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Before Syracuse University Senate’s final meeting of the semester began Wednesday, 24 senators signed a petition calling for a “special meeting” about the renaming and restructuring of the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics.

The petition calls for a discussion of the “serious challenges for shared governance and transparencies” following changes to Falk College among other issues not brought before the Senate “at all” or not “dealt with as extensively and transparently as shared governance demands.”

Dean Jeremy Jordan will lead the new Falk College of Sport and Rachel Razza, now the chair of the Human Development and Family Science department, will serve as associate dean for human dynamics programs for the 2024-25 academic year, Vice Chancellor and Provost Gretchen Ritter said.

The decision to rename Falk College was made after a recommendation from a task force looking to elevate the college’s sport-related programs, according to a Monday press release. Ritter and Jordan met with faculty Monday to discuss the announced changes, and they plan to meet with faculty in “a couple of weeks” after gathering feedback, the vice chancellor said.

“We are taking all this feedback into consideration as we proceed. I am aware, by the way, of the petition that is circulating, calling for a special meeting of the Senate on this topic,” Ritter said. “I think it’s a great idea — I’m fully supportive of it and I look forward to that conversation.”

The meeting will be held on April 30 at 10 a.m., Agenda Committee Chair Kira Reed said. The Senate’s bylaws state that a special meeting can be called by the chancellor, Agenda Committee or by a petition of over 20 senators.

The university “is not specifying” the outcome of the human dynamics programs, Ritter said in response to a question from Moira McDermott, an associate teaching professor. The university will “follow the lead” of the task force, Ritter said, though she thinks it is unlikely that human dynamics will remain in Falk College.

Ritter also spoke about “concerns” surrounding SU’s African American Studies department, citing the “significant challenges” around maintaining leadership for the department. AAS has not had a faculty chair this semester.

In the last decade, AAS has had seven department chairs, including multiple interim chairs, Ritter said. The department’s last chair, Vlad Dima, was an outside hire who stepped down after one semester.

“To be clear, there have been no conversations about pulling back support or shutting down this department,” Ritter said. “Any claim to the contrary is simply not accurate.”

Ritter said College of Arts and Sciences Dean Behzad Mortazavi requested that AAS faculty provide two recommendations to succeed Dima and received one. Professor Horace Campbell previously told The Daily Orange that the only name put forward was Herbert Ruffin, an associate professor.

Ritter said faculty chair positions should be limited to faculty who are either currently a full professor or an associate professor on the verge of being promoted to a full professorship. It was “appropriate” for Mortazavi to seek a chair of that status, Ritter said.

Ritter said Arts and Sciences is “continuing” to work to “resolve the issues” and appoint a department chair. She urged AAS faculty to work with Mortazavi to create a “sustainable path forward.”

“African American Studies is central to the mission of the university and the College of Arts and Sciences. We take pride in the research and curricular offerings of this department,” Ritter said. “It is central to Syracuse University’s commitment to advancing academic excellence at a university that is welcoming to all.”

Joan Bryant, an associate professor in AAS, said at the meeting that the department’s faculty were told to propose either full professors or associate professors in the recommendation process Ritter described.

“(Mortazavi) failed to explain why he initially called for names of associate professors, why he never communicated his concerns to the individual we proposed, and why he did not consult either of the department’s eligible full professors about becoming the AAS chair,” according to an AAS faculty statement from March.

At Wednesday’s meeting, Chancellor Kent Syverud said he confirmed honorary degree recipients for the university-wide commencement ceremony on May 12 from a Senate-approved list. At its March 20 meeting, the Senate voted to recommend a revocation which has now been passed along to the Board of Trustees. The board has final say on the potential revocation, Syverud said.

Syverud also reported on his role in a working group with university presidents and athletic leaders related to the “dramatic change” he said is coming to college sports. He added that he will be meeting with SU’s leadership and academic deans over the summer to address potential developments.

Other business:

• The Senate passed a resolution to expand the Agenda Committee. Reed announced that Brice Nordquist, a writing studies, rhetoric and composition associate professor and the dean’s professor of community engagement, will serve as the Agenda Committee’s chair next school year.
• Ritter said SU is “looking closely at the data and the rationale” behind its recent decision to remain test-optional for the 2025-26 academic admission cycles. The university will “make a call” regarding the policy’s future this fall, she said.
• During the meeting, the Senate unanimously voted to award all the degrees to this year’s graduating class. The Senate also passed a resolution to implement agreed-upon changes to the faculty manual.

Published on April 18, 2024 at 12:33 am

Contact Griffin: gbrown19@syr.edu