RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY
UNIVERSITY SENATE
 
 
MINUTES                                  Regular Meeting of the University Senate
 
DATE                                         April 28, 2006
 
TIME AND PLACE                 1:10 p.m. 
                                                    Multipurpose Room
                                                    Rutgers Student Center
                                                    126 College Avenue
                                                    College Avenue Campus
 
MEMBERS PRESENT:  Allender, Atmeh, Barone, Bell, Bernstein, Blimling, Bodnar, Boikess, Borisovets, Bravo, Capuano, Chabal, Cole, Cooke, Cotter, Curtis, DeLisi, DeLuca, R. Dennis, Diner, Dutta, C. Ellis, Farrell, Finc, Fincher, Fishbein, Forero, Fowler, Friedrich, Furmanski, Gigliotti, Gillett, Goodman, Gould, Greenhut, Hall, Heckscher, Herrera, Hmelo-Silver, Hughes, Jackson, Johnson, Kalelkar, Kanj, Kennedy, Kind, Kirschner, Koza, Krenos, LaSala, Lashley, Leath, Lee, Liepmann, MacArthur, Maher, Marchetta, Markert, Markowitz, Mauroff, McCabe, McCormick, McKay, McKeever, Messer, Miller, Mulcahy, Muller, Ng, Niederman, Norville, Obayashi, O’Connell, O’Connor, Oren, Ozbay, Palmon, Panayotatos, Popper, Puniello, Rabiner, Samuel Rabinowitz, Sidney Rabinowitz, Rankin, Rubin, Schein, Schorr, Scott, P. Simmons, R. Simmons, Spero, St. John, Stroud, Sukhdeo, Tittler, Turpin, Van Til, Vera, Vodak, Winterbauer, Wyhopen
 
EXCUSED:  Alger, Banerjee, Barbarese, Boylan, Caprio, Carr, Cohen, Coit, Colaizzi, Darien, E. Dennis, Dhillon, Downs, N. Ellis, Hyndman, J. Jones, Kirby, Klepac, Kokini, Laguna-Diaz, Mandelbaum, Marsh, Melwani, Meyer, Reed, Schock, Spiegel, Volk, Williams
 
ABSENT:  Adarkwa, Aladdin, Ambar, Apfel, Axelrod, Bartosek, Bellany, Boehmer, Brazier, Breton, Butler, Cannon, Colin, Dent, Deutsch, Edwards, Elkholy, Feinberg, Gaunt, Gimbar, Guo, Gyenfie, Hallmark, Hankins, Hart, John, Kagan, Klein, Labib, Lipman, Livingston, Martin, Mohammed, Nelson, Ocone, Pittman, Potenza, Poyznyer, Rennie, Schaich, Sherman, C. Simmons, Simon, Smith, Snyder, Solomon, Spat, Stauffer, Tuckman, Turner, Wang, Whang, Whitfield, Young, Zaborszky
 
ATTENDANCE                        Faculty:  Of 88 total:  55 present (63%), 15 excused (17%), 18 absent (20%)
SUMMARY                               Students:  Of 55 total: 24 present (44%), 6 excused (11%), 25 absent (45%)
                                                    Administrators:  Of 36 total:  17 present (47%), 7 excused (19%), 12 absent (34%)
                                                    Alumni:  Of 6 total:  5 present (83%), 1 excused (17%), 0 absent
 
View Senate attendance record for this year


PRESIDING OFFICER           Martha Cotter, Chairperson
 
CALL TO ORDER, AND CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT: Chairperson Cotter called the meeting to order at 2:17 p.m., immediately following collection of the election ballots from the Organizational Meeting of the 2006-07 University Senate. She briefly reviewed and summarized issues covered by the Senate during the past year, as well as those expected to be addressed next year. She then gave privilege of the floor to student Senator Sharo Atmeh, who reported on the previous day’s state-budget rally in Trenton, which he characterized as “a great success.”
 
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY:
 
Agenda: The meeting’s agenda was approved as distributed by the secretary.
Minutes: On motion and duly seconded, the Minutes of the March 24, 2006 Senate meeting were approved as distributed by the secretary. 
Communications: The following communications were presented by the secretary:  
 
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT:  President McCormick’s Administrative report included comments on the following:
thanks to the Senate for a good year, and for its extensive discussion and input on undergraduate education;
In response to a question by Senator Panayotatos, co-chair of the Senate’s Personnel Policy Committee, President McCormick said he would inform the Senate each time caps on the numbers of clinical faculty are reached or increased in each unit. President McCormick also said that he would look into a recommendation by Ted Szatrowski (a member of the 2006-2007 University Senate) that NJ Transit “Ozone Passes” be made available in New Brunswick this summer, as they have been for some time in Newark.
 
COMMITTEE REPORTS
 
Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee - Craig Oren, Co-chair, and Michelle Brazier, Former Co-chair - Report in Response to Charge S-0106, Minus Grades 
 
Senators Oren and Brazier summarized the Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee (ASRAC) report on Charge S-0106, Minus Grades. Senator Brazier had co-chaired the ASRAC during much of the discussion on this issue, and therefore was co-presenter of the committee’s report. The committee had been charged as follows: “Explore the question of whether minus grades should be added to the default University grading system.” The report presented data and summarized committee discussions regarding the plausibility of adding minus grades to Rutgers’ default grading system. Senator Oren noted that there was “No enthusiasm within the committee to change [to a grading system which includes minus grades],” and that the recommendation from the ASRAC which was being presented to the Senate was to remain with the status quo, and to take no action to change the grading system at this time. There being no action or change being recommended by the report, there was no vote by the Senate.
 
University Structure and Governance Committee - Gary Gigliotti, Chair - Report and Resolution in Response to Charge A-0601, Proposal for Establishment of a School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers-Newark
 
Senator Gigliotti, chair of the Senate’s University Structure and Governance Committee (USGC), summarized the committee’s report and resolution in response to Charge A-0601, on a Proposal for Establishment of a School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers-Newark. The committee had been charged as follows: “Review and respond to the Proposal for Establishment of a School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers-Newark. Submit a resolution in response to the proposal which can be acted upon by the University Senate at its April 28, 2006 meeting.” The USGC’s resolution, which endorsed the proposal to establish the new school, was adopted without opposition by the Senate as follows:
 
Whereas, the Rutgers University Senate's University Structure and Governance Committee has reviewed and discussed the proposal to establish a new School of Public Affairs and Administration on the Newark Campus; and
Whereas, the University Structure and Governance Committee has agreed unanimously that creation of the proposed, new school is in the best interests of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and its students; and
Whereas, the committee found that the new school would also help support the mission of Rutgers-Newark and Rutgers University in serving the citizens of the New Jersey; and
Whereas, the University Senate, at its meeting on April 28, 2006, considered the proposal to establish the school, and the University Structure and Governance Committee's report and endorsement of the plan to establish the school, finding it sound and in the best interest of Rutgers University;
Therefore, Be It Resolved, that the Rutgers University Senate endorses the proposal to establish the new School of Public Affairs and Administration on the Newark Campus.
 
OLD BUSINESS:  There was no old business.
 
NEW BUSINESS:  There was no new business.
 
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REPORT:  Vice Chairperson Rabinowitz reported on the April 7, 2006 Senate Executive Committee meeting.  Executive Committee minutes are available on the Senate website.
 
REPORT OF THE REPRESENTATIVES TO BOARDS OF GOVERNORS AND TRUSTEES:  Senator Leath, Faculty Representative to the Board of Governors, reported on the April 6, 2006 Board of Governors meeting. Senator Vodak, Faculty Representative to the Board of Trustees, reported on the April 27, 2006 Board of Trustees meeting, which was held in Newark.
 
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.
 
ADJOURNMENT:  The meeting adjourned at 3:16 p.m.
 
 
Kenneth Swalagin
Secretary of the University Senate