February 7, 2022: University Senate Report
Office of the Provost
Updates
Research
Tiger Teams
Development continues on our Tiger Teams collaboration with OVPR. We have created
a provostial seed fund that will give up to $100,000 pre-award to selected proposals
and matching funds if the grant is awarded. Details on the seed program request for
applications are being finalized. We have also identified eight biomedical areas of
interest for a new group of Tiger Teams and will begin engaging stakeholders to select
membership. For more information, please see the Accelerating Research website.
Space Survey
An RFP was prepared in Nov 2021 soliciting bids to conduct a research space inventory.
Four consulting firms responded with excellent bids. A committee (Alfredo Fontanini,
Bill Herrmann, Glen Itzkowitz, John Kent) reviewed the submissions and submitted scores
to Procurement. A selection is expected imminently, with the survey likely to begin
in late summer-early fall 2022.
Chemistry Building Renovation
In collaboration with the President's Office, Dean Tufts, Bill Herrmann, and Larry
Zacarese, we are working on a strategy for moving faculty from the seventh to third
floor and shift instructional spaces for the general chemistry lab. We are continually
engaging with the Chemistry Department to address issues related to the renovation.
Faculty Affairs
Stony Brook University will participate in the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) survey of faculty job satisfaction. Hosted by the Harvard Graduate School of Education since 2003, this survey is designed to offer schools detailed job satisfaction data compared to peer institutions, and will help us enhance our faculty experience, as well as attract and retain the best and brightest talent. An email with additional details was distributed by the Provost’s Office to all eligible participants on Friday, February 4th. The survey will launch in the first half of February and will be sent directly by COACHE.
The Provost’s Office has revised guidelines for promotion of instructional faculty, which are now available on the Faculty Pathways website. The process of promotion to Senior and Advanced Senior lecturers has now been streamlined, and dossier requirements will apply to faculty in all colleges. In addition to lecturer promotion, we have also implemented a uniform procedure for promotion of research faculty to Research Associate Professor and Research Professor.
Nominations for the Outstanding Mentor Awards are being accepted until February 15th. This award recognizes senior faculty who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to faculty mentoring of non-tenure track, pre-tenure, and mid-career faculty. More information on this award may be found on the Faculty Pathways website.
The Provost’s Office is also updating our archive of external awards and honors received by Stony Brook University faculty. A Google Spreadsheet of information already collected or entered in Faculty 180 can be viewed here. We encourage all faculty to carefully review their entries for any omissions or errors, and submit their new honors and awards regularly through this form.
Enrollment Management
Applications to the university are up 16% from this time last year, driven largely by out-of-state freshman and New York state transfer applicants. This increase reflects both a return to college studies following the pandemic and our efforts to engage and recruit from these specific markets. The First Year Priority deadline was February 1st and the priority deadline for transfer applicants is March 1st. Financial aid/scholarship packages are targeted to go out at the end of the month.
The Provost’s Office is partnering with the School of Journalism and Communications to pilot a new communications package for new students. Dawn Medley, Lori Kie, and Jacqueline Rowe are developing a series of emails and other correspondence to welcome incoming students and familiarize them with their specific college. The program is designed as a template, and Enrollment Management encourages inquiries from other schools and colleges interested in participating.
Admitted students events are scheduled for April 2nd and April 9th. We are seeking faculty and staff volunteers to welcome our new Seawolves! Please contact Robert Pertusati in Undergraduate Admissions if you are interested in participating.
Our Vice Provost Dawn Medley has published an article, “Measuring Outcomes of Virtual Enrollment Yield Programming” in AACRAO.
Global Studies
A cohort of 75 students are studying abroad this semester. This represents the first cohort to study abroad since spring 2020.
Budget and Finance
The Office of the Provost sent out a follow-up survey to deans and department chairs about the faculty and staff hiring approval process. Results have been collected, and the information gathered will help to improve the fall 2023 process, which will be launched soon.
Graduate School
The Dr. W. Burghardt Turner Fellowship received nearly 70 nominations this year. These fellowships are designed to promote diverse graduate student success and recruitment. The committee will meet and select a smaller group of approximately 20-25 recipients.
Despite the pandemic, 23 Stony Brook Fullbright applicants (the same number as 2021) have advanced to Semi-Finalists and will now be reviewed by the individual countries to which they applied.
The Graduate School is currently recruiting for the second cohort of the IMSD T32 training grant, and awaiting word from NIH about an IRACDA resubmission proposal ($5.4 million).
UNIVERSITY ACCOLADES
Scott A. Smolka Named an Association for Computing Machinery Fellow
Associate Dean Appointed to SUNY-IBM Alliance
Abhay Deshpande and Alan Alda Are Named 2021 AAAS Fellows
Senior Anne Green Selected for Payne International Development Fellowship
Esther Takeuchi Receives 2022 NAS Award in Chemical Sciences
Klaus Mueller Named to Prestigious IEEE VGTC Visualization Academy
History Professor Eric Zolov Wins María Elena Martínez Prize for Recent Book
Physics Department Earns Top Honors for Teacher Preparation Program
Alda Center’s Holesovsky Joins Board of Science Communication Trainers Network
Medieval Academy of America Elects Sara Lipton as Second Vice President