DATE:  March 24, 2006

MEMBERS PRESENT:  Allender, Atmeh, Barone, Bell, Bernstein, Blimling, Boikess, Borisovets, Boylan, Caprio, Chabal, Cohen, Colaizzi, Colin, Cooke, Cotter, Curtis, Darien, Diner, N. Ellis, Finc, Fincher, Fishbein, Fowler, Friedrich, Furmanski, Gaunt, Gigliotti, Gillett, Goodman, Gould, Greenhut, Guo, Hall, Heckscher, Herrera, Hmelo-Silver, Jackson, Johnson, Kanj, Kennedy, Kirby, Klepac, Kokini, Laguna-Diaz, LaSala, Leath, Liepmann, MacArthur, Marchetta, Markert, Markowitz, Mauroff, McCormick, McKay, McKeever, Melwani, Messer, Miller, Mulcahy, Muller, Ng, Niederman, Norville, Obayashi, O’Connell, O’Connor, Palmon, Panayotatos, Samuel Rabinowitz, Rankin, Rennie, Schaich, P. Simmons, Spero, Spiegel, Stroud, Tittler, Van Til, Vera, Whitfield, Winterbauer, Zaborszky

EXCUSED:  Alger, Ambar, Apfel, Axelrod, Banerjee, Bartosek, Brazier, Capuano, Carr, Coit, Cole, DeLisi, DeLuca, E. Dennis, Dent, Downs, Dutta, Edwards, C. Ellis, Farrell, Hallmark, Hughes, Kalelkar, Kind, Krenos, Lashley, Lee, Lipman, Mandelbaum, Marsh, McCabe, Meyer, Mohammed, Oren, Ozbay, Potenza, Puniello, Rabiner, Sidney Rabinowitz, Rubin, Schock, Schorr, Scott, St. John, Turpin, Vodak, Volk, Williams, Wyhopen

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PRESIDING OFFICER:  Martha Cotter, Chairperson

CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT:  Chairperson Cotter called the meeting to order, thanking Newark Provost Steven Diner for providing lunch for the Senate, and for his and the Newark Campus hospitality. She then thanked everyone who took part in the discussions of the Task Force on Undergraduate Education's recommendations, and in finalizing the Senate's own recommendations at the February meeting, which she characterized as "one of the Senate's finer hours." She thanked members of the Senate's Task Force on Undergraduate Education Steering Committee (consisting of Senate Executive Committee members and standing committee chairs), especially Natalie Borisovets, Kimberly Mauroff, and Samuel Rabinowitz, who are Steering Committee members not from the New Brunswick Campus.

NEWARK CAMPUS REPORT:  Newark Provost Steven Diner presented the Newark Campus Report.  The report is available online and is attached to the master copy of these minutes as Attachment A.  Main areas addressed in the report included:

• Rutgers-Newark's longstanding dedication to making educational opportunity available to students of modest economic backgrounds, and of its history and pride in diversity of cultures;
• commitment to the urban mission of the City of Newark;
• commitment to research and research on the cutting edge;
• achievement highlights and awards received;
• recruitment;
• alumni achievements and honors;
• faculty and student awards and honors;
• undergraduate education advancements and initiatives;
• instructional technology;
• programmatic achievements;
• honors college;
• student leadership initiative;
• Campus Police force improvements;
• graduate education and research;
• searches; and
• physical plant and redevelopment.

SUMMARY OF STRATEGIC PLAN FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY:  Michael McKay, Vice President for Information Technology, summarized Rutgers' Strategic Plan for Information Technology, one of the goals of which is to "develop a culture of service and support." The report is available online and is attached to the master copy of these minutes as Attachment B.

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT:  President McCormick’s Administrative report included comments on the following:

• thanks to the Senate for its recommendations on the Task Force on Undergraduate Education (TFUE);
• his recommendations to the Board of Governors on the TFUE recommendations, which closely, but not exactly, mirrored the Senate's recommendations;
• plans to have Senators continue to be involved in the TFUE implementation process;
• Rutgers' state funding and the State of New Jersey budget crisis, which portend "unprecedented and devastating cuts" to Rutgers' operating budget for next fiscal year, and which may result in nearly $100 million loss to Rutgers' funding; and
• strategic objectives for responding to the proposed budget cuts, including mobilizing the community, describing and communicating with clarity the impact the cuts would have on Rutgers, preparing to deal with a difficult budget year (including formation of a Budget Advisory Committee chaired by Executive Vice President Furmanski), and plans to deploy resources most effectively and for keeping the Rutgers community advised.
  

NEW BUSINESS:  Senator Sharo Atmeh moved a Resolution Urging Governor Corzine and the New Jersey Legislature to Save Higher Education Funding for Rutgers University, which he and Senators David Cole and Lindsay Spero had drafted, and which had been discussed and amended earlier that day in the Student and Faculty Caucuses. Several additional revisions were made on motions from the Senate floor, resulting in the following resolution being adopted unanimously by the Senate:

Whereas, Governor Corzine’s 2006 Budget Address drastically cut funding for public higher education in New Jersey; and

Whereas, Rutgers University estimates that the combined effect of the budget proposals for Rutgers would approach $100 million, including a stunning 15 percent cut in current state operating aid, zero funding for salary and benefits increases, and a number of other significant reductions; and

Whereas, these cuts are the largest reduction in state funding in Rutgers’ 50-year history as a State University, and if implemented will cause state support for Rutgers to sink to the level it was almost a decade ago; and

Whereas, Rutgers’ President McCormick has reported that, if the Governor’s proposals are enacted, the ability of Rutgers to provide a quality education to the students of New Jersey would be fundamentally jeopardized, and the University would be forced to consider steep tuition increases, cut academic programs, reduce course offerings by cutting hundreds of classes, cut administrative and student services, and lay off faculty and staff; and

Whereas, although the Rutgers University Senate recognizes the Governor’s modest increases in financial aid, they will not adequately meet the needs of students in the face of these drastic budget cuts;

Therefore, Be It Resolved, that the Rutgers University Senate concludes that the proposed cuts to state higher education funding will fundamentally restrict Rutgers’ ability to remain a nationally competitive university; and

Be It Further Resolved, that the University Senate encourages the New Jersey State Legislature to recognize the massive economic benefit Rutgers provides to New Jersey in terms of an educated workforce and internationally acclaimed research by showing a stronger commitment to higher education; and

Be It Finally Resolved, that the Rutgers University Senate urges the Legislature to reject these truly devastating cuts to higher education funding in New Jersey.

OLD BUSINESS:  There was no old business.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REPORT:  Vice Chairperson Rabinowitz reported on the March 10, 2006 Senate Executive Committee meeting. Executive Committee minutes are available on the Senate website.

REPORT OF THE REPRESENTATIVE TO BOARDS OF GOVERNORS:  Senator Paul Leath, Faculty Representative to the Board of Governors, reported on the December 1, February 10, and March 10 Board of Governors meetings.

REPORT OF CAMPUS FACULTY LIAISONS:  Senator Leath, who is also chair of the New Brunswick Faculty Council (NBFC), reported on recent and planned activities of the NBFC, which included TFUE responses and implementation discussions, and consideration of the draft Academic Integrity Policy and a proposal to change the way grades are reported.

ADJOURNMENT:  The meeting adjourned at 3:24 p.m.