MINUTES: Regular Meeting of the University Senate

DATE: January 19, 2007

TIME AND PLACE: 1:10 p.m., Multipurpose Room, Rutgers Student Center, 126 College Avenue, College Avenue Campus

MEMBERS PRESENT:  Allen, Allender, Amirahmadi, Atmeh, Barone, Bhuyan, Blimling, Bodnar, Boikess, Borisovets, Bosotov, Bravo, Bubb, Busia, Bynes, Caprio, Carbone, Carey, Chabal, Cohick, Coit, Colaizzi, Cooke, Copeland, Cotter, Cowen, Curtis, DeLisi, E. Dennis, Diner, Dixon-McInerney, Dutta, Edwards, Eldreth, Finegold, Fowler, Furmanski, Galili, Gigliotti, Gillett, Gimenez, Goodman, Gould, Grant, Guo, Heckscher, Hughes, Hyman, Jackson, Johnson, Kalelkar, Keating, Kokini, Koza, Krenos, Laguna-Diaz, Larmony, Lashley, Leath, Levitsky, Lipman, Lippert, Livingston, Maher, Markert, Markowitz, Mauroff, McCabe, McCormick, McCoy-Carter, McKay, McKeever, Messer, W. Meyer, Miller, Mulcahy, Nayyar, Ng, Niederman, Nolfi, Norville, Obayashi, Olsson, Oppenheim, Panayotatos, Patel, Quayson, Samuel Rabinowitz, Sidney Rabinowitz, Rankin, Rivera, Robinson, Rockland, Rold, Schantz, Schorr, Schwab, Scott, Shah, P. Simmons, Soyosa, Spiegel, Spotacco, St. John, Staples, Stauffer, Stein, Sukhdeo, Szatrowski, Tevis, Thompson, Tittler, Toney-Boss, Traxler, Venzie, Vera, Vodak, Wagner, Wallace, Wang, Whitfield, Winterbauer, Wright, Wyhopen

EXCUSED:  Alger, Bernstein, Boylan, Coppolo, Creese, Dienst, Friedrich, Gaunt, Gonzalez-Palmer, Greenhut, Gunderson, Hart, Kern, Klein, Lehne, Lewis, Marchetta, J. Meyer, Oren, Ozbay, Palmon, Pittman, Puniello, Reiss, Schaich, Schein, R. Simmons, Taulane, Van Til, Williams

ABSENT:  Adelman, Ally, Alonso, Ambar, Apfel, Barbarese, Bay, Bellany, Bosch, Cole, Covey, DeLuca, R. Dennis, Deutsch, Duncan, Habib, Hall, Holzer, Hyndman, Jozefczyk, Kennedy, Kirschner, Marsh, Pedersen, Quinn, Schock, Simon, Sofer, Solomon, Sonariwo, Urbaniak

ATTENDANCE SUMMARY: Faculty:  Of 83 total:  54 present (65%), 19 excused (23%), 10 absent (12%)
Students:  Of 51 total: 35 present (69%), 5 excused (10%), 11 absent (21%)
Administrators:  Of 35 total: 20 present (57%), 5 excused (14%), 10 absent (29%)
Alumni:  Of 6 total:  5 present (83%), 1 excused (17%), 0 absent
Staff:  Of 10 total:  10 present (100%), 0 excused, 0 absent

View Senate Attendance Record for this year.

PRESIDING OFFICER: Martha Cotter, Chairperson

CALL TO ORDER, DETERMINATION OF A QUORUM, AND CHAIRPERSON'S REPORT - Martha Cotter, Chairperson

Chairperson Cotter called the meeting to order at 1:30 p.m. She welcomed everyone to the meeting, and wished all a prosperous 2007 and rewarding and productive spring semester. Her chairperson's report included comments on:

• a resolution that went to the Board of Governors reflecting the Senate's recommended changes to University Regulations to abolish the "four-year rule," her report to the Board of Governors on that resolution, and her hope that it will be implemented by the board in February;
• continuing discussion of proposals to merge Rutgers, UMDNJ, and NJIT, including the charge issued to the Senate's University Structure and Governance Committee (USGC) on those proposals, and solicitation of input from campus faculty bodies on all three campuses; and
• a summary of other charges pending currently in Senate standing committees.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY - Kenneth Swalagin, Executive Secretary

• Agenda: The meeting's agenda, including time limits, was approved as distributed by the executive secretary.
• Minutes: The December 1, 2006 University Senate meeting minutes were approved as distributed by the executive secretary.
• Communications: President McCormick's Response to the Senate's October 2006 Report and Recommendations on Availability of Syllabi during Add/Drop

Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Philip Furmanski presented the New Brunswick Campus Report, which included comments on:

• recent budget cuts;
• articulation and transfer agreements;
• ethics regulations being promulgated for state employees;
• reorganization of higher education in New Jersey;
• recognition and awards to faculty and students;
• improvements in administrative functions and undergraduate education;
• reconceptualizing of the College Avenue Campus;
• the capital campaign;
• finalizing of development of the Stem Cell Research Institute of New Jersey, and related research opportunities and bond issue;
• new administrative and faculty appointments; and
• the success of the football team.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

University Structure and Governance Committee - Gary Gigliotti, Chair

Partial Response to Charge S-0603, Distribution and Election of Student Senators in New Brunswick

University Structure and Governance Committee (USGC) Chair Gary Gigliotti summarized his committee's report and recommendations submitted in partial response to Charge S-0603, on distribution and election of student Senators in New Brunswick. The committee had been charged as follows:

Original Charge (to which today's report is a partial response only): Senate Membership-New Brunswick: Make recommendations for revision of the Senate membership and bylaws in light of the restructuring of the New Brunswick schools and colleges.

Student Affairs Committee - Valerie Johnson and Kimberly Mauroff, Co-chairs

Report and Recommendations in Response to Charge S-0606, Targum

Student Affairs Committee Co-chair Valerie Johnson summarized her committee's response to Charge S-0606, on the Targum. The committee had been charged as follows:

Original Charge: Targum: Assess whether Rutgers Newark and New Brunswick students believe Targum provides a quality newspaper which serves their academic needs efficiently and effectively, and whether Targum's current optional yearly fee is appropriate relative to Targum's value. In formulating its report, the SAC should consider Targum's Concept Plan, and should consult, both within and outside of its meetings, students from Rutgers' Newark and New Brunswick campuses. Targum should also be invited to send a representative from its staff and/or board to attend a SAC meeting at which this issue will be discussed.

OLD BUSINESS

There was no old business

NEW BUSINESS

There was no new business.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REPORT - Samuel Rabinowitz, Vice Chairperson

Senate Vice Chair Rabinowitz report on the Executive Committee's January 5, 2007 meeting.

REPORTS OF THE REPRESENTATIVES TO BOARDS OF GOVERNORS AND TRUSTEES

Faculty Representative to the Board of Governors Paul Leath reported on the December 8, 2006 Board of Governors meeting. Faculty Representative to the Board of Trustees Mark Vodak reported on the December 13, 2006 Board of Trustees meeting.

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT - President Richard L. McCormick

President McCormick joined the meeting at 2:28 p.m. He apologized for his lateness. He did not make an administrative report, but offered to respond to any questions from the Senate. There were no questions.

REPORTS OF CAMPUS FACULTY LIAISONS

Chairperson Cotter read to the Senate a Report from the Newark Faculty Council on its recent activities and future plans.

New Brunswick Faculty Council (NBFC) Chair Jozef Kokini reported on the NBFC's meetings, activities, and plans

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting adjourned at 2:37 p.m.

Kenneth Swalagin
Executive Secretary of the University Senate