RUTGERS UNIVERSITY SENATE
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
M I N U T E S
February 25, 2005
MEMBERS PRESENT: Blasi, Borisovets, Cotter (Chair), Curry, Darien,
DiVito, Hirsh, Panayotatos (Immediate Vice Chair), Rabinowitz (Vice Chair),
Swalagin (Executive Secretary)
EXCUSED: Barone
ALSO ATTENDING: Furmanski (Administrative Liaison), Leath (Faculty
BOG Representative), McCormick (Administrative Liaison)
The regular meeting of the University Senate Executive Committee was held
on Friday, February 25, 2005 at 1:10 p.m. in the Cap and Skull Room, Rutgers
Student Center, College Avenue Campus.
1. Chairperson’s Report
There was no Chairperson’s Report.
2. Secretary's Report
Minutes: Chairperson Cotter asked that the February 4, 2005
Minutes be changed to reflect that she asked the Executive Committee if there
were any objections to her inviting Michael McKay and Brian Rose to speak
to the Senate on use of Social Security numbers as student identification
numbers. With that change, the Minutes of the February 4,
2005 Executive Committee meeting were approved.
Communication: The Schedule of 2005-2006
Senate and Senate Executive Committee meetings was presented and approved
by the Executive Committee.
3. Administrative Report
Executive Vice President Furmanski delivered the administrative report, which
included comments on:
- selection of Robert Goodman as the new Dean of Cook College; and
- ongoing searches for Vice President of Research and Graduate and Professional
Education, Student Ombudsperson, and Vice President for Enrollment
Management.
4. Selection and charge of Nominating Panel for April 2005
Senate Election of Officers and Board Representatives: The Executive
Committee suggested the following Senators as members of the 2005 Nominating
Panel: O’Connor (Chair), Greenhut, P. Simmons, Szatrowski, DiVito,
Curry, N. Smith, Dholandas, Tittler, Bodnar, Krucher, Darien, Kressel, Potenza,
R. Jones, Oren. Secretary Swalagin will contact those suggested and
ask if they are willing to serve on the Panel.
5. Standing Committee Reports and Charges
Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committee (ICAC), Revised Report
on Charge S-0325, Assignment of Textbooks: Senator Borisovets,
chair of the ICAC, summarized her committee’s revised report on assignment
of textbooks. The report, in its original form, had been reviewed by
the Senate at the October 22, 2004 Senate meeting, and was referred back
to committee for revision. Senator Borisovets accepted Senator Panayotatos’s
suggestion that wording in one of the report’s recommendations be changed
to indicate that royalties could be “donated” to the university or elsewhere
rather than “returned.” Senator Panayotatos also asked about situations
in which an instructor hires multiple part-time lecturers for a course and
then assigns a self-authored textbook. The Executive Committee agreed
with Senator Blasi’s suggestion that this issue be revisited next, along
with any other specific issues arising out of any new policies instituted
as a result of the ICAC’s recommendations. The report was docketed
for the March 11, 2005 Senate meeting.
Charge to Budget and Finance Committee on Student Fees: Secretary
Swalagin said that, as instructed by the Executive Committee, he had transmitted
to the Budget and Finance Committee on February 16, 2005 the following charge
submitted by Senator Adam Cooper, as modified by Senator Timothy DiVito:
“Examine all student fees collected for university-wide purposes paid by
Rutgers University undergraduates on all three campuses. Research the
origins of these fees, the programs and projects that they have funded in
the past and any future plans for the use of these funds. Recommend
best practices for the appropriate use of this fee money in light of these
findings. In addition, recommend ways in which university-wide student
fee information can be made more widely available to all Rutgers University
students. Respond to Senate Executive Committee by October 2005.”
Proposed Charge to Instruction, Curricula and Advising Committee:
The Executive Committee considered the following charge, as submitted by
Senator Adam Cooper: “Examine why Rutgers University does not
currently operate a study-abroad program in Israel, and determine whether
or not this policy should be changed.” The committee deemed the proposed
charge to be insufficiently broad for a Senate committee, therefore no charge
was issued. Secretary Swalagin was instructed to refer Senator Cooper
to Seth Gopan, Director of Global Programs, or Steve Ferst, Director of the
Study Abroad Program on this issue.
Proposed Charge to University Structure and Governance Committee (USGC):
The Executive Committee considered, at Senator Dutta’s request, charging
the USGC with making recommendations regarding absence of quorum at faculty
meetings. The basis of the charge was contained in an e-mail exchange
between Senator/Professor Dutta, FAS-NB Dean Holly Smith, and President McCormick.
[http://senate.rutgers.edu/duttaquorum.html] Following discussion,
the committee agreed that the charge did not fall within the Senate’s purview,
and suggested that Senator Dutta bring his issue to the individual units
where the concerns exist.
Charge Deadline Change: On behalf of the Faculty Affairs and
Personnel Committee (FAPC), Senator Panayotatos, FAPC co-chair, requested
that the deadline on Charge S-0412, on endorsing the AAUP Policy Statement
on Contingent Faculty, be changed to Fall 2005. The change was granted.
6. Reports of Executive Committee Liaisons to Senate Standing
Committees: The following Executive Committee liaisons to Senate
standing committees reported on the plans and activities of their respective
committees:
- Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions: M. Cotter
- Budget and Finance: D. Curry
- Equal Opportunity: T. DiVito
- Faculty Affairs and Personnel: H. Hirsh and P. Panayotatos (Co-chair)
- Instruction, Curricula and Advising: N. Borisovets (Chair)
- Student Affairs: S. Rabinowitz
- University Structure and Governance: J. Blasi (Co-chair)
During the discussion of standing committee activities, the following issues/discussions
were also raised:
- Senator DiVito asked if a committee should be charged with reviewing
the lack of time between the end of exams, and the requirement that dorms
be vacated the next day. The committee suggested that Senator DiVito
take up that issue with the Housing Department or Vice President for Student
Affairs Blimling.
- Senator Borisovets asked if the last meeting of the Senate for this
year could be divided into two meetings, with one held in the morning, and
the other in the afternoon. This led to considerable discussion, and
the decision to try to hold the Senate election at 10 a.m., then go directly
into the Senate’s regular agenda, then recess for lunch (to be provided to
Senators), then reconvene and continue the Senate agenda. Secretary
Swalagin will work on structuring the April 22, 2005 Senate meeting based
on those suggestions.
7. March 11, 2005 University Senate Meeting Agenda
The following items were docketed on the Senate’s March 11, 2005 agenda:
- Report on Use of Social Security Numbers as Student Identification
Numbers - Michael McKay and Brian Rose
- Revised Report on Assignment of Textbooks - Instruction, Curricula
and Advising Committee
8. Old Business
There was no Old Business.
9. New Business
Chairperson Cotter solicited and received comments and suggestions on a draft
list of proposed members for the evaluation committee for Dean Stauffer of
the Mason Gross School of the Arts.
10. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 3:23 p.m. by Chairperson Cotter.
Kenneth Swalagin
Executive Secretary of the Senate