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 1:14 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room of the Rutgers Student Center, College Avenue Campus, New Brunswick. He said that he and Senate Vice Chair Ann Gould had recently met with President McCormick and Interim Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Edwards in a regular, semiannual meeting, and discussed resolutions and recommendations made by the Senate which have not yet been addressed by the administration. He said he hopes similar meetings will continue with the next president. Panayotatos also updated the Senate on the status of the presidential search committee.

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

• Agenda: At President McCormick's request, Secretary Swalagin asked that the agenda be modified to put President McCormick's administrative report first on the agenda after the secretary's report. So amended, the meeting agenda was approved by the Senate..
• Minutes: The Minutes of the February 24, 2012 Senate Meeting were approved as distributed by the executive secretary. 
• Communications: The following communications were presented by the executive secretary:
• Schedule of 2012-2013 University Senate and Senate Executive Committee meetings
• Call for Nominations for 2012-2013 Senate Officers and Executive Committee Members, and Representatives to the Boards of Governors and Trustees - Send nominations to the Senate Secretary Swalagin. While unit elections for next year are pending, continuing Senators or those who are likely to be elected to the Senate may be nominated. [Note: If you are not self-nominating, please consult with your nominee to determine his or her willingness to become a candidate before making the nomination.]
• The April 27, 2012 Senate meetings include the first (organizational) meeting of next year's Senate, at which an election will be held for the positions described in the Call for Nominations, above, as well as the last meeting of this year's Senate. The day's proceedings may begin at 10:30 or 11:00 a.m. The start time will be determined by the Senate Executive Committee at its April 13, 2012 meeting.
• Presidential Responses to Senate Reports/Recommendations:
• President McCormick's February 15, 2012 Response to Senate statement on Separation of Rutgers-Camden
• President McCormick's February 28, 2012 Statement on NYPD alleged surveillance of Muslim students (Issue discussed at February 2012 Senate meeting)

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT - President Richard L. McCormick

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

• Rutgers and UMDNJ cooperative efforts to plan for integration of the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and other UMDNJ units into Rutgers;
• Board of Governors meetings and consideration of the board's fiduciary responsibilities related to the merger;
• his confidence that the UMDNJ units will become part of Rutgers University, as well as his doubts that all the work to accomplish that will be completed by July 1; and
• the situation and controversy related to the proposal to cede Rutgers-Camden to Rowan University, and his hope that the Senate and Rutgers community will understand that he must limit his comments on the matter at this point.

McCormick then responded to questions, or heard comments on:

• efforts to reach a contract settlement with Rutgers' part-time lecturers; and
• concerns and Rutgers-community opposition related to the proposal to merge Rutgers-Camden with Rowan University.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committee (ICAC) Response to Charge S-1104 on Online Teaching Evaluations, and Best Practices in Evaluation of Teaching Performance and Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee Response to ICAC Report  on Charge S-1104 on Online Teaching Evaluations, and Best Practices in Evaluation of Teaching Performance- Paul Panayotatos, who is also co-chair of the Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee (FPAC), noted that an FPAC report on this same issue would also be presented before discussion of these reports would begin on both reports, after which they would be voted upon separately. Natalie Borisovets, ICAC Chair, summarized her committee's report and recommendations on Online Teaching Evaluations, and Best Practices in Evaluation of Teaching Performance. Senate Vice Chair Ann Gould then assumed the chair while FPAC Co-chair Panayotatos summarized the FPAC report on this issue. Following very brief discussion, the report was adopted by the Senate. Senator Peter Gillett moved to amend the ICAC's Recommendation 6 to change the last word from "available" to "due." The amendment was accepted as friendly. Senator Thomas Figueira expressed concern about eCollege's requirement that students complete evaluation forms to maintain contact with the course, and asked if the ICAC would take a position on that practice. Borisovets responded that, although she did not find the suggestion unreasonable, it would require discussion and agreement by the ICAC, and could not be added to this report. Other comments regarding eCollege resulted in Panayotatos suggesting that the matter should become the subject of a charge to a Senate committee, which charge would include examination of what is mandatory in online environments, and implications for academic freedom of students in online environments. Both reports were then adopted by the Senate.

Faculty and Personnel Affairs Committee (FPAC) Response to Charge A-0812A, Part 2, Evaluation of Upper Administration - With Vice Chair Gould still presiding, FPAC Co-chair Panayotatos summarized his committee's report and recommendations on Evaluation of Upper Administration. Senator Ted Szatrowski moved to amend the report section dealing with selection of the president's evaluation committee to add selection at random (by the Senate Executive Committee) of two nominees submitted to, but not selected by, the administration for the evaluation committee. The amendment was seconded and discussed before the question was called, and the amendment adopted. Senator Gillett moved to amend the report's provisions regarding out-of-cycle evaluations to clarify that such evaluations may only occur once between any two consecutive evaluations. The amendment was accepted as friendly. The report, so amended, was then adopted by acclamation.

Student Affairs Committee (SAC) Response to Charge S-0909A on University College - Samuel Rabinowitz, SAC co-chair, and Michael Stillwagon, SAC member came to the podium. Stillwagon summarized the SAC report and recommendations on University College. Senator Gillett moved that, in addition to some grammatical corrections being made to the report, recommendation 4 be amended to clarify that an exemption process should be created at each main geographical campus. The amendment was accepted as friendly. Senator Martha Cotter questioned the meaning of "instant admissions" in the report. Stillwagon will clarify that section. The Senate then adopted the report.

OLD BUSINESS: There was no old business.

NEW BUSINESS: There was no new business.

REPORTS OF THE REPRESENTATIVES TO BOARDS OF GOVERNORS AND TRUSTEES: Senator Martha Cotter, Faculty Representative to the Board of Trustees meeting, reported on the previous day's Board of Trustees meeting.

CAMPUS FACULTY LIAISON REPORTS: There were no reports from Campus Faculty Liaisons. Joel Shapiro, New Brunswick Faculty Council chair, said that the NBFC had not met since the previous Senate meeting.

ADJOURNMENT: On motion and duly seconded, the meeting adjourned at 3:03 p.m.

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