PRESIDING OFFICER: Paul Panayotatos, Chairperson

CALL TO ORDER, DETERMINATION OF A QUORUM, AND CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT - Paul Panayotatos, Chairperson

Chairperson Panayotatos called the meeting to order at 1:15 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room of the Camden Campus Center, Camden Campus. He welcomed everyone to the Camden Campus, and, alluding to the proposed merger of Rutgers-Camden with Rowan University, he expressed the hope that the Rutgers University Senate may be welcomed on the Rutgers-Camden Campus for the long term.

SECRETARY'S REPORT - Ken Swalagin, Executive Secretary of the Senate

• Agenda: The meeting agenda was approved as distributed by the Executive Secretary.
• Minutes: The Minutes of January 27, 2012 Senate Meeting were approved as distributed by the executive secretary. 
• Communications: The following communication was presented by the executive secretary:
• President McCormick's February 2012 Response acknowledging the Senate report and recommendations on Charge A-0906B, Permanent Change of Commencement Dates, from the Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee
• President McCormick's February 2012 Response acknowledging the Senate report and recommendations on Charge S-0807A, Add/Drop, from the Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee
• President McCormick's February 2012 Response acknowledging the Senate report and recommendations on Charge S-1105, Recording of Lectures/Presentations, from the Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committee

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Committee-of-the-Whole Discussion on Research, and Graduate and Professional Education Committee (RGPEC) DRAFT Response to Charge S-1107, Publication Repository/Open Access - Chairperson Panayotatos announced that the RGPEC had requested a committee-of-the-whole discussion on its draft response to Charge S-1107 on Publication Repository/Open Access. Senator Peter Gillett moved the Senate to committee of the whole for that purpose, for 15 minutes. The Senate had also included a link to a response to concerns about journal surcharges for open access. RGPEC Co-chair Gayle Stein, and RGPEC member Jane Otto summarized the report and the committee's continuing work on the issue. The issue was discussed until 1:30 p.m., when Senator Gillett successfully moved that the Senate rise from committee of the whole.

REPORTS OF REPRESENTATIVES TO BOARDS OF GOVERNORS AND TRUSTEES:Senator Samuel Rabinowitz, Faculty Representative to the Board of Governors, and a member of the Rutgers-Camden faculty, first welcomed the Senate to Camden, "The finest branch of Rutgers in the southern part of the state." He reported on the January 31 Board of Governors meeting and the Board of Governors meeting that had been held in Camden on February 15, at which Rabinowitz read to the Board of Governors the January 27, 2012 University Senate Statement on Rutgers-Camden. Senator Menahem Spiegel, Faculty Representative to the Board of Trustees, reported on the February 23, 2012 Board of Trustees meeting., at which the medical school merger and Rutgers-Camden/Rowan University issues were discussed, and testimony heard on the subject from many Rutgers-community speakers.

CAMPUS FACULTY LIAISON REPORTS: Senator Joel Shapiro, chair of the New Brunswick Faculty Council, reported on recent plans and activities of the New Brunswick Faculty Council.

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT - President Richard L. McCormick

President McCormick presented an administrative report, which included comments on topics including:

• Governor Christie's recently announced state budget; and 
• the final report of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) Advisory Committee, particularly its proposal to integrate Rutgers-Camden into Rowan University.

McCormick then responded to questions, or heard comments on:

• concerns related to the proposal to merge Rutgers-Camden with Rowan University; and
• recent controversy over the NYPD surveillance of Muslim Rutgers students.

CAMDEN CAMPUS REPORT - Camden Chancellor Wendell Pritchett

Camden Chancellor Wendell Pritchett presented a Camden Campus Report.  The report included comments on the following topics:

• his third opportunity to welcome to the Camden Campus, and and his hopes that he would have many more such opportunities;
• the proposal to integrate Rutgers-Camden into Rowan University;
• enrollment and graduation statistics;
• addition of new faculty; and
• faculty and student accomplishments, awards, and honors;

Chancellor Pritchett then responded to a request to describe progress in developing the new Rutgers School of Nursing-Camden.

Chairperson Panayotatos thanked Chancellor Pritchett for the lunch provided to the Senators that day.

OLD BUSINESS: There was no old business.

NEW BUSINESS: There was no new business.

OPEN FORUM ON THE PROPOSAL TO MERGE RUTGERS-CAMDEN WITH ROWAN UNIVERSITY: The remainder of the meeting was devoted to an open forum on the proposal to merge Rutgers-Camden with Rowan University, during which many Senators and non-Senator members of the Rutgers community from all Rutgers campuses and beyond spoke critically about the proposal.

ADJOURNMENT: On motion and duly seconded, the meeting adjourned at 3:44 p.m.

Minutes Written and Submitted by:
Ken Swalagin
Executive Secretary of the University Senate