RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY
UNIVERSITY SENATE MINUTES

Regular Meeting of the University Senate

DATE: September 21, 2001

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

MEMBERS PRESENT:  Adelson, Antwi, Asaytuno, Baldi, Barone, Bathory, Bell, Berz, Bhandari, Bittner, Blasi, Borisovets, Bossard, Boylan, Breton, Bronzan, Bry, Caprio, Chopra, Cizewski, Cohen, Colaizzi, Cooper, Cotter, Cowley, Darien, Davidson, DeCarlo, E. Dennis, R. Dennis, DeRosa, Deutsch, Dimond, Diner, Domb, Driscoll, Duncan, Elovitz, Esser, Falk, Forman, Franklin, Friedrich, Gary, Gaunt, Habib, Hall, Haugerud, Hawkesworth, Hirsh, Hughes, Jesse, Jessen, Karel, Kauffman, Kennedy, Kenney, Keoskey, Kirschner, Klein, Laguna-Diaz, Lang, Laurente, Lawrence, Leath, Lee, Leontiades, Maitland, Manhoff, Maradonna, Markowitz, Marsh, Maudlin, Maw, McKay, McKeever, Messer, Metzidakis, G. Miller, J. Miller, Millican, Nagarajan, Nordstrom, O’Connor, Oren, Panayotatos, Pellegrine, Penfield, Perlman, Perr, Plummer, Puniello, Quinn, Rabinowitz, Ramsay, Rijhsinghani, Rohr, Ross, Saidel, Samuels, Saniefard, Scott, Seneca, Silver, R. Simmons, Sims, Slawsky, Smith, D. Snyder, P. Snyder, Solomon, Spencer, Stamato, Stauffer, Stein, Strom, Sullivan, Szatrowski, Tallau, Theodossiou, Tripolitis, Tuckman, Varma, Vershon, Vodak, Walker-Andrews, Wallenstein, Wasserman, Webb, Wilkinson, Winterbauer, Wozniak, Wyly, Zaveri

EXCUSED:  Bay, Boikess, Evans, Flanagan, Gillis, Griffith, Hornichter, Krueckeberg, Martinez-Fernandez, Mills, Paris, Pottick, Roth, Seplaki, Swenson, Toledo, Wadia, Zaborszky, Zylstra

ABSENT:  Albers, Boucher, Bushnell, Butwinski, Darkenwald, Diamond, Fechter, Felson, Gossy, Gross, Hamm, Hara, Hillman, Imani, Jackson, Keating, Kenfield, LaPadula, Lehman, Li, Mandau, Matsuda, Naus, Schlegel, P. Simmons

ATTENDANCE SUMMARY:  Faculty:  Of 85 total: 56 present (66%), 12 excused (14%), 17 absent (20%); Students: Of 49 total: 39 present (80%), 4 excused (8%), 6 absent (12%); Administrators:  Of 39 total: 34 present (87%), 3 excused (8%), 2 absent (5%); Alumni:  Of 6 total: 5 present (83%), 0 excused, 1 absent (17%)

NON-VOTING MEMBERS PRESENT:  Redd, Wright

NON-VOTING MEMBER ABSENT:  Sambolin

PRESIDING OFFICER:  Kathleen Scott, Chairperson

CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT:  Chairperson Scott welcomed all present, and thanked new and returning Senators for their involvement with the University Senate.  She asked the assembly to join her in a moment of silence for victims of the recent terrorist attacks, and expressed sympathy to the community and all affected.

Chairperson Scott then reviewed the Senate’s charge and responsibilities, suggesting that all Senators review the Senate Handbook [http://senate.rutgers.edu/handbook.html], particularly University Regulation 2.2.2, the Senate’s enabling regulation.

Chairperson Scott then summarized action which had been taken over the summer on several of the Senate’s recent resolutions:

Chairperson Scott said that last year was a productive and exciting one, and expressed hope that the coming year would be equally so.  She reminded the Senate that the quality of the Senate’s work depends upon its committees.  Regarding charges, she said that newly issued or contemplated charges will be reported by Vice Chairperson Rabinowitz during his Executive Committee reports to the Senate.  She asked all Senators to convey any comments they may have on those charges to the committee chair, or to herself or Secretary Swalagin, so that they can be considered before the committee’s final report on the charge reaches the Senate floor.  She asked those groups which caucus to attend their caucuses, noting that Senate resolutions, as well as Senate discussions, inform the president.

Chairperson Scott commented on, and invited participation in, an upcoming New Brunswick Faculty Council Conference on Undergraduate Teaching [http://teachx.rutgers.edu/council/index.html], to be held on October 12, 2001 at the Rutgers Student Center, College Avenue Campus.

She introduced Secretary Swalagin, noting that the Secretary is the person to whom all Senate correspondence should be addressed.  She introduced Vice Chairperson Rabinowitz, Parliamentarian Saniefard, and Linda Mickelsen of the Senate office.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY:  Agenda:  On motion and duly seconded, the agenda was approved as distributed. Minutes:  On motion and duly seconded, Minutes of the April 27, 2001 Organizational Meeting were approved as distributed by the Secretary.  Communications: Communications had been distributed by mail, and the text thereof posted online for Senate review, as follows:

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT:  Chairperson Scott introduced President Lawrence, who took the lectern.  President Lawrence presented his annual State of the University address (text attached to the master copy of these minutes, and available online at http://www.rutgers.edu/aboutru/state01/).

A question-and-answer period followed, during which President Lawrence responded to questions on issues which included: course registration policies for National Guard students; ways in which students can help Rutgers work toward the goals President Lawrence discussed in his address; university-wide effects of corporate donations; and details of student center expansions.

OLD BUSINESS/COMMITTEE REPORTS:

1.  That the University Senate enthusiastically endorses the report and recommendations of the Committee to Advance Our Common Purposes Curriculum Task Force, and recommends that undergraduate deans and their curriculum committees consider incorporating intercultural learning objectives into their graduation requirements.

2.  That the University Senate urges individual faculty in all disciplines to consider incorporating the intercultural learning objectives into their course offerings whenever feasible.

3.  That the University Vice President for Academic Affairs present a report at the April 2002 University Senate meeting summarizing the activities and progress made in incorporating intercultural learning objectives across the curriculum.

 The floor was opened to questions and/or discussion; there was none.  On voice vote, the report’s resolution was approved by the Senate as follows: Whereas, the University Senate’s Instruction, Curricula and Advising (ICA) Committee has examined and reported on the proposed Committee to Advance Our Common Purposes Curriculum Task Force Report; and

Whereas, the University Senate has reviewed the ICA Committee’s Report and its Recommendations, finding those Recommendations to be sound and in the best interests of Rutgers University;

Therefore, Be It Resolved, that the Rutgers University Senate endorses the ICA Committee’s Report on the proposed Committee to Advance Our Common Purposes Curriculum Task Force Report.

 NEW BUSINESS:  Senator Markowitz, in the context of his teaching association with the City College of New York Center for Worker Education (CCNY-CWE), spoke of the devastating effects the recent terrorist attacks have had on that institution, and moved a resolution declaring Rutgers to be a “sister university” to CUNY-CWE.  His motion was seconded.  In response to a question from Senator Panayotatos, Senator Markowitz said that becoming a sister university constitutes an offer and expression of “support, friendship, connection, moral support.”  He suggested that the resolution should be faxed to CUNY-CWE if approved by the Senate.  There was no further discussion on the resolution.  On voice vote, the Senate approved the resolution, as follows: "We, The University Senate of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, salute the students, faculty and staff of the Center for Worker Education of the City College of New York, who will resume classes at their building at 99 Hudson Street in the federal district/World Trade Center area.  We declare ourselves a sister university to CUNY-CWE, who with us are part of the American family of public higher education, which will grow stronger and better in the aftermath of the attack on our People and our Republic." EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REPORT:  Vice Chair Rabinowitz reported on the June 1, 2001 [http://senate.rutgers.edu/ec060101.html] and September 7, 2001 [http://senate.rutgers.edu/ec090701.html]. Executive Committee minutes are available on the Senate website.

REPORT OF THE REPRESENTATIVES TO BOARDS OF GOVERNORS AND TRUSTEES:  Senator Walker-Andrews reported on the July 2001 Board of Governors meeting.  Senator Vodak reported on the July 2001 Board of Trustees meeting.

REPORT OF CAMPUS FACULTY LIAISONS:  Senators Nabil Adam, M.A. Rafey Habib, and Martha Cotter reported on plans and recent activities of the Newark Faculty Council, Camden Faculty Senate, and New Brunswick Faculty Council, respectively.

ADJOURNMENT:  There being no further business before the University Senate, Chairperson Scott declared the meeting adjourned at 3:05 p.m.
 

Kenneth Swalagin
Secretary of the University Senate