented and voted on:

  1. Resolution 3, Plan of Compensation – a motion was made to recommend the resolution to the full board by Sean Miller and seconded by Lee Vreeland. The motion passed unanimously.
  2. Resolution 4, Promotions and Resolution 5, Tenured Appointments – Provost Doughty said because of the shared information between the two resolutions, they should be voted on together. Chairman Hunter agreed and proceeded to call for a motion. A motion was made to recommend the resolutions to the full board by Lee Vreeland and seconded by Regina Brayboy. The motion was unanimously passed.
  3. Resolution 6, Sabbaticals – A motion was made to recommend the resolution to the full board by Lee Vreeland and seconded by Regina Brayboy. The motion was unanimously passed.

The next meeting will be held at 10:00 AM on June 10, 2022; the location will be announced at a later date.

With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 10:54 AM by Chairman Bradford Hunter.

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