RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY
UNIVERSITY SENATE MINUTES

Regular Meeting of the University Senate

DATE:   February 21, 2003

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

MEMBERS PRESENT:  Advani, Atwood, Barnes, Barone, Baruh, Bathory, Blasi, Boikess, Borisovets, Bossard, Bottega, Boylan, Brazier, Caprio, Caruso, Cerulo, Chambers, Cohen, Colaizzi, T. Cooper, Cotter, Darien, Davidson, E. Dennis, R. Dennis, DeRosa, Dess, Diner, Domb, Doshi, Durante, Erlichson, Evans, Fischetti, Flanagan, Forman, Friedrich, Gaunt, Gillett, Gould, Greenhut, Hillman, Hirschmugl, Hodgson, Hornichter, J. Hughes, Hyndman, Joshua Jackson, Jessen, Jones, Karel, Kauffman, Kennedy, Kirby, Kleiman, Kokini, Krucher, Laguna-Diaz, Lashley, Lee, Liberman, Lichtenfeld, Markowitz, Maudlin, Maurer, McCormick, McKay, McKeever, Messer, Naus, Nedick, Obayashi, Ocone, O’Connor, Panayotatos, Pancholy, Parrish, Patel, Pellegrine, Pieczenik, Preston, Puniello, Rabii, Rabinowitz, Ramsay, Abhay Rijhsinghani, Amit Rijhsinghani, Rountree, Salge, Schiavo, Schlegel, Scott, Seneca, P. Simmons, H. Smith, N. Smith, D. Snyder, P. Snyder, Sondahl, Szatrowski, Tandon, Thompson, Tsurumi, Vodak, Wadia, Walker-Andrews, Wang, Weis, Wilkinson, Winterbauer, Worrall, Wozniak

EXCUSED:  Ambar, Bell, Berz, Bry, Cronk, Deutsch, El-Shakhs, Gillis, Gossett, Grennille, Hall, Haugerud, Hawkesworth, Jesse, Kenfield, Kenney, Keoskey, Kirschner, Klein, Lanterman, Leath, Leontiades, Leustek, Manhoff, Maradonna, Marsh, Massenburg, Mensah, Miller, Nordstrom, Oren, Penfield, Plummer, Pottick, Saidel, Sears, Shovlin, Swenson, Wasserman

ABSENT:  Adelaja, Bay, Breton, Bushnell, Case, Chism, A. Cooper, Cowley, Craft, Dekhterman, Driscoll, Elgallab, Griffiths, Hanlon, Hara, Hirsh, Hull, Joanne Jackson, Johnson, Joo, Kressel, Lehman, Owusu, Perr, Roden, Schock, Segers, Silver, R. Simmons, Solomon, Stauffer, Sukhdeo, Taylor, Tuckman, Webb, Zaborszky, Zylstra

ATTENDANCE SUMMARY:  Faculty: Of 94 total: 51 present (54%), 24 excused (26%) 19 absent (20%); Students: Of 49 total: 35 present (71%), 4 excused (8%), 10 absent (21%); Administrators: Of 39 total: 24 present (62%), 8 excused (20%), 7 absent (18%); Alumni: Of 6 total: 2 present (33%), 3 excused (50%), 1 absent (17%)  View Senate attendance record for this year.

NON-VOTING MEMBER PRESENT:   Redd

NON-VOTING MEMBERS ABSENT:  Sambolin, Wright

PRESIDING OFFICER:   Paul Panayotatos, Chairperson

CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT:  Chairperson Panayotatos called the meeting to order, and led a moment of silence in memory of Joseph Whiteside, former senior vice president and treasurer.

Chairperson Panayotatos informed the Senate that a nationwide initiative to have higher-education governance bodies look into intercollegiate athletics is forming, and that Senator Walker-Andrews had been selected as the Rutgers representative to that group.  He also said that the Senate website now includes a webpage with links to completed reports and resolutions, and which he hopes will eventually include follow-up information on the resolutions.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY: Agenda: The agenda was approved as distributed by the Secretary. [http://senate.rutgers.edu/0203agen.html]

Minutes:  On motion and duly seconded, the Minutes of the January 24, 2003 Senate meeting were approved as distributed by the Secretary. [http://senate.rutgers.edu/012403se.html]

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT:  President McCormick delivered the administrative report, which included comments on several issues.

On the proposed 11.9 percent cut in state funding, President McCormick said that it would be the largest in Rutgers’ history, and would have major impacts in areas such as recruitment, retention, tuition, offerings, and others, but noted that protecting academic programs is a top priority.  He stressed the importance of working together against the budget reduction, and urged everyone to write to Governor McGreevey and New Jersey legislators in support of adequate and predictable funding for Rutgers, and for New Jersey higher education.

A question-and-answer period followed, during which President McCormick responded to questions on: timelines for bond payments, and related effects of state-budget cuts; additional cuts to state funding for the arts, and their effects on Rutgers’ programs; Rutgers’ joining 60 other universities in filing a brief supporting Affirmative Action and diversity; issues related to restructuring and the NJCHSET report; and Rutgers’ administrative structure and associated budget.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Chairperson Panayotatos introduced a Report and Resolution in Opposition to Proposed and Continued Budget Cuts, and in Support of Excellence in Higher Education in New Jersey.  He asked that the Senate move changes to the resolution only, but that the Senate Secretary be allowed to make stylistic changes elsewhere in the report.  Noting that the two issues before the Senate were approval of the Resolution, and determination of where to send it following approval, Chairperson Panayotatos opened the floor for discussion on the item.  Following several amendments, the Resolution was approved, on card vote, as follows:

RESOLUTION IN OPPOSITION TO PROPOSED AND CONTINUED BUDGET CUTS,
AND IN SUPPORT OF EXCELLENCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN NEW JERSEY

Whereas, an educated and highly trained workforce is necessary for the economic progress of the State; and,

Whereas, Rutgers, as the flagship institution of higher education for New Jersey, currently plays a leadership role in training the people of our State and in the overall economic growth of New Jersey, and,

Whereas, continued excellence depends upon sustained, predictable, and adequate funding; and,

Whereas, the projected budget cuts are of an enormous and shocking magnitude, especially following years of underfunding and last year’s significant mid-year cuts; and,

Whereas, the budget cuts will limit access to higher education for many residents of our State; and,

Whereas, academic reputations are built slowly over many years, and once compromised cannot be regained; and,

Whereas, the proposed cuts are unique among those impacting the many other critical areas of the State, in that they compound problems caused by decades of increasingly inadequate funding, and risk putting pushing Rutgers past a threshold that could undo the progress of the last twenty years;

Therefore, Be It Resolved, that the State prevent the most serious erosion in the quality of higher education in New Jersey by providing sufficient and appropriate funding for higher education; and,

Be It Further Resolved, that the Governor's Review and Implementation Committee of the NJ Commission on Health Science, Education and Training delay recommendations for any significant actions concerning the reorganization of New Jersey higher education until theirthe associated cost for each action has been assessed and the necessary financial commitment to achieve them has been made by the State; and, to achieve them.

Be It Also Resolved, that the State also look beyond the current fiscal crisis and work with the higher education community to develop a plan for predictable, sustained, and adequate funding that can help New Jersey higher education achieve our shared goal of academic excellence, as called for in the report of the NJ Commission on Health Science, Education and Training.

 The Senate then approved a motion to forward the Report and Resolution to President McCormick, Governor McGreevey, and all members of the New Jersey legislature, as well as the Rutgers Focus. Co-chairpersons DeRosa and Wadia introduced a Report and Resolution in Response to Charge S-0209 on the Status of Hispanic/Latino Faculty and Administrators at Rutgers.  At Senator Boylan’s suggestion, the penultimate clause of the resolution was modified to read, "Be it further resolved that, as part of this plan, the University should designate an upcoming academic year with the recruitment and retention of Hispanic/Latino faculty members as its primary goal, specifically intended to help integrate this community into all echelons of the university." Senator Pancholy suggested that the Equal Opportunity be additionally charged to evaluate the status of other minority groups at Rutgers as well.  Secretary Swalagin noted that her request was part of the Senate record, and that the potential charge would go to the Executive Committee at its next meeting.  Senator Pieczenik moved that the resolution also be made and approved in Spanish.  The motion was seconded. Following some discussion of the motion, Chairperson Panayotatos asked Senator Pieczenik if he would withdraw the motion to allow the Executive Committee to take it under advisement.  Senator Pieczenik refused, and called for a quorum count.  Chairperson Panayotatos declared that, in the opinion of the chair, a quorum was present.  Senator Markowitz called the question on Senator Pieczenik’s motion.  The call was seconded, and carried.  The motion to make and pass the resolution in Spanish was defeated. Senator Markowitz called the main motion.  The call was seconded, and carried.  The Senate voted to approve the Report and Resolution, as amended.

OLD BUSINESS:

There was no Old Business.

NEW BUSINESS:

Senator Zowie Barnes asked that a Senate committee be charged with investigating the status of the Ecological Preserve. The Senate Executive Committee will consider such a potential charge.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REPORT:  Vice Chair Rabinowitz reported on the February 7, 2003 [http://senate.rutgers.edu/ec020703.html] Senate Executive Committee meeting. Executive Committee minutes are available on the Senate website.

REPORT OF THE REPRESENTATIVES TO BOARDS OF GOVERNORS AND TRUSTEES:  Senator Wozniak reported on the February 14, 2003 Board of Governors meetings.

REPORT OF CAMPUS FACULTY LIAISON:  There were no reports from campus faculty liaisons.

ADJOURNMENT:  The meeting adjourned at 2:57 p.m.

Kenneth Swalagin
Secretary of the University Senate