RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY
UNIVERSITY SENATE MINUTES

Regular Meeting of the University Senate

DATE:  November 22, 2002

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

MEMBERS PRESENT:  Adelaja, Advani, Ambar, Barnes, Barone, Baruh, Bathory, Berz, Blasi, Borisovets, Bossard, Bottega, Boylan, Brazier, Caprio, Caruso, Case, Cerulo, Chambers, Chism, Cohen, Colaizzi, A. Cooper, T. Cooper, Cotter, Cowley, Darien, E. Dennis, R. Dennis, DeRosa, Dess, Deutsch, Diner, Domb, Doshi, Durante, Evans, Flanagan, Forman, Gaunt, Gillett, Gossett, Greenhut, Hall, Hanlon, Hara, Haugerud, Hawkesworth, Hirschmugl, Hirsh, Holcomb, Hornichter, J. Hughes, R. Hughes, Hyndman, Josh Jackson, Jesse, Jessen, Karel, Kauffman, Kennedy, Kenney, Kirby, Kirschner, Kleiman, Kokini, Kressel, Krucher, Lashley, Leath, Lee, Leontiades, Leustek, Liberman, Lichtenfeld, Manhoff, Markowitz, Maudlin, McKay, McKeever, Mensah, Miller, Naus, Nedick, Nordstrom, O’Connor, Oren, Panayotatos, Pancholy, Parrish, Pellegrine, Penfield, Pieczenik, Pottick, Preston, Puniello, Rabii, Rabinowitz, Ramsay, Roden, Saidel, Salge, Samuels, Schiavo, Scott, Seneca, Silver, Simmons, H. Smith, N. Smith, D. Snyder, P. Snyder, Sondahl, Swenson, Szatrowski, Tandon, Thompson, Tuckman, Vodak, Wadia, Walker, Walker-Andrews, Wasserman, Webb, Winterbauer, Wozniak, Zaborszky

EXCUSED:  Bell, Boikess, Bry, Cronk, Davidson, DeCarlo, El-Shakhs, Erlichson, Friedrich, Gillis, Gould, Grennille, Hart, Hillman, Hodgson, Jones, Keoskey, Klein, Laguna-Diaz, Lanterman, Messer, Obayashi, Perr, Plummer, Rijhsinghani, Schlegel, Sears, Shovlin, Wang, Wilkinson, Worrall

ABSENT:  Bay, Breton, Bushnell, Cicma, Dekhterman, Driscoll, Elgallab, Fischetti, Griffiths, Joanne Jackson, Johnson, Joo, Kenfield, Lehman, Maradonna, Massenburg, Maurer, Owusu, Shah, Solomon, Stauffer, Sukhdeo, Taylor, Tsurumi, Zylstra

ATTENDANCE SUMMARY: Faculty:  Of  90 total:  69 present (67%), 21 excused (23%) 9 absent (10%);  Students:  Of 48 total:  33 present (69%), 3 excused (6%), 12 absent (25%); Administrators:  Of 39 total:  28 present (72%), 6 excused (15%), 5 absent (13%); Alumni:  Of 6 total:  4 present (67%), 2 excused (33%), 0 absent
View Senate attendance record for this year

NON-VOTING MEMBER PRESENT:  Redd

NON-VOTING MEMBERS ABSENT:  Sambolin, Wright

PRESIDING OFFICER:  Paul Panayotatos, Chairperson

CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT:  Chairperson Panayotatos opened the meeting by noting that the day’s agenda was an unusual one which could include a general discussion of the Report of the New Jersey Commission on Health Science, Education and Training (NJCHSET).  He also said that most of his Chairperson’s Report would be a summary of, and comments on, the Initial Response of the Senate to the NJCHSET Report under “Old Business.”  He added that the response of the Senate was prepared in its role as an advisory body to both the President and the Board of Governors, and that it is appropriate for the University Senate to present opinions on any crucial issues affecting Rutgers.  Chairperson Panayotatos asked Senators to send their ideas or comments on the NJCHSET Report, or on improving Rutgers, to any member of the Senate’s Executive Committee.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY:  Agenda:  Secretary Swalagin noted that the agenda had been revised to include an additional communication, and to place the Chairperson’s report on the Senate’s Initial Response to the NJCHSET Report under "Old Business." On motion and duly seconded, the agenda was approved as revised. [http://senate.rutgers.edu/1102agen.html]

Minutes:  Approval of the Minutes of the October 18, 2002 Senate meeting was inadvertently overlooked.  Following the Camden Campus Report and subsequent question-and-answer period, on motion and duly seconded, the Minutes of that Senate meeting were approved as distributed by the Secretary. [http://senate.rutgers.edu/101802se.html]

Communications:  Presented as communications to the Senate were:

BOARD OF GOVERNORS RESOLUTION THANKING THE UNIVERSITY
SENATE FOR ITS INITIAL RESPONSE TO THE REPORT OF THE
NEW JERSEY COMMISSION ON HEALTH SCIENCE, EDUCATION,
AND TRAINING

WHEREAS, the Executive Committee of the University Senate of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey was authorized by the University Senate to prepare the Initial Response to the Report of the New Jersey Commission on Health Science, Education, and Training; and,

WHEREAS, the Initial Response was presented to the Board of Governors at its November 8, 2002 meeting; and,

WHEREAS, the Board of Governors wishes to recognize the time and effort that were required in conducting a careful review of the proposals contained in the report; and,

WHEREAS, the Board of Governors commends the Executive Committee for presenting the areas of concern in a thoughtful, articulate and collegial manner relative to the vision to advance New Jersey public research universities to the top tier of state university systems;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Governors of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey extends its deepest appreciation to the University Senate for its Initial Response and welcomes its sage advice in all matters related to this report.

Board of Governors
November 8, 2002

 ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT:  Chairperson Panayotatos introduced Acting President Norman Samuels, who took the lectern.  Acting President Samuels, noting that this would be his last Senate meeting as acting president, presented the Administrative Report, which included comments on: awards, honors and grants to departments and individual faculty; enrollment; appointment of Steven Diner as Newark Provost, and of Felissa Lashley as Dean of the College of Nursing.  Acting President Samuels introduced Camden Provost Roger Dennis, and thanked him for his work for Rutgers as well as the City of Camden.

CAMDEN CAMPUS REPORT:

Camden Provost Roger Dennis took the lectern and presented a synopsis of the Camden Campus Report.  (The report had been distributed to the Senate in advance, and is attached to the master copy of these minutes as Attachment A.)

A question-and-answer period followed, during which Provost Dennis responded to questions and comments on subjects including the potential effects of the proposed merger of Rutgers with UMDNJ and NJIT, and parking on the Camden Campus.

[Minutes of the October 18, 2002 Senate Meeting were approved at this point.]

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Senator Borisovets summarized her committee’s Report on Charge S-9912, Student Advising Services. [http://senate.rutgers.edu/advise.html] Chairperson Panayotatos offered the report for adoption by the Senate, and opened discussion.  Senator Wozniak, noting that the report comprised considerable work, expressed concern that it lacked sufficient student input.  Following some discussion, which included Senator Borisovets’ observation that the report had been circulated for comment to the entire Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committee, including the student members, Senator Wozniak moved that the report be sent back to committee for revision following input from the Student Affairs Committee.  The motion was seconded. Following discussion of the motion, Senator Boylan called the question.  On card vote, the question was called.  Also on card vote, the motion to send the report back to the Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committee, for revision and incorporation of input from the Student Affairs Committee, carried.

OLD BUSINESS:

Chairperson Panayotatos summarized the process which led to the Senate’s Initial Response to the NJCHSET Report, noting the short deadline, which precluded the possibility of full-Senate action.  (The Response was made available to the Senate at the sign-in desk prior to the meeting.)  He noted that the Senate’s University Structure and Governance Committees met twice, joined by members of the Executive committee, to draft a first report based on comments from the Senate.  Thereafter, a drafting committee circulated a draft to Executive Committee members for comment and approval, and thereafter to all Senators for further input.  A revised draft incorporating most of the Senate’s suggestions was circulated to the Executive Committee for final approval.  He said that the response was communicated to the chair of the Board of Governors, the Acting President Samuels, and President-Designate McCormick on November 7, and was distributed to all Board of Governors members at their meeting on November 8.

Chairperson Panayotatos also said that the Senate reserves the right to expand and/or amend the Response as discussions continue.  Chairperson Panayotatos also noted the Board of Governors’ thanks for the Response, his appreciation of the encouragement of President Designate McCormick and Acting President Samuels, his recent meetings and discussions with representatives of NJIT and UMDNJ, coverage of this issue at the Governor’s Caucus at Douglass, and the intention to ask the administration to share with the Senate Executive Committee comments received from Rutgers units on the proposed merger.

NEW BUSINESS:

Senator Scott moved the Senate into Committee of the Whole.  The motion was seconded, and approved on voice vote.  The Senate entered Committee of the Whole.  Senator Scott assumed the chair. Noting that no motions nor amendments would be in order in Committee of the Whole, Acting Chair Scott asked for the Senate’s comments on areas most critical to address, and costs and benefits of proposed mergers and/or splits.  She noted that those comments could also be e-mailed to the Senate Executive Committee or Secretary.  A lengthy discussion took place, during which the Committee of the Whole heard from Senators Cotter, Simmons, Kleiman, Diner, Markowitz, DeRosa, Nedick, Gaunt, Pancholy, Lichtenfeld, D. Snyder, Salge, Panayotatos, Walker, and Adelaja.  Time allotted for the meeting expired at 3:40 p.m., and Acting Chair Scott asked for a motion to rise from Committee of the Whole, after which a motion to extend the meeting time would be in order.  Senator Pieczenik called for a quorum count.  It was determined that no quorum was present (with 55 of the quorum-required 61 Senators remaining), and that the meeting time could not be extended.  Senator Panayotatos resumed the chair and suggested that the meeting adjourn, then the discussion continue off the record.

ADJOURNMENT:  The meeting adjourned at 3:41 p.m.

Following adjournment, Senators Pieczenik, Oren, and Walker-Andrews commented on the NJCHSET Report.

Kenneth Swalagin
Secretary of the University Senate