The College Council Executive Committee met with the President and Provost on November 9th.
We began by congratulating President Fritz on his retirement and wished him well in his future pursuits.
We followed with comments about finances
The college had anticipated reporting hefty balances for the closeout of FY21. This was due to use of federal funds. However, CUNY did not approve of this, and instead the college shows an end-of-year (FY21) CUTRA balance of -3.309M. [This number is wrong; there was 3.309 of stimulus funds for revenue loss appied, leaving a 59L CUTRA balance/] It was emphasized that this was an accounting difference, not a substantive one.
More student stimulus checks will be going out very soon. The college is hopeful that students will pay off outstanding balances and expects this to be facilitated through the web interfaces the students use.
AVP Serrano gave a high-level overview of the spending of the federal funds. Most all (~16M) is slated to cover losses in revenue (e.g., the FY21 headcount slid from 12366 to 12095; F21 is off 7.8% from F20). However, there are monies (spent/available) for Reopening (2.6M); Technology (1.8M); Health Wellness (1.2M); Faculty (900k); Residence Halls and Consultants (1.3M)
Questions asked related to staffing numbers; how can HEOs be reimbursed for expenses.
We asked about the financial impact of the WA grades. At the meeting it was unclear, and the WA grade had not yet been applied to all students.
The College Council Executive Committee expressed its concerns about the two ongoing searches for interim Academic Deans for the schools of Education and Health Sciences. We expressed reservations about the pool and the timing of the hires, given the uncertainty in leadership at the college. The Provost indicated that his assuming these duties was unsustainable. Alternate options were suggested.
We discussed the sidewalk situation. We know there is a funded plan to renovate the sidewalks on campus, but also know that this will not be done prior to the commencement of spring term – it is a 2-year plan. The costs of hiring masons was used as an issue; it was suggested perhaps there could be savings in adminstrative costs, should the Dean roles not be filled at this time.
We discussed 1N and 2N, both currently off-line, though with some access possible. The basement rooms were described as in the demolition phase. Maybe by spring they will be ready. It was suggested that moving forward, the basement classrooms be de-commissioned given the additional classrooms due to 2M, St. George, and an expectation that there will be more on-line offerings.
The question of how many community members will be on campus this spring was brought up. We were told the 70-30 rule is sections, not headcount. A question about the right mix of staff was brought up.
We asked if there was news on the transition. There is no official news. The President mused that it seemed unlikely there was enough time to undergo a search this spring for a fall arrival of a new president.