Faculty Council Minutes - October 2025

Behrend Faculty Council Meeting Minutes

October 2025

  1. Call to order, D. Dieteman
  2. Approval of minutes
    1. Motion G. Bondar, seconded by M. Swinarski.
  3. Purpose and Context of Meeting (D. Dieteman)
  4. Updates from Leadership
    1. Chancellor (R. Ford)
      1. Ralph Ford discussed Provost Fotis Sotiropoulos & Renata Engel visit October 28.
      2. Open House – tour buses were here; debrief with Andrea coming regarding new format.
      3. What is it per discipline to be AI-ready; become a regional hub for AI innovation?
  5. Vice Chancellor and Dean of Academic Affairs (Greg Filbeck)
    1. Thanks Faculty Affairs regarding BCF 26 credit for team-taught courses
      1. All BCF policies are now on the web.
      2. Looking at BCF 23 regarding supplemental pay, summer courses, potential revision coming, maybe start in December.
      3. COACHE feedback committee co-chair with D. Dieteman; HGSE faculty satisfaction survey, around 1/3 response rate.
      4. Greg Filbeck & Alicyn Rhodes co-chair strategic plan revision, also bring together emerging technologies groups.
    2. Vice Chancellor and Dean for Research and Graduate Studies (Alicyn Rhodes)
      1. Two events seeking turnout: Dr. Ala Stanford speaking at SCI, also Meadville businesswoman.
      2. Strategic Plan – thanks for participating.
    3. Assistant Dean for Innovation and Corporate Strategy (Amy Bridger)
      1. Career Fair is thriving, reconsider how students take selfies.
      2. Please refer companies.
    4. University Faculty Senate Update (Matt Swinarski)
      1. Two major items from the September meeting.
        1. Calendar committee is investigating a fall break, mid-semester & Thanksgiving, no actual proposal yet.
        2. Retirement benefits presentation for those considering retirement in one to three years.
      2. October meeting will have presentation on benefits open enrollment, APPR presentation, rescind UFS policy 1410 (enrollment limits for non-deg, underg).
      3. Statement on closure of WPSU.
      4. Budget report coming, no presentation yet.
      5. Update expected on advisory committee on assessment of teaching effectiveness, how to increase student response rates.
      6. FR&R annual report, 12 petitions, 10 about fairness, report doesn’t say how many admin agreed with FR&R.
      7. ERISA (admissions and scheduling; not the federal pension law), Smeal against test optional.
      8. Education revisiting pass-fail policy.
      9. Faculty Affairs looking at NTL & TT re-assignment process.
      10. Intra-relationships Committee (Commonwealth Campuses) creating new report on NTL contracts (how many renewed, what length, etc.), & on promotions, & on campus closing & optimized teams).
    5. Old Business
      1. Greg Bondar question for Amy Bridger regarding faculty table at spring Career Fair (like an Open House); fall career fair is 50% larger than spring.
  6. New Business
    1. Joe Beilein – enrollment caps raised over the summer, involve leadership, school directors, & chairs determine new policy.
      1. Ralph – we asked schools to look last year, needed to increase some sizes, there were different approaches in the schools. Other three schools reacted earlier, H&SS may have reacted more slowly, or classes do not fill until the summer. Balancing acts to reduce reliance on part-time faculty for budget and do it reasonably with faculty input, decisions at the school level. Also, an administrative decision.
        1. Greg Filbeck – relates to BCF 23 because of break-even analysis especially for summer courses, will be discussing over the next couple months with Bill Samluk. Only distinguishing factor is grad vs. undergrad. We now have pro-rated headcount with World Campus.
        2. Total number of part-time faculty on campus varies by program, 62 as of FA 24. When do they update dashboard for FA 25? Unknown.
        3. The day prior to the meeting was official student census day, not faculty census. Behrend had little drop in residential, offset by online; basically, held steady. Rest of campuses steeply drop, 10-15%, even at UP.
  7. Adjournment

Absent: D. Hemphill (on leave), Z. Lewis (student rep)