RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY
UNIVERSITY SENATE

PRESIDING OFFICER:Samuel Rabinowitz, Chairperson

CALL TO ORDER, DETERMINATION OF A QUORUM, AND CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT - Samuel Rabinowitz, Chairperson

Chairperson Rabinowitz called the meeting to order at 1:19 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room of the Camden Campus Center. After welcoming all to the annual meeting in Camden, he noted that, during his Senate chairship, Rutgers-Camden had constructed or significantly renovated the School of Law, the Recreation Center, the dining area, and the Multipurpose Room in which the Senate meeting was being held. He also noted that the agenda would not include a campus tour as originally announced.

SECRETARY'S REPORT - Kenneth Swalagin, Executive Secretary

• Agenda: The meeting's agenda, including time limits, was approved as distributed by the executive secretary.
• Minutes: The Minutes of May 1, 2009 Senate Organizational Meeting and Minutes of September 25, 2009 Senate Meeting were approved as distributed by the executive secretary.
• Communications: The following communications were presented by the executive secretary:
  • Executive Committee acted on Senate's behalf in changing 2010 Commencement date: The Senate Executive Committee, at its meeting on September 4, 2009, acted on behalf of the Senate in changing the university commencement date for 2010 from Tuesday, May 18 to Sunday, May 16 at 1:00 p.m. to accommodate the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. The action was taken in partial response to a request from Secretary of the University Leslie Fehrenbach that the University Senate change the University Commencement dates on the academic calendar for 2010 and beyond. [Click these links to view Ms. Fehrenbach's July 27, 2009 letter and its attachment.] Senate bylaws allow the Executive Committee to act on the Senate's behalf in urgent matters. The Senate's Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee has been charged with considering the remainder of the request to change commencement dates, which is based on other scheduling and logistical considerations outlined in Ms. Fehrenbach's request.
    
  • Draft Expulsion Clemency Policy to be added to the University Code of Student Conduct, and Vice President for Student Affairs Blimling's explanatory cover email. Dr. Blimling briefed the Senate Executive Committee on this issue at the September 4, 2009 Executive Committee Meeting. Click this link to view a related excerpt from the September 2009 Executive Committee minutes.

CAMDEN CAMPUS REPORT - Camden Chancellor Wendell Pritchett

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

• a welcome to the Camden Campus, and comments on his first three months as chancellor;
• the culture of optimism at Rutgers Camden;
• next year's 60th anniversary of what is now Rutgers-Camden;
• administrative changes, searches and developments;
• admissions and enrollment statistics, goals and plans;
• faculty strengths and achievements;
• student quality, research, and projects;
• conferences and other special events;
• fundraising and grant support;
• new and existing academic programs;
• experiential learning, and how it benefits students, faculty, and Camden as the host community; and
• goals for the Camden Campus over the next few years.

Chancellor Pritchett then responded to questions on topics which included:

• cooperative efforts with the City of Camden and the local community aimed at making Camden a safer and more vibrant area;
• evaluation of deans by faculty and students; and
• collaborative initiatives between Camden and New Brunswick in partnerships, joint programs, and other areas.

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT - President Richard L. McCormick

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

• his pride in recruiting Chancellor Pritchett, and his gratitude for Margaret Marsh's "extraordinary leadership" as interim chancellor;
• the impressive progress of Rutgers-Camden;
• dedication of the new Rutgers Business School facility in Newark;
• progress on the Gateway Building project in New Brunswick; and
• the national economy, and Rutgers' budget.

President McCormick then responded to questions or comments on subjects including:

• Rutgers' occupancy of the 1 Washington Park building in Newark; and
• status of the "Greening of College Avenue" project in New Brunswick.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Student Affairs Committee (SAC) Response to Charge S-0802, Policies on Participation in Blood Drives - Kevin Wild and Samuel Rabinowitz, SAC Co-chairs

Senate Vice Chairperson Paul Leath assumed the chair while Senate Chairperson Rabinowitz, who also co-chairs the Student Affairs Committee (SAC), took the podium to present the SAC report on Policies on Participation in Blood Drives. SAC Co-chair Kevin Wild summarized and moved the committee report. [Note: The link above goes to the report as it was presented by the SAC to the Senate. A link to the revised, as-adopted report appears below.] Senator Slavin's motion to separate the first sentence of report section VII was not accepted by the SAC as friendly, but was seconded and adopted by the Senate on card vote. The text thereby separated from the report was:


Without further discussion, the remainder of the report, minus the above, separated sentence, was adopted by the Senate on card vote.

On the separated portion of the report, which found that the USFDA practice does not violate Rutgers' nondiscrimination policy, a motion to include the separated sentence in the adopted report, as well as a motion to reconsider and allow the SAC to respond immediately, both failed. The separated clause was neither reinstated nor adopted by the Senate.

[Link to the Report, as amended and adopted by the Senate.]

Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committee (ICAC) Response to Charge S-0806, Hybrid Courses and Model of Teaching - Natalie Borisovets, ICAC Chair

Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committee Chair Natalie Borisovets summarized the committee report on Hybrid Courses and Model of Teaching, which had been sent back to committee by the Senate at the May 2009 meeting. [Note: The link above goes to the report as it was presented by the ICAC to the Senate. A link to the revised, as-adopted report appears below.] Borisovets responded to several questions about what the ICAC had considered in formulating the report and its recommendations. Senator Wild's motion to replace "should, when possible" with "must" in Recommendation 3 failed. Accepted as friendly was Senator Fishbein's motion to add to the recommendations language making explicit the already implied provision that decisions to run hybrid courses should be made on pedagogical grounds. The report, as amended, was then adopted by the Senate with none opposed.

[Link to the Report, as amended and adopted by the Senate.]

OLD BUSINESS: There was no old business.

NEW BUSINESS: There was no new business.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REPORT: Vice Chairperson Paul Leath reported on the Senate Executive Committee meetings of June 5, September 4, and October 9, 2009.

REPORTS OF REPRESENTATIVES TO BOARDS OF GOVERNORS AND TRUSTEES: Senator Cotter, Faculty Representative to the Board of Governors, reported on the July 14 and October 13, 2009 Board of Governors meetings. She said she was in Italy when the June 25 BoG meeting was held, but would report on that meeting at a subsequent Senate meeting if asked to do so. Senator Vodak, Faculty Representative to the Board of Trustees, said that the Board of Trustees had not met since his last report, but would meet on October 29.

CAMPUS FACULTY LIAISON REPORTS: There were no reports from Campus Faculty Liaisons.

ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 3:20 p.m.


Kenneth Swalagin
Executive Secretary of the University Senate