MINUTES: Regular Meeting of the University Senate
DATE: February 20, 2004
TIME AND PLACE: 1:10 p.m., Multipurpose Room B/C, Cook Campus Center, 59 Biel Road, New Brunswick
MEMBERS PRESENT: Ambar, Atwood, Axelrod, Banerjee, Barone, Blakeman, Blasi, Bodnar, Boikess, Borisovets, Boylan, Brazier, Brodie, Bry, Calla, Cannon, Chambers, Cohen, Colaizzi, A. Cooper, Cotter, Crown, Curry, Darien, Dayal, DeLisi, E. Dennis, R. Dennis, Dess, Deutsch, Dholandas, Diner, Domb, Doshi, Erlichson, Ezgilioglu, Fenster, Fishbein, Flanagan, Foley, Forman, Friedrich, Furmanski, Gaunt, Gillett, Glass, Goldin, Gould, Hall, Hawkesworth, Herrera, Hirsh, Hornichter, Hughes, Innerfield, Jessen, Karel, Kauffman, Kennedy, Kirby, Kokini, Kressel, Krucher, Laguna-Diaz, Lake, Lanza, LaSala, Lashley, Leath, Lee, Lichtenfeld, Markowitz, McCormick, McKay, McKeever, Messer, Mian, Naqvi, Nedick, Norville, Novell, O’Connor, Oren, Panayotatos, Pandya, Parks, Plummer, Potenza, Puniello, Rabii, Rabinowitz, Redd, Roselle, Rubin, Schaich, Scott, Sifuentes-Jauregui, P. Simmons, R. Simmons, H. Smith, N. Smith, Snyder, Sofer, Spero, Szatrowski, Taghon, Tandon, Thompson, Tuckman, Turpin, Wang, Webb, Weiman, Winterbauer
EXCUSED: Advani, Baruh, Bathory, R. Bell, Bellino, Bronzan, Bucko, Caprio, Cronk, Davidson, Evans, Gallinar, Greenhut, Hamilton, Hodgson, J. Jones, R. Jones, Keoskey, Kirschner, Leontiades, Manhoff, Ocone, Patel, Reed, Schock, Stark, Szerlip, Vodak, Zaborszky
ABSENT: Abbasi, Agha, C. Bell, Breton, Butler, Case, K. Cooper, Dadlani, Driscoll, Gillis, Griffiths, Guo, Hallmark, Hara, Hull, Hyndman, Jackson, Klein, Leustek, Lin, Maradonna, Markey, Marsh, Maudlin, Mensah, Merritt, Nerurkar, Pieczenik, Rijhsinghani, Roden, Sears, Segers, Solomon, Stauffer, Sukhdeo, Tsurumi, Wadud, Weis, Worrall, Zylstra
ATTENDANCE SUMMARY:
Faculty:
Of 92 total: 54 present (59%), 16 excused (17%) 22 absent (24%); Students:
Of 48 total: 30 present (62%), 7 excused (15%), 11 absent (23%); Administrators:
Of 37 total: 26 present (70%), 4 excused (11%), 7 absent (19%); Alumni:
Of 6 total: 4 present (67%), 2 excused (33%)
View
Senate Attendance Record for this year
NON-VOTING MEMBERS PRESENT: Boyer, Holmes, Seto
NON-VOTING MEMBERS ABSENT: Sambolin, Wright
PRESIDING OFFICER: Paul Panayotatos, Chairperson
CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT: Chairperson Panayotatos called the meeting to order, and introduced the Secretary’s Report.
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY:
Agenda: The agenda
was approved as distributed by the Secretary.
Minutes: On motion and duly seconded, the Minutes of the November 21, 2003 Senate meeting were approved as distributed by the Secretary.
Communications: The following communications were presented by the Secretary:
NEW BRUNSWICK CAMPUS REPORT: Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Philip Furmanski presented the New Brunswick Campus Report, which included comments on: the current state of the New Brunswick Campus, which Vice President Furmanski described as good, with many opportunities to get better; current challenges, including space and the level of state support; highlights in undergraduate schools, graduates, diversity, awards and scholarships, public service, research, and peer institution comparisons; "Undergraduate Learning and Life," a New Brunswick Campus-wide initiative to scrutinize and discuss all elements of the undergraduate experience; a revamped all-funds budgeting process; a bond-refinancing initiative intended to address capital improvements and deferred maintenance, and planning to move toward a more functional and attractive University environment; retreats and other activities focused on change in the three key areas of academic programs, student affairs, student services, and academic support; and the ongoing search for a new Vice President for Student Affairs. Following the report, Vice President Furmanski responded to questions on topics which included: allocation of deferred maintenance funds, and inclusion of the Senate’s (Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committee) recommendations on student advising in the considerations of the "Undergraduate Learning and Life" activities.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
OLD BUSINESS: Senator Gillett, noting that the Rutgers Business School wants to add minus grades to its grading system, requested that the Executive Committee charge the Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee with a renewed exploration of adding minus grades to the University’s default grading system. Senator Oren, co-chair of the Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee, said that his committee intends to reconsider this issue in the very near future.
NEW BUSINESS: There was no new business.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REPORT: Vice Chairperson Rabinowitz reported on the February 6, 2004 Senate Executive Committee meeting. Executive Committee minutes are available on the Senate website.
REPORT OF THE REPRESENTATIVES TO BOARDS OF GOVERNORS AND TRUSTEES: Senator Redd reported on the February 13, 2004 Board of Governors meeting.
REPORT OF CAMPUS FACULTY LIAISONS: Senator Hirsh, chair of the New Brunswick Faculty Council, presented a report of that body’s recent activities.
ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 3:20 p.m.
Kenneth Swalagin
Secretary of the University Senate